As if the names Tom Fazio and Troon Golf aren't big enough, Ventana Canyon's Canyon Course also has a massive rock formation with its own name (Whaleback Rock). You can bet that famous course designer Tom Fazio made the most of Whaleback and Esperro Canyon, which the golf course weaves through.

Whaleback Rock makes a dramatic appearance on the 10th - a short par 4 that has you shooting right toward it. This is just the start of a back nine with tons of elevation changes and mouth-dropping scenery.

Fazio does not try to simply pummel golfers on Ventana's Canyon Course though. There are not a ton of forced carries over the desert, which helps make this a course that's often beloved by the less experienced golfing spouse.

You're not just on a golf course at Ventana Canyon either. You're almost in a desert park. Six hundred acres of desert preserve are around the courses and you'll encounter many mammoth saguaro cacti shooting for Fazio's well-guarded greens.

Known as one of the most dramatic desert golf courses anywhere for good reason, Ventana Canyon's Mountain Course shows celebrity golf course architect Tom Fazio at his showy best. This is a course where you want to bring the camera - and a good amount of guts.

Ventana Mountain Course's third hole - a short par 3 with more bite than Cujo - is one of the most photographed holes in all of Arizona. There's a big drop from the raised tee down to the green, there's a ravine to clear and huge rock walls on one side. And you can see for miles into the desert.

You're only getting started on a round that will include numerous forced desert carries, tight fairways, dramatic doglegs and the chance to say you've taken on one of Arizona's great beasts.