The 18th hole of the Stone Canyon Club in Oro Valley prompts anyone who appreciates a postcard setting to stop and absorb the picturesque view.
Smart golfers time their rounds around it, starting their rounds in the early afternoon so they can catch the final hole — named, fittingly, Canyon Shadows — by sunset.
The light bathes the Tortolita Mountains adjacent to the platformed tee box and provides a stunning, eye-level view of the Catalina Mountains. The combination of Tucson’s cotton candy sunset, the rock formations and saguaro cacti are “just stunning,” Stone Canyon general manager Mike Russell said.
“You look at early sunrises and late afternoons … with all the different shades, it’s pretty special,” he said.
And that’s just the 18th hole. Another well-known hole on the course is No. 6, Echo Canyon. The 125-yard par 3 is one of the more complex holes because of a water feature that flows from the rocks just to the left of the green down to the bottom of the canyon as well. The hole’s name comes from the sound of the water bouncing off the mountains.
“Stone Canyon is so much more than a spectacular golf course,” PGA Tour star Phil Mickelson said in a video tour of the course. “It’s an experience.”
Mickelson’s group took over ownership of Stone Canyon in 2014. He will use his course for a made-for-TV charity event on Nov. 27.
“The Match: Champions for Change” will feature Mickelson, future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry and NBA legend Charles Barkley. The event will air live at 1 p.m. on TNT.
A waterfall flows next to the fairway at No. 6, one of Stone Canyon Club’s most impressive holes. The private club has been one of Southern Arizona’s most acclaimed courses since it opened 20 years ago.
“The entertainment value is going to be extremely high the day of the match. The banter between the group is going to be exceptional. They’re all known to talk a pretty good game and it’s a great group to have here,” Russell said.
Curry and Barkley won’t be the first basketball icons to play Stone Canyon. Michael Jordan played a round there when the course first opened in 2000.
The third “Match” will be slightly different than the previous two. The first one, held a year ago, was a one-on-one battle between decades-long rivals Tiger Woods and Mickelson at Shadow Creek golf Course in Las Vegas. May’s “The Match: Champions for Charity” featured Woods, Mickelson, Manning and star NFL quarterback Tom Brady in a two-on-two format at Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida. The event raised $24 million for COVID-19 relief.
“The Match: Champions for Change” will raise money for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Like in the previous “Match,” money will be raised through unique hole challenges.
In May’s event, each golfer was only allowed to use one club for each shot on one hole, with the winning team receiving a $250,000 donation.
“Last year I had the incredible opportunity to play a small role in the rich history of Howard University through the game of golf,” Curry told PGATour.com. “I truly believe an investment in HBCUs is an investment in our future and I am honored to have the opportunity to continue to support these great institutions alongside some of my favorite players … and Chuck.”
A flag is placed on the green of No. 18, known as Canyon Shadows, at Stone Canyon Club. Club officials say they hope “The Match” will help bring attention to both the private club and other courses throughout Tucson; “We want to see everyone’s parking lots full as well.”
Stone Canyon learned it would be hosting the event a month ago, and employees are ecstatic to showcase one of the top courses not just the state.
“It’s huge,” said Russell. “We’ve got a wonderful membership and it’s a great group of people who’ve always supported the club and care about the club, and it’s been awesome being here. To top it off 20 years later with ‘The Match’ coming to showcase our course to the golfing world is a fabulous opportunity and we’re really looking forward to it.”
Stone Canyon assistant general manager and director of golf operations Danny Medina said the event “is going to be great for the brand and Stone Canyon.”
And Tucson golf, too.
“We don’t just want to see our parking lot full; we want to see everyone’s parking lots full as well,” Medina said. “This event will help us put Tucson on the map and another star on our cap that we’ve hosted something prestigious in the Tucson area. … It’ll be great exposure for the town.”
Exposure isn’t exactly needed for Stone Canyon. When the private club opened in 2000, it was nationally recognized as one of the top new courses in the country. It’s still the only Tucson-area golf course to be listed on Golf Digest’s Top 100 courses in the United States. Initially, the club was open only to residents who owned property in the area. Stone Canyon has since opened its membership to anyone willing to pay a $20,000 fee. Roughly 60% of Stone Canyon’s 200-plus members live out of state, course officials said.
It’s not an easy course to play. The par-72, 7,317-yard course was designed by Jay Morrish, the architect of Jack Nicklaus’ golf courses from 1972-82. Before he died in 2015, Morrish had designed courses in the U.S., Canada, Australia and Japan. Morrish said Stone Canyon “has everything but an ocean — changes of elevation, beautiful rock formations, desert flora.”
Every hole is isolated and not parallel to the other holes on the course. On every hole, a bad shot can land in either the desert, a pile of boulders — or a house.
“For a golfer to move around here without losing a golf ball, you’re going to shoot a relatively decent score,” Medina said.
Stone Canyon isn’t designed for spectators, which means it’s a good fit for the fan-less, made-for-TV event.
The view from the tee box at No. 18 is stunning under normal circumstances — and especially picturesque at sunset. Smart golfers plan their tee times so they can reach the final hole just in time to see the sun go down. “It’s pretty special,” general manager Mike Russell says.
Between the desert life and rock formations, there isn’t be enough room to fit grandstands or seating areas for people to watch. The course is more intimate than courses at Dove Mountain or El Conquistador or the Omni Tucson National — venues that have held televised tournaments with spectators. Stone Canyon officials say they have no desire to hold public tournaments when the pandemic ends.
“We’re good the way we are,” Russell said. “We’re here for our members. It’s their course and we want to make sure it’s available for them.”
“The Match” will require strict coronavirus tests for all involved, another sign of the times during a sports year unlike any other. Mickelson, Curry, Barkley and Manning will be take COVID-19 tests off-site before the event and an on-site test upon arrival.
Stone Canyon will not have to create a “bubble” environment, but employees will be required to test for COVID-19 multiple times.
“The expectation is to conduct a safe environment first and foremost with everything going on with COVID,” Medina said. “That’s been the hot topic in every meeting we’ve had: How can we create a safe environment not only for the players, but the people working the event?”
Once all four players test negative and make their way to Hole 1 — name: Petroglyph — one of Tucson’s premiere golf courses will be on display to the world.
“There’s nothing like it. There’s no other desert golf course like Stone Canyon. The topography and the setting is second to none,” Russell said.
“It’s going to showcase Stone Canyon and show the golfing world how good it really is here. It’s not just our community. It’s Oro Valley, it’s Tucson. We’re bringing light to Southern Arizona and I think it’s going to show really well.”
