An introduction to Mesquite
A city that combines a small-town vibe with big-city attractions, Mesquite is hugely popular. It is located in northern Nevada, over an hour’s drive north of Las Vegas towards the border with Arizona.
It is positioned adjacent to the Virgin Mountains and in the northeastern part of the Mojave Desert. This makes for an enviable 310 days of sunshine annually. Maybe one of the reasons this is fast becoming one of the most popular retirement locations in the country.
Despite its growing retiree community, it remains an upbeat and lively place to be, like a significantly smaller Vegas. Alongside the world-class golf courses which we’ll explore later, there are a number of popular casinos.
With so much sunshine and the city surrounded by the Virgin River Valley, this is also a wildly popular resort for outdoor enthusiasts. You can go mountain biking and hiking to explore the many landmarks. Lake Mead National Recreation Area, the litany of sandrock formations as well as the petrified wood at the Valley of Fire State Park.
Yet the golf here is immense. There are some wonderful golf courses in Las Vegas, and although Mesquite can’t rival the quantity, it certainly gets close to rivaling the quality.
See also: What are the best golf courses in Las Vegas, Nevada?
The best golf courses in Mesquite Nevada
Falcon Ridge Golf Club
The first of our golf courses in Mesquite, is the fantastic Falcon Ridge golf club. The course winds through the northwestern hills and canyons of Mesquite. Like many of the Mesquite courses, Falcon Ridge boasts some wonderful views.
The terrain here is rugged to say the least. It was no mean feat for architects Kelby Hughes and Cresent Hardy to find a routing that worked. They also needed to consider the housing needs surrounding the course.
The par 71, 6,550 yard layout starts relatively innocuous. The more naive golfer thinking he might be in with a shout of scoring well. But very soon the dramatic elevation changes start to kick in. This surfaces a whole range of decisions from the tee and in your approach play.
Water comes into play on a few occasions including the 3rd, a par 3 over water, the 12th and the 13th. There are huge bunkers in strategic fairway positions and protecting greens.
Granted, Falcon Ridge does not have the awards and recognition of some of its neighbors. But this is an awesome course to play! There are so many wow moments which may have some golfing purists questioning the routing. But for the majority, this is just good fun and affordable golf.
Conestoga Golf Club
One of the newer golf courses in Mesquite, Conestoga golf club opened for play in 2010. This is without doubt one of the finest public golf courses in Nevada.
We’ll come onto Wolf Creek Golf Club later in this post, but Wolf Creek is an example of golf course design on steroids. Video-game style layout with every hole providing the wow factor, although arguably, some which push the boundaries just a tad.
What would counteract that would be a course with just as good a routing, but maybe a little more tame and modest. Step in Conestoga.
Gary Panks, an architect with heaps of experience dealing with desert-style courses, was responsible for plotting the layout. This was no mean feat, with huge towering canyons and rock formations jutting out at every turn.
Conestoga is a delight and by far and away one of the top golf courses in Mesquite. There are multiple tee options on each hole so less proficient golfers can still enjoy themselves. From the backs it would take some guts with the course stretching to over 7,200 yards, which in this terrain is impressive.
See also: What are the best public golf courses in Las Vegas?
Coyote Springs Golf Club
I included Coyote Springs in both the ‘Golf Courses in Las Vegas’ post and ‘Public Golf Courses in Las Vegas’ post, yet here it is again. Its location means it is neither in Las Vegas or Mesquite, but is close enough to be included in both!
Yet the course is that good, it does it discredit not to be included. So here we are, if you’re in Mesquite, I fully recommend playing Coyote Springs golf club. Simple. It is located due west of the city and couldn’t be easier to get to. Head down the Las Vegas Freeway and take a right around the Glendale area, and stay on that road until you hit the entrance to the club.
Jack Nicklaus and his team were responsible for this wonderful golf course, where no expense was spared. This was actually scheduled to be one of many in this location, but those plans were put on hold a long while ago.
