Mesquite’s Wolf Creek one wild ride

When a golf course in Mesquite starts gathering accolades from golf publications the way Rae's Creek at Augusta National draws golf balls, it's enough to make players take notice. But when the Wall Street Journal's Golf Europe lists it among the world's 10 best places to play golf -- the only other United States course to make the cut was Pebble Beach -- that definitely demands a closer look.

Seemingly poured into the mountainous terrain like molten emerald-green wax, Wolf Creek Golf Club is among the most visually stunning courses most golfers will ever play. In fact, this is such a unique track that, despite its relative anonymity, Wolf Creek was featured in the EA Sports video game "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2009." The course's "wow" factor cannot be overstated; every hole has character, and the vistas are breathtaking, bordering on surreal.

Speaking of shortness of breath, Wolf Creek is not a course for the faint of heart, either literally or figuratively. This ride should come with a health advisory: "The Wolf Creek course may not be suitable for all riders. Players are advised to exercise caution."

The reasons are threefold. First, there's the hiking. With several tee boxes requiring a climb up a flight of steps and steep knolls surrounding many of the green complexes, getting around Wolf Creek may be a little tough for less fit players. Second is the cart path, which features steeper drops than many of the rides at Disneyland. While the carts are in tiptop shape, the brakes are really tested on some of the more precipitous plunges.

Finally -- and this is not to be trivialized -- is the frustration factor. For all of the talk about Wolf Creek's beauty, few writers emphasize that it is a really hard golf course. This is the kind of track where even single-digit handicaps should bring an extra sleeve of balls, while weekend hackers should bring an extra box. Or maybe two. With ravines, cliffs and water at every turn, it is a rare stray shot that can even be found, much less played.

Wolf Creek opens with a 579-yard par 5 that plays through a canyon and can be reached in two only by prodigious drivers. It is helpful that the elevation drops significantly from the tee to the fairway, because the second shot plays almost as steeply uphill. A word of caution to those who reach for the green with a fairway metal: the hidden water hazard short and right of the green is closer than it seems. Knowing the pin position is critical here, as two-putting from above the hole is quite a challenge.

The real fun begins at the next tee box, where players face a 445-yard par 4 that doglegs left around a rock outcropping. Finding a good line is not easy; while anything too far left precludes a look at the green, wandering more than a little right will send the ball plummeting over a cliff.

At this point, it's only fair to point out Wolf Creek's lone shortcoming. Given the stature and quality of this course, the fact that the abbreviated driving range allows for irons only is mind-boggling. While understandable (there's an airfield adjacent to the course), the idea of swinging the driver for the first time during the round is unsettling.

It is rare to see a par 5 ranked among a course's most difficult holes, but No. 5 definitely deserves the honor. From the perched tee box, the landing area looks about the size of a bathroom rug. As a bonus, the drive must carry a creek more than 225 yards away. From the fairway, the hole plays severely uphill to an undulating putting surface protected left and right by bunkers. A false front rejects any approaches that come up a little short, while chips from the green's steep backstop are lightning fast.

After a beautiful but treacherous par 3, Wolf Creek's front side closes with a 390-yard par 4 that allows precise players to regain a lost stroke. While flying the water with the drive shouldn't pose a problem, the second shot must carry the front bunker but, above all else, avoid running through the putting surface. Severe slopes behind this and many of Wolf Creek's other greens make chipping from that position a nerve-wracking proposition.

Standing over the drive on the 472-yard par-4 10th hole, take comfort in knowing that there is more room right off the tee than is visible, which is a good thing because there appears to be almost none. Just inside the line of trees along that edge is a good target, as the slope generally kicks drives back toward the center. The deep, slender green is shoehorned between a long bunker on the left and a smaller one front right.

Given the overwhelming vistas that precede it, No. 16 shouldn't take one's breath away, but it does. From the top of the plateau, the rumpled tan bedspread that is the Virgin Mountain Range unfolds in spectacular fashion. This short par 4 plays relatively straightaway -- across a ravine, of course -- to a green fronted by a cavernous bunker. The ideal line off the tee is just inside the edge of the right fairway bunker, which is literally perched on the edge of a cliff. Those who survive the drive are rewarded with a wedge approach.

Following a beautiful par 5, Wolf Creek draws to a close with a 307-yard par 4 seemingly designed to help players forget how many balls they donated to the golf gods. Playing across a shallow carpeted valley, this hole requires only a gentle poke down the left side, taking care not to run all the way into the creek that separates fairway from green. From the short grass, it's a simple pitch to the footprint-shaped putting surface.

Undoubtedly worth the drive and the noteworthy greens fee, the Wolf Creek club is one of the most spectacular tracks most players will ever encounter. Those who check their scoring expectations at the door and simply soak in the scenery are sure to enjoy the ride.

Wolf Creek Golf Club is located at 403 Paradise Parkway in Mesquite, a little less than 90 minutes' drive from Las Vegas. For more information or to reserve a tee time, call 866-252-4653 or visit www.golfwolfcreek.com.