The Conquistador Course
A peekabo look through some trees up on the tee box on the Par 4 second hole.
We set off for Day 2 at El Conquistador Golf and Tennis with great anticipation of what would hopefully be a repeat of our first day there; golfing déjà vu really.Upon arrival it all started swimmingly, the guys at the club drop were ever ready to help unload the Golfmobile as we pulled into what now seemed like our own private parking spot.
The Par 4 4th, Bill’s birdie hole requring laying up the drive, avoiding the waste area.
Seth gave us some valuable insight as to the differences between The Canada Course which we played Day 1 and today’s challenge, The Conquistador Course. The most notable difference was that The Conquistador Course was perhaps not as scenic as The Canada Course.
Looking back down passed the green downhill to the tee on the Par 3 7th.
More important, the greens were an entirely different turf grass, recently installed bent grass as opposed to the Bermuda/Poa blend on Day 1. Bob, our greeter from Day 1, was now in the role of starter. He gave us a very valuable piece of advice since 75% of the greens were elevated which was – add a club for each approach shot.
Looking up the fairway on the front nine Par 4 finishing hole.
We had a short chat with our very welcoming host Head Professional, Mr. Erick Womack, and also our good man, Richard, manning the pro shop counter. We then made our way to The Overlook Restaurant where it was Taco Tuesday.
The 10th green with a saucer shaped bunker protecting it.
We decided that given the Mexican heritage in Tucson, we must do like the Romans and order the tacos. Our second choice was another delicious salad this time of the Cobb variety. Anita served us promptly and with a lovely, friendly manner. General Manager, Mr. Tom Meade, a true veteran of golf course management stopped by our table to welcome us and see that we were in good hands.
A ground level view shows the healthy, carpet like fairway grass.
Myra holds a great finish after crushing her 5 wood up the 11th fairway.
We shared our delight of our time here to such a degree of satisfaction that a return visit to El Conquistador and a one month stay in Tucson in 2020 was discussed. One of the promotional fliers I picked up had an offer of 10 rounds of golf with power cart for $450 plus tax. It included some other features you would typically expect as a full-time member, 15% off in The Overlook Restaurant, 7-day advanced bookings and a choice of either of the 2 courses.
The approach view of the Par 5 11th green.
The Players Bundle is one of the best packages going and purchasing a second one would also see a 10% discount on the price. Essentially playing golf with a power cart for under $50 per round. Amazing value. You’ve read in past reviews our own categorization of the courses we review, the two layouts here fall into the “we could play every day category”.
A beauty of a hole #12, start left and let it come back but beware of biting off too much.
We teed off just after lunch time. Wouldn’t you know it, the 1st, a dog leg par 4 contained a pot bunker right where I hit a great faded driver. With a high lip in front of me and 155 yards out I added that extra amount Bob suggested and managed to avoid the lip in front of me. Myra and I watched as the ball flew high and landed up on the green not knowing the result, the ball was 10 feet under the hole! Not realizing the bent grass was a little slower than Day 1’s green, I left the putt on the lip but gratefully took a par to the next tee.
This photo serves a simple purpose, highlighting the greens and apron.
The round had numerous highlights including Myra and I both parring the same Par 3, Myra making a sensational par on the par 5 5thhole, she is a 32 handicapper remember, and my 38/42 = 80 was my lowest round so far on our 8-week trip. The course was a little more forgiving than The Canada Course, but this in no way diminished its challenge and quality. The Par 4 second hole again with an elevated green was a solid hole and was an indication that there would be no weak holes on Conquistador. The Par 5’s on the back nine, holes 11 and 16, were outstanding especially the latter.
The foliage lining this the Par 5 16th just adds to the marvel of this hole.
Most likely coincidentally the best hole on both courses in my opinion were both the Par 5 16ths. The Par 4 12thwas an incredible hole, the fairway sloped dramatically from left to right, a wind blowing in the same direction adding to its severity. Great fairways bunkers as well as large circular greenside bunkers frame many of the tee and approach shots. The fairway quality was excellent as you can see from the low level shot I took of Myra’s orange golf ball.
Long afternoon shadows makes the tee shot on the par 3 17th even more ticklish.
As we were only a twosome this round so we had ample time to admire and photograph the course. On the back nine, we were then treated to the incredible view of the Santa Catalina mountains.
Although it seemed like we were playing a bit slower than we wanted, we finished up in exactly 4 hours, a duration many courses strive for and one we really couldn’t complain about.
I popped into the pro shop to buy Myra a new golf top for her personal best 46 on Day 1. Luckily, I caught up with Head Pro Erick Womack and thanked him for the hospitality and 2 awesome days of golf. This warm-hearted family man also gave us some advice and suggestions on where to rent a house next year. I thanked Richard for his consistently solid customer service and headed off, setting the Golfmobile on course back to Rincon Country West RV park, our home base for the week in Tucson.
One last elevated green on the stunning 18th completes your round.
If you are looking for that perfect combination of great golf conditions, superb customer service, excellent food and value for money, El Conquistador Golf and Tennis managed by the talented Troon Golf and specifically Tom Meade is an obvious choice.
http://www.elcongolfandtennis.com
(520) 544 1801
