Painted Desert Golf Club

This is my second round of golf since moving to Vegas. There were a few things I really liked about this course and things I really disliked. Unfortunately, the dislikes outweighed the likes. I'll start off with the ugly and work my way to the positives.

The ugly:
First hole I put all my stuff ie phone, wallet, keys in the drivers side compartment of the cart like I normally do. However, I failed to notice that there was no ledge (there were screws there so evidently it broke off at some point) to prevent your items from flying out when you start the cart. So of course on the first hole, everything goes flying out of the cart, including my phone. Of course it was a new phone and the face cracked. Bad way to start things off.

After the round and went in and explained to the guy in the shop what happened and I wasnt angry per se, but that I just wanted them to know about the issue so it didnt happen to the next person. Hopefully they fix the cart. I'll just leave it at that.

The bad:
1. I read reviews before coming here that the driving range is mat only. So I knew ahead of time I wasnt going to hit balls on the range on a potential hard mat as it has taken my well over a decade to get my shoulder back to where I can play golf.

2. No course layout on card, no GPS. Even the signs on each hole didnt have the hole layout. There are yardage markers on the fairway and cart path. So that kinda sucked especially on #14 when I thought there was land between the Willow Tree and the lake. Found out the hard way there wasnt.

3. Every single hole has OB, and the homes on some holes felt like they were right up on top of you. Furthermore, I played from the tips and at 6700 yards, there is zero reason to ever bring out your driver on this course. Of course that didnt sink in until the back 9. So if you want a lot of practice with your long irons off the tee, I'd recommend this course. I had 9 penalty strokes and shot an 87 because I sprayed my driver too much early on. So that wasnt a lot of fun. Not only because I lost a few balls, but I was more concerned about knocking out somebody's window as on #11, I hit one DEEP into the neighborhood. Who knows where that ended up. So yeah I probably wont play here again anytime soon (until I get back to playing decent golf after taking a year off) just out of fear of breaking someones window either on their home or their car and I'd be stuck with the tab.

4. The layout is boring. It's like a driving range every hole is straight ahead. Very repetitive.

5. I think #11 is a poorly designed hole. At 227, it was playing more like 245 when I played it due to the wind. So I had to choke down on a driver and tried to hit some low punch shot into the green as I dont carry a 245 yard club. Well, instead what happened is I hit a foul ball out of the park and about 200 yards deep into the neighborhood. The hole could play to as much as 260 yards if they move the tees back and the wind is in your face.

6. Prepare for clubs to get beat up as right off the thin strip of rough is dirt and rocks. But I guess I need to get used to that in Vegas.

The good:
1. Greens were running smooth and fairly quick. Always got a good lie in the fairway. The rough was up which I liked, although there were some patchy areas but it's the rough so whatever. Tee boxes were in great shape. And there appeared to be sand in the bunkers!

2. Some holes make you feel like a pro. It's unfortunate that golf ball/club technology has done to the game of golf. I was slightly downwind for my drive on #17, which is a 535 yard par 5. Since this fairway was really wide open, I brought back out the driver and proceeded to knock it to within 190 yards of the hole, then proceeded to hit a beautiful draw working with the wind 6 iron within 15 feet of the hole and nail the eagle putt which made my day of course. So if you are hitting your driver straight, you can turn this course into a chip and putt fest, wind dependent. But of course that is a big if and like I said before, I'd recommend keeping the driver in the bag for the most part.

3. I saved the best for last. I got to go out earlier than my scheduled tee time by 1/2 an hour and I didnt see a single person my entire round. I did not hurry at all and finished my 18 holes in under 2 1/2 hours playing by myself. Now THAT is how fast a round of golf should be played. I could have easily played in 2 hours if I had played faster (and not hit so many balls OB).

4. There is no escape from the wind. Personally, I like playing when it's windy as it really makes me think about club selection and trying to hit different shots. Today, the wind was between 10-15 mph with some higher gusts, so that added a fun element.

