Desert Days - Sand Hollow, Paiute Wolf and Wolf Creek

[Jason Way]

Las Vegas is a regular destination for me.  My work has taken me there at least fifteen times.  With the exception of one trip that I took to get a lesson from Butch Harmon, golf has not been a part of my Las Vegas experience.  That changed this week when I decided to see what the area had to offer.

After consulting Jon Cavalier (thank you sir), I settled on Sand Hollow, the Wolf Course at Paiute Resort and Wolf Creek.  What an adventure I had.

A few main thoughts emerged for me as I made my way through the week, with plenty of photo taking and driving time for reflection:

* All three courses had beautiful and dramatic settings.  When the setting is so stimulating, I question the necessity for an architect to also make the holes and features dramatic.  Doing so strikes me as unnecessary overkill that lacks in a certain amount humility.  Whether it is seaside cliffs, or mountain ridges, it seems better that at certain times the architecture takes a back seat to nature.

* These courses highlighted the distinction between adventure golf and everyday golf.  Sand Hollow came the closest for me to everyday golf, but all three fall into the adventure golf category.  I enjoy adventure golf, and Sand Hollow, Paiute Wolf and Wolf Creek are all courses that I am grateful to have experienced.  They were visually stunning, fun to play, and full of thrill and challenge.  But they are not the kinds of courses that I could happily play every day for the rest of my life.

* Before I die, I would love to play a bunkerless course.  This thought came to me as I made my way around Pete Dye’s Paiute Wolf (which is why I bumped the bunkerless holes thread).  As I examined the tee-to-green terrain and green surrounds, the grass bumps, slopes, and hollows that Pete builds are much more interesting to me than his bunkers.  The Wolf Course also had large waste areas that were really cool looking.  Between the ground features and the waste areas I would have been plenty stimulated, and I make the argument that the bunkering was a visual detractor.  So, to bring the thought full circle, my dream is for Pete Dye to build a bunkerless course.  His creativity would produce a wild result that would be a blast to play.

As I headed home from Las Vegas, I was struck by the variety I encountered on my desert golf adventure.  I’m not sure that the same variety exists within the city and suburbs.  My willingness to drive a bit was rewarded with an amazing array of color, terrain, architecture and the tired satisfaction of having broadened my golf geek horizons.

Photos to follow, with a little course specific commentary…

[jeffwarne]

overkill in Vegas?

[Jason Way]

Sand Hollow has been discussed here before.  I refer you to the discussion thread that Mr. Doak started:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,53938.0.html

As well as Peter Ferlicca's photo tour (which is better than mine):

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,39880

My take is as follows:

Having previously visited Zion National Park with my family, I knew that I was in for a scenic treat as I drove to St. George, UT.  The entire area is magnificent.  Sand Hollow managed to exceed my already high expectations though.  It is a MUST play golf course.




A frost delay was in effect when I arrived, but the starter soon made an exception for me because I was a walking single.  Although the back nine is an elevation changing hike, I highly recommend walking the course if possible.  The amazing terrain is much better experienced on foot.

I was happy to see that Sand Hollow had not been overseeded.  It would have looked goofy.  It was also a unique joy to play the course over semi-frozen ground.  The ball bounced and rolled, and it took all of the creative shot-making in my bag to get the ball on the greens.

The front nine meanders through the valley and eases the player into the round.  Although the holes are understated, the red clay bunkers and rock formations are striking, and they give a hint of what’s to come on the back nine.

FRONT NINE

#2 - Par 5






#7 - Par 5
 


#8 - Par 3

[Jason Way]

BACK NINE

Walking to the 10th tee, it becomes clear that the adventure has taken a new and exciting turn.  The par-3 11th, playing as a reverse redan, takes the player to the edge of the dramatic ridge along which the following holes wind.  The views are breathtaking and the golf couldn’t be more thrilling.

#10 - Par 5



#11 - Par 3





I ran into a ranger on the back who lives near the course.  He shared that before the course was built, he used to ride around the site on his ATV.  The ledges on which the 12th – 15th holes are built were existing, allowing the course to be routed beautifully without much earth-moving.



#12 - Par 4







#13 - Par 4









#14 - Par 4





#15 - Par 3









I was content and happy by the time I made it to the final stretch.  As mentioned above, for me Sand Hollow’s brilliance comes from the architecture being an appropriate complement to the land.  At no time did I feel like I was experiencing sensory overload, nor did I feel like the course was in competition for my attention with the setting.  Everything fit together beautifully, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

#17 - Par 5



#18 - Par 4





Up next, Paiute Wolf...

