Arizona & Las Vegas – 7 Worthy Courses

The beginning of our latest golf adventure should have been relaxed and uneventful.  A nice 30 minute drive out to Fort McDowell from our hotel in Phoenix to begin our 15 course golf trip at We-Ko-Pa Saugora (#99 on Current Ranking) turned out to be a 90 minute stressful dash to make our tee time by 10 minutes.  What could go wrong on an early Sunday morning?  Just as we experienced in Coere d’Alene, Idaho, a Triathalon in Tempe had almost every road that we needed blocked for the runners and bikers.  Despite this rocky start, we had a wonderful experience at We-Ko-Pa.  The Saugora course was in great condition, the staff was helpful and friendly,  The course conditions were very good and the holes seemed to flow very nicely from each green to the next tee.  Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw did a wonderful job of providing enough variety to keep the round interesting.  You are given plenty of room off the tee but enough challenges around the greens to make you think about your approach strategy.  We were paired with a nice couple and it helped to stay in the flow as the course was busy this day and it would have been very slow playing as a twosome.  I can see why this course is in the current Top 100 and it is a course that I would enjoy playing whenever given the opportunity.

The second course on this trip was a Rees Jones design about 30 miles north of Phoenix called Quintero (#87 on Current Ranking).  This looked to be the beginning of a real estate development that like many, came to a sudden stop.  Fortunately, the golf course has continued to do well and was in terrific condition.  Fairways, rough, tees and greens were all healthy and the bunkers were all well manicured.  Fairways were wide enough to give you plenty of room off the tee but all the greens on the par fours and par fives were the “pushed up” variety which made hitting the greens difficult and pitching from close range was also a challenge.  No hitting short and running the ball onto these greens.  The par three’s were quite visual with elevated tees and were the highlight of the course.  Since this was to be a larger development, the proposed clubhouse never was built so it was a little unusual to start your round by driving your golf cart 1.5 miles down the road to get to the first tee.  It was worth the drive however as this course was a real beauty.  Even the desert area surrounding the holes was landscaped in a manner that was quite attractive.  I was not expecting great conditioning given the remote location and the lack of funds to finish the original project plans, but I was pleasantly surprised.  (Unfortunately, the biggest negative take away from this day was the couple we were paired with.  The husband was fine but the wife constantly complained about everything you could possibility think of.  There was a constant undercurrent of excuses coming from her before she hit, while she was hitting, after she hit and even while we were hitting.  Her husband was a special guy to put up with her attitude and we did the best we could to stay positive and enjoy the course and the day.)  Like We-Ko-Pa, I was expecting a nice course given its current ranking and for the second day in a row, my expectations were exceeded.  This is another very fine golf course that is fun to play.  I like the setting a little better than We-Ko-Pa Saugaro, but because of so many pushed up greens on Quintero, I give the We-Ko-Pa Saugaro a slight overall edge between these two Phoenix area beauties.

Could day three match up to the first two days of this trip?  It began with some difficulty as traffic was backed up from the road construction on I-15 in Las Vegas and a long stretch of Route 93 as we approached Coyote Springs (#95 Last Ranked in 2007) which sits about one hour north of Las Vegas.  Luckily, we left in plenty of time and were not rushed when we arrived.  Oh yes, I almost forgot.  We were partially run off the road by a pick up truck that was trying to pass us and then came close to both hitting an approaching truck head on and then the front of our SUV when he pulled over to avoid the truck.  I was able to regain control of our SUV without further incident but it  could have been a very serious accident.  Once we regained our composure and arrived at the course, we were able to get back into a more relaxed golf mode.  This course sits alone in a very remote area as its initial real estate development plans have not been realized. Coyote Springs is a Jack Nicklaus design and I must admit, it is now one of my favorite Nicklaus courses.  Like the previous two Arizona courses, the course conditioning was fantastic.  Large fairways, multiple ways to attack the greens, wonderful variety and a great finishing hole on each side made this a very worthy track.  This is a kinder more gentler Jack Nicklaus course than some of his earlier designs I have played but still plenty challenging.  The pro shop and restaurant sit in two double wide buildings but are nicely landscaped and cared for.  In my mind, you do not need a massive, opulent clubhouse to qualify as a great golf course.  The staff was very friendly and helpful and tried their best to help you have an enjoyable day.  I loved this golf course and I like it better than some on the current Golf Digest Top 100 Public Courses. When in Vegas, make it a point to drive out and play this somewhat overlooked gem.