Overall, though, I dont see myself coming back here anytime soon. Having just started back up playing again after a year off, I'm highly erratic and sometimes have no idea where the ball is going so that is not a good mix with all these homes so close to the course. As I get back into the swing of things, I might come back here to work on my long iron game and to get an ego boost as I think someone that is playing to a 5 handicap could really go low on this track like sub par fairly easily.

The reason for my 2 star rating is that there is a mat only driving range, the somewhat boring layout, the poorly designed #11, no GPS/course layout, and the fact there is OB on every hole really outweighs the fact I played a quick round of golf and the conditions were good.

Course was in great shape. Greens were great a little windy the when we went, but the course was very nice. The staff was very friendly. I would definitely golf here again.

Thought the course was in great shape. Not as tight as I expected from other reviews. Definitely playing here again.

Given the price of green fee’s, we expected a better layout and a more manicured course. The course has not been maintained. The bunkers are unplayable and filled with rocks the size of golf balls. The 9th hole is open to the driving range and is covered with range balls, presenting a safety hazard. If you are paying more than $50 a green fee you will be disappointed.
At best, this is an average municipal golf course and should not be sought out as a golf destination. We were disappointed that the reviews did not accurately depict this course. For the same cost you can play Angel Park and have a amazing golfing experience.

Course was well maintained with nice views. If you have a fade or draw, might not find the very tight fairways.

Having read other 1 star reviews I was going to cancel my booking. IM GLAD I DIDN'T
The staff were great from the minute I got there.
The course and greens were excellent and we played a four ball in 3hrs 40mins .
The course is quite tight so you need to be straight.
Well worth a visit

I enjoyed the course. The layout was great and challenging —water, undulation, run offs, etc. The Mountain views and staff were amazing. My only complaint was the course conditions. They were terrible, but considering the money they should have been better. You could tell that the course would have been amazing with a little water and care. I probably wouldn’t play again so to the condition.

Greens and fairways are in good condition. Sand traps have a lot of rocks and some have very little sand with hard ground beneath. Range balls are all over holes 9 & 18 making it a nightmare to find yours, even on a perfect tee shot. Time to upgrade and get some carats with gps monitors. Reasonable price on the afternoon but needs some love here to make it better

It was nice to return to Painted Desert, most all of the courses have bumped up their rates but this track was worth it EXCEPT the greens were very slow and it didnt look like they mowed them on a Thursday. Buyer beware, the putting green was as slow as the course.

Played yesterday and the golf course is not well maintained. The fairways were long as well as the greens. There are no yardages markers and as we were from out of town didn’t know any yardage. Could be a nice course if they put a little effort into maintenance

Was just here a week ago and had a great experience. Sadly this time complete different experience. Starting off hole 1 there’s no starter, already 3 groups on the first hole par 4, 2 waiting to tee off. There was what appeared to be a 4 group old man tournament hogging up about 5 holes at once by the time we got to 14 because they weren’t keeping up with the groups ahead of them. Skipped 14-17 and played 18 and went home after I lost my patience watching these clowns driving up and down fairways on every hole. Old men parking there carts on the fringe. Guess I ended up in some different bunkers than last time because today the bunkers were hard and rocky, last time pretty decent so must have some good and some bad here. No one at the cart shack, no starter, no ranger, no free range balls. Overall course isn’t horrible but they need an adjustment in staff.

Went solo on 2/9/24 for a 9:15 tee time. Got a round done in 2 hours 53 min. Played through a twosome and a foursome (friendly no issue getting through). Course was pretty good. Greens were in great shape. Only 1 tee box was looking like it needed some TLC. Course was fun. No amazing views or scenery though. Overall was a great experience. Chicken quesadilla was amazing.

The course meanders through a gated residential community. It was in good shape tee to green. The golf shop staff was friendly. The driving range and practice area are OK. The funny thing was there was no starter that day. I was a single, so I just hung out at the first tee and joined a group.