Little 3 Day Trip Report

Desert Pines- we played this last Wednesday and was disappointing just because the greens were not in good shape which is rare for a Pete Dye design to not at least be above average with the greens. The cart guys said they had problems 3 weeks ago and haven't gotten them back yet, but I think once the greens are good it would be a nice representation of a Vegas course. My buddies from east coast were not thrilled with all of the desert play and rather tight fairways but I think that is just typical of the area.

Paiute Wolf Course- just really fantastic. I have played most but not all of the best courses out here and it is now my favorite. Wild scenery, solid greens, interesting layout, really very happy with the round (also pulled out mid 80s in super windy conditions).

Badlands- we played 27 but played Outlaw once and Desperado twice. Outlaw is a well maintained but I think very beatable course that plays quite short. Desperado is really the definition of target golf, limiting most of your tee shots and demanding precise second shots. This sort of sets up well for my decent short game, lacking in distance but I know this is not everyone's cup of tee and one of my friends particularly really disliked the layout although I cannot say the same and I finally got in the 70s here.

Like to thank everyone for their help in this thread, you were a lot of help and we were able to find imo 3 very solid courses for under 75 bucks a round, really cant beat that. Definitely will be playing the Wolf course when I move out here as much as possible, and probably trying to find a few other courses with really immaculate greens

fyp. they let u pick the 9 hole tracts u want to play now? I thought they were predetermined each day but maybe that's changed.

also boulder city golf course is the municipal course down the road

Yes, the Golf Club...you can request which 9 you want, but sometimes they aren't available the way you want.

I want to take some lessons. Anyone recommend a decent pro? I live South LVB area, between South Point and Town Square.

I hear Butch Harmon at Rio Secco is halfway decent.

BO

Lol and how much does Butch Harmon charge for a lesson??

I'd like to find someone who will offer a package of five lessons for a good price...or something similar. Anyone know if there is a pro at Legacy that's worthwhile?

He has other pro's that teach his approach to the game + fluid motion. My friend did lessons during WSOP and was $1000 fro 5 lesson and a 9 hole playing lesson not from Butch he was around though but working with some other higher profile folks.

Hmmm...next decent tournament cash, I'll do it!

Booked a 2-hour lesson with Eric Meeks at TaylorMade Golf Experience...I will report back on how it goes...

are you serious about improving?

schedule a couple weeks between lessons and hit about 2,000 balls in the meantime. give yourself time to correct your bad habits.

quite likely, the first few lessons will focus on grip, alignment and tempo. most of us middling good amateurs ( 6-10 hcp ) aim further outside our lead foot than we think, have a tendency to come over the top under pressure and flip our lead hand, and loose our timing.

this assumes of course your short game is solid

bonne chance, mon amis

Thanks! I'm definitely planning on practicing a lot, and those problems you mention certainly sounds familiar.

My lesson was damn good. Best lesson I've ever had, in fact. Guy know his stuff. It's amazing I could even hit the damn ball with how layed back and inside my back swing was.

I'm excited to go hit a bunch of balls and practice what I've learned.

the pro i worked with had me swing this; http://www.orangewhiptrainer.com/

i bought one the next day. best golf swing aid i've ever used. swing it about 150 times/day. increased my driving yardage about 10%.

How high does the ceiling need to be with that thing?

i've busted a couple of decorative plates, and snapped the head off our decoy, but haven't yet dented the ceiling.

going to vegas this weekend with the gf to visit her friend and her friends husband....he set up a round on saturday for Paiute Wolf Course which I have heard from this thread and online reviews is a solid choice to play. I guess it's not terribly far from where they live (they live off strip obv). Will write back with my review next week

So I played for the first time after having two lessons. Pretty damn good. I birdied the first two holes at Revere Lexington from the golds. Obviously, regressed to the mean after that, but damn, I'm already more consistent with my ball striking and my length has obviously increased. Pitching is MUCH better now.

Just need to keep practicing my new swing until my old swing is no longer part of my muscle memory, and I really think I have a shot of being a single-digit handicap golfer by the Spring.

in the groove is a great place to be

Probably planning on being in Vegas late Feb or early March. Have about $100-$150 I want to spend on golf and looking for suggestions. Would rather spread that money out over 2 rounds or more. Hoping to play somewhere with fast greens. I don't care if it is target golf over desert with lots of carries or something a little more like a links course. Could care less if it is bright green and over watered. Hard and fast is fun

That's near peak season so the rates are going to be up there. Best shot to get 2 rounds in is through twilight rates. Try Rhodes Ranch. If I remember correctly the greens were fast.

Not too worried about the money since I am not actually paying, just not going to go overboard and pay $300 somewhere. Ever played badlands or Bear's Best, those two caught my eye and they are both on golf now.

Both are fun. Bears best is way more fun but greens faster at badlands IME

I have only played Bears Best and although the greens are not that great, it's a nice course. I especially like it since it's a ClubCorp course and I can play it for $20.

Taking a trip to Vegas in 4 weeks and I'm on the fence about bringing my clubs. I haven't played since October though, so I'm pretty sure i'm going to play while I'm there.

Probably cheaper to rent if you are only playing one round unless you travel enough to get free checked baggage.