Black Mountain beckons golfers with old-school charm

There are certain things in life that just feel comfortable, like an old leather recliner or favorite bar stool. Such is the case with golf courses as well. While everyone enjoys checking out new links, it's always nice to get back to your home course and enjoy a relaxing round with friends.

A landmark in Henderson for more than half a century, Black Mountain Golf and Country Club has evolved from a scruffy nine-hole track to a 27-hole course with all of the amenities one could want in a club -- but without any of the pretense. More reminiscent of a Midwestern blue-collar facility than an upscale enclave, Black Mountain caters largely to locals and members who rarely miss their weekly tee time. As such, it isn't surprising that this course stays pretty busy, even on weekdays. However, members don't tend to dawdle over their shots, so play generally moves along briskly -- absent the occasional Easter egg hunt for an errant drive.

Each of the three nines plays about 3,300 yards from the tips, so this isn't really a course where bombers go to test their limits. However, there's plenty of trouble to be found, and the 132 slope for the Desert/Horizon combination is a good indicator that it's no pushover. Clever bunkering and subtle greens are enough to steal a few pars, even from the middle of the fairway.

The Horizon run opens with a short par 4 that feels very tight from the tee, due in large measure to out-of-bounds left and a large tree that encroaches into the fairway from the right. For those who trust their swing, a left-to-right ball flight is ideal to land the tee shot in the right side of the fairway. This position simplifies the approach, which must avoid a front left greenside bunker.

Two holes later, golfers face a short but vexingly difficult par 3. While only a midiron for most players, the tee shot must navigate between sand on the left and an unseen pond lurking short right. To complicate matters, bushes between the tee box and the putting surface obscure the right portion of the green, prompting tentative swings.

No. 6 is a 404-yard par 4 that plays slightly downhill toward the clubhouse. While the wide fairway is bordered by mature trees, this is a birdie hole if played from the short grass, as the solitary greenside bunker poses little defense. The Horizon nine closes with its longest par 4, a 433-yard test that fortunately doesn't play to its full distance. The right side of the fairway is a minefield of sand traps, so the ideal line from the tee is just inside the distant left fairway bunker. The elevated green slopes significantly from the back, which factors into the approach.

After the turn, it's off to the Desert nine, which was added in 2002. As the name suggests, this string of holes offers far more opportunities to scratch up one's irons. It opens with a 410-yard par 4 that bends to the right (ignore the distant flag on the left, which belongs to a different hole). Skirting the right edge will shorten the approach to a green defended on the left by a cavernous bunker and, for those who veer too far offline, water.

Playing to an even 400 yards, No. 5 plays as straight as a bowling alley, with hills on both edges framing the fairway. One hop on the outside of the knolls, however, and it's into the desert on either side. What makes this hole most difficult is the approach; from the right side of the fairway, the second shot is completely blind. Fortunately, there isn't much trouble around the green, so players can just pick a yardage and make a solid swing.

The Desert nine closes with a 530-yard par 5 that features everything but a windmill and a clown's mouth. Longer hitters must take note of the arroyo that crosses deep in the fairway, while bunkers guard the right side. Desert is also in play along both edges.

But that isn't the tough part; the course saves its best trick for the final swing. A slender finger of water from the pond along the front left edge of the green extends across the throat of the putting surface, making a long run-up approach virtually impossible. There is very little room right for a bailout, so the most prudent strategy on this hole is to play two safe shots and a wedge approach.

While the dramatically different styles of the Horizon and Desert tracks can be disconcerting to some players (Horizon and Founders are more compatible from a design perspective), variety is the spice of life, and Black Mountain's regulars appreciate the opportunity to mix it up.

Black Mountain Golf and Country Club is located at 500 Greenway Road in Henderson, just off U.S. 95 and Horizon Drive. For more information or to reserve a tee time, call 565-7933 or visit golfblackmountain.com.