Southern Highlands features golf

Nestled in the foothills surrounding one of Nevada's finest golf courses are the communities that make up Southern Highlands Golf Club.

The master-planned community is located minutes away from Las Vegas' famous Strip, yet it features wide-open spaces, an array of parks and biking and walking paths. Basketball and tennis courts, soccer fields, covered playgrounds, water features and picnic areas are in abundance at the many parks within the master plan.

Necessities are prevalent, too, with two community schools -- one public, Frias Elementary, and one private, Southern Highlands Preparatory -- in the area, as well as a fire station and ample shopping at Southern Highlands Marketplace and Fire Station Plaza.

Still, amenities alone don't make a community.

Southern Highlands sponsors several events throughout the year. Residents and guests gather for the annual Memorial Day barbecue celebration, which includes a fireworks extravaganza. In October, the annual Southern Highlands Fall Festival, which features a 5K run and 1K walk, raises money for charities.

A festive tree-lighting ceremony in December ushers in the holidays, while park openings and popular barbecues sprinkle the rest of the calendar.

The community's centerpieces are the Southern Highlands Golf Club and Spa Southern Highlands.

The golf club is an invitation-only facility. The course was co-designed by the late Robert Trent Jones Sr. and his son, Robert Trent Jones Jr.

It features a traditional design, dramatic elevation changes and water features.

Spa Southern Highlands is a 13,000-square-foot center that offers world-class spa treatments, fitness center, lap pool, oversized Jacuzzi, children's swimming area and lighted tennis courts.

Featured at Southern Highlands are a handful of the country's finest builders. Some of them are:

Southern Highlands Development Corp.

Behind the guarded gates of Southern Highlands Golf Club lies The Estates, an exclusive community strategically perched along the rolling terrain of Southern Highlands.

The Estates offer custom lots and luxury homes priced from $500,000 as well as custom homes priced from $2 million.

American West

Coming soon to Southern Highlands will be Inverness, an American West community with unique, semicustom homes with basements.

American West, which already possesses a strong presence in Las Vegas, specializes in neighborhoods with plenty of space and majestic views.

Pacific Southwest Development

The guard-gated, mountainside community of Tuscan Cliffs is Pacific Southwest Development's initial neighborhood within Southern Highlands.

It features Pacific Southwest's New Millennium Custom Home program, which allows buyers to create their own custom-designed home.

Homes at Tuscan Cliffs start with the Villa De Giovanni measuring 4,328 square feet and priced at $1 million. Premier homes in Pacific Southwest's upcoming community in Southern Highlands, The Bluffs, start at $3 million. Models are now open.

Phillips Homes

Phillips Homes' Belcerro neighborhood combines the Italian architecture of Tuscany with modern conveniences, such as shopping, schools and recreation. Homes start at 1,250 square feet and are priced from $194,500.

Access to Interstate 15 and close proximity to the offerings of Southern Highlands Golf Club makes Belcerro a well-rounded community.

Richmond American Homes

In the Terraza neighborhood, Richmond American Homes builds homes with an assortment of amenities.

Starting at $179,990, these homes are in close proximity to a wealth of recreational activities including playgrounds, bike paths, greenbelts, a dog park, and both private and public schools, making it a perfect spot for families.

Belcerro Village, with homes starting from $227,990, features tree-lined streets and floor plans from Richmond American's distinctive Santa Barbara Collection. Both Terraza and Belcerro Village offer access to Interstate 15.

For more information about the community, visit SouthernHighlandsrealty.com.