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Coyote Springs Golf Course Review – Update

This is an update/addition to the previous review of Coyote Springs.

coyote springs golf

We played Coyote Springs again on Sunday 8/9/15 at 8:10 AM.

Summer golf in the desert can be challenging. Most courses are very dry with many brown spots throughout the course including the greens. What grass there is often is much longer to help keep it alive in the heat. Coyote Springs could host a TOUR event next week. The greens were a little slower than usual. To be honest, that made them slightly easier to putt than the winter TOUR speed we’ve become used to (not as much fun to putt; please don’t ever change).

I asked the Assistant Pro, Doug, how they keep course in such great shape. He gave all the credit to the Superintendent and the best staff in Nevada. Most courses in Mesquite cut staff way back in the summer and those that are working act like they would rather be anywhere else. Not the case here, the customer service was outstanding as always.

Two things I saw Sunday blew my mind:
First, huge coolers filled with bottled water between 6 of the holes. Some courses charge $4.00 a bottle – it’s the desert.

water cooler

Second, they walk-mow the greens. I talked to the greens staff and was told it takes about 40 minutes to cut an average green.

walk-mow coyote springs

The course is wonderful and the layout is tremendous, but it’s the little things Coyote Springs and next week’s #2 course do that keep us coming back.

*Editor/golfchick’s notes:
Regarding the water on course – many desert courses opt for providing jugs of iced tap water on every other hole.
Regarding customer service – the awesome customer service at Coyote Springs is the friendly variety, not the kind that feels corporate mandated.

The Best Golf Course in Mesquite

August 4, 2015 / protipsgolf / 1 Comment

#1 – Coyote Springs Golf Club
The number 1 course in Mesquite is not really in Mesquite, but in a town called Coyote Springs, half way between Mesquite and Las Vegas. The town of Coyote Springs is home to a Jack Nicklaus Signature Course called The Coyote Springs Golf Club. There are only two Jack Nicklaus signature courses in the state of Nevada (the other one is Reflection Bay in Vegas), and to me, they’re both must-plays.

The golf course makes up the entire town – no houses, no restaurants, no hotels, not even a gas station. That may seem strange but you’ll get it once you’ve been there; Coyote Springs is all about the golf. Stretching out to almost 7500 yards, this course plays every bit of that. If that’s too much (as it is for me), other tees range from 6800 to 5300. Surrounded by mountains, the views are breathtaking without the extreme amount of blind tee shots that seem to be prevalent on desert courses. Everything is right in front of you, all you have to do is hit the right shot.

I’ve played this course many times and in many different conditions, and the course has been in perfect shape every time. The practice facilities are by far the best in the area. Two negatives: First, no clubhouse. The plans for the clubhouse and another 18 were put on hold after the real estate bubble burst. The makeshift clubhouse (2 trailers) works just fine. They have balls, hats, shirts, snacks, and beer. Not sure what else you’d need. Besides, the outstanding customer service more than makes up for it. The second is a pet peeve of mine – no GPS. Not a huge deal to locals who play the course frequently and know where the sprinkler heads are, but first timers may have to spend a little extra time finding yardages. Bottom line, play this course. Even if you are staying in Vegas – play this course. High season prices are in the $140 range and summer rates are as low as $60, plus Clark County residents discounts are even more generous. Coyote Springs would be a great deal at twice the price. Any player from a scratch golfer to a beginner can find a set of tees to play from and experience a tour quality course for a very reasonable price.

Contact;
1-877-742-8455
www.coyotesprings.com
@CoyoteSpringsGo

Check our Mesquite Golf page for more reviews of golf courses in Mesquite, Nevada.

Golf in Mesquite Nevada

July 30, 2015 / protipsgolf / 0 Comments

Mesquite Golf According to Doug

Mesquite, Nevada is a small town 80 miles NE of Las Vegas. Many of the same amenities available in Vegas are also available in Mesquite. There are casinos, restaurants, great winter weather and hot summer days. Mesquite doesn’t have the nonstop 24 hour party, mind numbing noise, or bumper to bumper traffic of Vegas. Mesquite offers 7 championship courses all within a 15 minute ride from anywhere. Also the best course you can play is a hassle free 50 minute drive. I’m a local and spend my weeks talking to tourists and locals about golf. All the courses are extremely player friendly with yardages ranging from over 7400 from the tips to less than 4500 from the reds. Don’t call the reds “the ladies tees.” The Golfchick is all lady and the only time she sees the red tees is when she starts her stinger 3 wood on that line. All of Mesquite’s courses are worth the trip, especially when it’s 10 below at home. With the exception of number 1 on the list, I will rank the courses in order according to golf course conditions, playability, customer service, and treatment of locals. If you’re planning a trip to Mesquite I hope this helps. If you need more information tweet me @protipsgolf, leave a comment here, or contact The Golfchick at kristen (at) thegolfchick.com.

