After finding the correct club, golf legend Arnold Palmer explains his philosophy while at the practice facility at the Starr Pass Golf Club in Tucson., where he gave a warm-up clinic answering questions from members and invited guests on Friday, January 16, 2004.
A.E. Araiza, Arizona Daily Star
Length: 27 holes, 10,058 yards (three nine-hole courses)
Notable hole: 6, Coyote Course (Par 4, 350 yards)
The rundown: Have you ever wondered about the origin story of the name “Starr Pass?” In the late 1800s, Richard Starr was the driving force behind a stagecoach trail through the Tucson Mountains.
The Richard Starr Stagecoach Line was a route between Tucson and Quijotoa, a mining boomtown about 70 miles southwest of the Old Pueblo. The sixth fairway of The Club at Starr Pass’ “Coyote Course” is where the trail used to be.
In 1986, TPC at Starr Pass opened for business. The original 18-hole course was designed by Craig Stadler and Bob Cupp. Coyote and Roadrunner are Starr Pass’ original courses. The following year, the PGA Tour selected Starr Pass Golf Club as the host of the Tucson Open.
TPC at Starr Pass, which was later renamed to Starr Pass Golf Club, hosted the Tucson Open from 1987-96 before the tournament permanently relocated to Omni Tucson National. Phil Mickelson won the Tucson Open, thrice, including the 1991 Tucson Open as an amateur, which was his junior season at Arizona State; he also won back-to-back Tucson Opens in 1995 and ’96.
The Tucson Open was held at Omni Tucson National on a full-time basis from 1997-2006. The PGA Tour returned to Starr Pass this past December for Stage 2 of PGA Tour Q-School, a tournament for players seeking PGA Tour status.
Nearly a decade after Starr Pass Golf Club — connected to J.W. Marriott Starr Pass — hosted the Tucson Open, golf legend Arnold Palmer designed an additional nine-hole golf course, known as “Palmer Course.”