Paiute golf resort is a Pete Dye designed course located approximately 25 minutes outside of
Las Vegas (the cab ride from the
Las Vegas Strip was about 40 minutes - a $60 cab ride), Nevada on the historic
Pauite Indian Reservation. Nestled in the Spring Mountains, Paiute is guaranteed to provide a great
Las Vegas golf course experience.
Unlike
Desert Pines Golf Course,
Sliverstone Golf Course, and even
Wolf Creek Golf Links,
Pauite golf course provides a golfer to experience three distinct golfing adventures. When I played, I tackled the ominous
Snow Mountain Course.
Snow Mountain is Paiute’s original course, measures 7,164 total yards, has wide rye grass fairways, has seven holes with water hazards, and features a progressive layout —meaning there are no parallel fairways. Featuring traditional Dye railroad tie-decorated bunkers and dogleg finishing holes – some golfers still feel the original is the best of the three.
Paiute Golf Course Clubhouse/Pro Shop ReviewAs the picture shows, the Clubhouse at
Pauite is very big and very nice. When you arrive at the course, golf club
attendants are eagerly waiting to take your clubs and get you set up for the round. When you get inside you are greeted with a clean, inviting atmosphere. The clubhouse makes you feel like you are about to play on a great golf course.
One word of advice. Get to the golf course about an hour early, particularly if you have a morning tee time. They have a breakfast buffet, complete with omelet station (they have a chef make the omelets), sausages, french toast, fresh fruit, bacon, and hash browns, for $10.00. It's a great deal, the food is great, so you might as well take advantage of it.
The pro shop is decent in size and had a relatively good selection of golf gear. I should know, because I was scouring the place for a cheap sweater, jacket, or anything else that could warm me up. While the temperature on the
Las Vegas Strip was about 75 degrees when we left, at
Pauite, which is located at the base of the Spring Mountains, the temperature was a balmy 50 degrees, with a 20 mile per hour wind. It did warm up eventually, but bring a jacket just in case.
The pro shop personnel, while generally helpful, were a little snooty. We traveled with five and wanted to see if playing five would be possible (by the way, my group is all relatively good golfers - mid 70s to low 80s). The course was packed and pace of play did not warrant turning down a
fivesome. The response we received was "there are two things we don't do at
Pauite - jeans and
fivesomes." Not the friendly response I was looking for.
Paiute Golf Course Practice Facility.The practice facility was nice but not spectacular. There are two driving ranges available, depending on what course you were playing, as well as two putting clocks. The range balls are complementary, and overall I was happy with it.
One piece of advice - hit some putts on the putting clocks. I'm not sure what the greens were running speed-wise that day, but they were considerably faster than the course we'd previously played, and it took some getting used to. The greens were the favorite part of this golf course for me.
Paiute Golf Course - Snow Mountain Course Revieww.18 holes with a cart on a Saturday ran about $179.00. Not too bad for what I believe were still winter rates. For the course, it is a very good rate.
Taking a look at the
Scorecard, you can see there is a diverse mix of holes to be played on the course. We played from the yellow tees, and with the wind the way it was, we were more than challenged. What made this course enjoyable was the opportunity to decide whether to go big for a low score or play it safe and make par. There were at least 3 holes that could be cut off and gone for off the tee (par 4s). I made one and missed two, but even having the opportunity was fun.
The condition of the course was great. It is located in the desert, so outside the rough of the course it was difficult playing any shots. Boulders and desert shrubs were abundant. As I mentioned before, the greens were very fast and in great shape. The fairways and tee boxes were in wonderful condition too. Part of what makes the course so lush is a natural aquifer located underneath the reservation.
I can't say this enough - bring a jacket! The wind coming out of the mountains was very strong and considerably cooler than when actually in Las Vegas.
If you enjoy some libations out on the course, buy in bulk. The beer cart was only seen once per nine holes. If you are playing in the summer, this could result in some parched mouths. There is a bonus, though. When you pay for the course they give you coupon books with drink coupons - don't be afraid to use them.
As for scenery and aesthetic value, I couldn't have asked for more. It is still undeveloped ground out there, so its just you, the course, and the desert. The scenery was great.
Pauite Golf Course - Snow Mountain Course - My Favorite Hole.My favorite hole at Paiute Snow Mountain Golf Course was
#7. As I mentioned earlier, one of the things I really enjoyed about this course was the chance to go for some of the greens off the tee box. I also said I was one for three in those opportunities. This was the one. In the fairness of full disclosure, I drove the green and three putted for par.
I don't feel great about this, but I shot a 101 with a number of 6 putts and a couple of dead shanks. Although my score would disagree, I wouldn't describe the course as overly challenging. I think mixing in the Vegas nightlife with no chance to practice (I was coming out of a Kansas winter) resulted in the high score.
Overall, I'd give the
Pauite Golf Course Snow Mountain an 8 out of 10. I'd recommend it for everyone.
Silverstone Golf Course.
My favorite hole on the course is the valley #2 (pictured here). As you can see, it is a relatively short par 3, but there is trouble everywhere. This is exactly the type of hole I like - there are no bail-out areas, there is water, and it's picturesque. And I'm pretty sure I parred this hole!