Starting next week I will review a new course each week in order from best to worst according to me (for whatever that’s worth). For now, here’s my take on our town’s most famous course:

Wolf Creek

Wolf Creek Golf Club is the most well-known course in the area. For all of Mesquite’s 1st or 2nd time visitors, Wolf Creek is a must play. Bring your camera and leave your driver in the car. The views and the conditions are spectacular; it’s extremely easy to get caught up in the surroundings and lose focus on the golf. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing. At 6300 yards and numerous downhill shots calling it short would be kind. The course can stretch out to over 6900 from the tips, but those tees markers are rarely put out. The service is good – the bare minimum of what you would expect from green fees in the $200 range in season and $85 in the summer. The Terrace Restaurant has casual dining as well as fine food with an extensive wine list. Wolf Creek offers no discounts to locals and seems content with making this almost exclusively a tourist destination. Playing Wolf Creek at least once should be on everyone’s golf bucket list.

Club contact 866-252-4653
Reservations@golfwolfcreek.com

Editor’s note: Keep an eye on our Mesquite Golf page for links and updates to Doug’s course reviews.

2015 US Open. Spiethtacular!

June 22, 2015 / golfchick / 0 Comments

Wow, what a US Open Sunday! To celebrate this Major Sunday, we played golf early to beat the heat, but it was still 106 by the time we finished at 10:30. Then we watched 7+ hours of the final round. Think I’m feeling a bit of a US Open hangover now. A little battered.

The golf was so fun to watch despite the atrocious coverage by Fox. There was a lot of criticism of the course set up and the greens, but Chambers Bay is definitely on my must play list. It was brutal how Dustin Johnson three putted that last hole to lose, but they say the last three holes make your score what it was supposed to be. Guessing his “hangover” hurts slightly more than mine.

So happy for Jordan Spieth. I picked him to win and rooted for him the whole way. What an amazing player and all around “kid.” Whatever his secret formula is for majors, I hope it keeps working!

He and other young, exciting players are probably bringing in new fans to watch – and play. I’m wondering if someone had just tuned into this US Open and saw their first golf event – was Fox as disturbingly bad to them? Or do they not know any better – that they should be seeing live golf shots instead of produced segments or scenery footage, then replays of shots. That the announcers were laughably bad and had no golf knowledge, just talking points. That they should focus on the golf and the players more than themselves. They even talked over Jordan when he was accepting his trophy. So unprofessional. I mean, in my opinion, it was just terrible! What did you think?

2014 Masters Pin Flag Prize Winner

April 16, 2014 / golfchick / 4 Comments

We have a winner! No, I’m not talking about Gerald Lester Watson. I’m talking about the winner of our 2014 embroidered Masters pin flag giveaway contest.

Thanks to everyone who took time to enter the contest. I had fun reading everyone’s entries.

Choosing the winner was a difficult decision. I mean, Morris Wormell wrote an incredible and LONG piece of fiction. Some people thought he should just win probably based on length alone. If I thought he wrote it just for this blog, I think we’d have HAD to choose him.

Then there was Courtney, who had my FAVORITE comment, which was simply “Stupid Bubba.” Unfortunately, that was entered after the tournament was over, so was ineligible.

And Janis, who was an early entry with a brilliant kiss ass comment – Janis, you almost had me, but I was looking for something more Masters related. I did enjoy your post tournament comment, too.

AND THE WINNER IS………………… SEAN, from Ottawa. Congrats, Sean @hugegolfhacker!

