Notable hole: 3, Tortolita Course (Par 3, 203 yards)
Tiger Woods waits to hit his shot on hole No. 13 during second-round action at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship on Feb. 21, 2013, at The Golf Club at Dove Mountain in Marana.
Mike Christy, Arizona Daily Star
The rundown: Designed by the legendary Jack Nicklaus, The Golf Club at Dove Mountain in Marana first opened in 2009 and took over as the site of WGC-Accenture Match Play, a tournament that hosted the top golfers in the world.
WGC-Accenture Match Play was previously held at The Gallery Golf Club in 2007 and ’08. Henrik Stenson and Tiger Woods were the winners of the first two match play events at The Gallery Golf Club, before the tournament moved to The Golf Club at Dove Mountain, which is connected to the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain.
The Golf Club at Dove Mountain has three nine-hole courses: Saguaro, Tortolita and Wild Burro. It’s desert golf, so extra golf balls are recommended.
The Tortolita course is tucked near the Tortolita Mountains. When WGC-Accenture Match Play was held at The Golf Club at Dove Mountain, it wasn’t considered a favorite amongst the PGA players — and the complex greens were the most popular reason why.
In 2009, Woods said, “the greens are a bit tough.”
“They’re a little severe out there,” Woods said. “The green speeds are down because if they ever got them up, you couldn’t play.”
Phil Mickelson shares the desert with some cholla cactus but gets out of a jam on the second fairway during the second round at the Accenture Match Play Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain in Marana on Feb. 26, 2009.
David Sanders, Arizona Daily Star
Added Phil Mickelson: “From what I can tell around the greens, it is very severe and will require some interesting shots, bump-and-runs, flops, spinning shots.”
Between the yardage and the greens, The Golf Club at Dove Mountain became known as one of the most challenging venues in PGA Tour history. Woods, Mickelson and Adam Scott were among the players to skip WGC-Accenture Match Play in the tournament’s final season at The Golf Club at Dove Mountain.