1. Sewailo Golf Club At Casino Del Sol Resort Tucson Az Casino
2. Sewailo Golf Club At Casino Del Sol Resort Tucson Az Hotel
3. Sewailo Golf Club At Casino Del Sol Resort Tucson Az Resorts

Sewailo Golf Club will remain open during this time. The Del Sol Marketplace will remain open with limited hours from 6 a.m. The RV Park will also remain open. You’re going to have a great day at Sewailo Golf Club. Casino Del Sol 5655 W Valencia Rd. Tucson, AZ 85757. The Casino Del Sol Resort is in view from Sewailo Golf Club's 18th hole View from no. 8 at Sewailo Golf Club Tucson's University of Arizona recently moved from Arizona National to the new Sewailo Golf Club.

SEWAILO GOLF CLUB AT CASINO DEL SOL RESORT – Tucson, AZ

Designed on the land of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Sewailo Golf Club is regarded as one of the finer golf resorts in the state of Arizona. Sewailo was designed by PGA Tour player Notah Begay, who is also a Navajo and Pueblo and has made his name as a commentator on NBC television and The Golf Channel. Sewailo, which means “flower world” in the Pascua Yaqui language, measures 7,400 yards from the championship tees. With five separate tee boxes, the course allows for multiple yardages, welcoming players of all skill levels! Standing 10 stories tall, the Casino Del Sol Resort provides a relaxing haven after a long day on the course. With a plethora of restaurants and relaxing spa/pool facilities, Casino Del Sol makes for a great place to recharge your batteries and get on to your next adventure.

By the time we arrived to Sewailo for our tee time, the winds had already reached about 20 miles per hour. I thought to myself, well this ought to be interesting! As we pulled up, the staff loaded up our carts and directed us inside. We learned upon arrival that Sewailo is home to the local University of Arizona Wildcats golf team. The golf shop and Wildcats Grille were nice, but on the smaller side. The shop featured both Sewailo Golf Club apparel alongside Wildcats gear, Beardown! If you are really feeling something different, your group can opt for GolfBoards, which allow you to “surf the turf” and offers the feel of a snowboard or skateboard.

Once we finished up inside, it was time to hit the practice facilities. I appreciated Sewailo’s attention to detail, as they had not only included our name on the cart, but our logo as well! Always nice to see, and a good indication as to how the rest of our experience would be. The drive to the practice area is windy but only a minute or two. The practice facilities at Sewailo were second to none. The driving range and chipping areas both provided balls for practice along with a basket for quick pickup around the chipping green. The chipping area featured two deep bunkers and ample pins/green space. The practice green is large, with 8 separate holes to putt to (especially useful if a whole golf team is warming up!).

SEWAILO GOLF CLUB – Hole 4 Par 4

The first hole started us off nice and easy with a 332-yard par 4 from the Ruby tees. With the wind being a big factor on this day, short par-4’s were definitely appreciated! The course played more open and links style than most desert course setups. My favorite hole on the front nine was the par-3 third hole (featured as this article’s cover photo). Playing at only 138 yards, this hole is one of the signature holes at Sewailo, as it features beautiful stone on the front edge of the green and Casino Del Sol Resort in the background. However, don’t let the length of this hole fool you. You must carry the lake to stay dry, and a front pin placement made that tough on us. I splashed one just before the green and ended up having to drop. The wind was howling in our face, but clubbing up one regardless is definitely advised to make sure and clear the water!

The front nine featured many unique holes so it was hard to pick just one of my favorites! Although the course was more of an open setup, it did feature a good amount of water. A handful of approach shots demand you to carry over water as do a few tee shots. One of those tee shots brings me to my favorite hole on the back nine. As a golfer (and I’m sure I’m not alone) I have a soft spot for short par-4’s such as hole 18 at Sewailo.

Playing at just 306 yards, the tee shot on 18 only calls for about 180 yards to set yourself up 120 yards out. A lake runs between the tee box and the fairway and up along the right side finishing around the back of the green. If you are feeling very risky you can pull driver and try to hit the green. But beware! If you hit it too well you could end up off the back, or sliced into the lake along the right side like I probably would be! I elected to pull a 4 hybrid to put myself about 220 yards out there. From there, I had a pesky 80/90-yard approach shot to put myself in a great position to score.

