Sewailo’s Decade of Excellence

When Sewailo Golf Club opened a decade ago, there was a lot of buzz, to say the least. After all, it was the first public access course to open in the area since 2008 when Jack Nicklaus’ Dove Mountain debuted and would subsequently play host to the Accenture Match Play, a WGC event on the PGA Tour.

Sewailo also had strong cultural and emotional ties to the area, in particular, the local Native American community. One of the co-designers is Notah Begay III, who is half Navajo and a quarter each of San Felipe and Isleta heritage. The former teammate of Tiger Woods at Stanford University (Begay is now playing on the PGA Tour Champions circuit) worked with veteran architect Ty Butler to create this wonderful layout. And the course, an amenity of the Casino Del Sol Resort, Spa & Conference Center — is owned by the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. The plan all along was not only to build an enjoyable championship venue, but develop a course that was in harmony with nature. That was accomplished in a number of ways, most notably by transplanting more than 30,000 native shrubs and trees.

“Our native plants have matured quite nicely in these 10 years that have passed,” says Cesar Balganon, assistant general manager at Sewailo Golf Club.

And so has the course.

Indeed, strategically placed pine trees have grown taller and now come into play where there were once bail-out spots. There are hundreds of different types of flowers that come into bloom in the springtime, including brittlebush, a desert shrub that comes from the sunflower family. And, as a result, golfers routinely see an abundance of wildlife that includes wildcats, bobcats, roadrunners, coyotes and yes, a few snakes.

The bottom line, however, is that Begay, Butler and everyone involved made a big splash when Sewailo (which translates to “Flower Land” in English) debuted in 2013. And the course has lived up to its early hype and then some. It’s currently the site of the Casino Del Sol Classic, an event on the LPGA’s developmental circuit, the Epson Tour. Savannah Vilaubi won the 2023 event, now in year three, in a two-hole, three-person playoff. The previous two past champions, Ruixin Liu and Andrea Lee, have moved on to the LPGA Tour.

Perhaps, someday, Sewailo will be the site of even bigger and better events, but right now, it’s simply one of the most popular courses in the Tucson area as it celebrates its 10th anniversary. As for what Sewailo plans to do to commemorate the milestone, that’s under wraps for now. An announcement will be coming this summer, but Balganon says it will be “big,” so stay tuned. In the meantime, if you’re in Arizona and haven’t played Sewailo lately (or never), you should probably check it out.

What makes Sewailo so enjoyable The first thing that jumps out is the generosity off the tee. The landing areas are large, and on many of the holes, there are a lot of risk-reward options, meaning you can take a more aggressive line that might bring water into play, or choose a safer strategy.

To create the unique look of Sewailo, Landscapes Unlimited moved thousands of cubic yards of dirt to shape the course and dig out the lakes that can come into play on 10 holes. The course, which is the home of the University of Arizona golf teams, is fairly wide-open with wind as one of its primary defenses.

The first part of the layout starts off with lakes that evolve into streams that come into play. The desert sort of re-emerges in the second phase of the course, then the water returns, culminating with waterfalls behind the 18th green.

From the tips, it’s a beast, but with seven sets of tees, the most forward of which lose the forced carries, it’s very playable.

When it first opened, there were about 65 bunkers on the course, but quite a few have been removed in recent years. The bunkers are also being renovated with local sand that can already be found in the practice range bunker at the Arizona Wildcats golf teams’ dedicated practice range.

“We are excited to say that we are working directly with Notah Begay III to gain his insights on our bunker renovation as well as potentially making other necessary changes to appeal to our wide audience,” Balganon says.

The greens are large, too, especially the first and the eighth, which combine for nearly 24,000 square feet as a shared putting surface. Begay drew inspiration from his favorite course – the Old Course at St. Andrews – for that one.

As for memorable holes, there are plenty of them, but one of Balganon’s is the long par-3 13th. “I hit my first and only hole-in-one there — 195 yards in April of 2018,” he recalls.

Begay likes another par-3, the short third, where a lake comes into play both in front and on both sides of the green, creating a bit of an island feel to it. And then there’s the 10th, a difficult par-5 where most golfers will have to steer clear of the lake just to navigate it.

“The key to scoring is definitely trying to go low on the front nine and hold it together on the back nine,” Balganon says. “Although the back nine can look menacing off the tee there is definitely a hole or two that you want to take advantage of.”

In addition to the course, Sewailo also has outstanding practice facilities and lesson programs that can be packaged with stays. In addition, the course plays host to a PGA Junior League for Pascua Yaqui tribal members as well as the PGA HOPE program, which connects PGA Professionals with disabled veterans to teach them the game.

Play it more than once

The best way to enjoy Sewailo, especially for out-of-towners, is to book a package at the Casino Del Sol Resort.

First off, this is a course you are going to want to play more than once, especially if you’ve never played here before. The first time around, you really are just getting your feet wet, learning where to hit it, when to take chances, and how to putt the large greens.

The second reason is that the resort and casino are first rate.

Located just 15 minutes from downtown and Tucson International Airport, the high Sonoran Desert resort has earned AAA Four Diamond status five times. It features 215 elegantly appointed rooms and suites, nearly a dozen restaurants, bars, shopping, meeting rooms and conference venues, and the Ava Amphitheater, which can accommodate nearly 5,000 guests to see top comedians and musical acts.

Most recently, Casino Del Sol added a unique coffee concept, Solbrew, which sources beans from local tribes.

There’s also an RV park with more than 70 stalls, the beautiful Estrella Pool area, fitness center, and spa, offering a full menu of treatments.

And for a little more excitement, there’s the casino, which has evolved over the years. The Sol of Tucson includes more than 1,300 slot machines, table games and more recently, a sports book. So whether it’s golf, slots, blackjack, wagering on football and other sports — or betting on yourself to win a Nassau on the golf course — there’s never a dull moment at Casino Del Sol and Sewailo Golf Club.

Mike Bailey is a freelance writer based in Houston. With more than 30 years in the golf industry, he has held staff positions with PGA Magazine, The Golfweek Group and more recently, GolfChannel.com and GolfPass. Currently, Mike is a regular contributor to On The Links Magazine, Golf Monthly and several other publications.