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What a delight to find greens with such a consistent surface and good roll after the last 2 weeks of brutal heat. The greens held fairly (differentiated between good and bad shots) and were about 9/9.5 on the stimpmeter which is fair enough considering length of grass needed to protect against the heat.

The course is a good test from the tips, but plays short and easy from the blues and whites. The greens are in great shape, simple to read and offering opportunities to hole them from everywhere.

I have been forced to quit the course twice after only 9 holes as the pace of play was astoundingly slow for a 2-ball - and the temperature was close to 100 degrees. Marriott have a good facility and an enjoyable course, but they should not send groups off less than 7 minutes apart and they should not have singles and 2-balls in the middle of a slow field.

Course conditions were excellent for late summer. The course is overly forgiving for strong golfers with the unusual feature of having very demanding 3-pars. I would recommend this course for out-of-practice good players, wanting to rebuild confidence, and for average to weaker players. The greens were good Bermuda, a bit grainy, but excellent for late summer and firm which tested approach spin and control. Reading the greens was easy in the sense that slopes are obvious, though the ball sometimes turned more than expected.

I was pleasantly surprised to find lots of well shaped bunkers, interesting greens, water and trees that called for more accurate drives than one might imagine on a 120 slope. The greens were good and fairways were being prepped for overseeding so they were thin. I will definitely play again.

As a Pete Dye afficianado, I heartily recommend the Wolf at Paiute north of Las Vegas. The greens were excellent and ran about 11. The 8th hole is classic dye and with a back right pin placement and bunker that catches anything right and is 20ft below the green, it's true test of mental strength for an expert to go for the flag. It's not that long, but most players couldn't go for the flag with a wedge, let alone a hybrid! The island green 15th also tests character, and good players must play 16 from the tips to get the full effect and pleasure from correctly negotiating the S-shaped waste area. Also, 18 should be played from the tips. it's not as long as the 500 yds as it's downhill, but only hitting from the tips brings the water/bunker bottleneck into play. There are multiple tees and most have their own brass plate F/M/B distances.

We played the Blues (as far back as tees are marked). Having been warned about long carries to cross canyons, we considered the blended tees but found it unnecessary. There are a few sizable carries but that wasn't what made it tough - it was the wind and the number of uphill fairway second shots - it felt like along long course but only measures 6800. Bottom line. A very good test, many spectacular holes, The greens were excellent - putted like silk at about 10.5, and lines were easy to see.

Negatives: This course can get windy, there is little shade, and the restaurant is closed for the Summer. Positives: Speed of play is spectacular, and the course condition is excellent for the time of year. I played Black, which is a long 71 par, and quite challenging because of length. The course is open and plays easy from forward tees.

I played Gold and found it of modest length (6150) and forgiving off the tees as I drove well past most fairway bunkers. The greens are handling the heat quite well - faster than I expected and needing good backspin to hold approaches in under 20 feet. A great place to keep one's game in shape during the heat, as the course was not crowded.

The course deserves 3.5 stars - reasonably good but not in the top league. Too much forgiveness off the tees for me but this would suit weaker players. It's not very long off the Blues but there was enough diversity for me to use every club in the bag. The greens were a bit thin, brittle from the heat, and calling for high spin to hold pitches. They putted OK. The round was fast and there was plenty of time to hit "seconds" and still get around in 2.5 hrs.

For a resort course, and considering the time of year, the greens were fantastic. Responsive to spin, and running at about 10.5 (my guess), they had consistent grass, slight grain, and very few ball marks. The course is mildly interesting with developed trees and large greens. Many bunkers are trimmed without lips so weaker players can putt out. Fairways were in good shape and there is no rough to speak of.

With temps around 100 degrees, the greens have been well maintained and putt pretty smoothly. I don't expect greens running at 11-12 this time of year so "pristine" = very good. The tees and fairways were excellent and pace of play was superb. It happened to be 88 degrees the day I played so it was mild and pleasant. .

As a low handicap golfer I enjoy tough challenges, firm greens (that only reward well struck approaches), and complex, smooth greens. Despite being a resort course with sometimes wide fairways, the Faldo designed Shadow Ridge has reasonable length and fairway bunkers that call for good management. The greens are cut shorter than most desert greens this time of year and putt quite smoothly. This must be one of the ten best tracks in the Valley - certainly one of the most enjoyable - and has large established trees providing good shade next to the tees.