Sean wrote:

“I have been trying for many years to get tics for the masters and no luck. I would loveto go. Actually why am i even bothering typing more after seeing Morris’ post above. That breaks a record for longest internet post that I have ever seen! Just give him the flag, unless he was rude in his post (too long for me to read). Would love to see Bubba watson choke today, dont like the way he treats his caddie. Thx”

We chose Sean because he seems like a big Masters fan, generous (wanted someone else to win), anti-troll, and kind to Ted Scotts. Way to go, Sean! Enjoy your Masters flag, and please feel free to post a pic on The Golfchick Facebook page when you get it.

And thanks, once again to MMOGolf.com for providing the giveaway.

2014 Masters Pin Flag Giveaway

April 8, 2014 / golfchick / 23 Comments

Who wants a 2014 Masters Embroidered Golf Pin Flag from Augusta National? I know I do! And here’s your chance to win one!

As you may have noticed, this blog has not exactly been active lately. I’ve been planning to get back to it but sadly it’s taken a back seat to some other endeavors lately. With my excitement over The Masters, I figured I’d take this opportunity to jumpstart those plans. Giveaways seem like a lame ploy for traffic and comments, but it’s a Masters flag!

The good people at MMOGolf.com are providing the flag to a lucky winner (and one to me – yay!) in exchange for this blog post, some social media promotion and this link to their site: MMOGolf.com

If you like Masters memorabilia, definitely check them out. They have all kinds of great swag from Augusta!
You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.

How to enter

All you need to do to enter is comment on this blog post with your thoughts about The Masters. It can be anything – why it’s the best major (or not – WHAT?), what The Masters means to you, a story about your trip there, what you’d give to go watch the tournament or play the course, your prediction of who will win – you get the idea. The comment can be as short or long as you want. Entries must include your email (so I can contact you if you win) and must be received before the last putt sinks at Augusta at the end of Masters Sunday (April 13, 2014). Feel free to leave your twitter handle in the comment, too. You’ll get a shoutout if you win, and maybe even if you don’t.

How to win

Well, it’s pretty subjective. You just have to write the post that I and my staff (ahem) like the best. My friends may weigh in as well. If you’ve been reading this blog or following me on social media for any length of time, you have an advantage because you probably understand what I like and my sense of humor better than someone who doesn’t. I could choose anything from something poignant and lengthy to something quick and dirty that makes me laugh or anywhere in between.

That’s it. We’ll go over the entries and choose a winner after The Masters hangover wears off. I’ll announce the winner here and across my social media accounts, and email the winner directly for shipping information. Good luck, and HAPPY MASTERS WEEK!

Tee It While We’re Young

July 6, 2013 / Levi / 24 Comments

One of the biggest issues currently in the game, anyone from the casual golfer to the touring pro will agree, is slow play. In the last couple years, the golfs various governing bodies have devised their own attempts at resolving the slow play issue. The PGA of America came up with “Tee It Forward”, the USGA with “While We’re Young”, and the PGATOUR with “Its Not Our Fault”. I recently had the ‘opportunity’ to play golf with a coworker (lets call him Jim) who, in a good month plays once, and if he kept accurate score would shoot 120 under the best of circumstances. This experience made me acutely aware of one thing…. The average golfer has no clue what they are doing.

Let me explain why I, as of this round, am completely against all “initiatives” taken by golf’s governing bodies.

1 – I can count on one hand how often Jim, in all of his 116* shots that day, actually saw where his ball finished. He could have teed off from the 150 markers, and the only way that would have sped up the round was the fact we have 4 fewer shots per hole to look for. I cannot imagine how long that round would have taken had it been him and 3 similarly skilled golfers in the same group. I was raised on a golf course, and the ability to watch and find golf balls was instilled in me at a very young age. Had I not been there, he’d have either lost close to 30 balls that day, or he’d STILL be playing that round, 4 days later.

2 – The inability for Jim to understand efficiency around the course, especially the greens, astounded me. Without getting too wordy, let me give the most ridiculous example of an event when I considered a sand wedge to my forehead may be a better option than golf with Jim. 5th hole, Jim had chipped onto the green, about 60 feet from the hole (after subsequent 5 minute ball searches in the right rough). Jim brought his wedge and putter, like any golfer should do. After putting his 60 footer about 20 feet short, Jim walked up to his ball (it was still his turn), marked it, and promptly walked back to his wedge, which was sitting 40 feet away on the green between himself and the cart, retrieved it, and took it back with him to his mark that was comfortably resting 20 feet from the hole. WTF?!?! THE WEDGE WOULD HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU ON YOUR RETURN TO THE CART!!!

