Golfers combine courses to create the ultimate 18-hole challenge
Best 18 Individual Holes of Golf
Canyon Gate Country Club (private), 2001 Canyon Gate Drive, Nos. 12 and 18 The Desert Inn Golf Club (public), 3145 Las Vegas Blvd. South., No. 7 Desert Pines Golf Club (public), 315 E. Bonanza Road, No. 5 Las Vegas Country Club (private), 3000 Joe W. Brown Drive, Nos. 17 and 18 Snow Mountain Course, Las Vegas Paiute Resort (public), 10325 Nu-Wav-Kaiv Blvd., Nos. 16 and 18 Lakes Course, Primm Valley Golf Club (public), Yates Well Road exit south of Primm, off Interstate 15, Nos. 1, 12 and 15 Lakes Course, Spanish Trail Golf and Country Club (private), 5050 Spanish Trail Lane, Nos. 2 and 3 West Course, Stallion Mountain Country Club (private), 5500 E. Flamingo Road, No. 18 Tournament Players Club at Summerlin (private), 1700 Village Center Circle, Nos. 6, 17 and 18 Tournament Players Club at The Canyons (public), 9851 Canyon Run Drive, No. 18
By Joe Hawk
Review-Journal To play the best 18 individual holes of golf in Southern Nevada would take more than clubs of graphite and nerves of steel. It would take a full tank of gas and powerful business connections.
That's because, for starters, the best 18 individual holes stretch from as far north as the Las Vegas Paiute Resort's Snow Mountain Course, off U.S. Highway 95 approximately 20 miles north of downtown Las Vegas, to as far south as Primm Valley Golf Club, five miles south of Primm, off Interstate 15. (OK, we fudged a little by including the Primm course, which actually is across the state line in California. But, hey, that's some mighty fine golf down there.)
In addition to the distance you'd have to travel, 10 of the best 18 holes are found on private courses, meaning you better know some important people to get a tee time.
Don't have connections? Well, grab your golf bag and come along on a Best of Las Vegas round on Las Vegas' best 18.
Our holes were selected by a panel of six local experts, consisting of head professionals at three courses, a golf association official and two golf writers. Our head professionals were Jerry Roberts of Spanish Trail Golf and Country Club, Shane Sanchez of Palm Valley Golf Club in Sun City Summerlin and Wes Weston of Shadow Creek. The golf association official was Eric Dutt, executive director of the Southern Nevada Golf Association. And the two golf writers were Tim Dahlberg of The Associated Press, who has covered The Masters and has been assigned to the U.S. Open this year, and Kevin Iole of the Review-Journal, who has been reviewing local courses for the past 10 months.
Holes were judged on how they play to the average golfer, the challenge they present to the experienced player and their overall beauty. Not surprisingly, six of the 18 are finishing holes.
Tournament Players Club at Summerlin and the Lakes Course at Primm Valley topped the list with three holes each.
(Before we tee off on our first hole, a disclaimer: Shadow Creek, the pride and joy of Mirage Resorts Inc. chairman Steve Wynn, was not included because of its exclusivity. It is restricted to friends of Wynn, the highest of high rollers and those few locals who can pony up $1,000 per round. And frankly, from those rare individuals who have seen the course, Shadow Creek likely would dominate, possibly claiming as many as six of the 18 available holes.)
So, with driver in hand, let us begin (holes listed alphabetically by course, then numerically):
No. 12 at Canyon Gate Country Club; par 3, 243 yards (all distances from back tees) -- Weston: "This is a long par-3 from a slightly elevated tee to a two-tiered green. You must be careful of a bunker in the right front, as well as a pot bunker to the left. There's also water to the left of the green. It's one of the city's more challenging par-3s."
No. 18 at Canyon Gate Country Club; par 4,415 yards -- Dahlberg: "This might be the most difficult hole on the course because it requires such a premium on the second shot. A good drive will leave you with a short to middle iron, but what you see in front of you is sheer terror with a green surrounded on three sides by water and not much room to bail out."
No. 7 at the Desert Inn Golf Club; par 3, 214 yards -- Dutt: "It's a really good par-3. Very traditional, very pretty. The green is protected by a bunker on the right and water in the left front. Playing from the back tees, you can't hit a mediocre shot and expect it to land on the green. Par is a great score on that hole anytime."
No. 5 at Desert Pines Golf Club; par 4, 489 yards -- Roberts: "It's important to keep your drive between the water that runs down the right-hand side and the bunkers on the left. Follow that with a 4- or 5-iron to an elevated green guarded by bunkers and a lake."
No. 17 at Las Vegas Country Club; par 3, 210 yards -- Iole: "A par-3 with plenty of trouble; wind often plays a factor here. The flag on the pin isn't always the best indication of the wind direction. When the wind is in your face, the hole plays very long. There is water short that must be negotiated and plenty of greenside bunkers. If in doubt, the best play is to go left and to take an extra club off the tee."
