By Wes Bolyard
Once upon a time, in a land not that far away, we used to travel, anytime, anywhere before the pandemic. Well anyway, several years ago, I visited Western Nebraska and played several golf courses around the Gering-Scottsbluff area. During one of these journeys, I had the good fortune to meet some new friends with whom I keep in contact.
Over time, I learned that this group of buds get together for several “golf outings” a year. It all started because this group of guys had the kind of relationship that helped each other whenever one of them had a project, like a big band of brothers. Since they all played golf, they decided to take that bonding on a golf excursion.
Looking into places to go, they discovered Mesquite, Nevada was not all that far away, and which has a variety of courses that were different from those in Nebraska. Mesquite offered a chance to continue the companionship along with golf, some gaming, good food and relaxation. They have taken this journey for the last 16 years!
Located just a little over an hour northeast of Las Vegas, the Mesquite destination offers over 2,000 rooms and can also serve as a home base to visit golf courses in nearby St. George, Utah.
During our visit to Mesquite, I learned there are seven golf courses, several of which I would classify as unique. The golf courses in Mesquite fall into the “exotic, beautiful and challenging” category. Located on the eastern edge of the Mohave Desert, you won’t see this type of landscape in very many places in America and it can result in some very dramatic holes.
Mesquite used to be a small, quiet little town of about 2,000 that began changing in the late 1980’s with the building of its first golf course, Palms Golf Course. Brian Wursten, Director of Golf for both CasaBlanca Golf Club and the Palms GC, says: “The front nine of the Palms is pretty-flat and was built around some lakes while the back nine has a lot of ups and downs and canyons and offers phenomenal views of the whole valley. For example, hole 15 has a drop of about 115 feet to the fairway. To the east are the Virgin Mountains with the peak reaching 7,946 feet and just below them is the Virgin River. An interesting feature of this course is that you could hit a sand wedge from Arizona into Nevada since entire course is in Arizona. I feel the back nine is better than any nine in the valley because the back nine offers several fun holes (11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18) as they go up and down and around.”
I stayed at the CasaBlanca Resort-Casino and learned from Christian Adderson, Assistant General Manager, that the resort was built in 1995, originally called Players Island. He says “There are over 470 guest rooms including suites and pool suites that open-up to the pool area. The Casino includes all the gaming you could want to play, such as blackjack, 3 card poker, Texas holdem, craps, roulette, over 1,000 slots and a sports book. Other amenities are a lounge with live music, a European Spa with a mineral pool, and last but not least, a vast swimming pool with a large waterfall, a slide for the kids plus poolside cocktail service. The bonus is a sand volleyball court by the pool.
A large variety of restaurants, CasaBlanca Café (open 24-7); Mesa Cafeteria with a seafood buffet on Friday nights. The fine dining at Katherine’s Steakhouse, has won several awards for service and quality including the 2020 Diners’ Choice Award! For a quick snack, there is a hotdog cart operating most of the day featuring a Hebrew National dog; a great value at 75 cents. For coffee, cups and for those ice cream lovers, there is Scoops.
Christian added “Our mantra at the CasaBlanca Resort is ‘We are how Las Vegas used to be’ (fun, friendly, great food and not that expensive to stay). Our food is very much a value, giving you top quality. What makes the Resort such a great golf destination for people to come is you stay at the resort and you are within 5 minutes of the CasaBlanca Golf Course from your room, making it an easier day to play golf, get back to your room, visit the other amenities offered, and relax. Through group sales, they handle groups wanting outings, handling all the details to make it easier just to come and play. We can handle groups up to 144 players and offer meeting rooms for the results to be presented.” From everything I saw, the resort is very family friendly. casablancaresort.com
Falcon Ridge Golf Course opened early 2004, originally with only 9 holes and a second nine were added later that year. This 6550-yard, par 71, desert layout features several spectacular elevated tee shots and elevation changes with some holes cut into the rolling hills that make up the area. There are several forced carries across water or ravines, so choosing the correct set of tees is important. Rob Wursten, Director of Golf says “The back nine is more difficult than the front due to the difference in yardage and topography with hole #12 dropping approximately 100 feet. There are 4 blind shots on the course and 6 holes have water on them”. You can find a full menu at Scotty’s Bar & Grill. golffalcon.com
The Oasis Golf Club offers two courses, The Palmer and The Canyons. I learned from Adam Schwartz, Director of Golf, that The Palmer opened in 1995 along with the back nine of the Canyons. In the fall of 2005, the front nine of the Canyons was opened. The two courses are semi-private, thus allowing others to enjoy the beauty and challenge of the two courses. On The Palmer course, 5 through 8 are the signature holes with canyons. Hole 6 was used during the Golf Channels Big Break Mesquite in 2007. Some of these holes have over 100-foot elevation drops, thus mesmerizing the golfer prior to teeing off. The course is not long, but is demanding and a little tricky, requiring the correct shot to be played. The Palmer, designed by Arnold, is a masterpiece that offers a par 71 experience set against rugged canyon fairways and meticulously contoured greens. It is rated among the “Top 10 You Can Play” by Golf Digest. oasisgolfclub.com
Drive northeast from Mesquite through the beautiful Virgin River Canyon to Sand Hollow in St. George, Utah. Here you will find 27 holes of regulation golf including an 18-hole championship course with large greens and very undulating fairways and greens. The 9-hole Links Course was designed links-style with holes like those in Scotland and Ireland with rock walls and fescue around the bunkers. There is also a 9-hole course, named Wee Course, where you can work on your short game.
I had an opportunity to speak with the designer, John Fought, who explained that almost no earth needed to be moved as the natural topography was an excellent canvas for the course. The Championship course has two distinctly different nines. The front meanders down and through a relatively level setting with sage surrounding the fairways. The back is where the challenge and beauty reside. Pictures of holes 12 through 15 are in many golf publications and as pretty as the pictures are, you will really appreciate the beauty and challenge once you see them in person. This is a stretch of holes you will not forget, ever! With forced carries, sheer cliff drop-offs, bunkers and elevation changes, this four-hole stretch will test your golfing skills. This is one of those courses that you would be content to play over and over.
Hole 13 is possibly a drivable hole but sometimes a layup might be better. Hole 15, one of the signature holes and called “The Devil’s Throat” has 10 different tee boxes with one of them over a ravine. The beauty of the sandstone formations on this course will amaze you. Sand Hollow is an outdoor mecca with an abundance of things to do: a #1 rated golf course, a nearby lake and ATVs to explore the countryside. Stay and play packages are available. sandhollowresort.com
Seemingly in the middle of nowhere, but really in the middle of where to be, Mesquite will tend to be much more than you could have expected, both in golf and accommodations. If you are seeking help setting up your first adventure to Mesquite, contact Golf Mesquite Nevada and they can help guide you to a remarkable time. golfmesquitenevada.com
