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Played 6/15/22 in perfect conditions.
Aliante is a newer, respectable course at the far North side of town. The conditions were all fine on this day and the only knock I have is the "sameness" feel throughout. Sometimes I felt like I had already played the hole I was teeing it up on. It may not be a particularly scenic track, but it's good, solid, fun golf. Read on for the details...
The fairways play fast with lots of roll and there's plenty of room, but miss too far and many holes have a rocky swale on one side or the other that gobbles up golf balls. A few holes have swales filled with rocks and scruff vegetation crossing the fairway in places and you are forced to guess your safe distances. The only water on the course is a short carry off the #11 tee and the same lake borders the left and rear side around the #17 green. NOTE: most players should not use driver on the par-5 #3 as one hidden swale lies over a rise from the tee box with a healthy slope down towards it.
The rough is virtually non-existent- it's either a good lie on tight, dry-ish grass on a fairly hard surface, or you're probably off the course and in rocks & dirt.
I didn't have any play in the sand this day (Yay!), but from the looks of things and judging from my playing partner's shots, it seemed to be in very good shape- I didn't see any "drop-kicks" from nasty, untended hardpan bunkers.
The greens? One of the BEST putting surfaces in the Vegas Valley for affordable, common play. A touch slower than most others, but slightly so- downhillers won't scare you- and a smooth, beautiful surface to putt on with no invading "other" grasses or bare spots to contend with. There were very few untended ball marks with sometimes a light sprinkling of small pebbles from surrounding traps to brush away from your line, but that's it. Just the right amount of grab on approach shots and the few mild undulations made for pretty straight-ahead putting. I personally thought they were really an absolute joy to play aggressively on.
Altogether a nice, clean course, if not particularly "glamorous". Lightly undulating fairways bordered by traps and trees. Great for almost everyone with almost no forced carries or lost balls. Highly recommended for casual play, and even more so for women, beginners and seniors.
13 Likes.
Played 6/7/22 in slightly breezy conditions and fair skies.
Skylinks has all the added-on water, rocks and fluff to make it prettier than your typical City Municipal parkland course. The greens putt pretty true, the fairways are fairly nice, some mixed grasses...the sand is inconsistent but still very playable, i.e. wet sand, dry sand, muddy sand... but no hardpan bunkers- and that's good! On the bad side, rough/fringe around some of the greens was absolutely atrocious. Hard pan with clumps of 3 different kinds of grass/weeds growing here and there within 25 feet of the hole made chipping a hit-and-hope affair. I missed one par-3 green by 2 feet and the hardpan bounce went dead right and ended up 25 feet off with nothing but scruffy clumps and pock-marked baked dirt between me and the green. Really put a damper on what could be a very nice course with a little TLC and maintenance.
A note on the first hole: No one told me the lake was in play and after I shot the yardage over a little rise to the carts in the fairway at 205, I found out after hitting a nice 3-hybrid 190 right down the middle that the carts I shot were actually off to the right of the lake- you can't see the water middle/left from the tee box and there's nothing to tell you how far it is (I still don't know!).
Still, all in all the pace was fine, the course mostly playable, there's some interesting holes, some water here and there to catch your eye and it's worth the price. Recommended- but with a red flag about the bare greenside lies and poor rough.
9 Likes.
Played 4/21/22 in 20-25 mph winds gusting to 40
Nasty, tough day in the wind. Lucky my elusive "A" game descended from the heavens after a brutal start and I had a very enjoyable last 16 holes, especially with the windy conditions wreaking havoc by adding/subtracting/pushing 25 yds at times.
This is a great place to play in Vegas! The range is all mats, most with Driver tees supplied in them, a couple of putting greens and a nice chipping area to warm up in. Scenic, beautiful at times with the mountain backdrops and well-designed holes, it's also occasionally intimidating and tough-putting, a short-ish track that rewards accuracy and punishes strays. Some call it "target golf". Canyons and/or desert scruff generally border holes on the right, there is water on a few holes (2, 9 & 18) and a few forced carries. Most notable are the short par-3 11th and the difficult par-5 #17, which requires two precise shots, the second from a slight downhill lie over a canyon to a diagonal fairway area with a treacherous fall-off short and left and desert scrub long and right, and then a well-placed approach needs to be hit onto a green sloping pretty severely left the farther you go in that direction.
