Mark9125446

I want to like Silverrock. Honestly. I’ve played it a number of times over the last 16 years. It looks great, has a couple of really good holes (7 & 16, in particular) and is kept in pretty good shape. But I was reminded yesterday why it has fallen off my list of preferred courses. On too many holes, well hit shots get unfairly punished by the course layout. Between the numerous blind shots (with a lack of guidance from the GPS), fairways that are pinched into very narrow landing areas for most golfers off the blue or white tees, and the lack of good par 4s (there are only 8 in total, and only 2 where hitting driver makes sense for many (9 & 15), it’s not (IMO) a course that allows you to play to a rhythm or with confidence that a well struck shot won’t be punished.

The Players Course is one of my favourites in the area. It’s a great layout with a lot of variety and challenge. But at $275 I expect AAA conditions and course maintenance and that’s not the case right now. Weeds and uneven clumps of grass around the fairways and greens aren’t just unsightly but actually impact play (the back of the 17th green was particularly bad). Great and friendly staff, and nice amenities, are certainly appreciated but ultimately it’s all about the course and I was disappointed given the price.

This is a challenging course and it's not for an inexperienced golfer. You won't likely shoot your best score here but you'll play some pretty cool holes. You need to be able to put the ball in certain places otherwise you'll get punished. The layout is varied with very few flat holes. The wind was prevalent on most holes (and it rarely felt like it was helping). The greens were very sloped and fast, and quite unforgiving. A few holes have very tough green locations and then tough pins as well. Get the yardage book because there's no GPS. There's not a lot of water in play but it's there and on your mind. It has a lot of the Troon features - knowledgeable staff, good practice facilities, full shop and grille, etc.

Walked/carried on this course and that was fine. Layout is ok with some good variety. Trees come into play in some awkward spots that aren't apparent from the tees. Greens were in great shape, although a but spongy. Receptive to balls in the air but putts rolled true and pretty fast. Tee boxes were in pretty good shape. The fairways were good in some places, ok in others and unplayable in a few spots as the course is still recovering from being underwater. The par 3s were challenging and there's a lot of water in play. The range was rough but the putting green was good. Overall, good value and you can tell that they are putting effort into fixing it up.

If 3.5 stars were an option then that's what I'd have given it. I really liked the layout. You could walk it if that's your thing (but there are a couple of longer treks from green to tee). The greens were generally in good shape with a couple of notable exceptions (the gopher hole/tunnel on ... 15?). The tee boxes were bad: not flat and badly maintained, and that's inexcusable. Flat lies on the tees are a must for me. The driving range was in even worse condition (and it's irons only with a reachable par 5 as the first hole). With some TLC in a few spots, the course could be quite nice but it needs some work at the price point.

I loved this course. While up in the hills above PV, the routing was great and didn’t feel forced. (I was surprised that there were no actual “vistas” of PV.) The practice facilities were spacious and in good shape and the staff was very friendly. My only complaint is that they were aerating the second hole during the round.and were getting ready to aerate another hole during the round as I passed by.

Played the course twice this week and felt much more comfortable the second time around. It's cart path only because of the upcoming Mexico Open (end of April) but the plus-side is that the course is in outstanding condition. The course is quite flat with only modest terrain change but in the afternoon sun it can get tiring if you are hitting it where the cart can't go. Having a caddy (mandatory, one per foursome) certainly helped a few times in that regard. Whites at 6300 (par 73) were ample for me (10 hcp); the folks who I played with who took on the blues at 6800 (10+ hcps) struggled, especially as the wind came up into the afternoon (as it does). The course has a little of everything: short, medium and long par 3s; a good mix of par 4s (including a very driveable one) and six par 5s, including a couple of monsters on the back 9, If you're staying on site at Vidanta it's easy to check in and store your clubs overnight. I imagine it's a lot trickier if you are coming from off-site. The facilities are great, the staff was very friendly and every caddy I had over the week (4) was very helpful.

The course has a good layout. It's generally flat (very walkable) but the holes have a lot of contours and there's some modest elevation change. There are a lot of bunkers. When the wind is up (as it was for my round), it's definitely a challenging course. The course conditions do not justify the price. (I didn't stay at Paradise Village so I paid the guest rate of US$300. My playing partner - whose family owns a timeshare in PV - told me that PV residents/owners pay $100.) The fairways had a lot of bare/dry patches and the fringe around the greens was very poor and uneven. The greens were firm (I'm good with that) but the condition was again uneven and made judging speed/line difficult over the course of the round. I will not go back at that price and recommend Vista Vallarta and Vidanta (the Norman Course in particular) if you're going to play at that price point. Lastly, if you aren't staying at PV, then I recommend getting an Uber when it's time to leave. Getting a cab took 40 minutes (with Pro Shop assistance, which was greatly appreciated - the staff were great).

