The Oasis Golf Club, Mesquite, NV
The Oasis Golf Club
The Palmer Course
The Oasis Golf Club in Mesquite, NV features two courses, one of which was designed by Arnold Palmer. The Palmer Course is a great track featuring four canyon holes in a row, two of which are long par fives with 125-foot drops from the tee to the fairway! Every hole is a good one, and no two are alike. There are both long and short holes, uphill and downhill shots, doglegs and straight holes. Several of the holes are good birdie opportunities, while a few of them require some great golf in order to walk away with par. The one thing I really like is the need to decide which club you will tee of with on several of the holes. Most of them allow you to hit driver if you want to be aggressive, while on some of the holes a fairway wood or iron is certainly the preferred choice. All in all, the course makes you think, which I think is a great feature.
The course makes its way through a housing development, however on only about three or four holes does the player realize they are there, and only a VERY wayward shot would be affected by them. One really neat feature I mentioned earlier is the canyon holes #5 - #8. The fifth is a reachable par five with one of the aforementioned 125-foot drops from tee to fairway. The second shot is pretty straightforward, however the lateral hazard (sensitive desert areas) creep closer to the green than at first they appear. The sixth is a short par four featuring two separate sets of tees which are alternated on a regular basis. Although they play roughly the same length, the hole takes on a completely different look from each one. The approach to this short hole is semi-blind and uphill, with only the right half of the green visible.
The seventh is a hole you will not soon forget. First of all, the trip from the sixth green to the seventh tee takes you about 100-feet up to the top of the canyon walls, and the tees and green are separated by a ravine that will swallow up any shot short or left. The green is small and undulating, and the only bailout room (right) leaves a very ticklish chip back to the green. Hit this green here and you will breathe a BIG sigh of relief. Finally, the par-four eighth, the other 125-foot drop, encourages you to hit driver and can also be reached in two. However, a pond in front and to the right of the green makes your second and third shots very demanding – a GREAT risk-reward situation.
After negotiating your way through these holes, you have some good opportunities for birdie, and find some good holes bringing you home. A nice tee-shot on the 17th will leave you a good birdie opportunity with a short iron over a pond, and the finishing par-four 18th demands two good shots before retiring to the clubhouse. Water guards the entire right side and OB looms left. Avoid the lake on both shots and take it to the house in style!
Course conditions were at par with or slightly better than the other course in the area, and the greens fees are about $100 in high season. Definitely one I would play again!
The Canyon Course
The Canyon Course at the Oasis is a combination of an existing nine-hole layout with a new nine that just opened in 2006. There is definitely a contrast in the two nines, however in my opinion it is not a bad thing. The original nine has very little bunkering, very straightforward round greens, and doesn’t feature the canyon walls and hills that both the Palmer Course and the new nine have in abundance. But don’t get me wrong – it is a fun nine-holes of golf! The third is a tempting par-four with a small stream fronting the green. It is so small that I have seen shots bounce over it, but like any water hazard, it is pesky enough to grab its share of Titleists. The seventh is a downhill par-five that can be reached, and the eighth is a cool par-three straight down another 100-foot drop. Certainly not what one would call a modern design, but fun none the less.
The back-nine, which just recently opened, cuts through the canyons prevalent in the area (as its name suggests). The 11th is a par-five which from the back tee demands about a 240-yard carry to reach the ideal landing area. It does allow you to play it safe by hitting to the left side of the fairway, however doing so lengthens the hole substantially. The 12th is a dogleg right par-four that does not recommend cutting the corner, and the 13th is another downhill par-three of about 180-yards from the tips. Fourteen is a demanding par-four with OB left and a hazard that runs between the tees and the fairway, along the right side of the fairway, and then again crosses in front of the green. Fifteen is the hole you will remember. From about 100-feet up, the best play is a fairway wood straight out to the visible fairway. However, it is possible to completely cut the corner of this dogleg left with a driver, which I did for fun with a second ball. That drive left me only about 75-yards to the green as opposed to a good 3-wood which left me about 175-yards. The fairway ends with a pond which in turn guards the right side of the green. Definitely a tough hole, but a smart play can give you an opportunity for a memorable birdie.
The Canyon Course ends with one more downhill par-three hole that overlooks the entire Virgin Valley. It is not long, and the green is really quite generous, but miss the green and you are in big trouble. Water in front and behind, as well as a bunker to the right, is definitely in play. Just knock it somewhere on the green and take your chances from there.
Conditions on the Canyon Course are basically the same as the Palmer, with the exception that the greens on the new back-nine have yet to mature and at the time we played were a bit bumpy. However in all cases the fairways had plenty of green grass, and the best part of the new nine is that there are no houses on it. At least not yet. I really enjoyed that new nine and would play the course again because of it.
