Las Vegas Golf Communities

The newer of two Fazio designed courses at Primm Valley, the Desert Course seamlessly intertwines its desert setting with manicured, deep green fairways and sparkling water features. Like the older Lakes Course, the Desert Course was recently named to Golf Magazine's Top 100 Courses You Can Play. Fazio didn't misstep when Primm Valley called on him to create the Desert Course next to its popular predecessor.

The Desert Course offers narrower fairways and craggier surroundings than the Lakes Course. Fazio also relies less on water in order to focus on the stark desert vistas seen from most tee boxes. Shadows can cause havoc during the afternoons, but if you play late enough you can catch a cherry sunset between the purple-gray mountains.

The Lakes Course, opened in 1997, was named the eighth best new course in 1997 by Golf Digest and has received numerous awards for its service and conditioning. All the holes at the Lakes Course are lined with lush desert foliage and Fazio keeps the cart paths hidden from the tee boxes, giving the course a more natural feel.

There are several lakes and a system of rivers meandering through the Lakes Course. Much of the course's difficulty stems from this water. Easily tempted golfers might find more than a couple of their balls rolling into one of these lakes. The 347-yard 10th will have some golfers licking their chops.

The hole actually plays about 280 yards to the green, so it isn't named "Temptation" by chance. Any ball left short will roll back down the steep slope in front of the green, but any slice will be deposited into a series of bunkers. There is a landing area to the left of the green about 240 yards from the tee boxes, but if you won't be back to Vegas for a while, you might as well have some fun on one of Las Vegas' finest golf courses.