3 – At least once per hole after a poor shot, Jim would magically pull a ball from his pocket, drop it from where the previous ball was played, and make another horrific attempt at a golf shots (after yet another excessively long and unnecessary pre-shot routine).

4 – For someone who was very liberal with not counting tops, whiffs, chunks, etc… the time spent over 2 foot putts was absolutely ridiculous.

5 – This next point has virtually nothing to do with slow play, but it confuses me to no end, and no matter how many ways I asked the question, I could never get an answer. Jim was driving the cart, and when he pulled up to the green, every time, he’d pull the cart off the path completely before he stopped. Why?!? Parking a cart on concrete doesn’t kill grass. Parking a cart on grass does. Forget the agronomy of the parking issue, I don’t expect most people to understand that…when I park my car I don’t look for the nearest grassy area, I leave it on the concrete, which was obviously designed for the parking of my car. The same goes with the cart!!

Conclusion:

At no point did Jim consider himself to be a slow golfer, and when asked “hypothetically” about ways he could speed his round up, he could make no recommendations. Nor had Jim ever heard of the “Tee It Forward” or “While We’re Young” campaigns. This round of golf, and my discussions with him, made me realize one very important thing….

The average golfer has no interaction with golf other than their 5 hour, once per month rounds. The USGA and PGA can have all the initiatives they want, but promoting them solely on golf broadcasts or in golf publications only reaches the people who already know they are slow and who want to improve. The average golfer doesn’t watch golf telecasts, doesn’t watch The Golf Channel, doesn’t subscribe to golf periodicals, they smuggle a 6pack of beer onto their local muni once a month and smack a ball around in a game that loosely resembles golf.

Do I have an answer to this dilemma? Maybe. Does it involve anything less than physical torture and removal from golf courses? Potentially. I haven’t thought through it enough to post my solutions…however, I would love to hear your ideas and solutions as it relates to the slow play problem. Is there a solution? What do you think?

Taking a 10 – Golf Art and Poetry

June 15, 2013 / golfchick / 10 Comments

Originally published in my column at worldgolf.com – some poetry for hackers.

The air is crisp. The wind is still. The golf clubs are shiny.

I break the silence with a clean thwack and watch as my ball flies with purpose across a bright blue sky that seems to serve only as a canvas for my stroke.

The ball bounces and rolls through the dew, smudging the immaculate fairway before it settles in the middle. I trace its line with my steps as if following a shooting star. My feet press my signature into the grass.

The sun initiates its assignment, peeking over the horizon to slowly, subtly lighten the blue. A tree branch catches some stray beams, diffuses their strength.

I choose my next brush and again interrupt the quiet air to apply another stroke. For a moment the line is lost as the thin application takes an imaginative path.

From an unplanned perspective I mask out the grainy shoreline that guards my focal point about 40 yards away. I hear encouragement in the waking song of a bird. This is my specialty. This is my bread and butter. I scrape a chunk of butter and hear the songbird laugh.

Five feet closer than I was, the hue increases in intensity. My focus gets so sharp that it blurs, and I nearly take the skull right off the ball with my passionate flair. The line I produce has such speed that it threatens to leave the floating canvas, but it comes to rest near a dried red border.

My golf ball looks comfortable, resting its sore head in a soft depression as it tries to hide among the long reeds and clumps of soil. A roadrunner stares into my soul from the edge of the tulles. From this angle, I am offered another pristine beach that demands to be left unsullied.

Shunning artistic convention, I defiantly pollute the beach with my next stroke. I look back toward the tulles and see the arrogant roadrunner walking slowly away.

These sands are so beautiful they really shouldn’t be so close to the green. As I step into my new medium, I notice its morning texture and decide on my stroke technique. Two strokes later, I smooth the sand’s surface, trying to re-create the groundskeeper’s magnum opus, and ascend to the silky green palette, now splattered with my own gritty handiwork.

I admire the curves and slopes from all angles before going back to the deckled edge where my ball is perched. I imagine a 25-foot arch painted from my ball to the hole; I intend to glaze it with my next stroke. As I carefully apply it I am immediately aware that a lighter touch would have made a more appealing picture. I watch as its path exposes previously unseen slopes.

