Background
Our intention to play Coyote Springs came about from the recommendations of staff during our round at Wolf Creek earlier this week. We had intentions to play at another highly ranked course, but were able to score the same deal for this course courtesy of Tee Off. A Jack Nicklaus signature course, Coyote Springs is a favorite of locals despite being about an hour from Las Vegas. We were told to take I-15 to 93 north until we see green. The golf course is supposedly the first site of civilization off the highway.
Coyote Springs is the skeleton of a master planned community with poor timing, and a myriad of missteps from its developers (1). The intent is, and from what I can still gather from the development's site, to create a mecca of recreational activities (2), with as many as 16 Nicklaus-designed courses at its core of nearly 200,000 anticipated residents (3). There's an entire soap opera to be discovered about this town if you ask enough locals.
The nearly 7500-yard Chase at Coyote Springs or Coyote Springs Golf Course, depending on where you look, is ranked fifth in the state by Golf Magazine (4), fourth by Golfweek (5), and seventh from Golf Digest (6). Apparently it's not only the locals who've taken note of this jewel of the desert.
Getting There
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| If you build it, they will come. |
After a fresh start at Denny's for a Grand Slam (oatmeal heavy on the brown sugar, eggs scrambled, and double bacon--extra crispy...in case you were wondering), we're en route to find what Coyote Springs is all about. There's not much on I-15 east of Las Vegas, but there's even less once we exit past the Love's Truck Stop onto 93 North. We'll need to stop back here later to top off the air in our rental, as the low tire light came on. Tires pass the visual test for now. We're willing to risk driving out to the middle of nowhere, in 100ºF temperatures, with that amber warning light staring us in the face. Now that I type it, that decision not only seems pretty risky for our usually conservative ways, but just flat out irresponsible. You probably also presume we make it back to Love's with no trouble, seeing as though I'm writing about it. I'll leave you hanging for the time being. Oh the suspense of it all. The road seems to go on for an eternity--power lines running parallel to the road, with the occasional semi coming from the opposite direction.
It's no exaggeration that the first oasis of green after miles of just desert is Coyote Springs. It's actually a little ominous. Had I been lost in the desert, I would presume it were a mirage. At the time, I’m not entirely convinced it isn’t more than just a mirage. There's a grand entrance, bearing its name, followed by a neighborhood road adorned with "road closed" signs. We proceed down the way to what appears to be a somewhat permanent mobile structure we learn is the clubhouse. I wonder where these people live--the ones that work here. The closest civilization is the Indian Reservation of Moapa, nearly a half hour away. Coyote Springs has a population of zero. Everyone is very kind, and we're quickly on our way to begin the round. I'm pretty sure we're the only people out here, as we set down the road that leads to the course. By road, I mean a path behind the maintenance greenhouses, followed by a gravel path leading toward more paved path, with a sign pointing to the first tee. The cell phone service is weak, so I hope we encounter any difficulties while out here.
Our Round
The first hole appears easy enough, a wide-open fairway with little elevation change. It's so easy, if fact, that my tee shot miraculously lands where I intend it to, yet then rolls a complete other direction. If the fairways were water they would be an ocean, ripe for a storm. We find on this hole, and many others following it, that we know exactly where our ball is, only to discover it's not so easy to find. The many ripples of fairways that slope every which way mask just about everything, and leave us at the mercy of the course. It’s just adds to the mystique that is Coyote Springs.
Number two wasn’t any easier for me. A dogleg right, I had the drive of a lifetime, headed for the bend in the fairway, but destined for a further endpoint. Man down, I’m in the brush. I drop. Another great ball ensues. It’s straight—straight into the greenside bunker. I chip out and over the green into the water. Optimism has me on a beach, bunker-guarded water is blue as the Caribbean. Golf is mostly mental. I’m just trying to reach my happy place. Perhaps I need more fluids. It is a hazy 109ºF today. 
Shawn is having an uneventful round, so at least it’s just me with the poor stroke. Sadly, my experience on the third hole is not much different, as I continue to practice my pitch from the sand, now in three’s greenside bunker. This course truly was made to catch every misstep. Fairways slope to bunkers. Bunkers slope to water. Everything is fast. You're at the mercy of your roll. I now have a better appreciation for the professionals playing at Jack Nicklaus’ Muirfield Tournament in my hometown of Dublin, Ohio each spring. This is a whole different ballgame compared to our earlier rounds at Sand Hollow and Wolf Creek. I suppose the 25 mph winds, with gusts of more don’t provide any favors either, but now I’m just making excuses.
We catch up with the grounds crew, and are initially relieved to see other people out here, but they overstayed their welcome, as they followed us from three through six, never stopping to let us hit. Makes me wonder if this all really is a dream.
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| I tried to get a shot of how the fairways just roll. This hardly does justice. |
The wash areas, bunkers, and water came into play on nearly every hole. The course is certainly a great combination of challenges from all facets: the fairways, distance, hazards, and greens. All of the par threes, with the exception of 17, were much longer than usual, but still playable. There’s not one hole, or one feature that stands out as a favorite to either one of us, but it’s evident why so many hold this course in high acclaim. The condition is also pretty remarkable considering it’s July in the desert, and the coolers of water bottles placed throughout were easy on the eyes as well. Most people in the Midwest struggle to keep their yards green in far tamer conditions, somehow this course is a lush green amongst desertscape.
Even though the round took a little less than four hours, it seemed much longer for us. Perhaps it’s the desolate state of the area, as most of the course is outlined with plateaus flattened for foundations, and the beginnings of roadways. There are some beautiful waterfalls, and rock features that assuredly came at an expense. Coyote Springs really is a great course. We just hope the vision comes to fruition, so the dream can live on. Right now, Coyote Springs is just the golf course of the future, similar to Dippin’ Dots being the ice cream of the future. It might take a couple decades for this dream to truly take shape. Until then, I hope locals and visitors alike continue to take the journey north to tackle this beast.
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| Save the best for last. The view from 18. |
As we near the interchange for I-15, I can see Love's Truck Stop come into view. Sweet civilization. That low tire light is still glowing bright. It's then we hear a noise. Ironically enough, we happen upon a car with what appears to be a blown out tire, slowly making its way down the road. I hold my breath and halfway consider crossing my fingers and closing my eyes, the way we did going past a cemetery when we were younger. We make it to the air without avail, I find the low tire, and fill it up until the light goes dim. That's my Pinterest hack for not having a tire gauge. We're on the road again, and ready to relax. We’re taking a few days of R&R before attempting our last round of the trip at Paiute’s Wolf Course.
Scorecard
Links
1 Coyote Springs Project Stuck in Sand Trap. (2012, April 7). Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved from http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nevada-and-west/coyote-springs-project-stuck-sand-trap
2 Coyote Springs Golf Course: Development. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.coyotesprings.com/development.html
3 Neubauer, C. and Cooper, R.T. Desert Connections. (2006, August 20). Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2006/aug/20/business/fi-nevada20
4 Best Public Golf Courses in Nevada. (2012, July 22). Golf Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.golf.com/courses-and-travel/best-public-golf-courses-nevada-2012
5 Golfweek Staff. Golfweek's Best: State-by-State Courses You Can Play (2014, March 19). Golfweek. Retrieved from: http://golfweek.com/news/2014/mar/19/golf-courses-golfweeks-best-state-by-state-2014/
6 Nevada: Best In State Rankings. (2014). Golf Digest. Retrieved from http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-courses/nevada
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