The Gallery Golf Club (gallerygolf.com, 888-437-4800) north of Tucson at Dove Mountain offers two wonderfully varied golf courses. The North Course, designed by John Fought and Tom Lehman, traverses rugged desert terrain, winding through Ruelas Canyon on the front side and Wild Burro Canyon on the back. The North is heavily bunkered (106 bunkers line the fairways and surround the greens), and your knees will be knocking on several tees, although fairway corridors are much wider than they appear.

The North is filled with fascinating design nuances, some of which take several rounds to appreciate. The short par-4 17^th is an example. It’s drivable for big hitters, but the deepest bunker on the course guards the front of the green. If you lay up short, it’s still not an easy par. A severe ridge runs through the center of the green, which puts pressure on your wedge game. Hit to the same side of the fairway as the hole location and it’s a birdie hole. Fail to do this and bogey is a real possibility.

The South, designed by Fought, may be on a flatter piece of property, but there is a deceptive amount of movement in fairways and greens. Speaking of the greens, they are the South’s primary defense. Turtle-backed and modeled after the greens at Pinehurst No. 2, they will send all but the most accurate shots into collection areas, from which you can play a multitude of short-game shots, from putting 30 feet off the green to bump-and-runs and flop shots.

The South—and its beguiling greens—are host to the Accenture Match Play Championship. If you participate in an office pool, here’s a tip: choose players with strong short games.

JACK NICKLAUS

The Golden Bear has designed dozens of superb desert courses, but Desert Highlands (deserthighlandsscottsdale.com, 480-585-7444) was his first—and is arguably his best. Though not particularly long—just 7,072 from the tips—it’s a challenging test. It’s target-oriented from the tees, with a narrow cut of light rough separating fairway from transition area and desert. (“White on green is the key,” jokes the golf staff.) However, it’s really the green complexes that give Desert Highlands its teeth. Dramatically undulating putting surfaces, bunkering in all the popular miss areas and grass mounding that leads to awkward greenside chips will place a strain on anyone’s short game.

There’s no easing into a round at Desert Highlands. The tee shot at No. 1 (a 356-yard par 4) is one of the most intimidating on the course. The tee is elevated 125 yards above the narrow landing area, with a bunker and rocky desert to the right and waste area to the left. The two-tiered green is guarded left by grassy mounds. Finding the fairway is absolutely essential to get your round off to a good start (miss and you could be re-teeing). Hit the club you’re most comfortable with—even a 5-iron will leave you with an approach of only about 125 yards.

The par-4 4^th is another exceptional hole, playing 417 yards uphill, all against the stunning dramatic backdrop of Pinnacle Peak. A common theme at Desert Highlands: hit the fairway at all costs even if it means keeping your driver in the bag. Grass bunkers (hit in one and you may find yourself wishing they were sand) protect the green left and right. Take an extra half to a full club for the uphill approach toward the mountain.

One test of the quality of a golf course is the number of holes you remember after playing it the first time. The smart money says that after holing out at Desert Highland’s 18^th, you’ll remember them all.