Appreciating the nuances I missed, I study the area again to prepare for a smooth, 10-foot brush stroke. My amateur eye is revealed as I again fail to connect the dots and my line ends inches from the hole.

I swiftly complete the connection.

As I walk toward the next frame in this outdoor museum, I tally my marks on the last and announce quietly to the ether my double-digit result:

10.

I must be imagining the mockingbird repeating it back to me again and again: 10, 10, 10.

To avoid a messy composition I try to suppress all the swing thoughts bubbling up as a result of that 10. Forget the golden sections. Forget the rule of thirds. Forget atmospheric perspective. Keep the focal point.

Another day of happily embracing the gestalt theory is underway.

Nike Covert Distance Challenge(d) at Golf Galaxy

April 4, 2013 / Levi / 8 Comments

Earlier this month, I was invited to take part in a Nike Covert Distance Challenge at Golf Galaxy, which was being held every weekend (Friday – Sunday) in March. I’m a golf junkie, as anyone who knows me understands, so obviously I was pretty excited to take part in this exercise. I’m always in the market for new golf equipment, and after Nike’s recent media barrage, I was very interested to see how the new Covert driver stacked up against my current gamer.

Below are some excerpts from the invitation I received:

“Golf Galaxy has teamed up with Nike to bring golfers across the country the Nike Covert Distance Challenge. Every weekend (Friday through Sunday) in March, Nike gurus will be in-store to deliver club fittings. Golfers of all levels are invited to bring in their existing driver to test against the new Nike VR_S Covert Tour. Just by participating in a fitting, the golfer will be given a free sleeve of Nike 20XI golf balls.

If you haven’t already tried the VR_S Covert, now is the best chance to try a driver that offers FlexLoft adjustability and unique high-speed cavity back technology—all backed by the one-on-one support of a Nike fitting guru.”

I’ll say it again. I’m a golf junkie, and the invitation is worded exactly how I would expect a driver fitting/comparison to go. I’m all for new equipment, but not until I know how it stacks up against what I’ve already grown to love and use on a daily basis. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to see how Nike’s new Covert performed. And then I went to my local Golf Galaxy to participate…..

I walked into the store, a store I frequent at least twice a week during the golf season, to an expected swarm of people who are also excited about the impending spring. The weather has finally turned, the sun was shining, golf courses are starting to open, and people are in their local Golf Galaxy to check out the latest apparel and equipment. The store’s putting green was full of a local college golf team’s players, competing for what we will assume are bragging rights. The clothing department is a collection of all walks of life, trying to decide which latest fashion will make them play better, or at least look like their beloved Rickie Fowler. Resisting the urge to stop the elderly gentleman from buying a flat billed orange hat, I walked past and approached my nearest Sales Associate.

Me- “Hi, are you doing the Nike Covert Distance Challenge today?”

Sales Associate- “Which one?”

Me- “The Covert driver fitting and comparison.”

SA- “Which club you wanna hit?”

Me- “Uh, the driver?”

SA- “I mean which head. Tour or regular?”

Me- “Tour head, that’s what’s on my current driver.”

With this nugget of new information, the Sales Associate scurries off, with no indication if I was to follow or wait for him. I followed him, because it just felt right. I caught up to him digging through a pile of Nike equipment conveniently located by the same launch monitor on which I was fit for my last driver.

“Perfect” I say to myself, “This should be fun. Let’s get on this launch monitor and get things started.” Instead, the Sales Associate asks what loft I want to hit. I think to myself “That’s strange, shouldn’t we determine what loft is best during the fitting?” But, rather than get in the way of what I assumed was his process, I said, “I play a 10.5 now, let’s go with that.” The Sales Associate hands me a club, points to a simulator and says “That simulator’s open” and wanders away, never to be seen again. At no point during our encounter did I get the feeling that this simulator time was going to be for me to warm up, get a feel for the club, nothing. So, I hit a few shots into the simulator with this new club, waited around for the Sales Associate’s unlikely return, and then left the store. Not only did I leave without the sleeve of golf balls I was promised, I left with no more knowledge of the Covert driver than I had when I went into the store compounded by the sour taste of poor customer service in my mouth. Thankfully, I was headed to lunch shortly after.

