Bali Hai, Paiute Wolf, Primm Valley Lakes & Desert

FourUnder · April 5, 2016

I played four courses around Las Vegas last week so I thought I would post my thoughts since I rely heavily on these forums for info on courses when I travel.

Primm Valley Lakes & Desert - One of the things I dislike the most when golfing is being lied to about course conditions. Now maybe the pro shop guy I talked to on the phone was just ignorant but he sounded like he knew what he was talking about when he said no work had been done recently and nothing was scheduled until May. So when I show up and the practice green is punched, I think, well maybe it's just the practice green. Nope. Both courses were punched. Small holes, but still punched. Not a massive deal, but just annoying and dishonest. The other thing I really dislike is slow play due to a lack of marshal and/or 5somes and 6somes. Did Primm have both of those? You betcha. Saw two 5somes and one 6some during my two rounds there. One of which I got stuck behind. Didn't see a single course employee after I left the first tee on either round. I played the first 10 holes in 1:45 but then caught a traffic jam. 2:30 to play the final 8 holes. Just ridiculous. Both courses have quite a bit of potential if pace of play was monitored and conditions were better. Desert opens with two really nice holes and I enjoyed a number of the hole designs on both courses. I'm not sure what was going on with their fairway/rough grass but it seemed like two different types of grass were growing, one much higher and thicker than the other which led to a lot of funny lies. Also, a few streams and ponds were 90% dry. Not many things looks sadder on a golf course than a large pond (like #18 on the Lakes course) with just a tiny bit of awful looking water at the bottom and the rest just exposed mud. Maybe this is a desert drought issue, I don't know. I was super bummed after my two rounds there. I was really excited based on what I read and pictures I saw but I left disappointed. I wouldn't have played the second course if I hadn't pre-paid the tee time.

Paiute Wolf - If I was excited to play the courses at Primm, I was ecstatic to play Wolf. I've heard lots of people on here rave about it and a couple of random guys I've been paired with at other Vegas courses talked highly about it as well. I was expecting this course to likely break into my list of top 20 courses that I've played especially since I am particularly fond of courses that are not around houses/businesses/ect. Conditions were really good, the staff was nice, the setting in the plain between the mountains was great, and I don't really have any specific criticism I can think of. Maybe too many reachable par 5s (480-490-487 from Gold) causing pace of play issues? Maybe not having any water hazards until the 12th hole? I don't know. For me, I believe this round was just like going to a movie everyone has told you is "so amazing" and enjoying yourself, but not really understanding all the rage about it. I played it a few days ago and can only remember 3 or 4 holes from the course. Good condition? Yes. Challenging? Definitely, especially with the wind. Good value for the $90 I paid? For Vegas golf, yes. Nice scenery? Yes. Memorable design or a course I would play again instead of trying a new course? Probably not. I'll go back out to play Sun and Snow on a future trip, but I set my expectations too high for this round. That's my fault. If I knew nothing about Wolf, I bet I would have enjoyed the round more.

Bali Hai - I enjoyed this round the most of my four and I wasn't expecting that to be the case. The location is convenient, assuming you are staying on the strip, but be aware there is just a hitting cage, no practice range. Lots of water on this golf course which I liked. Not very many boring holes and I liked all the par threes. The "island" par 3 is a wimpy distance, but still enjoyed it. Conditions were great, as they should be for the prices charged at Bali Hai. I had a voucher to play there and despite how much I enjoyed the round, I wouldn't pay rack rate for it (I think it's around $240, with afternoon times around $170). Bali Hai had a fun contest on one of the par 3s called the only sure bet in Vegas. You wager up to $100 and if you hit the green you receive twice your wagered amount in pro shop credit. If you miss you still get your wagered amount in pro shop credit. This has to be a good extra revenue generator for the club, especially since I'm sure some people forget to use their voucher and it has to be used the day it's issued, but it was a ton of fun for our group to place bets and we were still talking about it that night when our friends asked us how the round was. While I had a good time, Reflection Bay remains the only course I've played in the area that I would go back and play again instead of trying a new course on a future vacation.

Vegas course rankings

1) Reflection Bay

2) Bali Hai

3) Paiute Wolf

4) TPC Las Vegas

Others I've played: Silverstone, Primm Valley Desert, Primm Valley Lakes, The Legacy

Da_Sherm · April 7, 2016

When I was out in Vegas, I never played the really expensive courses. That being said, I'm surprised you didn't enjoy Paiute, I played the Snow course and loved it. I could be biased because I play cheaper courses though, the conditions out there were amazing for Vegas.

Silverstone is now closed. I have a buddy who still lives there and says the grass is dead. It's still up in a legal battle for them to maintain the course.

Have you played TCP Summerlin? I've heard it's good

FourUnder · April 9, 2016

When I was out in Vegas, I never played the really expensive courses. That being said, I'm surprised you didn't enjoy Paiute, I played the Snow course and loved it. I could be biased because I play cheaper courses though, the conditions out there were amazing for Vegas.

Silverstone is now closed. I have a buddy who still lives there and says the grass is dead. It's still up in a legal battle for them to maintain the course.

Have you played TCP Summerlin? I've heard it's good

I have access to TPC properties but Summerlin didn't have any times available. I plan to play there on my next trip.

I wouldn't say I didn't enjoy Pauite Wolf, because I did, it just didn't live up to what I've heard about it. It's probably somewhere between 40 and 45 on my all time list. The setting and conditions were great, but some of the design just felt lacking.