From Topgolf to 18 holes: New facility could boost Tucson's interest in golf

You’ve done the Topgolf thing, whacking those microchipped balls from three stories up.

Now you want more.

You want your own ESPN highlight like UA golfer Haley Moore, whose breathtaking 19th-hole putt last week won the national championship.

It won’t be easy. Golf is all about angles and altitude, gravity and wind speeds. Mother Nature can crush you, or prove to be your lifeline. You have to learn to temper your strength to fit the moment. Hit too hard or too soft and you miss the shot.

“Golf is the hardest sport I ever tried to learn,” says Robert Easley, the assistant golf pro at Marana’s Quarry Pines Golf Club, 8480 N. Continental Drive, just down Interstate 10 from Topgolf.

This coming from an adrenaline junkie who used to sky-dive and bungie jump for fun.

He gave it all up for golf after buying a set of clubs at a sporting goods store’s going-out-of-business sale.

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“Hitting a good golf shot is second to nothing else in my experience,” he says.

His first piece of advice: “First and foremost, have fun. Golf is a lot of fun because it’s outside, no two courses are the same, and you can play it until you are 100 years old.”

“As long as you have good hand-eye coordination, you’re open to learning and you want to challenge yourself, you can become a pretty decent golfer,” says the 34-year-old, who is studying for his PGA teaching certification.

Easley has been at Quarry Pines about a year and says the addition of Topgolf, 4050 W. Costco Drive, into the Tucson golf scene is a good thing.

“It’s great for the sport. You’re going to get people who have never swung a a club before and they’re going to get hooked,” he says.

And when those people want a full-course challenge, they’ll head to any of the dozens of Tucson area courses. Quarry Pines is unique among them because it’s the only one in Southern Arizona — and one of just a handful around the country — built into a former quarry. The back 9 is sunk into the old gravel pit while the front 9 is close to the Pines subdivision off Interstate 10 and West Cortaro Road.

And if you don’t mind playing in the summer heat, you can get steep discounts at most of Tucson’s public courses including Quarry Pines. Summertime rates can be as much as half the cost of playing from late fall through spring.

Easley said nine holes after 2 p.m. is about $15, cart included, at Quarry Pines. If you have to rent clubs, it’s about $25. Details: playthepines.com