Badlands Golf Club in Las Vegas defines desert golf

LAS VEGAS -- Before there was golf on the northwest side of Las Vegas, there was rugged desert landscape, uninviting to most and challenged by only the toughest hombres. In golf terms, that relationship holds true today at the appropriately named Badlands Golf Club, a mix of three nines that defines true desert golf and tests all levels of players.

Designed by the unlikely partners of Johnny Miller and Chi Chi Rodriguez, the Badlands, the original 18 of which opened in 1995, is target golf. Keep on the plush green surfaces and all will be right with your scorecard, but stray from the manicured path and untamed desert awaits.

The names of the first two nines (the Desperado and the Diablo) reflect the terrain, while the last nine, (the Outlaw) opened in 1998. The original nines are probably the toughest with at least half the golf course left natural. Trying to overpower the golf course is not a recommended strategy. The Outlaw nine is a little more forgiving with wider fairways that tend to funnel tee shots back toward the middle.