Photo by Peter Drew on Unsplash
By: Jordan Fuller
There’s nothing quite like desert golf. The lush green fairways of the course make for a welcome nature break in the desert landscape, making you feel like you’re in a whole different place for a few hours.
And golf fans of all abilities are spoiled for choice in Mesquite. It’s home to some spectacular courses, which aren’t just a pretty getaway from the city, but also provide a challenge to golfers.
In fact, the courses throughout the city can be quite tricky for those who are unfamiliar with them, so we’ve put together some of the top golfing tips and tricks for the Mesquite courses that everybody wants to play. Master these and you can expect to get a good score on these otherwise challenging layouts!
CasaBlanca Golf Club
Casablanca is one of the most playable courses in Mesquite. It’s a more traditional course than most in the area, so it’s a great place to start if you’ve never played any of the Mesquite courses before.
It might be more traditional, but no two holes are quite the same. The course begins with an easy par-4 that you can 3-wood off the tee if your drive is strong enough. No matter your level of skill, this course demands accuracy off the tee and throughout each hole.
Water hazards lurk off to the sides, punishing stray shots, especially as you get closer to the greens. A number of hidden bunkers await, so you can’t afford to go a little off track—you may find your ball stuck in the sand.
If you’re a long driver, you may be able to hit the green in 2 shots on the long par-5s, but those who are less powerful may be better off expecting 3 shots. Don’t get complacent when you get to the greens—they’re a good mix of undulating, sloped, and double-tiered, so you’ll need to bring your best putting game.
Wolf Creek Golf Club
Wolf Creek is an award-winning course. Plus, it was featured on the Tiger Woods PGA Tour golf video game as a “Fantasy Course”, which skyrocketed its must-play status and made it known to golfers worldwide.
First of all, we have to mention that this course is stunning and otherworldly. Imagine bright green fairways, clean white bunkers, and sparkling bodies of water flanked by towering red dunes. Be prepared to get distracted by the spectacular scenery, so if you want to get a good score, you’ll need to bring your A-game.
At just under 7,000 yards in length, it’s a decently long course. It’s not for the faint of heart—doglegs are plenty, so you’ll have to have a fine touch to avoid missing the mark here. Multiple holes also feature a stream running across the fairway, so you’ll also want an accurate rangefinder in your pocket to avoid losing balls.
One of the things that makes this course so beautiful is that many of the holes have carries over the desert, which makes the holes feel longer than they actually play. Prepare for sloped greens that require precision—you may want to spend a few hours on putting green with the training aids before tackling these.
The final 3 holes are somewhat more straightforward than expected, given the wide range of tricky features you’ll encounter throughout the course.
Falcon Ridge Golf Club
The host of the Mesquite Golf Pass Tournament Series, Falcon Ridge is an exciting but very playable course. The lush fairways look out of place in the surrounding red mesas, but it’s a beautiful place to spend a few hours.
While the course is designed to appeal to golfers of all abilities, it has some features that make it intimidating for beginners. Elevation changes add a little extra intimidation to a few of the holes and make the course feel more difficult, especially if you’re walking and your fitness is a little weak.
There’s a great combination of wide-open, generous fairways, and closed-in, tunnel-like holes, lined with red rock. Undulating fairways make for unpredictable bounce, but accuracy off the tee will be rewarded.
Holes 7 and 17 feature residential properties, so take care not to swing wild and damage anyone’s home! While the greens may be less curvy than the fairways, they’re not to be underestimated. Take your time putting and analyze the slope carefully if you want to make your shots.
Coyote Springs Golf Club
A quirky course that’ll keep you on your toes! One of Jack Nicklaus’s creative designs, Coyote Springs is absolutely worth a play, but don’t go in blind—it’s a tough course that requires focus and critical thinking.
You may be surprised to learn that Coyote Springs has 11 lakes scattered throughout the course, so be aware that you’ll be skirting the water on numerous holes. But that’s not even the most difficult part of it—the course is rife with deceiving doglegs, tricky little bunkers sprinkled across every hole, and unexpected movement in the fairways.
If you want to get ahead of your golfing partners, take the risk of a carry on the par-4 4th, which will leave you with an iron approach. Taking the easy way out will set you back a shot or two. The 6th is extremely curvy, both fairway and green, so expect a challenging play. Par is a good score here.
If there’s one hole you go for broke on, it should be the 8th. Nicknamed “Aces”, if you place your ball right, it’ll float right down to the green on its own. Aim for the bunker directly ahead of the tees. If you carry it, the undulating fairway is extremely likely to roll your ball right down to the green.
Conclusion
These are by no means all the good courses in Mesquite, but they’re some of the much-loved favorites. They’re all amazing representations of the beauty of desert golf, mixing lush natural vegetation with the rawness of the desert landscape.
Golfers of all abilities will love the gameplay on each of these courses. Beginners will find them challenging, but there’s no better way to learn and to fall deeper in love with the game than to get your hours in on some of the most challenging but fun courses you’ll find in Nevada… Maybe even in the country.
About the Author
Jordan Fuller is a retired golfer and businessman. When he’s not on the course working on his own game or mentoring young golfers, he writes in-depth articles for his website, Golf Influence.
