LA PALOMA COUNTRY CLUB

The desert carries serious bite here, where towering saguaro cacti and granite boulders create natural hazards that make even seasoned desert rats think twice about aggressive lines. Jack Nicklaus sculpted 27 holes across this rugged Sonoran landscape, but it's the Ridge nine that separates pretenders from players—especially the par-3 7th that plays over a desert wash to a green carved into the hillside. The elevation changes and forced carries demand precise club selection, while the mountain views of the Catalinas provide consolation for those inevitable desert-ball penalties.