COURSE REVIEW

Legacy Golf Club
rebounds in style

By Todd Dewey,
Staff Writer

HENDERSON, Nev. (Nov. 11, 2003) -- Looking for the classic Las Vegas signature hole? Look no further than the Legacy Golf Club, actually located in Sin City's sister town of Henderson.

The upscale course, built in 1989 and designed by architect Arthur Hills, features a set of four tees each shaped like a symbols from a suit of cards -- a spade, club, diamond and heart -- on its 193-yard, par-3 10th hole.

While the hole may be a novelty, the par-72, 7,233-yard layout is anything but. Like a player competing in a high-stakes poker tournament at one of Southern Nevada's myriad casinos, golfers will need plenty of skill, strategy and, yes, luck, to navigate this challenging, but beautiful, track.

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An annual host to a U.S. Open qualifying tournament -- in which only four of more than 100 players broke 70 this year - the Legacy will test players of all abilities.

"It's definitely a tough enough golf course, to put good players on the back tees and force them to shoot good numbers," said course general manager Allen Jones. "It's not extremely penal -- there are only 58 bunkers -- but it makes you use all the clubs in your bag."

Water doesn't come into play much, either, on the links of Legacy, as there are just two forced carries over lakes on Nos. 8 and 17, which is arguably one of the best par-5s in the area.

"Our par-5s are pretty wide open," Jones said. "Three of the par-5s can be reached in two (shots), by the big hitters."

The playing conditions were perfect on a recent October day, with great lies in the sloping, multi-tiered fairways and the undulating greens holding very well, which is crucial, since several of them are elevated.

"Our golf course is in really, really good condition," Jones said. "Tee to green, it plays almost as good as any other one in town."

Longtime local golfer Rich Thurlow was quite impressed with the course conditions during his recent round. "This is the time of year it's supposed to be perfect, and this course is flawless. There are no bare spots," he said. "It's hard in this part of the country to get to this point, but they did a great job of getting this ready to go.

"The greens were immaculate. They were not fast -- today -- but in the winter months they're probably slick."

While the course, which winds through some stunning homes in Green Valley, features its share of palm trees, lava rock and love grass, it's not a typical desert golf track.

"Even though we're in the desert, I don't consider it a desert course. It's not a target course," said Jones, who has been in the golf business for more than 30 years and also served as general manager of both the TPC at Star Pass in Tucson, Ariz., and the TPC at Summerlin in Las Vegas. "There's a lot of lava rock, but you don't see many cactuses. To me, it's more of a traditional course.

"There are wide fairways and it doesn't take the driver out of your hands. Most times, there are no hidden shots. It's very straightforward and fun."

That is, unless you land in the rough, which isn't tall, but is very thick. Balls tend to disappear in the Bermuda grass.

"The rough isn't high, but the Bermuda makes it tough," Thurlow said. "The ball settles in and it's tough to get the club face on the ball. It's a tough course. We played the short tees and this course is a bear."

After completing "The Suits" on the 10th hole, golfers do battle with the "Devil's Triangle," named for three challenging holes in a row, on 11, 12 and 13.

"It actually forms a triangle when you're in there," Jones said. "All three have more room than it looks like, but you have to be able to work the ball a little bit."

Par is a good score on No. 11, a long par-4 at 444 yards. An accurate second shot is required, likely with a long iron, as a pair of sand traps guard the front and right of the green, with a pair of grass bunkers and some desert flora on the left.

Holes 12 and 13 are much shorter, at 381 and 324 yards, respectively, but require accurate tee shots, leaving short irons to a pair of elevated greens.

The course, located a few miles down the street from the plush, highly recommended Green Valley Ranch Station Casino, was picked as the best public golf course to play in 2003, in an online Best of Las Vegas poll taken by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Originally owned and managed by OB Sports LLC, which hired Heritage Golf Group to manage it in early 2001, it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2002, along with its sister course, Angel Park.

The courses remained open and emerged from bankruptcy in April of this year, with Pacific Life, the original lender, taking over ownership. The new owners hired OB Sports Management, from which OB Sports LLC had been an unrelated offshoot, to manage the Legacy.

The financial problems were due more to the market than the product, Jones said.

"In the early '90s, there were probably 10 good public courses in town. Now there are 35 and it's made the Las Vegas golf market very competitive," Jones said. "I think everyone is feeling the competition in the market right now. Things are not the same as they used to be."

The Legacy still can hold its own in the more crowded marketplace, though, and recently renovated the entire interior of its restaurant and clubhouse area, and more, with a fresh coat of paint. New color schemes are planned for the future, for the clubhouse and other buildings on site.

The Legacy features a complete practice facility, with grass and mat stations on the driving range, a large putting green -- along with one at No. 10 -- with practice sand bunkers and a chipping area as well.

Chow

The restaurant at The Legacy, which offers breakfast and lunch and is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., changes its menu twice a year and is arguably one of the best among area golf courses. A full-service restaurant and bar, the Tuscan chicken sandwich scores a solid par.

An array of casual dining options and fast-food fare is available a short drive south on Wigwam Avenue, or at the Green Valley Ranch Station Casino, located at 2300 Paseo Verde Parkway.

Stay and play

Those interested in a stay and play package can call 1-866-456-9912 or visit travelgolfvegas.com for packages featuring Angel Park, The Legacy, the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort and Rio Secco.

Green Valley Ranch Station Casino is located nearby at 2300 Paseo Verde Parkway in Henderson, 1-866-456-9912.

Directions

A 15-minute drive from the Las Vegas Strip, take 1-15 South to I-215 East. Exit Green Valley Parkway off I-215 and turn left (north). Turn right on Wigwam Ave., and The Legacy is on immediate left.

The course is a 10-minute drive from McCarran International Airport; take I-215 East to Green Valley Parkway (see above).

Fast fact

An annual host to a U.S. Open qualifying tournament -- in which only four of more than 100 players broke 70 this year - the Legacy will test players of all abilities.

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.