The Golf Club at Dove Mountain is in the middle of a major renovation program designed to improve its Jack Nicklaus courses. For residents and prospective buyers at Saguaro Ranch, located only minutes from Dove Mountain golf, the improvements add another dimension to an already exceptional golf and outdoor lifestyle.
More importantly, the renovation is a reminder of something people considering a move to this part of Southern Arizona quickly discover: you do not have to live directly on a golf course to make championship golf part of everyday life.
At Saguaro Ranch, residents can enjoy privacy, protected Sonoran Desert, mountain views and nearby access to some of Tucson's most recognized golf experiences.
What Is Happening at The Golf Club at Dove Mountain?
The Golf Club at Dove Mountain features 27 holes designed by Jack Nicklaus. The three nine hole courses are Saguaro, Tortolita and Wild Burro. Together with the 36 holes at The Gallery Golf Club, the Clubs of Dove Mountain now promote a combined 63 holes of golf designed by Jack Nicklaus, Tom Lehman and John Fought.
The Golf Club at Dove Mountain is currently completing a $15 million improvement project focused on improving playability across its three courses.
The newly redesigned Saguaro course is open, featuring new greens, bunkering and tee complexes.
Tortolita is currently under renovation. Construction began May 4, 2026, with an estimated ten month timeline. If that schedule holds, completion would be expected in early 2027.
For golfers planning winter rounds, the renovation simply means it is worth checking current course availability and making plans in advance as construction progresses.
A Golf Destination With Tournament History
The Golf Club at Dove Mountain is more than another desert golf course.
Its Jack Nicklaus layout became internationally recognized as the home of the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship from 2009 through 2014, attracting many of the world's leading professional golfers to the Tortolita Mountains.
Today, the club continues to offer a distinctly Southern Arizona golf experience, with elevation changes, dramatic desert terrain, mature saguaros and expansive views of the surrounding mountains.
For someone considering Tucson or Marana luxury real estate, having this caliber of golf nearby is an important lifestyle advantage.
Why Saguaro Ranch Appeals to Golfers
Saguaro Ranch takes a different approach to the traditional golf community.
There is no golf course winding through the residential landscape. Instead, the community preserves the quiet, privacy and natural character of the Sonoran Desert while placing residents within easy reach of championship golf.
Saguaro Ranch spans approximately 1,200 acres in the Tortolita Mountains, with more than 80 percent of the land preserved as natural desert. The community is adjacent to The Gallery Golf Club and near The Golf Club at Dove Mountain.
That creates an unusual combination.
You can spend the morning playing golf at Dove Mountain or The Gallery, then return to a home surrounded not by adjoining fairways and cart paths, but by saguaros, boulders, wildlife and protected open space.
For many buyers, especially those comparing Tucson golf communities, that distinction matters.
Golf Nearby, Sonoran Desert at Home
Living at Saguaro Ranch means the landscape remains the centerpiece.
Rather than designing the community around a golf course, Saguaro Ranch was designed around the land itself. Home sites are carefully positioned within the natural contours of the Tortolita Mountains, allowing architecture, vegetation, rock formations and views to remain closely connected.
That philosophy becomes apparent before you ever reach a home.
Visitors enter Saguaro Ranch through its iconic tunnel, which extends approximately 700 feet through the mountain before opening into the private desert community beyond.
It is a memorable arrival, but it also symbolizes what distinguishes Saguaro Ranch from many other luxury communities in Southern Arizona.
The outside world becomes noticeably more distant.
More Than Golf in the Tortolita Mountains
Golf may bring someone to Northwest Tucson, but the broader lifestyle is often what makes people stay.
Saguaro Ranch residents have access to private hiking and biking opportunities within the community, along with the Saguaro Ranch Owners' Club and its recreational amenities. Nearby Dove Mountain expands those choices with golf, fitness, dining and additional outdoor recreation.
This combination can be particularly appealing to buyers looking for a seasonal Arizona residence, retirement destination or luxury custom home in Tucson where recreation is nearby without defining the residential environment.
You can play golf when you want to play golf.
When you return home, you return to Saguaro Ranch.
An Exciting Time for Golf Near Saguaro Ranch
The current Dove Mountain renovation is an investment in the future of golf in the Tortolita Mountains. With Saguaro already redesigned and Tortolita undergoing its transformation, golfers will ultimately have access to refreshed Jack Nicklaus golf alongside The Gallery's 36 holes.
For prospective Saguaro Ranch buyers, that investment adds to an already compelling location.
The opportunity is not simply to live near great golf. It is to combine championship golf, luxury custom homes, protected Sonoran Desert, privacy and the distinctive lifestyle of the Tortolita Mountains.
If you are considering Saguaro Ranch real estate, available home sites or a luxury custom home near Dove Mountain, there is no substitute for experiencing the setting yourself.
Pass through the 700 foot tunnel. Explore the preserved desert landscape. Visit the Owners' Club. See the available home sites. Then take in the Tortolita Mountains and consider how close some of Southern Arizona's best golf really is.
Schedule a private visit to Saguaro Ranch and discover what life beyond the tunnel can look like.