[jeffwarne]

Awesome pictures Jason.
I love how the bunkers actually look like the same soil as the surrounding terrain.
(I'm just glad they didn't try to match the white peaks in the background [size=78%])[/size]


Zion is magnificent isn't it?

[Ronald Montesano]

That's what I liked, among other things, about Fazio's Butterfield Trail in El Paso. The sand in the bunkers and waste areas was identical to native southwestern oatmeal.

[Jason Way]

Zion is indeed magnificent.  And I agree, the course had a beautiful, unified look to it because of the red color throughout.

[Jason Way]

The Wolf Course at Las Vegas Paiute Resort plays entirely in the valley.  Unlike Sand Hollow, which interacted with the mountains and featured significant elevation changes, Paiute Wolf plays over mostly flat ground.  That is not to say that the Wolf is uninteresting though, because Pete Dye added his creative flair to provide plenty of variety, visual intimidation and confusion.

The morning I played was another cold one and the ground remained frozen until well into the back nine.  Paiute Wolf was not quite as fun to play in the extremely firm conditions.  Many of the greens were designed to be approached from the air, and the required shots simply would not hold because of the conditions.  The day I played, the wind was up, but not as much as it normally is in the exposed valley.  I would love to get another crack at the Wolf under normal conditions to get the full experience, wind included.

FRONT NINE

#2 - Par 4




#4 - Par 4





#6 - Par 5





#7 - Par 4



#8 - Par 3



#9 - Par 4



Paiute Wolf features a wide and wonderful variety of greens – elevations, sizes, shapes, orientations.  They are interesting and cool.  One thing that they are not is severe, either in their internal contouring or canting, and so they are also very puttable.  I can imagine that after a few plays, it would be possible to make a lot of putts.

[Jason Way]

I played with an older gentleman who didn’t hit it far, but did hit it consistently straight.  He knew the course and was able to plot his way around effectively.  This speaks to the thoughtfulness that the Dyes infused into the course.  There is strategy in the design, but that strategy is inclusive of all strength levels.  Execution is still required, but if a player can pick a line and hit it on that line, they can navigate the hazards and score.

BACK NINE

#11 - PAR 4



#12 - Par 3



#13 - Par 4



Paiute Wolf is great fun off the tee, specifically because of the angles created by the size and placement of hazards.  Risk-taking is tempted, and the choice is left in the player’s hands to bite off as much of each hole as they can chew.

#14 - Par 4







As was the case at Sand Hollow, I was thoroughly content as I finished up at the Wolf.  The course provided challenge, but only as much as I wanted to take on.  The features were quirky and cool, and the setting was gorgeous.  It wasn’t necessarily about “wow”, but it was a wonderful morning of golf.

#15 - Par 3



#16 - Par 4



#17 - Par 4





#18 - Par 4




Coming up, the final face-melting stop at Wolf Creek...

[Jason Way]

Insane.  That is the word that best describes Wolf Creek for me.  It is one of those courses that it is hard to believe someone had the compulsion to build.  For that reason alone – the sheer crazy coolness of it – it is a must play for every golf geek.

I took quite a few photos, and I will let them mostly speak for themselves.  From the first tee, the course is a visual concert of color and texture cranked to 11.  A visit to Wolf Creek is as much about seeing it as playing it.

A few words about the architecture of Wolf Creek though.  It is not strategic.  It is penal.  Hit the shots where you are supposed to, and there are chances to score.  Miss those spots, and you are dead.  There is very little in between.  The conditions were wet and lush the morning I played.  I made good (and a few lucky) choices on line and distance off the tee, executed, and I was rewarded with relatively easy approaches.  Once safely off the tee, the rest of my round was pleasant and not terribly demanding.  It is easy to see though, for those who cannot carry the ball 200+ yards in the air, or who are hitting it crooked, a day at Wolf Creek could be torture.

FRONT NINE

#1 - Par 5









#2 - Par 4





#3 - Par 3

This was the point in the round when I realized that Wolf Creek was going to be something different.  Standing there, looking over the canyon, up the hill, to a blind green 200 yards away, I had that "buckle up" feeling.





