Scottsdale, Arizona, United States: Troon has been selected to manage Starr Pass Golf Club, a 27-hole resort facility in Tucson, Arizona.
Troon Golf, the resort and daily-fee division of Troon, will manage the golf operations, agronomy, food and beverage, retail, and sales and marketing.
Starr Pass Golf Club is the golf offering of the JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa, featuring three nine-hole routings – Roadrunner, Rattler and Coyote, and home to Catalina BBQ Co, a celebrated Southwestern inspired barbeque restaurant.
Robert Cupp and PGA Tour professional Craig Stadler designed the original 18 holes in 1987. Then in 2003, Arnold Palmer was brought in to add another nine holes and refresh the previously existing 18-hole experience.
Set against the Tucson Mountains, each of the three layouts have dramatic elevation changes, are surrounded by iconic saguaro cacti, while criss-crossing multiple desert arroyos and ravines.
Contrary to its rugged Sonoran Desert setting, Starr Pass is located just minutes from downtown Tucson and the Tucson International Airport.
In April 2023, Southwest Value Partners, a privately held real estate investment company with offices in San Diego, Tucson and Scottsdale, acquired the 575-room JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa. Marriott will continue to lead resort operations, while Troon will manage golf operations.
“Having partnered with Troon on a number of projects, they were a natural fit to lead the golf operations at Starr Pass,” said Mark Schlossberg, of Southwest Value Partners.
“We share Troon’s philosophy of uncompromising service and quality, and are delighted to have them help put the shine back on one of the state’s finest golf resort properties,” he added.
Starr Pass Golf Club has been a host to the PGA Tour’s Tucson Open and has played host to many golf legends including Palmer, Phil Mickelson, Payne Stewart, and Nancy Lopez.
Starr Pass is a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary through the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Programme for Golf Courses, demonstrating a high degree environmental stewardship.
“We are thrilled to be working with Starr Pass, one of Arizona’s iconic golf properties,” said Rob DeMore, Executive Vice President at Troon, an Executive Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.
“Together with Southwest Value Partners, we look forward to enhancing all elements of the Starr Pass experience from golf operations and agronomy to guest service and food and beverage,” he added.