Badlands by a bad man
By Vinnie the Vegas Hack
Johnny Miller is an evil man, or so it would seem from the design of this
true, target-style course located in the northwest corner of the
valley. Badlands Golf Club has been a fixture on the Las Vegas golf
scene for eight years now, and it still is considered by many to
be the epitome of desert golf in Southern Nevada. One thing is for
sure: This is not your local golf club!
The course offers 27 of the toughest holes you can play in Las
Vegas, challenging players with its' length and humbling them with
narrow fairways and fast greens. There is no doubt that one must
be accurate on every shot and good with the putter to "take
it low."
Depending on which combination of nines that you choose to play,
the average length is about 6,800 yards of winding, narrow turf
that is truly a unique golf experience. Practically every fairway
is flanked by the natural desert terrain, and many of the holes
have ravines and gullies running throughout that force the player
to "think" his way around the course. It is not for the
faint of heart, however players who can hit it straight from the
tee, and be relatively consistent on approach shots, should be able
to manage the course effectively. Those who cannot might want to
keep the "big dog" in the bag and play long irons -- it's
never any fun to hit your third shot from the tee-box.
The greens at the Badlands are tough, as well, but not considered
to be overwhelming. They are small, however, and many feature undulations
that will force the player to bear down on long putts. For the most
part, the speed is "true" and the ball breaks where you
are looking, although the speed can be deceiving and inconsistent
from hole to hole; forcing the player to make adjustments.
There is little doubt that the Badlands Golf Club should be on
your list of "must play" courses in Las Vegas. Depending
on season, the green fees can get up there; but for the more discriminating
golfer who wants to experience a very unique round of golf this
is the one to play.
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