»Come One, Come All
Often called “the Pinehurst of Vegas” for the 4,000 mature pine trees that line its fairways, Desert Pines Golf Club is an unexpected golf experience just 15 minutes from The Strip. Designed by Pete Dye and opened in 1997, it’s become one of the area’s favored destinations for golf-buddy trips and group outings. One big draw is its climate-controlled practice facility, with automated ball-delivery for its 58 hitting stations (easy on the back for the casual golfer—or those nursing a bit of a hangover).

Named as Nevada’s Most Strategic Course and playing 6,810 yards from the tips, there are no forced carries, though four lakes bring water into play. High mounds, blanketed in trees and pine straw, not only separate the fairways but can often help bounce an errant tee ball back to safety. The greens, though “Dye-abolical” in their contours, roll at a consistent 10—thanks to a 2007 renovation in which all 18 putting surfaces were completely rebuilt and topped with bent grass.

“We had every level of golfer in our outing, and they all had a great time,” says Michael Uhl, vice-president of Helms Briscoe, a Scottsdale-based firm that helps companies plan meetings and conferences.

Take a hole-by-hole video flyover of Desert Pines on the course’s new website, DesertPinesGolfClub.com, or call 866-861-9785 for more information

»The Chase Is On
Even in Las Vegas, a city built on the quick payout and instant gratification, some things are worth the wait. Such is the case with The Chase, a Jack Nicklaus Signature design unveiled in May as the initial golf offering at PGA Golf Club Coyote Springs, a veritable new city in the making some 50 miles north of The Strip.

The first golf course to open in and around Las Vegas in six years and the first of a series of Nicklaus layouts planned for the Coyote Springs community, The Chase at PGA Golf Club is set on high-desert terrain of cactus and sage and surrounded by three mountain ranges.

Stretching from 7,471 yards from the Black (75.8 rating, 141 slope), down to 5,349 yards from the forward tees, it’s a pure desert golf experience, albeit with wide lush rye-grass fairways, waterfalls and 11 lakes that come into play—thanks to its location atop a deep carbonate aquifer.

“You have all this land—the best land in southern Nevada—and you’ve got water,” developer Harvey Whittemore has said of his decade-old vision of a self-contained city of businesses, schools, resort accommodations, recreational areas and as many as 120,000 homes situated on 43,000 acres a short ride up U.S. 93 north of Las Vegas.

Envisioned as the western home for PGA members, just as the PGA Village in Port St. Lucie, Fla., has been for Eastern golf pros, guests and avid golfers, Coyote Springs will soon include its own PGA Village with a world-class practice facility, a 12,000-square-foot clubhouse with all the trimmings—private locker rooms, restaurant and bar and facilities for golf groups large and small and much more. In-season rates at PGA Golf Club are $200 per player, including golf car, access to the driving range and one caddie for each foursome.

To learn more about PGA Golf Club Coyote Springs or to arrange a tee-time and a first-hand look, visit CoyoteSprings.com or call 877-PGA VILL

»On a Roll in Vegas
The best golf-buddy trips are easy to plan, take you to places that promise fun and excitement and proceed without a hitch once the golf shoes are on the ground. OB Sports, a nationwide golf-course management company, delivers on all counts with its three Las Vegas golf facilities: Angel Park Golf Club, Aliante Golf Club and The Legacy Golf Club.

OB Sports also recently rolled out two new golf-trip amenities, literally: a 48-seat motor coach and 24-seat shuttle to move you and your crew conveniently from your hotel on The Strip to the courses.

But it all comes down to the quality of the golf, and these courses have that in spades (or, the case of The Legacy’s famous tee boxes on the tenth hole, in hearts, diamonds and clubs as well). A turf-removal program has replaced 70 acres of grass at Angel Park and nearly 50 acres at Legacy with desert landscaping. “It helps us conserve a precious resource and created a renovated look, giving both courses a more modern desert design,” says Kris Strauss, director of sales and marketing. If you’ve played either course, come back and take another look—and, you bet, bring your golf buddies.

OB Sports’ online tee-time system, accessible through AlianteGolf.com, AngelPark.com or TheLegacyGC.com,
is fast, seamless and provides their best rates guaranteed