PLAYROUND COURSE GUIDE

How to Play Starr Pass — Rattler/Roadrunner

Course strategy, tee-specific yardages and a hole-by-hole game plan for Starr Pass — Rattler/Roadrunner in Tucson, AZ.

Personalize your game plan
Choose the tees you're playing and add your driver carry for distance-aware course strategy.
Starr Pass — Rattler/Roadrunner golf course

Starr Pass — Rattler/Roadrunner

Tucson, AZ
Gold tees · 6,627 yards
COURSE OVERVIEW

About Starr Pass — Rattler/Roadrunner

Starr Pass Golf Club's Rattler/Roadrunner combination is an 18-hole desert layout set in the foothills of the Tucson Mountains. Originally designed by Bob Cupp and Craig Stadler in 1986 and later expanded and refined by Arnold Palmer, the course hosted the PGA Tour's Tucson Open from 1987 to 1996. The layout features dramatic elevation shifts, wide canyon views, natural arroyos, split fairways, and penal desert carries that demand disciplined course management.

COURSE STRATEGY

How to play Starr Pass — Rattler/Roadrunner

Off the tee

Tee shots require target golf discipline with mandatory carries over native Sonoran desert vegetation and ravines. While landing zones are often wider than they appear from elevated tee boxes, straying off the fairways results in lost balls in saguaro-filled desert brush.

Elevation & terrain

Significant mountain topography causes sharp changes in elevation, particularly on downhill par 3s and snaking mountain par 5s. Elevation drops can alter shot distances by two to three clubs, requiring careful accounting for slope and swirling mountain winds.

Approach play

Approach shots regularly require clearing natural desert arroyos and dry washes positioned directly in front of green complexes. Missing short on approach shots often results in severe penalties in native ravines.

Around the greens

Greens are large, contoured, bentgrass surfaces protected by sculpted sand bunkers and steep fall-offs into desert terrain. Off-target approaches leave delicate recovery shots onto fast, multi-tiered putting surfaces.

Best way to play it

Prioritize position over maximum distance from the tee to secure clear angles across desert hazards. Conservative target play on approach shots and careful adjustment for dramatic downhill slopes will keep scores under control.

Key takeaways

  • Hosted the PGA Tour's Tucson Open from 1987 to 1996, where 20-year-old amateur Phil Mickelson captured his historic 1991 victory.
  • Rattler #5 features a famous split fairway requiring strategic decision-making off the tee and a long carry over a wide arroyo.
  • Roadrunner #3 (Hole 12) is a dramatic downhill par 3 that plays up to three clubs shorter than its carded distance.
  • Carries over native desert brush and dry washes are present on both tee shots and approach shots throughout both nines.
  • Massive green complexes, like Rattler #8, can produce putts up to 100 feet if approach shots land in the wrong quadrant.
YOUR GAME PLAN

Hole-by-hole game plan

Hole
Par
Yards
HCP
Strategy
1
3
199
15
Aim for the center of the fairway to establish a clean line into the green, keeping the ball clear of native desert brush on both sides.
2
4
413
5
Play conservatively toward the center of the fairway rather than trying to cut off too much of the right dogleg. The landing area is wider than it appears from the tee.
Your 240 yd driver · ~173 yards remaining by raw distance.
3
3
223
13
Driver is not necessary off the tee. Focus on placing the tee shot in the short grass; reaching the elevated green in two requires a second shot over a dry desert wash guarded by a large front bunker.
4
4
391
7
Lay up onto the fairway landing zone off the tee. The approach requires a short-iron shot into an island-style green bordered by desert hazards to the right and a steep slope to the left.
Your 240 yd driver · ~151 yards remaining by raw distance.
5
3
194
17
Aim tee shots toward the right fairway landing corridor to set up an ideal angle for the lay-up. Take enough club on the approach to clear the wide ravine short of the green.
6
4
347
9
Select a club accounting for the downhill drop and play for the center of the putting surface, avoiding surrounding native desert.
Your 240 yd driver · ~107 yards remaining by raw distance.
7
4
451
3
Focus on driving into the fairway corridor to avoid native desert on both sides, then play to the middle of the green on approach.
Your 240 yd driver · ~211 yards remaining by raw distance.
8
5
556
1
Distance control is paramount off the tee; landing in the wrong section of this massive green can result in putts near 100 feet in length.
Your 240 yd driver · ~316 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
9
4
333
11
Hit the fairway off the tee to secure a clean stance, then execute a committed approach shot over the natural desert wash fronting the green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~93 yards remaining by raw distance. Favor position and approach angle over extra tee-shot distance.
10
4
380
14
Target the center or left side of the green. A large bunker on the left side acts as a backstop to stop missed shots from rolling into the deep desert wash on the right.
Your 240 yd driver · ~140 yards remaining by raw distance.
11
4
450
12
Find the fairway off the tee to avoid native desert, then adjust club selection on approach to account for wind off the Tucson Mountains.
Your 240 yd driver · ~210 yards remaining by raw distance.
12
4
450
4
Subtract two to three clubs from the yardage due to the significant elevation drop. Aim for the center of the putting surface and avoid going long into the desert.
Your 240 yd driver · ~210 yards remaining by raw distance.
13
4
398
6
Drive into the fairway landing zone away from side-hill desert brush, then hit a disciplined approach to the middle of the putting surface.
Your 240 yd driver · ~158 yards remaining by raw distance.
14
5
510
2
Prioritize accuracy over distance off the tee to keep the ball on short grass and avoid penal desert rough on both sides.
Your 240 yd driver · ~270 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
15
3
204
18
Drive down the left side to clear the first dogleg, then position your lay-up shot down the right. Be mindful of desert carries off the tee and on approach.
16
4
436
8
Play to the wide section of the fairway off the tee to set up a clean, high-trajectory approach into the guarded green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~196 yards remaining by raw distance.
17
3
203
16
Hit a precise iron shot to the center of the green; wide or short misses lead to plugged lies in bunkers or lost balls in native brush.
18
5
489
10
Drive into the middle of the fairway away from mountain slopes. Lay up short of the final arroyo to leave a full wedge into the green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~249 yards remaining by raw distance. The green may be within range for your second shot depending on lie and conditions.

Course information and strategy are provided for planning purposes. Yardages, course setup, hazards and playing conditions can change. Always confirm current course information before your round.