Overall, Sewailo Golf Club was a great experience! Traversing the streams, lakes, and dry creek beds was enough, but the 25+ MPH winds made our round extremely interesting! The fairways and tee boxes were well-manicured and the greens offered us challenging putts. The practice facilities gave us all the tools we needed to get warm before our round. The University of Arizona Wildcats are very fortunate to have such a great home course!

After the 2+ hour drive and 4+ hour round, we were ready to check-in to the resort and relax. The clubhouse is extremely close to the resort, so we were able to get checked in rather quickly. I recommend the valet service if staying at the hotel. With the resort being a casino, parking is sometimes tough to find and it will definitely save you having to lug bags and clubs across the parking lot.

Casino Del Sol Resort King Room

As a whole, Casino Del Sol Resort consists of 215 rooms and suites. The Grand Ballroom can host up to 2,000 people for events like business conventions. Other amenities include the relaxing Hiapsi Spa, The High Limit Lounge, and a large pool area complete with the Oasis Pool Bar for poolside snacks and drinks. If you’re feeling fancy, you can opt for a sky level suite. Here, you will be treated with expansive rooms and breathtaking views, with a few other perks to enjoy.

The resort also offers a wide array of gambling options. From table games like poker to bingo and slots, Casino Del Sol offers gamblers of all taste to come and try their luck. If you’re feeling musical, Ava Amphitheater can host up to 5,000 guests for musical performances and other live entertainment.

Once we checked in, we headed up to our room on the third floor to freshen up and experience one of the Casino Del Sol’s many restaurants. We definitely didn’t have a lack of choice! with options like PY Steakhouse, Ume Asian Cuisine and Sushi Bar, Tequila Factory, and Abuelita’s Taqueria, it made our decision tough. We decided on Tequila factory for some quesadillas and a post-round margarita. Once we finished up dinner, we decided to retreat to the room to relax before hitting the town.

Overall, our experience at Casino Del Sol Resort and Sewailo Golf Club was great! The friendly service and spacious practice facilities gave our group all we needed to get ready for the round. The challenging windy day made an already tricky course even tougher. The resort was a great place to decompress from our drive and round while also having a good time gambling and dining. With so many activities to do at and around the resort, Casino Del Sol makes for a great stay and play golf destination, especially for the gamblers and wild west risk-takers.

Sewailo Golf Club Rating 4 out of 5 Stars

Sewailo rated a solid four stars out of five. Some of the things impacting the rating the most were the clubhouse/golf shop and the overall difficulty of the course. This is a course that will beat you with length, not hole setup or tight fairways. There is a lot of forgiveness out there left and right, so you can get away with some mishits off the box. Sewailo really impressed us with their practice facilities. Providing plenty of room and equipment, we had everything we needed to get ready. The staff is what really made the biggest difference in our experience. Right from the get go, we knew we would have a great day based on the staff alone.

Sewailo Golf Club shines a national spotlight on Tucson, Arizona

by Bill Huffman

Maybe Notah Begay III is not Bono belting out U2’s “Beautiful Day.” On the other hand, what one of golf’s rock stars has brought to Tucson in the form of his beautiful new golf course, Sewailo, has Arizona’s most southern metropolis buzzing.

Dan LaRouere, the general manager at Sewailo for Scottsdale-based Troon Golf, knows better than most why Sewailo is the hottest new golf property in the Tucson area since Jack Nicklaus built the Golf Club at Dove Mountain for the Accenture Match Play Championship back in 2008.

“This is a golf town, and we’re the new guy in town,” said LaRouere, who spent his previous 20 years running the equally spectacular Westin La Paloma, another “Golden Bear” track. “To date, the reaction and anticipation over Sewailo has been off the charts.”

Sewailo Golf Club At Casino Del Sol Resort Tucson Az Casino

Oh, yes, and there’s one other major element to Sewailo, pronounced “say-why-lo,” that also is off the charts when it comes to the pride of the Pascua Yaqui tribe. And, no, it’s not just because Begay just happens to be a rising star on the Golf Channel, LaRouere added.

“Notah Begay is a rock star to Native Americans, not just with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, and deservedly so,” LaRouere pointed out. “I think when people see what we’ve brought to the table—a Notah Begay III golf course, managed by Troon—they’re going to really like it.”