For such a young course (it opened in 2008), it has bedded in amazingly well. The routing is stunning, and is considered one of Jack’s best desert course designs. So good is this course it has been lauded by all the major golf publications.
From the back tees it stretches to an impressive 7,500 yards. There are eleven lakes and a myriad of hazards keeping things fun so make sure you choose the right tee.
Oasis Golf Club (Palmer & Canyons)
The only 36-hole golf resort in Mesquite, Oasis golf club is also the only Arnold Palmer designed golf course in the city.
The golf club has been open since 1995 when the Palmer course opened for play. At the same time, the ‘Vistas 9’ also opened, a top class nine-hole also designed by Palmer which was routed into the surrounding canyons.
It was 10 years later in 2005 that the ‘Vistas 9’ got an additional nine-holes added to it, designed by David Drizisky. This became the second 18-hole championship course and was appropriately called the Canyons.
But it is without doubt the Palmer course which is the strongest course here. There are many memorable holes, with many coming early in the round including the 2nd which is a fantastic par-3.
This is quickly followed by the hardest hole on the course, a 400+ yard par 4, starting with a blind tee shot and your approach having to travel over water protecting the green. The fifth hole is a proper Instagram hole, with canyons running either side of the narrow fairway.
Affordable and well worth the visit, this is without doubt one of Arnold Palmer’s best layouts.
See also: What are the best golf courses in Reno?
Wolf Creek Golf Club
This unique and spectacular golf course is quite something, where even the wildest superlatives may not do the course justice!
Wolf Creek opened in 2000 and since then golfers have traveled far and wide to experience what makes this course special. So spectacular is the routing it would be impossible to name just one signature hole.
Wolf Creek shot to fame as one of the courses featured in the Tiger Woods PGA Tour video game, and what many people probably thought was a ‘made-up’ course, is a real layout in Mesquite, Nevada!
The course winds its way through the rugged landscape of rocky outcrops and canyons. There are also numerous elevations, with the first tee being a great example. Literally every hole offers something new and memorable.
Despite being routed through this barren desertscape, water comes into play on a number of holes, with lakes either running alongside fairways, protecting greens on all sides or needing to be carried from your tee shot.
This is genuinely one of the most impressive golf courses in the world. Mesquite might not necessarily rival Vegas for its casinos and nightlife. But Wolf Creek does a fine job of rivaling its best golf courses!
CasaBlanca Golf Club
You can’t help but feel for CasaBlanca golf club. In its own right, a wonderful 18-hole championship course, with a wonderful backdrop of mountains and plenty to keep your average golfer entertained.
Yet time and time again, it gets overlooked by its neighbors across the road. The likes of Falcon Ridge, Wolf Creek et al, with their rugged elevations and rocky landmarks giving each a distinctive character. Granted it is that character, that Mesquite is known the world over.
But CasaBlanca is well worth playing. It could even be the first course on your golf itinerary to Mesquite, before venturing into the canyons across the road.
The course hugs the Virgin River basin and this wetland layout is unique amongst other courses in this city.
There are some wonderful holes here, reason enough for the course to have been chosen as the host venue to the Nevada Open and the Mesquite Amateur. Cal Olsen-designed, this is a great fun track to play.
The Palms Golf Club
And so to the last course on our list, one that is not officially in Nevada and is actually over the border in Arizona, The Palms golf club.
The Palms was actually the first to open in this part of the world. Many argue it started the golf boom in Vegas and Mesquite. Regardless of whether that is true or not, it has stood the test of time. So much so, still to this day it remains a popular course to play.
Like at CasaBlanca golf club, the Palms offers something unique in Mesquite. The front nine has wide palm lined fairways with water a regular hazard. The back nine has significantly more elevation, and there are elevated tees and greens providing a very different challenge.
Like so many courses in Mesquite, the quality of golf as well as the stunning backdrop, offers numerous photo opportunities.
What is the best golf course in Mesquite?
The best golf course in Mesquite is Wolf Creek Golf Club which opened for play in 2000. It was made famous by appearing in the Tiger Woods PGA Tour video game.
