Summary:   Value Rating = A

My 2007 Value Rating was A++ when I played Canoa Ranch for the first time but I had to downgrade this to a Value Rating of A when I replayed Canoa Ranch in the fall of 2009.

Canoa Ranch is still a very nice and challenging course to play but its condition has deteriorated since 2007.  I suspect it may have something to do with the economic downturn as it appears they haven't been putting as much money into maintaining the course as in the past.  My biggest disappointment was the condition of the bunkers – there was really no sand in any bunker I was in or near.  This made it very difficult to play out of – it was like playing out of the desert that surrounds the course.

Canoa Ranch offers great value and this should be a must play for recreational golfers looking for a great course to play offering challenge and value (despite the condition of the bunkers I encountered in 2009).  A very memorable course to play on all fronts. It has all the features I look for in terms of playability.

The cost of the rounds I've played at Canoa Ranch is in the $65 range.  There are some discounts available so I suggest you contact the Pro Shop to check on any deals.

You can get more details on their website (www.canoaranchgolfcourse.com).

Refer to my evaluation criteria – www.lifepast50.ca/topic-list/golf/reviewcriteria

Some Details:

I've played Canoa Ranch twice – November 2007  and October 2009.  Weather was great on both days.  The course was in excellent shape in 2007 and in 2009, we were disappointed that they weren't able to maintain the excellent conditions we had encountered 2 years earlier.

Canoa Ranch is located in Green Valley and is very accessible from Interstate 19 that runs right by the course.

The practice greens were very close in feel and roll to the real greens.  The speed was quick and we needed the practice to get a good feel.

This is a desert course with plenty of desert scrub surrounding each hole filled with varieties of cactus, brush and desert wildlife.  You will see some wildlife including rabbits, lizards, Javelinas, Roadrunners and surprisingly (to us anyways), a Bobcat.  We were told to keep an eye out for snakes but didn't encounter any.

The views from the course of the surrounding Green Valley and Santa Rita Mountains are really beautiful.  There is nothing like standing over a shot with a spectacular vista in front of you.  Canoa Ranch offers this to you on many holes.

I have played both the white tees (Blanco) and the blue tees (Azul).  The course offers tee blocks for all abilities.  I shot 84 from the whites and 91 from the blues.

The greens were in very good shape on both rounds, very consistent on the speed front, and had subtle bends as the ball rolled towards the hole.

On a windy day you do need to control the ball flight, especially on the par 3s.  My golf buddies had played this course on a previous trip on a very windy day and they said it was a challenge, especially when hitting directly into the wind.

The fairways are a nice width providing you with plenty of opportunity to take aim and hit your drives and 2nd shots with lots of confidence.

We did enjoy the on-site restaurant.  The restaurant and pro shop staff were very friendly.

My Evaluation Details:

Scenery – beautiful desert landscape scenes surround the course including wonderful views of the Santa Rita Mountains.  If you like desert vistas you will enjoy the views.

Mix of holes – offers a great mix of long and short holes with a challenging blend of holes.  There aren't that many doglegs but there are a number of holes with split fairways that force you to make decisions before you hit your shot.

Consistency and condition – 2007 – the course was in fabulous shape and offered consistent tee boxes, greens, fairways, rough and bunkers.  The consistency of all parts of the course was really, really excellent.  You can land in the desert areas and still have a recovery shot. There are a few dry river beds around the course which offer some challenges should you land in them.   2009 – bunkers were in terrible shape.

Character – along with the features described above, the course has a lot of character – the split fairways add to this.  Hole #2 and #9 provide you with some interesting choices.  On #2 there is a natural rock wall along part of the fairway which make this hole memorable.  There are a number of elevation changes that add to the valley and mountain views.  The greens provided a nice blend of straight and subtle bends.  The ball rolled extremely consistently and our practice on the practice greens paid off as we adjusted to the speed quickly.

Golf Challenge – the course offers a great blend of decision making places……

• tee shots – You do have to hit over desert areas of varying lengths on most tee shots but none of these were found to cause any problems.  You have a good view of all the fairways.
• fairway shots – Once in the fairway you will encounter good and mostly flat lies.  As noted above, the split fairways on #2 and #9 will force you to decide how you want to play the hole.  You can spray the ball a little and get away with it.  There are some undulating areas where you will encounter uphill/downhill lies.
• pin placements – The pin placements on the day we played were very fair.  A great mix of front, back, middle and side pin placements made you hit a variety of approach shots.  I used all aspects of my short game including run up shots and high shots.  I left the course feeling that it was fair in this regards for my ability – challenging and very enjoyable as reflected by my score that day.
• putting – very consistent across all the greens and the greens were quick.  The practice greens were very much like what we encountered on the course.
• greens – on approach shots, the greens were receptive in that high iron shots landed with only a few feet of roll.  When you tried bump and run shots or lower flight approach shots from the fairway, the ball rolled across the greens very evenly and consistently.  The greens were very smooth with hardly any bumps.
• a chance to recover – you could play shots out of the desert areas as long as your swing or ball wasn't obstructed by the scrub brush.  There were a few places to stay out of – river beds and some areas beside the course with steep slopes.  The rough was a bit fluffy (compared to what I am use to playing in Canada) but once you got use it, it wasn't a problem.

Other Observations:

There are a few houses around the course on the front 9 but they aren't a problem or distraction.  You have to hit quite an errant shot to end up in their yards.

Other than the condition of the bunkers I encountered in October 2009, there really isn't anything bad to say about this course or my experience playing the course.  I would still go back and play this course again.

The whole course offers great views of the Green Valley area and the Santa Rita Mountains.  The photos below presents some great views from the course.  Can you see the bobcat in the first photo?  as we were walking up the fairway, the bobcat was in the river bed area within about 10 yards of us…..casually walking by us seemingly paying little attention to us.  I've never seen one this close up before other than in some Canadian zoo's. Other views of the course and surrounding area. Getting ready for my 2nd shot on Hole # 5