The course was in GREAT shape- lush fairways, nice, consistent rough not too punishing, tee boxes were just fine (no comment on the sand as I didn't get into any this day), it's the greens that that put the teeth into the course. Late breakers needing to come in the side, putts you have to start off 90 degrees away from the hole... we all picked up on one hole when everyone's missed putts rolled right back 8-10 feet to make you try again. Um, No. But in general they rolled very well and the local knowledge is to stay below the hole here at the Mountain Course. The slopes made putts seem medium/slow uphill with many "fish-hook" finishes and terrifying downhill, but there are very few bumps. We did have to repair numerous ball marks just like everywhere else, but it was the mixture of slope and wind this day that could be treacherous.
Great course, great conditions, fun for just about everybody with not too many forced carries- and one of the nicer places to play in the Las Vegas area. Very much recommended!
10 Likes.
Played 4/20/22 in near perfect conditions
Angel Park Palm course is an easy, enjoyable round on a fun, interesting track. We play from the white tees that's only about 5400 yards on a par-70 layout. There is water to carry on a couple of short par-3s, a dogleg par-4 9th and desert scruff and canyons to carry on some others. The split fairway par-5 6th is the most unique hole, with a tee shot decision to play safe to the close fairway on the left and take a longer shot over a canyon towards the green (aim to the left of the tree on the hill, but don't hit it more than 190 yds fom the white tees or you'll run out of room!) or carry the canyon on the right to cut down the 2nd shot length, but if you DO pull it off, unless you squeeze your drive between the 150 pole and the right rough, you'll be left with either the ball on a severe upslope, way above your feet, or both. I went the safe left side route today and two well struck 3-hybrids got me onto the green with an eagle putt- a rarity for me.
Angel Park Palm is consistently in good/great condition, the fairways are a good width and lush, the rough not overly long or punishing, but wayward shots may up in rocky desert scrub. The greens are solid, with the occasional overslope (balls horseshoeing back towards you) and a few two-tiered offerings to mix it up. Fixing ball marks is a never-ending chore, though. NOTES: Putts generally are quicker going towards "the Strat"/downtown, and the 16th green slopes so much from right to left that balls hit anywhere on the left half will roll off, and if the rough is cut close I've had shots land on the green, roll off and then down the ever-steepening slope until it left the property through the chain-link fence, so stay to the right side!
Tee boxes are fine, with the exception of the bad #8, which is a mound and so a mostly dirt, crater-pocked mess on its only level spot, and a rather severely sloped sidehill #12, depending on where they set the teeing area.
Bunkers are decent to good, many have packed, hard bottoms requiring a steeper swing to get good results. Today I got "sandies" on the both the 17th & 18th, so I left with a smile!
Good conditions, a nice mix of holes, it's a short, fairly easy, fun course good for everyone- and you can wear "tastefully casual" (nice denim) attire, too!
Recommended.
9 Likes.
Played 4/14/22 in perfect conditions, but windy last 5 holes
Rhodes Ranch is one of the more beautiful courses in Las Vegas within their mid-range price. The holes are scenic with Palm trees, well-placed bunkers, hills bordering the generous fairways, water on 7 holes- 3 of the par-3s, a few guarding par-4 approaches, and a lush, green suface to play off of. One area was redone during the last couple of years to make room for more housing (boo!) with a cool par-5 #5 hole cut in half to become a simple, short par 4 that I always manage to screw up, followed by an even shorter "driveable" (not for me, though), slightly uphill par 4 with 2 hidden, little trench-looking traps fronting the green that has replaced the former challenging, long par-4 6th. That replacement green there is small and has a different, harder surface than any other one on the course- just a note. All in all the rework was quite decently done, if unwelcome to us long-time local players. I do miss that par-5!
Today the fairways were beautiful and perfect, the rough thicker in some places but still playable and not particularly penal. I was in 2 fairway bunkers, one was strewn with small rocks but the sand was just fine, the other was almost hardpan, but with no rocks, so some inconsistency there. I didn't get into any greenside ones (luckily), so I can't comment on those.