Played here twice this week and enjoyed both rounds. Great facilities and caddies (mandatory one per foursome). Stayed on site and teed off early so had no issues with getting started. There is a good mix of holes but it is very apparent that the course has been cobbled together from different times and architects (with different types of grasses used - at least three varieties). As I understand it, only half of the original Nicklaus layout remains intact, which is why his name is no longer associated with the track. Redevelopment at Vidanta removed several of the original holes and shortened it to a par 70. It does feel like a patchwork quilt, especially the front 9. Conditions were pretty good, although not as consistent as the Norman course.

Played the South/West (35/35 - par 70) with the West #2 being out of play due to accidental flooding. The North 9 was going through overseeding. The West 9 just came out and was cart path only - it was in very good condition but the greens were very furry. The South 9 wasn't in great shape. I'm guessing it's going into overfeeding next and they had reduced maintenance on it. It's an old school course (built in 1977). Lots of houses on both sides of most fairways - in fairly close proximity. There are also a number of trees that come into play. Fairways are generally generous and the greens are small. Greens were bumpy and/or slow. Bunkers were in good shape. Water is in play on a few holes. There was no on course food or beverage service. Overall, it was fine for the price (comparatively) - they knocked a few bucks off the fees given the conditions and didn't charge for the range, which was appreciated. The staff were all very pleasant. Would I return? Not any time soon - there are others to try in that price range - but it was fine.

I've played here many times and have always enjoyed the course but it had been a while. The course was in pretty good shape for this time of year - the greens ran fairly smooth but were holding the breaks more than normal. The fairways didn't have a lot of roll-out. The course plays wide open (but it's not easy) and there's a lot of variety in the holes. While hilly, it's also quite walkable (I carried for my round and was fine). There was no on course food/drink service. As for price, comparatively, it's probably in the right spot.

I've played here a few times and enjoy the course. It's very walkable (and I wish I had). My only gripe with the layout is that I used the same wedge on all of the par 3s (playing off the Silvers - all between 110-128). The course was playing slow post-overseeding but that was expected. That probably added 200+ yards to the distance. The pace of play was brutally slow. 5+ hours on a 9:30am tee time and not a marshal in sight (even though the GPS sent around a message saying the course was marshalling). There were two foursomes on every tee from 3-18. The starter told us the flags were in pin position A; the GPS said it was position B; the course was set up using position C. It took us a few holes to trust where the flags were. There was no on-course food or beverage service (on a Saturday). With all the waiting, they'd have rung up a lot of sales. Lastly, even with the carts parked on the cart paths around the green, on a couple of occasions, an unrelenting alarm would go off from the GPS saying the carts were too close to the greens. We unplugged ours until we got to the next tee but had to wait for it to reset. Better management and service would fix almost all of these issues.

Great, friendly staff helped to make up for below-average facilities and average at best course conditions. The course layout worked for me. I never felt like the houses were ‘in play’. There were some good risk/reward options. Two weeks out from overseeding, they were starting to let the course go and there were weeds and rough patches in many parts of the fairways, which were very firm. The primary rough along the fairways and the green collars were in horrible condition: lots of bare dirt and uneven areas. The greens themselves were in pretty good shape; I found them a little slow but I like faster greens. The tee boxes were in average condition. The driving range tees were in awful shape and the putting/chipping areas were out of the way. The USB plug on the cart was a nice touch. If you are getting picked up after the round by Uber/Lyft, have the pro shop call the front gate, otherwise your driver won’t be let through.

Thanks to GN, I got an incredibly good deal to play Spanish Trail and am very glad I found it. The course will be returning to a private club facility at the end of 2018 and it was a treat to play. I played the Canyon/Lakes nines. Both layouts were fair with a good variety of holes. Even though overseeding was imminent, the course was in very good shape. Overall, the fairways were generous and the greens are generally large but contoured. I found the greens tricky to read and was lucky to have a member with my group to provide tips. Water was in play on a number of holes but it didn’t dominate the layout, even on the Lakes nine. The practice facilities were great and easily accessible. The pro shop and cart service were also very good. The rates will start going up soon but if you can find a good deal before the end of the year, I recommend you jump on it.

Bear's Best Las Vegas is a very enjoyable round of golf. Don't come for the gimmick of it being a collection of some of the best holes designed by Jack Nicklaus, just come to play a solid course. I've played a few of the real holes on which this 18 is based and, while they are similar to what is presented at BBLV, they aren't replicas. Think of them more as "inspired by". That said, there are some great holes at BBLV, with some fantastic views. The black sand on #4 and #11 is quite striking. We played behind a tournament (got a great rate on Golf Now as a result) and still managed to finish in four hours, which was very impressive,
My one major complaint was that the GPS, which we were told was "to the pin" was programmed incorrectly for the whole course and was showing the pins in completely wrong locations, with the resulting wrong distances - in some cases two clubs off. I'd have been really ticked off if I didn't have my rangefinder with me.