The Palmer Course
The Oasis Golf Club in Mesquite, NV features two courses, one of which was designed by Arnold Palmer. The Palmer Course is a great track featuring four canyon holes in a row, two of which are long par fives with 125-foot drops from the tee to the fairway! Every hole is a good one, and no two are alike. There are both long and short holes, uphill and downhill shots, doglegs and straight holes. Several of the holes are good birdie opportunities, while a few of them require some great golf in order to walk away with par. The one thing I really like is the need to decide which club you will tee of with on several of the holes. Most of them allow you to hit driver if you want to be aggressive, while on some of the holes a fairway wood or iron is certainly the preferred choice. All in all, the course makes you think, which I think is a great feature.
The course makes its way through a housing development, however on only about three or four holes does the player realize they are there, and only a VERY wayward shot would be affected by them. One really neat feature I mentioned earlier is the canyon holes #5 - #8. The fifth is a reachable par five with one of the aforementioned 125-foot drops from tee to fairway. The second shot is pretty straightforward, however the lateral hazard (sensitive desert areas) creep closer to the green than at first they appear. The sixth is a short par four featuring two separate sets of tees which are alternated on a regular basis. Although they play roughly the same length, the hole takes on a completely different look from each one. The approach to this short hole is semi-blind and uphill, with only the right half of the green visible.
The seventh is a hole you will not soon forget. First of all, the trip from the sixth green to the seventh tee takes you about 100-feet up to the top of the canyon walls, and the tees and green are separated by a ravine that will swallow up any shot short or left. The green is small and undulating, and the only bailout room (right) leaves a very ticklish chip back to the green. Hit this green here and you will breathe a BIG sigh of relief. Finally, the par-four eighth, the other 125-foot drop, encourages you to hit driver and can also be reached in two. However, a pond in front and to the right of the green makes your second and third shots very demanding – a GREAT risk-reward situation.
After negotiating your way through these holes, you have some good opportunities for birdie, and find some good holes bringing you home. A nice tee-shot on the 17th will leave you a good birdie opportunity with a short iron over a pond, and the finishing par-four 18th demands two good shots before retiring to the clubhouse. Water guards the entire right side and OB looms left. Avoid the lake on both shots and take it to the house in style!
Course conditions were at par with or slightly better than the other course in the area, and the greens fees are about $100 in high season. Definitely one I would play again!
The Canyon Course
The Canyon Course at the Oasis is a combination of an existing nine-hole layout with a new nine that just opened in 2006. There is definitely a contrast in the two nines, however in my opinion it is not a bad thing. The original nine has very little bunkering, very straightforward round greens, and doesn’t feature the canyon walls and hills that both the Palmer Course and the new nine have in abundance. But don’t get me wrong – it is a fun nine-holes of golf! The third is a tempting par-four with a small stream fronting the green. It is so small that I have seen shots bounce over it, but like any water hazard, it is pesky enough to grab its share of Titleists. The seventh is a downhill par-five that can be reached, and the eighth is a cool par-three straight down another 100-foot drop. Certainly not what one would call a modern design, but fun none the less.
The back-nine, which just recently opened, cuts through the canyons prevalent in the area (as its name suggests). The 11th is a par-five which from the back tee demands about a 240-yard carry to reach the ideal landing area. It does allow you to play it safe by hitting to the left side of the fairway, however doing so lengthens the hole substantially. The 12th is a dogleg right par-four that does not recommend cutting the corner, and the 13th is another downhill par-three of about 180-yards from the tips. Fourteen is a demanding par-four with OB left and a hazard that runs between the tees and the fairway, along the right side of the fairway, and then again crosses in front of the green. Fifteen is the hole you will remember. From about 100-feet up, the best play is a fairway wood straight out to the visible fairway. However, it is possible to completely cut the corner of this dogleg left with a driver, which I did for fun with a second ball. That drive left me only about 75-yards to the green as opposed to a good 3-wood which left me about 175-yards. The fairway ends with a pond which in turn guards the right side of the green. Definitely a tough hole, but a smart play can give you an opportunity for a memorable birdie.
The Canyon Course ends with one more downhill par-three hole that overlooks the entire Virgin Valley. It is not long, and the green is really quite generous, but miss the green and you are in big trouble. Water in front and behind, as well as a bunker to the right, is definitely in play. Just knock it somewhere on the green and take your chances from there.
Conditions on the Canyon Course are basically the same as the Palmer, with the exception that the greens on the new back-nine have yet to mature and at the time we played were a bit bumpy. However in all cases the fairways had plenty of green grass, and the best part of the new nine is that there are no houses on it. At least not yet. I really enjoyed that new nine and would play the course again because of it.
posted by Peter Nomm @ 12:30
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