The greens were about in the best condition I've ever seen there at Rhodes Ranch and mirrored the practice green by the range. All were in wonderful shape, with a little noticeable "corduroy" surface texture appearance from recent conditioning which never really affected any putts. Pretty much medium speed but with downhillers running quite a bit quicker than their looks. We got surprised on a few of them, but if you've read my reviews before you know I'm an easily befuddled putter anyways...
Range is off of mats, balls must be purchased extra, no freebies. Warmup chipping/putting area is large and very nice.
In conclusion, a very nice day of golf, a very pretty Ted Robinson designed course to enjoy, a nice mix of holes, beautiful par-3s, almost no forced tee carries other than those over-water par-3s, so good for golfers of all abilities- very much recommended!
10 Likes.
Played 4/7/22 in near perfect conditions (6-12 mph breeze)
The somewhat challenging Mountain Course at Angel Park is always in great condition and today was no exception. Both courses are affordable and a small bucket of balls is included free for your warmup on mats at the range, too. Two putting greens and a chipping area are also provided to round out your pre-game activities- nice! You can always count on Angel Park to keep their two courses in top shape in all ways, with the possible exception of the sand, which can be thin and crusty- a common condition in Las Vegas as many courses don't drag their bunkers often (if they do, the Spring/Fall winds will scour them out- it's a no win situation) which can have them get hard and thin.
The Mountain Course is delightfully scenic, with average to wide, mostly level fairways and a wonderful mix of holes. There is water on a handful and rugged desert and canyons on the sides of others to gobble up wayward shots. I've always thought that the course handicap is too low here (115 slope from the whites) as nearly every wide shot will cost you a stroke and putting is always extremely challenging. Just my opinion, but over 20 years of playing here and scoring on average 3 shots higher here than on other similarly rated courses support that opinion. Whatever... back to the review!
Tee boxes were lush, fairways beautiful, rough playable, but contoured to where most shots from it are not going to be from a flat lie, and many can be severe. But it's fair. Hit driver on some shorter par-4s looking for a wedge approach and you bring more trouble into play. Longer par-4s have more fairway space- that's well designed! The par-5 17th is very challenging as the first fairway is well protected on both sides and long, then your second shot is over a canyon that borders the right side of the first fairway and then crosses the hole stretching diagonally left requiring a well-struck fairly long shot with solid distance control from a slight downslope to avoid going into trouble. If you negotiate those tasks, then you pitch onto a green that slopes severely from right to left and a miss left is lost ball territory. I hit two great 3-woods today, pitched on... *sigh* and then 3-putted for the umpteenth time there. I'll never learn to baby that downhill putt like I know I should.
And that is the Angel Park Mountain course's biggest challenge- the greens. They're not too firm, in fact just right, and not cratered full of ball marks, either, but... mounded greens, greens that slope into hazards, slopes that can see your ball "horseshoe" back towards you, straight ones a rarity, even short ones... better have your "A game" with the flat stick! Note: try always to be below the hole. A few greens also have fairly strong slopes in the back going away that will funnel your ball off the putting surface and others have front parts that are sloped severely enough to make downhillers go off the green. It's not "unfair", but it's definitely challenging. I'll have one three putt in almost every round elsewhere, occasionally two. At AP Mountain I always have 2 or more and even a hair-pulling 4-putt sometimes (yech!). So, maybe take this with a grain of salt- obviously, I'm not a great putter.
In summary, it's truly beautiful, interesting, challenging, with great conditions and affordable...
very much recommended.
8 Likes.
Played 4/5/22 in 25 mph winds gusting to 40 (!)
ALERT: Newly aerified, sandy greens are NOT currently listed in GK or mentioned at the course website! We came here because some of our "usual" spots were getting aeration only to find out AFTER we arrived while we were paying. No mention was made when we made our reservation previously over the phone after consulting the website. Not cool. We played in absolutely howling winds (forecast said 8-10 mph) to make the day a difficult one, but hey, that's Spring!
About the course...
Las Vegas Golf Club is affectionately called "the Muni" to us locals. It is a flat, somewhat tree-lined, wide-open course with water on only one hole- the 90 yd. Par-3 3rd goes over a pond.
Usual conditions are good tee boxes, good fairways, scruffy rough, tough, dry/hard-panned bunkers, but quite decent greens without much undulation. Go off the fairway and as long as you're not behind trees or at rest in a cuppy lie on hardpan in-between clumps of grass you'll have a clean shot. There are a few two-tiered greens and some dog-legs to grab your attention. All in all, it makes for a fun, relaxed day at a slightly slower pace as many residents walk the course- understandably so! However, today was very well-paced (wind cancellations?), all done in 4 hours. Course conditions, though... read on.
