On Sunday I went a little out of my way to golf in an area that is new to me. I’ve been to Las Vegas – the ultimate destination this trip – a half dozen times before and played some golf out that way. Instead, I figured I’d use the day to check out a course in the Tri-State area (CA, NV and AZ).
I kicked around a couple courses before booking a tee time at Mojave Resort Golf Club. Along with Laughlin Ranch Golf Club, Mojave Resort appeared to be one of the area’s top golf choices. The course is located a bit south of town and is part of the Avi Resort & Casino. The same group owns nearby Huukan Golf Club, but that doesn’t seem to be as premium a course as Mojave Resort.
One thing I’ll mention is that the course (and Nevada) is in the Pacific time zone while just across the Colorado River, Arizona – along with most of the area’s attractions – is in the Mountain time zone. This time of year those two areas are an hour different which made my travel calculations a bit tricky.
Everything looked fairly quiet when I arrived at the course for my 11:15 tee time. I headed out, however it wasn’t long before we caught up with a group of foursomes. When I say “we” I mean a twosome in front of me, me golfing by myself and a twosome behind me. Thankfully on the back nine a couple groups dropped off and overall I played in about four hours. Not too bad during peak season.
Mojave Resort’s location turned out to be my favorite thing about the place. The course is located in one of Nevada’s many valleys and surrounded by mountains. That allowed for awesome views and those views are going to be an important part of golfing here. The mountains are jagged (with a mesmerizing look to them) and frame many of the holes quite nicely. Homes line about half the holes so you don’t get unobstructed views of the mountains, but you’ll get an idea of the great scenery.
Mojave Resort is a Lee Schmidt/Brian Curley design that opened in 1997. I played the blue/gold combo tees – 72.5/132/6677 – and the course has a modern feel to it with many bunkers and well-protected greens. Actually, very well protected greens! A couple large water hazards (that affect approximately six holes) add more excitement. Three of those water holes are par-3’s so the course’s collection of par-3’s turned out to be memorable.
On the front nine I thought the 156 yard 5th and the 166 yard 8th were the best holes. They both hug a water hazard that was in play on a windy afternoon! Both holes force you to pick the proper club and line to avoid the water. The 8th has mountains a little closer in the background and provides the better view.
The back nine has a fun par-3 as well, the 17th. The 17th is 145 yards and plays across more water. Anything short will find the water and if your tee shot finds the green then there is a crazy hump you may need to putt over. Tough! The 18th is another tough hole with water all down the right side for the tee shot, water to carry to get to the green and then water to the left of the green.
I paid $70 and for the price everything was acceptable. The course presented well with the overseeded tees and fairways, but the pictures make the course look better than it played. The design has too many bunkers (my opinion of course) and a decent number have been filled in. The sand was rocky and not great. The greens were a medium pace and rolled fine.
From what I saw online I’d agree that Mojave Resort is one of the better courses in the area. It has a handful of very interesting golf holes and is worth playing if you are in the area. Unfortunately, I cannot shake the feeling that the design could have been tons better (think fewer bunkers and the ability to run shots onto the greens) considering the area’s windy weather.
Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):