#4 - Par 4







#5 - Par 4







#6 - Par 4





#7 - Par 4







#8 - Par 3

[Jason Way]

BACK NINE

#10 - Par 4



#11 - Par 3





#12 - Par 5

I'm not a big fan of water holes, but this was my favorite hole on the course.  The reason why?  It was relatively simple tee to green, had only one naturalish looking, and it had a really cool three-tiered green which was set in a neck between two lakes.  It was reachable in two, but a really bold second was required.  I loved this hole.









#13 - Par 4







#14 - Par 4







#15 - Par 3





#16 - Par 4



#17 - Par 5







#18 - Par 4



One of the reasons I wanted to share these photos and my thoughts is that in reviewing them after I played, there was such a wide array of color and style.  I am interested in your thoughts and experiences with desert golf.  And I am very interested in your thoughts about these courses, especially Wolf Creek.  Hope you enjoyed. 

[jeffwarne]

based solely on pictures, Wold Creek would be the place to try out your "bunkerless course"
and as you said let the terrain and texture speak for itself

[Mark Kiely]

Great pictures and write-up, Jason. I played Wolf Creek last summer and loved every second of it. Spectacular visuals and lots of fun to play with all of the elevation changes. Beforehand, part of me thought it would be the type of course I was content to play once and check off the list, but I'd love to go back and give it another shot. I've since been perplexed by Doak's comment in the Confidential Guide: "...I do think someone should have built a golf course on this spectacular terrain – they just shouldn't have built this course!" Anyone have any insight on what exactly that means? His review mostly rants about the cart paths being difficult to navigate. Or Tom, wanna expand on that? I'd appreciate it. (I can understand Wolf Creek not being someone's cup of tea, but if you like the terrain, what don't you like about what they did with it?)


Here's a link to my Wolf Creek photos if anyone's interested: [size=78%]https://www.flickr.com/photos/24952137@N00/albums/72157655783619600/with/19898336722/[/size]

[Jon Cavalier]

So glad you enjoyed the courses, Jason. Great write up, and gorgeous photos. The snow-capped mountains in the background at Sand Hollow are amazing - didn't get to see that on my visit. Here are some of my own shots of that wonderful course to supplement yours (hope you don't mind):

[Sean_A]

It is interesting the Dye course looks the least intimidating of the three because intimidation is one of Dye's calling cards.


Thanks for the pix Jason.


Ciao

[Thomas Dai]

Splendid Jason. Well posted.


Adventure golf and everyday golf. I like this summary.


Sand Hollow looks a real wow. A once played never forgotten course. Appears the ground game is feasible quite a bit of the time as well. Is it? The colour of the bunker sand matching the surrounds is visually very attractive. Is the bunker 'sand' the local stone just crushed?


Paiute Wolf looks like it could be in Spain.


Wolf Creek, another wow. Looks like many of the holes are from one of those World's craziest golf hole calendars (maybe mixed with a bit of Height Ashbury 1967!). Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas? I would love to have seen this course under construction. I wonder what the course would look like if, like Sand Hollow, the bunkers were the same colour as the surrounding terrain?


If Jason, you had say 10 rounds in the area which course(s) would you play the most/least, assuming the same cost, availability etc?


Excellent additional photos Jon. You do have a terrific eye for taking high quality photos.


atb

[Jason Way]

based solely on pictures, Wold Creek would be the place to try out your "bunkerless course"
and as you said let the terrain and texture speak for itself

Agreed.  That would have been a cool spot for it.  The color contrast between the grass and the "native" areas is one of the coolest things about Wolf Creek, and it would seem that a bunkerless course would need some such contract to not end up being a visual snooze.

[Jason Way]

It is interesting the Dye course looks the least intimidating of the three because intimidation is one of Dye's calling cards.

It was more intimidating than it looks in the pictures Sean.  Not so much because of the layouts and features you would see at a place like Sawgrass, but more because it was confusing.  I would have had a much harder time picking lines had I not been with a good, experienced player.

[Jason Way]

Sand Hollow looks a real wow. A once played never forgotten course. Appears the ground game is feasible quite a bit of the time as well. Is it? The colour of the bunker sand matching the surrounds is visually very attractive. Is the bunker 'sand' the local stone just crushed?