No. 18 at Las Vegas Country Club; par 5, 525 yards -- Roberts: "A big tee shot down the right side of the fairway (which features a dogleg right) makes it possible to reach the green in two. However, pitching over the lake and brick wall, which protects the elevated green in front, has left many a player short and wet."
No. 16 at Las Vegas Paiute Resort, Snow Mountain Course; par 3, 198 yards -- Roberts: "Beautiful view of the Sheep Mountains. Make a spectacular shot from a slightly elevated tee over water to a narrow green, backed by a rock formation and desert for as far as you can see."
No. 18 at Las Vegas Paiute Resort, Snow Mountain Course; par 4, 445 yards -- Sanchez: "This is a great finishing hole that requires a long and accurate drive off the tee. A lake runs down the left side from tee to green. A good tee shot will leave most players with a midiron shot into the green. A missed approach shot to the right side of the green will leave you with a very difficult lie in the mounds of grass -- not to mention hitting back toward the lake left of the green."
No. 1 at Primm Valley Golf Course, Lakes Course; par 4, 418 yards -- Iole: "With a right-to-left dogleg that plays somewhat uphill, a decision must be made off the tee. The hole will play shorter if you try to cut the dogleg off, but a difficult bunker awaits if you don't make it. If you play your drive conservatively out to the right, you'll have to hit a solid midiron into the green, which is relatively small and very quick."
No. 12 at Primm Valley Golf Course, Lakes Course; par 3, 234 yards -- Weston: "This hole is protected by water on the right front side of the green as well as a bunker on the right. However, the key is dropping the ball on the middle of the green, because the front third slopes down."
No. 15 at Primm Valley Golf Course, Lakes Course; par 4, 450 yards -- Dahlberg: "This could be a finishing hole at almost any golf course in the country, and probably should be the final hole at Primm but isn't. Just a great par-4, slight dogleg left with a creek running down the entire left side -- and long. Once you get to the green, it's no picnic, either, with a severe double-decked green rising up toward the back. Don't hit it past the hole if the pin is up front or you won't be able to keep your putt on the green."
No. 2 at Spanish Trail Golf and Country Club, Lakes Course; par 5, 601 yards -- Sanchez: "This par-5 is definitely one of the longest in town. An accurate tee shot is critical as it sets up the hole. Your second and third shots negotiate a dogleg right around a lake that extends to the right and back of the green. Bunkers placed down the left side of the hole make it important for accurate shots at all times."
No. 3 at Spanish Trail Golf and Country Club, Lakes Course; par 3, 171 yards -- Dahlberg: "Many might think this is a tricked-up hole. But stand on the tee with a long iron in your hand and all you'll see is water and the top of a pin sticking out from a green you hope is somewhere beneath it. This hole might seem a little sterile tucked in among rows of houses but it plays among the top par-3s in the area. What makes it so difficult is that you can't judge the depth of the green, and you find yourself having to rely on the yardage and then just hitting and hoping."
No. 18 at Stallion Mountain Country Club, West Course; par 5, 520 yards -- Iole: "A well-placed tee shot is a must, with both accuracy and length required. There are bunkers on each side of the fairway, which has a narrow landing area, but even more trouble to the outside. There is water running the length of the hole to the right and out of bounds on the left. The green is protected by deep bunkers and is tiered, so ball placement on the green is a must."
No. 6 at Tournament Players Club at Summerlin; par 4, 430 yards -- Weston: "In my mind, this is the second-toughest hole on this course -- second only to No. 18. It's an uphill par-4, with a slight dogleg left and desert left and right. Your second shot is to an elevated green where you can't see the pin. You have to be careful because the green slopes back to front. Land your second shot out front and it can roll off; put it on the back of the green and you have a dangerous downhill putt."
No. 17 at Tournament Players Club at Summerlin; par 3, 196 yards -- Dutt: "Just making par on this hole can be nerve-racking. You hit from an elevated tee to a green about 20 feet below. There's water on the left and bunkers on the right. And with the way the hole is positioned, a predominately Southwest wind will blow your iron shot in the direction of the water. But if you don't cut it just right into the wind, you'll end up in one of the bunkers. A real test of nerves."
No. 18 at Tournament Players Club at Summerlin; par 4, 444 yards -- Sanchez: "This is one of the great finishing holes in Las Vegas. The tee shot is critical as your carry is over a desert canyon. The fairway has a slight dogleg left. The more you choose to hit your drive over the desert, the less your distance will be for your approach shot into the kidney-shaped green. The front and left side of the undulating green are well-protected by a lake. The back and right sides are surrounded by bunker, making for a very difficult approach."
No. 18 at Tournament Players Club at The Canyons; par 4, 447
yards -- Dutt: "This finishing hole is very picturesque, with a tremendous panoramic view of the Strip. It plays downhill and its rolling, wide fairway is guarded by an arroyo wash on the left. The left front of the green is shaped by the back edge of a lake that begins out on the fairway. This hole plays tough, but fair. A very traditional finishing hole."
Whew! I don't know about you, but I'm beat. Anyone for a beer in the clubhouse?
