I have had family in Tucson since 1984 My advice is to make a choice between paying top dollar for the beautiful scenery that is available or else get the best deal you can because there is plenty of adequate affordable golf.
The quality of golf pales in comparison to the beauty of the setting and the terrific weather.
We have often set up trips using back up times at reasonably priced courses and then hunted for deals through websites. There is one that offers decent inventory.
I'll put a W next to the ones that are reasonably walkable.
My top 5 public -
Ventana Canyon - Mountain
Raven at Sabino Springs (whatever it is called now)
Gallery
Ventana Canyon - Canyon
Rio Rico (W)
Private
Tucson Country Club (W)
On a budget:
Randolph North (W)
Rio Rico (W) - last trip we just played this course which is a fairly nondescript RTJ course that is used for stage one tour qualifying. It is an enjoyable, reasonably priced midwest style course against a canyon wall.
I would avoid:
1. Canoa Hills - holes in narrow tunnels with OB right and left
2. El Conquistador - real high price for 2 real mediocre courses
3. Tucson National - straightforward course that's most memorable feature is a cement river. I have not played the new 18.
Others are bigger fans than me:
1. Randolph - Del Urich - (W)I don't think there is much to the course and a renovation 10 years ago makes the place just seem artificial to me.
2. Vistoso - good tough golf course but set low in the desert so it does not have the wonderful views that one would expect for the price
3. Heritage Highlands - decent Art Hills with a couple of very strange holes squeezed in to tough spots. Enjoyable, good condition, but not worth a premium price.
4. San Ignacio - Similar to Canoa Hills but with a little more room off the tee.
5. Canoa Ranch - Best of the main Green Valley publics but 6 par 3's get repetitive and course is squeezed into less desireable land between housing.
6. Tubac (W)(in fairness, I have not seen the completed new holes, but I did not like seeing the old course get chopped up for housing and the new holes I did play were significant downgrades from the original course which was about a Doak 3 or 4)
7. La Paloma - It has been nearly 20 years so my commentary is very shaky on this course. I recall it as a Nicklaus from his mean era which is not good for a low right to left player.
Offbeat courses that I enjoy but many would not:
1. Fred Enke (W)- quirky, and relatively demanding desert golf at muni prices. Tends to be less crowded than the other munis because someone off his game can shoot a million and, as a result play can be slow. Demands patience off the tee, even though an agressive play is often tempting. It sits on low lying land but air force base inventory of old aircraft makes for an interesting drive to the course.
2. Arthur Pack (W) - bare bones county course with some decent holes that is a bargain, very walkable and tends to be less crowded. Some years it is in decent shape. Many years it is not.
3. Starr Pass - I used to play here a lot before the housing sprung up. The original 18 is beautiful and very demanding. Nonetheless, there are many creative high quality holes out there. There are also a few that you would want to blow up. I have never played it since it expanded to 27 holes.
4. Kino Springs - this course is on a former ranch of some Western Movie star. I really like the setting. You feel like you are in the mountains hundreds of miles from civilization. The course is an adequate bargain in a memorable setting.
5. El Conquistador - 9 hole course (par 34 or 35)- short course squeezed into a small area but a bargain and a good course for bets because birdies and big numbers seem to happen a lot.
6. Haven (W) - A very basic muni course. I, however, love spending $30 to play poorly rather than $200 to play worse. I played in a scramble here with my father, brother and son. We won and I went home with a Sherman Williams Paints tee shirt from the raffle. I have a soft spot for the course.
I have not tried but am wary:
El Rio - squeezed into a real tight piece of land. I think it would be tough to turn into a good course.
Links at Continental Ranch - I really disliked the old course and suspect the new holes did not improve it much
(I'll have to look up my old posts and see if my opinions have varied much)