Falcon Ridge Golf Course (Mesquite, NV on 01/26/18)

Friday’s round was at Falcon Ridge, a course that interested me years ago when I lived in California! Wolf Creek is the lofty standard for Mesquite golf, but I’ve thought multiple times that Falcon Ridge could be one of those “hidden gems”.

We had a 9am tee time, the first time of the day, and somehow managed to avoid the frost this round! Apparently, in January Falcon Ridge starts play off the 1st and 10th tees to help with potential frost delays. While we loosened up we were greeted by hot air balloons filling the sky! Unknowingly, our trip corresponded with the Mesquite Balloon Festival. Pretty cool! We went off the 1st tee, and after we made the turn we ended up catching a back nine starting group on the 13th hole. They sped up as we got near and we ended up playing in a bit under 4.5 hours as a foursome. That’s not quick, but it isn’t slow either given the course’s rocky setting.

Falcon Ridge is the first course that I’ve played in Mesquite and the jagged mountains and surrounding homes are the course’s defining features. If I had to guess I’d say that is the case for most courses in the area though! Oddly, most of the courses in Mesquite look to be north of I-15, which is where Falcon Ridge is located.

The first two holes at Falcon Ridge give you an idea of what to expect for the rest of the day. The 1st is a par 5 that curves around a sandstone hillside and the 2nd is a shortish par 3. The 1st will show you that there are some target shots at Falcon Ridge and that blasting away with the driver probably isn’t a prudent play. Of course, I hit driver on the opening tee shot and sliced it into the sandstone! The 144 yard 2nd hole turned out to be one of my favorite holes at Falcon Ridge. I’m sure my birdie helped me enjoy the 2nd, but the green complex is wedged back into some rocks which offer a nice backdrop.

You cannot go anywhere at Falcon Ridge without seeing the unique desert landscape! The views are incredible and there is a ton of elevation change throughout the course. You’ll encounter as much undulation as you’d like for your stances, fairways and greens have slopes that can help or hurt you, and you’ll face plenty of blind landing areas.

The front nine is good, highlighted by the downhill 6th hole. The 6th is a 410 par 4 that drops multiple stories down to a narrow fairway. There is out of bounds left and water to the right so you’ll want to hit your best drive of the day! Thankfully I did and had just a wedge into the green, but it is a very intimidating tee shot.

Playing the back nine at Falcon Ridge is where you’ll get to see more of the natural desert and have a bigger smile on your face. There are plenty of what I’d call quirky holes on the back nine, but the plus is lots of nice views. The 10th is a straight uphill par 5 with a creek that runs down the middle and the 11th is a short, dogleg left par 4 that has you on top of the world once you get to the green. Getting to the 11th green is puzzling at best, I’d say a layup club off the tee is part of the puzzle!

The 12th is probably the best hole on the course as it plays through a rock canyon and is a risk/reward par 5. It is 525 yards but it takes driver out of your hands. The tee shot is severely downhill and the fairway runs out around 270 yards, into some water. I’m not the longest hitter but smashed a hybrid out towards the edge of the fairway and had a little over 200 yards to the green. The layup area to the left is super narrow, so I went for the green, hitting the same hybrid. If it wasn’t for the scenery, you’d probably see my comments that the 12th is a weak par 5!

The 13th, a 435 yard par 4, is the #1 handicap and you will have your hands full playing it. The tee shot is blind so you are just guessing what line to pick. Depending on how well you hit it, you can catch a downslope and get a better look at the green for your approach. I didn’t hit a great tee shot and had over 200 yards from a cut stance into a green that is set up for a draw. Oh, and there is water to carry! Thankfully, you can fan the approach out to the right if you need to.

Finally, the 16th is the last par 5 at Falcon Ridge. I think it is worth mentioning because it another semi-silly hole. The hole runs along the side of a mountain with a severe drop off to the left. I sliced my tee shot up near the cart path and my ball came bouncing down to the middle of the fairway. The green is perched on a small ledge, with the sides of the green complex falling off.

The conditions were good. I’m not sure they were worth the $85 green fee, but I think there is probably a 25% increase due to the scenery the course offers. The overseed looked good against the dormant bermuda rough. If you got on the low side, the rough offered no resistance, so the ball would just keep going! I wouldn’t call the fairway lies lush by any means, but the rye grass was playable. The greens were firm and super fast! Pretty impressive to get public greens running that quick! I filled countless divots and fixed countless ball marks.

I really wanted to like Falcon Ridge, but I walked away with the feeling that the homes got the best, flat land while the course got the leftovers. Homes pinch the front nine which gave it a cramped feeling. On the back nine, the 11th and the 16th were squished onto/into hillsides. Some waste bunkers on the low sides of those holes would help. Falcon Ridge wasn’t my kind of course, but that’s okay. I’d still recommend checking it out if you’ve never been to the area as the scenery is outstanding!

#1 (495 yard par 5):