[Kiliunjubl]

We just came back from our annual Vegas golf trip. Everything about it, with the exception of the first nine of the first day - which was a total "What in the world are you doing?" disaster - was great. The weather was actually milder than we've been experiencing this summer in Missouri.

Our first round was at Rhodes Ranch. I've played RR several times before, and have found the course conditions to be inconsistent from trip to trip. This time, though, the course was in very good shape. A round at Rhodes Ranch or Tuscany is always a great way to start the trip. Each of these tracks are sporty enough to keep your attention, but also are fairly wide open as to let you start the trip with a good round. After making a minor setup adjustment after a bad front nine, I played much better, which adds to the enjoyment. One of the best things about Rhodes Ranch are it's par 3s. I think the quad of three pars here stack up against most any course I've played. Particularly interesting are #3, which requres a near full carry of 180 yards over water (from the blue tees) and #16, which is just a flat out gorgeous hole of golf.

That afternoon we played Bear's Best, which frankly we found to be a bit underwhelming. Though it was more expensive than RR, it was no better. We got off to be bit of a sour start when we called ahead to the pro shop to alert them that we were gong to be about 10 minutes late for our tee time because of a longer than expected round at RR. The clubhouse guy, with a bit of a sigh, said, "Well, will just get you off best we can then." My friend and I assumed that there tee sheet must be pretty full but when we got there the parking lot was nearly empty. Within five minutes of dropping our clubs off bag drop we were on the 1st tee.

The course itself is a neat layout, but we found it to be a bit on the tricked up side. For example, the last hole is a relatively short dogleg left par 4. The fairway slopes downhill and right-to-left. There is a fw bunker down the left side that could come into play, so you want to take enough club to carry it. Or do you? I hit a smooth 4-hybrid down the right side of the fairway that I thought would leave me in good shape. Instead I found the fw to be empty, and the waste area to have one more Wilson Staff Duo than it had just a few minutes before. There was no one behind us so after we holed out we went back to play the hole again. Turns out that the safest club to use off the tee was a 6-iron. I don't generally hit mid-irons off the tee of par 4s. I suppose with a little course knowledge you learn these things, but for the novice there were some pretty rude surprises.

One of the fun things about Bear's Best was picking out some fun target lines. For example, on one of the par 3s my target line was Caesars Palace in the distant strip. Another par 4 had me aiming at the Wynn tower on the right. Kinda cool.


Our second day we drove out to Coyote Springs for two rounds at another Nicklaus-designed course, The Chase. We loved The Chase. Loved it! Well worth the 45-minute drive out to Coyote Springs. (There really is no Coyote Springs. Just a sign.) Our day at The Chase was one of the best golfing experiences I've ever had. It started off with a green fee of $100 and a free replay. The practice area rivals any I've ever seen: huge range, nice short game area, and large putting green.

The course itself was in near perfect condition, and offered a nice mix of challenging holes. Probably the main characteristic of the The Chase is its undulated fairways and greens. Many of the fairways will make you think you're on the surface of the moon. The green also are undulated and tiered, which creates some interesting putts if you happen to be on the wrong side of the hole. The course wasn't crowded at all. We were the first tee time of the morning, and after a lunch that was included with the green fee, went out for our second round at 11:30. In total we easily got 36 holes completed in less than 6 hours. We actually talked about making it a 54-hole day, but thought better of it with two days of our trip left.

Our third day we played two rounds at Rio Secco. I had played Rio Secco several times in the early 2000s, and for some reason it had dropped off my play list. Well, it's back on now. I'd have nothing but good things to say about the course, other than it's a bit pricier than many others. We paid $100 for the first 18, and the replay was $50. Still, two rounds for $150 on a course of this quality was a bargain. We loved the third hole, which is a relatively short par 3 that required about a 140 yards of carry over a canyon. If you fall short of the trap that fronts the green, there will be NO getting your ball back in that it will fall about 150 feet into the canyon below.

Another great hole is the par 4 11th. This is a severe dogleg right in which you can pretty much decide how long you the hole to play. Play it safe by aiming off to the left, or try to cut off 75 yards by taking on more of the waste area. Another fun hole is the par 5 8th, which allows for a high risk/high reward 2nd shot to a large green fronted by a waste area.

If there was any downside to Rio Secco is was the greens. Many of it's greens were pretty dicey. Can't say they were unplayable; they weren't that bad. But given that this was the highest green fee we paid our trip, I was expecting smoother greens. Still, playing Rio Secco reminded me why I had enjoyed playing it some many times in the past.

The last day of the trip was spent at Primm Valley. We got a deal from Golf Now, which allowed us to play the Desert and Lakes course for $49, total. A great price for two great courses. Both layouts were designed by Tom Fazio, and are very fun to play. Each course allows you to pull out the driver on most of the pars 4s and par 5s, but also calls for some iron shots as well when placement is more important than distance. I've played the courses at Primm many times, and am already looking forward to a future trip.

My friend and I had a great time. If you were going out to Vegas, and a recommendation for one course I'd have to say The Chase. Wolf Creek in Mesquite is also a must play. Primm Valley wouldn't be far behind.

[janeloveslifenow]

Great write up! Did you get the caddie at Bears Best? I thought the course was ok, but then again, I played it and it was sleeting at the time.

Primm Valley is great! Great course and could easily charge double what they do.

[zttrftwsq]

i plan on playing Primm Valley next time along with hitting Marc up for another round at the revere.

[MipRippoomamn]

Nice write-up. I agree with Rio Secco, played 2 rounds this weekend there...greens were the worst I've ever seen em. Glad to hear RR is in good shape, I've played it and it'll be like Augusta then play it a few months later and its a goat track...weird.

[Kiliunjubl]

Nate,

They don't require forecaddies any longer. Or at least they didn't last Tuesday. Maybe they do during their busier season. Great GPS system in the carts, though.

[zttrftwsq]

Nice write-up. I agree with Rio Secco, played 2 rounds this weekend there...greens were the worst I've ever seen em. Glad to hear RR is in good shape, I've played it and it'll be like Augusta then play it a few months later and its a goat track...weird.

lets take a road trip to primm or coyote when im in town next lol

[Barryrich]

Great write up. Always fun to read your Vegas reviews.

I just wish you made it easier to choose the courses that I want to play when I go out. They all sound good.