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Potential LPGA Stars Training in Mesquite Nevada

Three potential LPGA Stars are living and training here in Mesquite, Nevada. Many in the local golf community already know these young golf prodigies as they are fixtures at the Oasis Golf Club from November through March every year. The Mulhalls are the quintessential golf family. Dad, Chris, is a PGA Pro at Rolling Green Country Club in Green River, Wyoming, where he also teaches when he’s not traveling with, coaching, and caddying for his girls in their events. Mom, Heather, is also an avid golfer. She home schools their three girls during the prime golf season, and travels with what she calls her “party of five,” supporting their golf dreams. The remaining three Mulhalls are the couple’s darling daughters Ali, 11; Molli, 8; and Palmer, 4. Notice their first initials in order? C-H-A-M-P: an unplanned, but perfect acronym for this family of golf lovers.

Ali and Molli play on tour already. The US Kids Golf Tour, that is. At just 11 years old, Ali has already won over 170 (out of about 200) tournaments around the country in her blossoming career, plus several Player of the Year awards in multiple states. She already has two holes in one, and her personal best score for 18 holes is 65, which set the women’s course record at White Mountain Golf Course when she was only 10 years old. Ali plays a Titleist ProV1X golf ball customized with that number (65) and her personal “Aligator” logo. She drives the ball consistently around 215 yards, sometimes out to 240. She and Molli cherish their extraordinarily special putters, which were given to Ali personally by Scotty Cameron, who is now her personal putting coach. When she was just eight years old, Ali was the youngest player ever to be invited to the Scotty Cameron Tour Studio, beating out Michelle Wie, who was the previous youngest to go at 10. You may know that PGA and LPGA Tour players use the “circle T” putter by Scotty. Rarer than those are the coveted “circle L” putters, which were originally given to Scotty’s personal friends as a joke, with the L signifying “Loser.” He gave Ali a Circle L and changed it to “Lucky.” It sure seems to be lucky for her so far. Her favorite golfers are Lydia Ko, Tiger Woods, and Jordan Spieth – all record setting dominant winners with intense focus. She also favors Natalie Gulbis, who is known to come to Mesquite on occasion, and the two have met several times. Natalie even invited Ali to her LPGA event in Phoenix, where she walked inside the ropes with her. Ali also had the privilege of putting for Natalie in the pro-am there.

Ali’s goal is to be playing on the LPGA Tour by age 16. Her father told me she is the most dedicated person he knows. I believe him and can certainly see that in not only her swing, but in her demeanor. I don’t see anything stopping her from achieving that goal, nor do I see her ego ever catching up to her ability. She’s humble, extremely poised, and charming, and will make a great addition to the Tour when her time comes. If you’re a gambling person, putting money on seeing Ali on the big stage in five years would probably be a safe bet.

Next in line is Molli Tee Mulhall (is this a golf family or what?), who has eight years to achieve the same goal and compared to Ali at the same age, she’s got a head start. She’s already won 50 of her 74 tournaments played. With a Barbie logo on her Titlelist ProV1X(number 8 – for her age), she drives the ball around 140 yards. Molli also has some Player of the Year honors and was the youngest ever to qualify for the US Kids World Championships when she was only six. Ali and Molli both work hard all year to get to the World Championships at Pinehurst in North Carolina. Outside of their home course at Oasis Palmer, Pinehurst #8 is their favorite golf course because of its immaculate condition.

The littlest Mulhall, Palmer (you know where that name originated), doesn’t quite have competition fever yet at age four, but you bet she’s out there swinging andputting and touring with the family. As you can see by their matching outfits, all three girls are fond of the color pink so naturally they’re fans of Paula Creamer as well.

Ali and Molli are also budding entrepreneurs. They are looking to start their own line of golf clothes for kids. They talked to me about how they have to order clothes online and how there doesn’t seem to be much representation in retail shops (and especially pro shops) for the youth market. Their mom, Heather, and I, told them about how that used to be the same way for women in general and that it has improved, but better to start now than later.

The girls are also trying to bring a US Kids Golf Tour event to Mesquite, and have already initiated talks with the tour and with The Rising Star Sports Ranch Resort to try to make it happen. It seems like it would be a perfect fit for Rising Star, great for Mesquite, and great for the tour to have an event here. If you’d like to see it happen, maybe make a call or send an email to either of the interested parties to express that.

As amateurs, the girls can’t take on official sponsors, so they operate several fundraisers on local courses during the season to raise money for their travel, if you’re interested in contributing. Meanwhile, you can follow them on Instagram @golf.champ and watch their progress and results on tour at USKidsGolf.com.

Coyote Springs Golf Course – How They Keep it So Nice

September 19, 2015 / golfchick / 0 Comments

Here in Mesquite, Nevada, the Oasis Canyons golf course re-opened today after overseeding, and will be cart path only for the coming weeks while the grass continues to grow. (We live on this course and it’s looking good!) The rest of the courses are still in the overseeding process and closed.

Meanwhile, you can still take a short drive up to Coyote Springs, which remains open and in beautiful condition without going through any of that! How do they do that? I asked Karl Larcom, PGA, Director of Golf Operations, about their magic formula to keeping the course so beautiful year round. He was kind enough to share and allow me to share it with you – thanks Karl! Here is what he told me:

It is a combination of 3 things.

1. We have our own water. While we have restrictions and try to be environmentally sensitive, we are able to do more than some courses because our water expense is less.

2. Our owners are committed to having a Top 100 quality golf course. With that being said, our fertilizer budget is probably a little higher than your average course.

3. Winter rye (our tees & fairways) is naturally a cooler season grass. So it works awesome from late September to late May. Our Super just has to take extra care in the Summer. The same can be said about our greens. They are a hearty breed of bent grass called A-4 that reacts great 9 months of the year and just needs the extra care during the Summer. That is why we run our greens slower in the Summer to insure their health so they require a little less water.

We do aerify our fairways and greens in the Spring (early May next year). In the Fall we spike the fairways (no plugs) and verticut the greens. There will be occasional years where we aerify in the Fall as well.

So there you have it! If you’re a Mesquite local, head on up to get your golf fix on the nicest course in the area. If you’re from out of town, put this course on your travel itinerary and you won’t regret it! See our Mesquite Golf Page for links to earlier reviews of this incredible golf course as well as the overseeding schedule for the local courses.

Play soon and often. ~ May they all roll true.

Photo from CoyoteSprings.com

Coyote Springs Golf Course Review – Update

August 10, 2015 / protipsgolf / 2 Comments

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.

The Golfchick

That chick blabbing about anything golf related.