Coupled with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe's other great enterprise, Casino Del Sol Resort, which rises dramatically just to the north of the golf course, the potential for the future never has looked brighter for the tribe since Begay struck the ceremonial opening shot on Dec. 12, 2013.

The Mission

The story of Notah Begay the architect is a long and winding road. He grew up near Albuquerque, NM, where he was not only a standout in golf but soccer, too. That his first pair of golf shoes was of the female variety and purchased at a garage sale speaks volumes about his early life. As does his relationship with his high school golf coach, who helped Begay strengthen his vocabulary with daily “word lessons” to the point where Begay earned admission to Stanford.

“I still know a bunch of words I never use, but they got me into Stanford,” said the good-natured Begay, who is one-half Navajo, as well as one-quarter San Felipe and Isleta.

That perspective on life also has helped Begay build his third golf course following earlier efforts at Sequoyah National in Cherokee, NC, and Firekeeper in Topeka, KS. And while those courses were created for other Native American tribes, Begay said his philosophy on golf course architecture remains “traditional,” with his favorite course being St. Andrews in Scotland.

“The vast majority of the Pascua Yaqui tribe has never played golf, doesn’t really know the game, and so my role is to help them form their ideas,” said Begay, who turned 40 this year. “I’m like a facilitator in that my experiences in golf help bring things to life for them. Golf is a very tough business these days, so I want to make sure I’m going to get them a golf course that will be so good that it’s profitable.”

The Details

“Sewailo is different than anything I’ve done yet, chiefly because we had to move a lot of dirt to create the type of big-theater feel we were after,” said the four-time winner on the PGA Tour who just happened to be Tiger Woods’ roommate during that All-American career at Stanford.

'It’s a golf course that is in harmony with the desert, and that’s really the heritage of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe,' says Begay. Sewailo is different than anything I’ve done yet, chiefly because we had to move a lot of dirt to create the type of big-theater feel we were after,” said the four-time winner on the PGA Tour who just happened to be Tiger Woods’ roommate during that All-American career at Stanford.

Sewailo Golf Club At Casino Del Sol Resort Tucson Az Hotel

“What we came up with in working with the Pascua Yaqui tribe is a golf course that is a hybrid between a desert and parkland layout. It’s a golf course that is in harmony with the desert, and that’s really the heritage of the Pascua Yaquis, who according to their history comes from the ‘Flower World,’ which is ‘Sewailo’ in their language.”

Begay built Sewailo on 100 acres of tribal land just south and west of Tucson. The course includes six large lakes and waterfalls that take up 14 acres, as well as a serene creek that runs through it. With 65 bunkers, secluded green settings, and majestic mountain backdrops in every direction, the 7,500-yard Sewailo is big and bold with at least three signature holes. That trio of gems includes No. 3, a pristine par-3 over water; No. 10, a serpentine, double-dogleg par-5 that puts a premium on course strategy; and the par-4 18th, where the trek to the island-like green brings water into play on every shot.

So what is Begay’s early assessment of the course, which is priced in the $50 to $125 range for green fees? “I think we’ve hit a home run, although we still have to see how the people take to it. But I already know it’s something really special.”

A Perfect Fit

Even though the early reviews have been glowing from several national publications, there are other ways to measure Sewailo’s success to date. Perhaps the biggest might be the fact that it has become the host course for the University of Arizona’s Wildcats. There also is talk of bringing an LPGA or Champions Tour event to Sewailo.

But most of all, Sewailo gives the Pascua Yaqui tribe yet another fabulous amenity to bolster its award-winning, 215-room resort and Las Vegas-style casino. That the casino has become such a success story in Tucson might not be a surprise, but the four-star rating for the resort certainly is a source of pride to the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, said the property’s GM, Jim Burns.

“Casino Del Sol is an extraordinary destination in itself, and with the addition of Sewailo Golf Club we’ve added the perfect complement,” said Burns. “We’re proud to now offer guests and locals alike a round of golf as part of their experience.”

Added Begay: “In the end, Sewailo was a very balanced project, and the cooperation and input we received from the tribe go a long way in explaining why Sewailo Golf Club is so phenomenal.”

-February 6, 2016

Sewailo Golf Club At Casino Del Sol Resort Tucson Az Resorts

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