Wolf Creek Golf Club
Scott Kramer
Playing Nevada golf in June? Despite the triple-digit heat, I traveled 80 miles up I-15 North from Las Vegas to Mesquite last week, to spend a few days playing golf and enjoying the town of 23,000. There are seven courses here within a 10-minute drive of one another. And you may have heard of it as the home of the annual World Long Drive championship. Regardless, it’s kind of an interesting little golf destination.
After checking into a suite at Eureka Casino Resort, I was pleasantly surprised to find a jacuzzi right in the room. Not in the bathroom, but rather next to the TV. Crazy, right? But kind of retro vibe. Regardless, the room was nicely appointed and very comfortable. Everyone in my group was marveling over how comfortable the beds were. Eureka is also a 100 percent employee-owned company, and last year celebrated its 25th anniversary by announcing a $100 million reinvestment project that encompasses upcoming suite enhancements – hope they keep the in-room jacuzzis.
After spending a few minutes at the pool to cool off, I walked across the parking lot to the on-site casino where I was able to catch some baseball games in the Sports Book. The air conditioning felt fantastic, as did the cold beer I ordered. A short while later, our group went into Gregory’s Mesquite Grill – an upscale steakhouse that’s a whole lot more. I had the filet mignon and salmon surf-and-turf combination, which was outstanding. And trust me on this, sandwich that meal between the smoked old fashioned beforehand and the chocolate cloud dessert afterwards and you will be extremely happy.
The next morning, we ventured out to play Wolf Creek Golf Club – a 6,939-yard course that oddly grew a reputation by being included in the EA Sports Tiger Woods video game some 20 years ago. It’s located in a dramatic desert setting, with lush green fairways surrounded by red rock canyons and plenty of severe elevation changes. That makes for a visually compelling course that can be challenging to play. What adds to its toughness is that there are few level lies. As I was warned up front, it can be a “target golf” type of course. There are many blind shots, because the course is super hilly. I don’t know how much their water bills are, but the day we played, it had to have been close to 110° and the grass was bright green. That really stands out with the hills all around. I feel like better players will excel here by being able to keep the ball on the fairway. We experienced a weird phenomenon: A lot of the tee shots we could see take off, but then they would visually disappear as they landed. In some cases, we could not find the ball once we got out to where we thought it landed. So we just had to drop a second ball. There are a lot of visual distractions on many tees – whether it be a rock in the landing area that draws your eye, or a scenic vista in the distance. And yet somehow it manages to work itself into an enjoyable round. One caveat: Despite speed bumps on the steep cart paths, they’re still daunting.
Canyons Golf Course
Scott Kramer
The next day we ventured to the 6,343-yard Canyons Golf Course at Oasis Country Club, which is Mesquite’s only semi-private facility. It has two distinct nines: The front side is more player-friendly, while the back (this nine was designed by Arnold Palmer) demands length and precision to narrow targets. Like other Mesquite courses, it’s incredibly scenic. I kept catching myself taking photos because of the gorgeous contrast between the green grass and surrounding rocks. While it has much flatter terrain than Wolf Creek, there are not a lot of level lies. It’s also significantly more playable, particularly for less-skilled golfers. The greens are huge. And several of the fairways are lined with large bunkers. It also plays through quite a few residential communities that reminded me so much of playing courses in Palm Desert. Overall, it was a relaxing, resort-style round.
Our group ate dinner that night at Mason Street Courtyard, which is within the Eureka Casino. It’s kind of a cool diner with attentive service. The Italian wedding soup, chicken quesadillas and street tacos were simply outstanding, but it was the apple pie a la mode served in a large hot mug that stole the show for me. Seriously one of the best desserts I’ve had in a long time.
Conestoga Golf Club
Scott Kramer
Speaking of saving the best for last, our final round of this quick trip was at Conestoga Golf Club. This beautiful 7,232-yard layout graces the area’s land forms. The course marketing material describes it best as “undulating through canyons with gently ascending and descending elevations, rugged rock outcroppings and tranquil water elements.” To me, it was fun, fair, gorgeous and challenging all at the same time. And it flowed wonderfully from hole to hole, with a nice mixture of playable elements throughout. It combined the best parts of the previous two courses for me, and I felt that players of any skill level would enjoy it immensely. The views are nice, the fairways and greens are in great shape, the bunkers are well placed. Surprisingly, although the greens should be lightning fast this time of year, they rolled at a slower speed, with true and predictable pathways. Not once did anyone in our group think there was a hidden, unfair break. When I walked off 18, I immediately thought that I could probably play this course every week and never get sick of it.
Mesquite makes for a nice side golf getaway on your next trip to Las Vegas. Plus it’s a welcome departure from the pricey, glitzy, trafficky and smoky Strip.