Tee boxes and fairways were not mown, so your eyes had to adjust to seeing the ball appear significantly closer to the surface on the tee boxes, par-3s gave you a choice of teeing up irons 1/2" above the surface for a clean sight or nestled down partially into the grass, and fairway shots were like hitting out of a usual "first cut", lacking some spin and serving up an occasional flyer (or was that just a bad wind read? Hmmm...I'm really not good enough to know the difference).
Bunkers were hard and haven't been dragged in awhile. The sand is thin, but seems good under the crusty surface. But because they're not dragged, all the balls end up in hard, scoured pot-ditches at the low point, making it a frustrating exercise to get out, let alone control.
Winter is over and the rough is in transition. This means several different grasses, dichondra and weeds all at war with each other and clumpy or bare lies between them are the rule, so have your short game in good order around the greens as you'll seldom find a good lie.
I usually play here once every couple of months or so- the rates for locals are the lowest in the valley, and seniors play 24/7 for under $30! When conditions are decent it's a fun day to just go out, crank up your drives and hopefully beat your handicap. Right now, though, with the surprise aeration, goat-pasture rough, and crusty traps...
Currently not recommended. Wait until later in April and it should be its usual self.
10 Likes.
Played 3/27/22 in 8-25 mph winds gusting into the 30s.
Started in a morning breeze that morphed into a hats blowing off heads, gusty back 9 with a mean 3-club wind. I thought the course was in good shape for end-of-Winter Vegas conditions. It is built into the hillside canyons of the Anthem area and most holes go either up or down, some severely so. Very little water, but sloping lies aplenty with just the right amount of bunkers, ravines and waste areas to encourage your focus.
The fairways play generous because steep sides funnel not-too-wayward tee shots right back into its very firm, tight surface. Patches empty of grass in the fairways were still playable due to the very hard surface. Rough was virtually non-existent with dormant Winter Bermuda, so tight lies. Miss around the greens in the wrong place and balls can roll away off into the desert. Sand wasn't great- crusty, pebble/small rock strewn, it made fairway bunkers very easy to play out of and greenside traps difficult. The greens were the best part- in GREAT shape- receptive, consistent medium speed, not too severe with the undulations and quite smooth.
This course can play quite tough on the par 3s, as there are MAJOR elevation changes to get you guessing and difficult up-and-downs to punish shots that miss the green surface. That being said, the greens are a nice size, so... hit 'em straight!
You'll pay for practice balls, but the green fees are good for the course, so that's a wash. A couple of bottles of water are included, there are nice practice greens to putt on and the range is off of turf: bare lies, divots and little to no grass.
Summary: nice mix of holes for the terrain, good, but hard fairway surface to play off of and really nice greens. Tough yardage determinations for us "average golfers", especially in the windy conditions of this day. Quite challenging.
Recommended.
8 Likes.
Played 3/22/22 in perfect conditions
Very short (blue tees at 5300 yards, par-71 w/7 par-4s less than 300 yards) but oh-so-sweet! Fairways were tree lined and lush, rough was a bit better than your SoCal typical muni (very playable grass with few bare spots), bunkers were absolutely perfect and the greens medium speed with an excellent surface. Went out early in fairly wet conditions with family friends and had a great time. Yes, too short for "serious" golfers, but it was so much fun playing on the really wonderful conditions (and being with good people, too) that I enjoyed my round immensely. Sneaky pin positions seemed to always have my pitches bouncing away from the hole, but I was trying out TaylorMade's Tour Response balls this day and they don't seem to spin much for me. One perfectly-struck 9 iron from 130 yards hopped and rolled 27 feet past its ball mark. That's too much for my liking. Anyway, judging from my ball marks I'd say the greens are just a skosh on the firm side, but probably receptive with a higher spinning ball.
In summary, Alhambra is short, inexpensive and a very well maintained "parkland-muni" type course with very little water in play and a good mix of holes.
Highly recommended for casual golfers, short-hitters and beginners, or just a heck of a fun day exercising your tee shots and wedges.
