Las Vegas Paiute Tribe

Towering 2,800 feet above the metropolitan spread of Las Vegas, lies a public golf club that has earned it's place among Golf Digest's “Best Places To Play” - largely by word of mouth. Three championship courses of varying difficulty summon thousands to the lofty elevations of Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort each year, promising spectacular views and golfing adventure upon two of Las Vegas' most beautiful peaks.

Located along the 95-Interstate, under 20 minutes from the buzz of the entertainment capital, Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort is well-served by an abundance of public travel operators from the Strip. Conveniently situated two miles from a maze of hotels and motel franchises, you'll also find securing accommodation far less hassle and costly, if you opt for lodgings within the classy districts of Los Prados or Elkhorn. Amenities are abound within two miles of Paiute Golf Resort, including the Montecito Marketplace and Centennial Crossroads Shopping Plaza.

Devised by the stalwart course designer Pete Dye, the par-72 Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort blends three very different visions, with a fascinating draw from the history of the lands. The Sun and Snow Mountain Courses were formerly the natural habitat for ancestors of the Paiute Tribe, a nomadic movement who settled within the mountains of North Las Vegas around the 17th Century. Driven out by the development of a railroad and subsequent worker's community, the Las Vegas Paiute was latterly formed, when a ranch owner by the name of Helen J. Stewart bequeathed ten acres of land to the tribe in 1911. A 1983 “Act of Congress” saw the return of 3,800 acres of ancient Paiute land to the tribe – a proportion of which now forms the tribe-owned Paiute Golf Resort.

Combining desert links with dramatic peninsulas, Snow Mountain is both the oldest and the toughest of the Paiute Resort trio. A slope rating of 125 promises sheer elevations and sunken greens, further enhanced by the promise of water, throughout the 18-hole masterpiece. Holes 16-18 offer various challenges from par-3 to par-5 rating, with a narrow dog-leg fairway on the 17th. Sun Mountain is a slightly easier links set according to some, yet still plays along some sheer downhill spots in places. A spectacular lake stretches behind the first hole, affording views in the opposite direction to the Sheep Mountains. For the remainder of the course, you'll be fed a continuous supply of bunkers, fast greens and unpredictable elevations, demanding analysis that few are prepared for.

Completed in 2005, the Wolf Course is the newest of the Paiute Resort and holds prominence as the longest course in Nevada at 7,604 yards. The fairways tumble wave-like throughout the course setup, some of the severest concentrated through holes 7-12. Landing areas are also unpredictable, as you'll discover when you get to the island green on the 15th hole. Lap up the hospitality and the harmony of a resort incepted to protect the ancient Paiute habitat – there's nowhere else quite like it!

Paiute. (10325 Nu-Wav Kaiv Boulevard, Las Vegas). (Snow Mountain: Rating 73.9; Slope 125; Yards 7,158; Fee $59); (Sun Mountain: Rating 73.3; Slope 130; Yards 7,112; Fee $89); (Wolf: Rating 76.5; Slope 149; Yards 7,511; Fee $129). “Paiute” is really three courses in the desert, on the Paiute Reservation. Snow Mountain is considered the most forgiving option. Sun Mountain is another excellent course, offering more bunkers, native vegetation and water hazards. The Wolf course is distinct from the other two, with lots of elevation changes, slopes, lakes and canyons. Number 15 is a green on an island in the lake. (I-15 north to US 95 north, exit 95 onto Paiute Way (right), continue to Nu Wav Kaiv Blvd.).