Tucson city golf courses: the five municipal courses compared

Tucson city golf courses are five public municipal courses run by Tucson City Golf: Randolph North, Dell Urich, El Rio, Silverbell and Fred Enke. They are the cheapest regular 18-hole golf in the city, anyone can book, and a City Card adds lower rates, 7-day booking and a free round. They vary from flat parkland to desert-target.

For a snowbird winter, the Tucson city golf courses are the backbone of a budget rotation. For a short trip, one is a good warm-up or a low-cost second round on a resort day. This guide compares the five on length, price and access, and explains the passes.

Quick facts

• Courses: five, all 18 holes: Randolph North, Dell Urich, El Rio, Silverbell and Fred Enke.
• Operator: OB Sports for the City of Tucson, as Tucson City Golf. Main line (520) 791-4653.
• Access: public. City Card holders get preferred rates.
• Cheapest fees seen: about $28 to $33 at El Rio and Silverbell in summer 2026 listings.
• City Card 2026: $50 plus tax for the rest of 2026 when read October 26, 2026 (earlier $119).
• Closest to downtown: El Rio, about 7 minutes.
• Overseed: mostly mid-September to October; dates vary by course.

The five Tucson city golf courses side by side

Fees are from tee-time listings for June to August 2026, seen as search snippets, and the Randolph winter figure is from an undated report. The Tucson City Golf rate page returned an error on October 26, 2026, so no current rate card could be read. Winter rates run higher than these. Drive times are routed estimates from downtown.

How each city course plays

Randolph North opened in 1925 and is the long, traditional one: flat and tree-lined, with water on five holes and just under 6,000 yards from the front tees. It shares the Randolph complex, range and restaurant with Dell Urich. See the Randolph golf course guide for the two side by side.

Dell Urich reopened in 1996 after a redesign. It is shorter and friendlier, with four sets of tees down to almost 5,300 yards. It is the best city pick for beginners and higher handicappers.

El Rio was a private country club until the city bought it in 1968. It is a short par 70 near the Santa Cruz River on the west side, with old trees, and is the quickest city course to reach from downtown. In June 2026 it ran Monday and Tuesday specials.

Silverbell was rebuilt for $2.6 million and reopened on December 19, 2005, going from par 72 to par 70 and getting longer. At 6,936 yards it is long for a par 70, flat and open along the river, with water in play. August 2026 minutes said conditions were good ahead of overseeding.

Fred Enke on the east side, dedicated in 1983, is the city's only desert-target course: grass on the tees, landing areas and greens, desert in between. With a 135 slope from the back it is the hardest of the five and the cheap way to try target golf before paying resort rates.

For the three courses outside Randolph in more depth, see our guide to El Rio, Silverbell and Fred Enke.

City Card, Mega Pass and other ways to save

Earlier 2026 terms said City Cards expire December 31, 2026, and per-course card rates and a 2027 card had not been published when we checked. In August 2026 the city approved a $2.00 Golf Improvement Fee per visit for pass holders. The Tucson golf passes guide has more on each program.

At the $50 sale price, the complimentary round alone covers much of the card's cost if you use it before the card expires. The Mega Pass is a summer and fall product as sold in 2026, so it suits a long fall stay more than a January to March winter.

Booking and tee times

All five Tucson city golf courses book through Tucson City Golf at tucsoncitygolf.com. No public booking window is published; the City Card gives 7-day advance booking. In February and March, the busiest stretch, book the day your window opens. Our Tucson tee times guide covers booking windows across the area.

August 2026 minutes say Randolph, Fred Enke and Silverbell will share identical range machines and universal range cards, so one range card should work at all three.

Overseed and closures at the city courses

All five are bermudagrass overseeded with rye in the fall, and the city staggers them:

• September group: Dell Urich and Fred Enke (Fred Enke reopened October 4, 2025).
• El Rio and Silverbell: closed September 15 to October 3, 2025; Silverbell then ran cart-path only through October 17, 2025.
• October group: Randolph North.

No fall 2026 dates had been published when we checked, so call before any round from mid-September through October. Early June brings aeration: in 2026 Dell Urich closed June 2, Silverbell June 4, El Rio June 9, Randolph June 11 and Fred Enke June 16. See Tucson golf overseed for the rest of the area.

Where to stay for a city-course winter

The Tucson city golf courses spread across midtown, the west side and the east side, so pick a base near the two you will play most. From the stays on our map:

• Rincon Country West RV Resort: El Rio 13 min, Randolph 19 min, Silverbell 21 min.
• Rincon Country East RV Resort: Fred Enke 8 min, Randolph 18 min.
• Voyager RV Resort & Hotel: Fred Enke 14 min, Randolph 18 min, El Rio 23 min.
• Hampton Inn Tucson-Airport: Randolph 15 min, El Rio and Fred Enke 19 min.
• JW Marriott Starr Pass: El Rio 13 min, Silverbell 18 min, Randolph 23 min.

Closed and nearby public alternatives

Del Lago, a public daily-fee course in Vail that was not a city course, played its last day of golf on August 9, 2026; our guide to closed golf courses in Tucson covers it and the others that have gone. For other low-cost public golf beyond the city five, see cheap golf in Tucson and the Tucson golf courses list.

For course detail, see the El Rio course guide, the Silverbell course guide and the Fred Enke course guide. If you are comparing Arizona winter towns on price, the cheap golf in Yuma guide is a useful benchmark.

Plan it on the map

Open the Tucson golf map to see all five city courses with drive times from every stay. The $30 plan can cover a day-by-day trip or a whole winter stay of 2 to 12 weeks, with a weekly rotation that mixes the city courses with a few desert and resort rounds.