It may be hard to believe, but despite its #5 rating, I was not really looking forward to playing Shadow Creek (#5 on Current Rankings).  Because of its very high green fee and its past history of being very exclusive, I was anticipating a somewhat uppity attitude and perhaps a little bit of “You are not famous or a high roller, so why are you here?” treatment.  I was so wrong!!  It is one of the most expensive courses you can play and you do need to stay at one of the MGM properties to secure a tee time (Monday thru Thursday only), but all of the folks that work at Shadow Creek could not have been more friendly and down to earth.  Included in your fee was the limousine ride to and from the course (you cannot enter the property unless in a company limo), the base pay of your required forecaddie and all the snacks and soft drinks you may want.  The very nice but unpretentious clubhouse made you feel very comfortable.  We had an outstanding forecaddie named Rick who was a former touring professional that had won two Web.Com tournaments in the late 80’s.  He made the round and the entire day a real joy.  This golf course is exquisite!  The conditioning would rate a 10 and there are very, very few public access courses that can claim being a 10.  It is quite unbelievable that this lush, green and heavily treed course sits on the edge of busy Las Vegas and actually is located in desert climate.  Tom Fazio did a magnificent job of creating 18 gorgeous, challenging but playable holes.  As you make your way around this layout, you are never aware of the outside surroundings or even the hole next to you.  A true test on how you feel about a course is whether you want to play it again.  I could play Shadow Creek every day and not tire of the opportunity.  As a matter of fact, when we completed hole #9, we could not believe we were already half done with this round.  We did not want it to end.  The only negative about Shadow Creek is the absence of any forward tees.  I played the most forward of the tees and that was at a yardage of 6,600 which is a bit long for my game but I was able to put together a nice round.  Unfortunately for Marilyn, it was about 1,200 yards too long so she teed off with me and then moved her ball to where mine ended and played in from that point.  That worked fine and she enjoyed the day immensely but for a facility that seems to welcome women, you would think that they would provide a set of tees for them.  It may not sit next to the ocean or in the mountains, but Shadow Creek is an outstanding golf course. I am not sure it is worth the same green fee as Pebble Beach, but if in Las Vegas and you are a golfer, you must experience a round on this gem.

How do you follow a round at a course like Shadow Creek?  Spend the next day at Cascata (#56 on Current Rankings) and you will be equally impressed.  This Rees Jones design is brilliant and beautiful!  The setting outside the hustle and bustle of The Strip is magnificent as the holes wind through the valleys and chasms of the surrounding mountains.  The course conditioning is impeccable in every way.  The clubhouse may be a little over the top (like a waterfall and rushing stream running thru the inside of the building) but the staff was down to earth and very helpful.  Hole variety and the views from each tee make you anxious to tackle whatever Jones has in store for you next.  There is such a good mix of long and short holes and almost every tee box offers some of the best views anywhere.  For a desert course, there were also several water holes which sits it apart from those played in Arizona.  Even the driving range is quite scenic as there is a 400 foot waterfall coming off the mountain in front of you that winds it way down to the practice green and the clubhouse.  We were very lucky to have an outstanding forecaddie named Robert.  Robert is from Troon, Scotland and has a very extensive background in golf including playing professionally and working on the grounds crew at Bandon Dunes as well as caddying at several courses.  He did a great job of helping us navigate the course and the greens in addition to enhancing the total experience.  I cannot think of anything to say remotely negative about Cascata, other than its pricey green fee ($425), but on my next trip to Vegas, I would give up two rounds at an ordinary course to play once at Cascata.  In my opinion, this course should be ranked higher than its current #56.

This golf trip is now getting real interesting.  We have started by playing five outstanding courses with the last two being in my Top 50 most enjoyable courses that I have ever played.  Course number six on this trip was Wolf Creek (#48 on Current Ranking) in Mesquite, Nevada.  We had to drive 90 minutes north of Las Vegas to reach Wolf Creek and what a course was waiting for us.  From the pictures in its literature, I had thought that it was in a more remote location but it actually sits on the edge of Mesquite with the homes below in view from many holes.  I have mixed feelings about Wolf Creek.  Many of the holes are spectacular but there are a few that are a little over the top in difficulty.  Course designer Dennis Rider provides you a thrill ride with the holes he provides and also with the very steep cart paths that can border on dangerous.  After hole three, Marilyn was somewhat reluctant to continue as the cart we had did not want to gear down when going downhill and we had to navigate those downslopes very carefully.  Similar to Cascata, the holes are carved out of the mountainous terrain and provide some spectacular views.  This course has the “Wow” factor but also a little fear factor.  From the elevated tees, it looks very tight but on most holes you are given adequate room to find the fairway.  The conditioning of the course was superb  and the staff was also helpful.  With far more positives than negatives, Wolf Creek has to be considered worthy of its Top 100 ranking although for me, I just cannot decide at this time.  It is not a course that I have a burning desire to return to because of its difficulty, but I feel that I need to play it again before coming to my final conclusion.  Perhaps a small matter, but I was puzzled by the fact that right next to the clubhouse and the parking lot was the maintenance area with equipment and old carts and junk sitting in plain view which is not in line for a course considered to be Top 100.  This area needs to be fenced or otherwise hidden from view.

Our final Las Vegas course to play was Rio Secco (#91 Last Ranked in 2003).  It had been 15 years since this course has been in the Golf Digest Top 100 Public courses, so when playing a course like this, your expectations are a little lower.  Rio Secco was built in 1997 by Rees Jones and he was brought back in 2017 to give it a facelift with some modern renovation.   I was anxious to see why this course made the Top 100 and why it was no longer mentioned in the rankings.  Rio Secco has a very high slope rating of 149 from the 6,500 yard tees but from 6,100 yards, I thought it was very playable.  It was in magnificent condition although the greens were a little firm from being so new.  It sits up the mountain in Henderson and the Vegas strip is in full view on most of the holes.  Unfortunately, so were all the homes that lined almost every fairway.  The homes do not come into play and are very attractive, but I am sure that this is one reason for the drop in its ranking.  I would not let this dissuade you from playing this course as Rio Secco provides many great golf holes and variety in its design.  I really enjoyed the course and found it interesting and challenging but very fair.  Despite the upscale neighborhood, it has a nice low key vibe to it and the folks that work there were very friendly. If you feel like brushing up on your game, the Butch Harmon Golf School is located at Rio Secco.  Although not in my Top 50 favorites, I would not hesitate playing it again.  For the residents, it is a wonderful course to be a member which may be more important than being ranked nationally.