This is the first of two reviews I’m doing on the courses in Primm Valley.

About Primm

Primm is a border town between Nevada and California, about 30 minutes South of Las Vegas on Interstate 15. Trying to get info online about Primm is confusing because essentially the whole town is in Nevada and the two golf courses (Desert & Lakes) are technically in California.

Primm is where the famous Wiskey Pete’s and Buffalo Bill’s resort casinos are. These are the places you see when driving from L.A. to Vegas.

I stayed in Buffalo Bill’s and even rode on the famous Desperado roller coaster. I rode the Desperado once. With the desert heat and the massive g-forces, I thought my eyeballs were going to pop out of my head and I had a mind splitting headache after…

Primm Valley will soon be changing it’s name. When I have the new name and info I’ll certainly do an update post giving the new details.

Desert Course

Both courses in Primm Valley were designed by probably the most famous designer of our era, Tom Fazio. This was the first time I’d actually played a Fazio course though I’ve seen a few in person (like the Wynn in Vegas and Glenwild in Park City, Utah).

The Desert and Lake courses have won numerous awards including “top 100 public courses in the United States, “top 100 Resort Courses You Can Play,” Golf Digest’s Four-And-A-Half-Star Award, Top 10 courses in Las Vegas. Go to this page to see all the awards.

Tees

The tee areas on the Desert course are all very picturesque. The views from the tee to the fairway and/or green all “frame up” for a perfect golf photograph. There are really no tricked up tee boxes or fairways.

The setup is elegant yet very simple. It’s all right there in front of you. There’s a definite flow to Fazio’s hole design. The holes almost seem to curve and flow like a giant water slide.

Fairways

The landing areas in the fairways are very fair. Many of the fairways curve to the center, allowing you to hit either side or play either a draw or a fade. Miss the fairways and rugged sand traps, large waste bunkers or the native desert may catch your ball. The holes are lined with desert on each side and some light desert vegetation, cacti and a few palm trees.

Greens

The greens on the Desert course present a nice challenge. Many are guarded by deep, rugged bunkers. There are many tiers and greens with several quadrants. If you manage to end up on the wrong tier or quadrant, you’ll have a tough two-putt. Tough but fair–not impossible or tricked up.

Practice Facility

The practice facility is a full 22 acres with a double-ended circular driving range. All the practice areas a course should have are there: target greens, putting greens, practice bunkers.

Clubhouse

The pro shop is fully stocked with all the great gear and apparel you could ever need. There’s a full service restaurant and lounge as well.

Conclusion

The Desert course and facilities provided me with a wonderful golf experience. I loved the challenge the Desert course presented, despite the Summer heat of 108 degrees and having to drink 140 ounces of liquid during the course of my round to stay hydrated.

One thing that really stood out to me is that on every hole, you feel like it’s the only hole out there. You hardly ever see any parallel fairways. The visual horizon you have is essentially that hole and only that hole.

To see all 116 of my Primm Valley Desert course pictures go to the HOG Primm Desert gallery.