TUCSON, Ariz. — “Tin Cup” is probably the second-best golf movie ever made and if you were to Google it, you’d find a slew of interesting facts about the film, including the locations used to film it.
The “tiny Arizona town of Tubac” comes up in that search, as does Kingwood, Texas. But another filming location was La Paloma Country Club, a Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course that opened in 1984.
In February, when the PGA Tour Champions returns to Tucson, the 50-and-over circuit will compete at La Paloma, the first of a three-year deal for the Cologuard Classic by Exact Sciences. Tin Cup fans who look closely will probably recognize parts of the course.
“Kevin Costner was here,” said David Stout, the regional director of agronomy for Troon, who then recounted a funny story. “The mechanic of the golf course was actually mowing this area and there was a problem with the mower and they scalped the grass a few days before the filming of the scene.”
Alas, no harm, no foul, as filming commenced on time.
La Paloma, which means “the dove” in Spanish, opened with nine holes on the Ridge course and nine on the Canyon. In 1985, a third nine dubbed the Hill was opened.
The Cologuard Classic will take advantage of the best parts of the three nines, with the routing for the tournament to include “all of the Ridge Course, Canyon Nos. 1, 4, 8 and 9 and Hill 3, 4 and 9,” according to Stout.
The PGA Tour Champions played at Omni Tucson National’s Catalina Course since 2015 and Cologuard came in as the title sponsor in 2018. But the run at Tucson National is over, with a new era starting at La Paloma.
Located about 10 miles to the southeast, there won’t be much change in elevation, with both courses at about 2300 feet, but the venues are indeed quite different.
“There’s a lot of movement on these golf courses,” Stout said. “It has one of the higher slope ratings out there. Tucson National is a great golf course but relatively flat particularly on that Catalina course. Here there’s just constant movement, so I think the tee shots will be challenging but the second shots in will be challenging. These Nicklaus greens are a little smaller, they’re tight and they’re really well protected on all sides.”
Check out some of the best photos of La Paloma Country Club.
