JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa

Getting To Know: JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa

An Insightful Interview With Todd Howard, Director of Golf

By Brian Weis

Whether you have played a course 20+ times a year or looking to play the course for the first time, insights from an insider can help enhance your golf experience. Below is an interview with Todd Howard who shares some valuable tidbits about the course, memorable holes and must eats and treats at the 19th.

Give Our Readers An Overview of the Golf Course/Property
Starr Pass offers 27 championship holes of Arnold Palmer Signature Design. Each nine offers a fair test to golfers of all abilities. Your golf experience will be enhanced with the vast wildlife and picturesque views of the Sonoran Desert and the City of Tucson. As the only course in Southern Arizona that is Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program Member, we truly care of our natural resources and protect the environment. In the foothills of the Tucson Mountains, Rattler, Roadrunner, and Coyote provide dramatic elevation changes and an enjoyable setting for golf that will be remembered for years to come. Starr Pass played host to the PGA Tour's Tucson Open from 1987 to 1996.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
We provide outstanding golf course conditions along with high level of customer service.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
When playing golf here at Starr Pass the golf ball has a tendency to break towards the city.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
Catalina BBQ offers outstanding Southwest BBQ and great drinks.

Back Tee Stats
Par: 72
Yardage: 6707
Slope: 142
Rating: 71.7

More Information
JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa
3645 W. Starr Pass Blvd
Tucson, AZ, 85745
520-670-0406
www.jwmarriottstarrpass.com

Revised: 06/09/2013 - Article Viewed 33,794 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.