8 Likes.
Played 3/16/22 in 15-25 mph winds
WHEW! Tough conditions! But this is about the course...
Palm Valley seems like almost a "hybrid" Las Vegas course- a little parkland muni mixed into a lot of desert. It winds its way through Sun City and is fairly level, as opposed to its sister course Highland Falls, which is just another stop up the road and more sloped. I always enjoy a round here and even more so now as they've brought in beautiful new sand to bring the bunkers up to stellar condition.
The tee boxes are fine and the fairways are tight with a LOT of roll right now after the Winter. I averaged another welcomed 15 yards over my normal meager drives of 220 this day. The rough is tight, dormant & yellow (bermuda I think?)- good news: nice tight, high spinning lies are the rule, bad news: ball will usually find a somewhat cuppy lie to settle into. Makes for tough chipping during the Winter/Spring months.
Greens were lightly sanded and I had a lot of difficulty judging my speed this day, but I'm not a low-handicap player and can have poor days with the flat stick no matter what the conditions may be. No matter, I'll bet that within a week or so they'll be their usual delight. They're firm (nice-that keeps the ball marks down a bit), they're reasonably receptive and contoured- enough to get your attention, but not too penal.
Palm Valley is a great course for all ages and abilities- generous fairways, greens not too difficult, good/great conditions/reasonably priced and a nice mix of holes. Water is in play on here and there and a couple of smaller ponds sit in front of some tee boxes, but those are more for looks than hazards. The testers mostly come from the par 3s. They're very well guarded with multiple traps/fall-offs and a ball missing the green by just a couple of feet can end up down 20 yards away on a tight, yet soft lie. Nasty. They also get longer and more difficult as your 18 hole journey progresses. Hope your irons on on!
Always an enjoyable track, well maintained, friendly staff, nice range (on mats).
Highly recommended!
6 Likes.
Played 3/18/22, perfect conditions.
Always a standard of mine, the Arroyo Course at Red Rock has now moved up a notch. Gone are the rocky, bare bunkers, they have re-done them with very nice sand and if people would actually bother to rake their heavy, deep footprints they may be among the best in Vegas. Same with the greens- smooth, quick, receptive enough, contoured, fair, but completely pockmarked with countless ball marks from the lazy clientele that refuse to properly repair theirs. The visitors we played with called them a "minefield". Hey, I can only fix a handful myself without holding things up- c'mon, people, this is a fine course, stop letting your presence vandalize it.
The rough was pared down somewhat this day which made it wonderfully playable (I hope that they keep it this way!). Yes, thick enough to impact your shots, take away spin and demand a decent short game, but not so long (as many times in the past!) as to slow up play by taking 2-3 people to look for your ball. As usual, there are few holes in it and I saw no bare spots in its usual lushness- somewhat rare in the valley. Fairways were again, as usual, just fine. Well-kept, green, good length with no more than the usual divots you find at most tracks.
Had a ball there this day and I was SO pleased to find the bunkers re-done so well, the rough not as penal, and at least one of the waste areas crossing the course was now replaced with grass (the 16th)- all wonderful improvements to help the pace of play without sacrificing the integrity of the course. Only drawback was a cart shortage making us stand around at the start of our day instead of hitting the range- but I can understand the increase in play with the new improvements.
Highly recommended!
8 Likes.
Played 3/4/22
OMG, they have just let this course completely go to hell. Fairways with mainly bumpy, short, interspersed mixed grasses and bare spots with greens that aren't (they look like mostly gray/white pressed mud). At least the rock strewn sand in the bunkers was still playable as long as you removed the pebbles. It seemed like half of the rakes we picked up in the bunkers were broken, too.
We played the Lakes Course the last few times and it seemed like it was getting a bit scruffy but still decent, so we decided to go for a little change of scenery and play the Desert Course this time out.
Unfortunately, to me this was just poorly maintained and not worth the drive from Vegas or the green fees. Played with a Hot Deal tee time from GolfNow and $54 was still too much, especially with the 100 mile round-trip drive and the extra $20 gas money to play here. Sad- it's just criminal to let these two Dye-designed beauties just fall apart like this.
Well, hopefully it will get better in the future (maybe they're letting it go before reseeding new grass this Summer?. I don't know, but for now-
Not recommended.
12 Likes.
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