TUCSON, Ariz. -- Under the direction of U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Tom Lehman and his design team at Lehman Design Group, the new desert-style Sonoran Course has opened to the public at the Omni Tucson National Golf Resort & Spa.
The Sonoran Course complements the resort's traditional parkland-style course, the Catalina, which has been home to the PGA Tour's annual Chrysler Classic of Tucson for 40 years, and gives the resort two 18-hole championship courses.
In addition to the new Sonoran Course, Lehman redesigned two holes on the Catalina Course to lengthen and tighten them in time for the 2006 Chrysler Classic, which will be held Feb. 23-26 at the resort.
"I've enjoyed creating a golf course that the members and guests will enjoy, find interesting, feel challenged by and look forward to playing again and again and again," said Lehman. "Hopefully everyone's expectations will not only be met but exceeded."
Lehman and his team created the new Sonoran Course by re-designing the former nine-hole Green Course and adding an extra nine holes. The new nine was built on an undeveloped parcel along the eastern edge of the property.
In designing the course, Lehman's objectives were to utilize and protect the natural washes and native vegetation, to create a seamless appearance between the two parcels and to fashion a layout that will require golfers to hit a variety of shots. The Sonoran Course features steep elevation changes and magnificent views of the surrounding Sonoran Desert.
At 6,552 yards, length is not the primary challenge on the par-70 layout. Rather, Lehman's design incorporates strategic fairway bunkering that requires players to place their tee shots carefully while a set of green complexes calls for thoughtful approaches and a deft short game.
The Lehman Design Group is based in Scottsdale and currently has golf courses in the planning or construction stage in Arizona, California and Canada. Lehman began designing courses in 1996 and has 11 course designs or redesigns under his belt.
Ranked as one of America's top golf resorts by both Golf Digest and Conde Nast Traveler, the 650-acre Omni Tucson National Golf Resort & Spa is a four-diamond award-winning resort in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains. In addition to championship golf, the resort offers a 13,000-square-foot world-class spa, two pools, lighted tennis courts, two restaurants, 13 meeting rooms with more than 20,000 square-feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, and 167 rooms and suites.
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