I won’t let myself believe this was the actual process that Nike or Golf Galaxy had in mind when they sent this invitation. If this was in fact the process, I don’t have the words to describe my disappointment. Maybe this Sales Associate was supposed to perform the fitting, and just wasn’t having a good day. I doubt this as well, as the invitation said Nike Guru’s would be on site to perform the fitting. In my opinion, one of two things happened, neither of which are acceptable but would provide some explanation.

1- This Sales Associate had no idea what I was talking about, but rather than ask someone, he thought it would be easier to send the oblivious customer, who he assumed had no intention of actually buying a golf club, to the nearest simulator to wail away on some balls.

2- The actual Nike Guru was not at the store as advertised, but rather than tell me that, thought it would be easier to send the oblivious customer, who he assumed had no intention of actually buying a golf club, to the nearest simulator to wail away on some balls.

As an aside, the day prior to this, I was randomly paired for 9 holes with a manager of that very store, and I had mentioned my intentions to do this fitting, and he seemed to know what I was talking about. All of these factors leave me at a loss for a valid explanation of my experience. I went into this Covert Challenge fully prepared to write a review of the process, and ultimately of my opinion of the Nike Covert driver itself. So, what is my opinion of the process and ultimately of the driver itself? I’ll offer some words of advice I was recently given.

“That simulator’s open.”

Next post.

Binge, Purge, Repeat, and Enjoy

March 19, 2013 / Levi / 6 Comments

The official start of spring is only a few days away. Unless, you subscribe to the theories of those witch doctors known as meteorologists. Somehow, in their crazy brains, the start of “meteorological spring” actually occurred on March 1. Those clowns have been pissing me off repeatedly for a few months now, and this is just another example. Anyway, Spring has almost sprung, as the old saying goes. I write these ramblings sitting in my home office looking out my window into my backyard, and as of this writing, only a small pile of snow remains where the sun doesn’t quite yet shine. And there’s some in my yard too.

I call this the season of Hope. In the upper Midwest, where I reside, I subscribe to the theory of 4 seasons, like the rest of the world. However, my seasons are Hope, Summer, Sadness, and Hell. I’ve spent this latest season, Hell (winter), under the spell of my annual coping mechanism, oblivion. Sure I know what’s going on outside, and I deal with that, however when it comes to golf, I shut off my brain. Whether it be thinking about it, writing about it, watching it, or anything else involving it, it’s best I just avoid them all together. As all 4 of my faithful readers know, I’ve been fortunate enough to take a few trips to the desert this year to play a some rounds, and earlier this week I spent 36 holes in 80 degree sunshine in the tropical locale of Kansas City, Missouri. Upon my arrival back home, a dejected, isolationist funk overcame me, once again. That funk led to an epiphany, a way to describe to those not addicted to the wretched game of golf just how I was feeling. And, my lack of motivation to go to the gym this morning is leading me to write about it. So, you, the reader, are benefiting from both my depression and my laziness, how thoughtful of me.

Is there anything more painful to an addict than the occasional hit of a drug, knowing during the entire trip that after coming down from that high the next hit could be weeks, even months away? Is that a reason to celebrate the buzz, or lament its futility? As I review the past few months, the question I continually ask myself, was taking those trips good or bad? Now, even I will acknowledge the memories and friends made on those trips far outweigh the angst of the occasional hit of my chosen drug. But, as far as the psychological impact of these random golf benders, is the binge and purge method really a good one? All doctors, self proclaimed experts, or anyone that stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night will tell you, moderation is the key to happiness. But let’s face it, I don’t do anything half-assed. Except of course exercise, work, cleaning my house, yard work, laundry, cleaning my garage, balancing my checkbook, double checking my taxes…. Well ok, you get the point, I don’t do golf half assed. I also stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last week, so does that make me an expert too?

After much reflection, and a few cups of coffee, I’ve come to a decision. Maybe the binge and purge method isn’t the best method, but it’s the only method I know. I’d much rather have the excitement of an upcoming golf trip to get me through the dark dreary winter days than nothing at all. Like any good addict, I will continue to do anything in my power to feed my addiction. The first step to overcoming an addiction is to admit we are powerless over the drug, and that our lives have become unmanageable.

I admit I’m powerless, but so far I seem to be managing just fine.