Posh Primm Valley Golf Club worth the drive

Among Southern Nevada's hidden golf jewels is the Primm Valley Golf Club, a resort-style complex featuring a pair of courses designed by Tom Fazio. Renowned for his renovations to Augusta National, his terra-sculpting at exclusive Shadow Creek and other high-end projects too numerous to recount, Fazio is widely considered one of the world's most accomplished golf course architects.

When in the mid-1990s the owners of the Primm Valley Resort decided to build a golf club in the barren desert just beyond the Nevada-California state line, they knew they would have to create something so special that golfers would make a pilgrimage to visit it, just as they do to play elite courses such as Bandon Dunes in Oregon. They succeeded in persuading Fazio to take on the project, and the decision paid immediate dividends as the Lakes course, constructed in 1997, earned immediate accolades from the likes of Golf Digest and Golf Magazine.

Blessed with an abundant groundwater supply, the Lakes course, which has since been joined by the adjacent Desert track, features water in play on 11 of the 18 holes and is framed by thick stands of mature pine trees. Being a Fazio course, it naturally offers players the opportunity to swing from a variety of uneven lies, escape cavernous bunkers and try to two-putt greens warped like vinyl albums left in the desert sun.

Conditions are predictably immaculate, with lush fairways and smooth putting surfaces. Seeming to recognize and appreciate the fact that players have made the trek, Primm Valley's staff -- including an expert mixologist whose Bloody Mary is unsurpassed at any golf club in the region -- are far more receptive than the course's undulating greens.

The Lakes course, whose par-71 layout stretches 6,945 yards from the tips, opens gingerly with a 418-yard par 4 that plays through a shallow valley. A deep Y-shaped bunker guards the corner of the dogleg left, which is just as well because the best angle to the green comes from the fairway's right edge. Players must avoid the greenside bunker or face a difficult blast on the opening hole, which is no way to start a round.

No. 2, aptly nicknamed "Reflections," is a TPC-esque par 5 that plays only 530 yards but threatens a watery death to any ball that strays even a little left of the fairway. Only the boldest or most accomplished players should even consider challenging the green in two; mere mortals should lay up to a distance of 120 yards or so, which will take the large crescent-shaped fairway bunker out of play.

Following the short, easy par-4 fifth hole, the Lakes' first par 3 arrives. While this 182-yard hole is fronted by water and flanked to the left by a trio of greenside bunkers, a generous landing surface makes its bark worse than its bite. The slope on this multitiered green is severe, so putting from the correct level is critical to avoiding a three-putt.

Just before a second par 3 leads into the turn, Fazio shows his sinister side with a beast of a par 4. Weighing in at 464 yards and featuring a massive bunker seemingly set center fairway, this hole is ranked as the Lakes' toughest challenge for good reason. The tee shot is something of a do-or-die proposition, as the sliver of short grass left of the bunker is hardly wide enough to be considered fairway.

That really leaves three options: carry the sand, blast the drive through the rough on the right or lay back for a very long approach to a green featuring a false front. Par is good for a knuckle-bump on this hole.

The Lakes' back nine opens with a quirky, highly entertaining par 4 that stretches a scant 347 yards, but that's only if one takes the scenic route. Curling 90 degrees to the left around a lake, this hole begs to be driven and can be reached even by average hitters.

Clearing the water isn't really the issue; the trouble begins in the cavernous pits that front the green. From the litterbox, saving par may be a challenge. Sure, conservative types can play No. 10 with a midiron and a wedge, but where is the fun in that?

After the long and difficult par-4 13th hole arrives another short par 4, which is either an easy birdie or a double-bogey depending upon the shot shape. With water deep in the landing zone that extends all the way around the green's left edge, accuracy on both shots is critical. Depending upon the prevailing wind, clubbing down from the tee box may be prudent.

The course's final offering is a tough, scenic par 4 that spans 451 yards from the tips and an only modestly less severe 438 from the next set forward. Playing slightly downhill toward the valley floor, the fairway is wedged between twin bunkers on the left and a small trap -- bordered by water, of course -- on the right. Favoring the left side does more than just take the lake out of play; that side also provides the best angle for the long run-up approach.

The green is defended only by a long, slender bunker along its front right edge. While not a player-friendly finisher, it is a solid final exam.

With country club ambience and service, a pair of challenging and immaculately maintained 18-hole tracks, and noteworthy discounts for local players, Primm Valley provides golf-trip memories without endless hours of driving. Primm Valley Golf Club is located at 1 Yates Well Road in Primm, less than 40 minutes from the Las Vegas Valley. For information or to reserve a tee time, call 702-679-5509 or visit www.primmvalleyresorts.com.