Wolf Creek, another wow. Looks like many of the holes are from one of those World's craziest golf hole calendars (maybe mixed with a bit of Height Ashbury 1967!). Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas? I would love to have seen this course under construction. I wonder what the course would look like if, like Sand Hollow, the bunkers were the same colour as the surrounding terrain?

If Jason, you had say 10 rounds in the area which course(s) would you play the most/least, assuming the same cost, availability etc?

I'm not sure about the source of the bunker sand at Sand Hollow, but it was a different texture than anything I have played before.  Much more clay-y than sandy, so you might be right.


At Wolf Creek, they appear to be in the process of converting the bunkers from sand that looks much more like the rock formations, to the bright white.  I saw the old bunker sand in a few that they were working on, and it does look more natural and in tune.  That being said, there is a part of me that thinks: What the hell.  If you are going to crank it all the way to 11, you may as well have the white bunker sand too.


Of these three courses, given my experience of last week, if I had 10 rounds I would play 1 at Paiute Wolf just to experience the course in normal conditions, and play the other 9 at Sand Hollow.  It was that good, and the walk was fantastic (albeit exhausting).

[Josh Tarble]

Great write-up Jason.  I've got to say, I really did not care for Paiute Wolf at all.  As you mention it's pretty confusing off the tee.  It's also not well-suited for the wind at all.  And apparently the wind blows every day, hard.  I know when I was there they said it was a light morning with only about a 2 club steady wind and 3 club gusts.  It's just not designed properly for the wind and that makes it extremely frustrating to play.

I also thought it was a bit like Dye half-assed all his usually tropes.  After playing courses like Kiawah and Whistling Straits - both which play really great in windy conditions - Paiute seems like a generic knock-off of Dye's style.

[Jason Topp]

Jason - did you play the 9 hole course at Sand Hollow?  I found that to be great fun in a very minimalistic sort of way.

I am not a fan of Wolf Creek but agree it is an amazing setting.  Too many details drove me nuts - designating desert as ESA's, weird shot requirements, some boring relief holes and a course that does not fit with the land naturally in the least.  I thought the first hole was very good but found the remaining holes either awkward or boring from a golf perspective. 

[Kalen Braley]

Jason,

Wolf Creek was that bad that it didn't even merit 1/10?  Or is a hit and run course?  Hit it once and run away as fast as you can?

P.S  Sand Hollow is in a terrific setting and while I've seen it a few times, I really need to stop in and commit half a day for it.

Kalen

[Jason Way]

Jason - did you play the 9 hole course at Sand Hollow?  I found that to be great fun in a very minimalistic sort of way.

I did not get a chance to play the Links course at Sand Hollow, but I intend to get to it.  The putting course too (if that is still there). 

[Jason Way]

Wolf Creek was that bad that it didn't even merit 1/10?  Or is a hit and run course?  Hit it once and run away as fast as you can?

I enjoyed Wolf Creek quite a bit, Kalen, but walking off the 18th tee, I didn't feel like I was ever going to have a desire to go back.  For me, there are two reasons that I typically have a desire to go back and play an adventure golf course (as I define adventure golf):


1.  If the course is so good from an interest level (setting, strategy, fun shots) that it transcends how I play.  Sand Hollow fits into this category.
2.  If I play poorly and I want another crack at it. 


Because I played well at Wolf Creek, it just feels like I'm done with it.

[Brad Tufts]

I echo Jason T's comments.  Wolf Creek was ok and fun to see, but there were several wild shots that just didn't fit, and my eye couldn't get over the obvious huge earthmoving requirements to make it work.  Coming from classic courses in the Northeast, it's just hard for me to appreciate that kind of course as much more than a once-in-a-great-while indulgence.  I felt the setting was 98%, and the course on the ground was only ok.  Obviously you want a landscape as wild as that to speak for itself, but I found too many shots that were rather boring.  After navigating the one big landscape feature off a tee, or mentally getting over the moonscape, there weren't many greensites that had anything to do with the hole strategy.  It appears from photos that Sand Hollow succeeds where WC has perhaps failed on a wild landscape, but I haven't played it.

I have played Paiute Wolf, and I enjoyed it in a target golf sense.  As a blank desert canvas, it doesn't run into the same landscape v. design issues as something like Wolf Creek.  My one wish was for Paiute Wolf to involve the native a bit more, as they turned a couple natural wash opportunities into very clean waste-bunkers...no doubt ok due to more relaxed enviro concerns on the indian reservation.