Prelude: I’m inquisitive by nature and somewhat obsessed with golf, so sometimes I’ll search the GolfNow app for locations I have no plans to visit. Say, Las Vegas, for instance. That’s how this trip started, when I found some good “Hot Deal” times available for Wednesday and Thursday of this week. I had absolutely no plan to go to Vegas, but then I realized Wednesday night was available free at Monte Carlo from myVEGAS, and I could get a few free meals that way, too. Suddenly I realized I could head to Vegas for a quick one nighter for basically the cost of gas and inexpensive golf. Well, plus resort fees. And plus parking fees. And gambling money. But hey, it’s a chance to skip town and play some good golf, so I proposed the idea to my wife and she gave me her blessing. There was one last hurdle, however – a potential performance at school by my daughter. Her class has been practicing a song they’re going to perform, and there was a chance it was going to happen on Thursday morning. Finally on Tuesday I got confirmation that they weren’t doing it this week, so I quickly booked my room at Monte Carlo and golf at Paiute (Sun Mountain) for Wednesday and Mountain Falls in Pahrump on Thursday. I threw some clothes in my backpack (no need for a suitcase, even) and was all set. Here I go…

 

Day One: Wednesday, March 1, 2017:

I left home around 6:30 a.m. and traffic was smooth except for a stretch in Norco. Around state line suddenly a Bloody Mary sounded great, and with time to kill before golf, I decided to duck into Gold Strike in Jean for a few dollars of VP and a free Bloody Mary.

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My plan worked to perfection, although I lost $5 playing nickel JOB.

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I also took a minute to snap a few pictures of the “Movie Cars” exhibit they have:

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Interestingly, the machines seem to convey Gold Strike is already operating as Terrible’s Road House, even though none of the signage outside has been changed.

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I still had plenty of time before my 12:07 tee time at Paiute, so I navigated to a Total Wine & More off Ann Road to get some drinks for the room. I bought those and then spotted a local pizza place called Novecento touting 90-second wood-fired pies. They make the whole thing with fresh dough right in front of you, and then throw it in the 900-degree pizza oven. I chose pepperoni and house-made meatballs for my toppings. I opted to take it to go to give it a chance to cool down, and I’m glad I did. Once I arrived at Paiute, it was perfect and really delicious. The crust was charred and chewy and the tomato sauce was fruity and bursting with flavor. They also put fresh basil under the cheese, which was great. I wouldn’t have minded a little crispness in the crust, but even without, I recommend this place and wouldn’t hesitate to go back.

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I’d played the two other courses at Paiute last year, so Sun Mountain was the one I still needed to check off the list. Despite windy conditions and a bit of a chill in the air, the weather was beautiful and snow-capped Mount Charleston looked great up above the course. Here are some pics:

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I’d heard so much about Paiute prior to playing there, I think I built it up too much in my mind. They’re nice courses, but there’s a monotony to the layouts in that so many holes look alike. There are some good ones, but overall it’s just not as distinctive as I expected it to be. They are seemingly always in fantastic condition, though, and today was no different. So that’s a huge plus.

I finished by around 4:15 and headed to Monte Carlo. Check-in was smooth and I was given room 21-120.

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It looks like they’ve begun work on the new pool complex, but the front desk agent told me he doesn’t think their new pool will be open until late summer at the earliest.

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I had a few drinks in my room and got ready for dinner. I had a $35 voucher to Nine Fine Irishmen from myVEGAS. I’d always heard good things about their bone-in ribeye, so I chose that and a side of goat cheese mashed potatoes.

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It was good, but no better than “good.” At $34 for the a la carte ribeye, I wouldn’t recommend it. Other, lesser-priced food we’ve had at NFI is tastier and better quality. I was still a bit hungry afterward, so I got a chocolate shake at Shake Shack.

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I went over to MGM and checked out that new “Level Up” area they have. It’s like part arcade, part casino, with foosball tables, bubble hockey, shuffleboard tables, ping pong, etc. alongside some weird multi-game gaming machines. There are also large-screen TVs and some cool glass-top tables that have TV monitors under the glass. They also moved their Sigma Derby machine here.

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I wanted to gamble at Tropicana, but the overpass between MGM and Trop was closed, so I had to take the other three to get there. Then once I made it over there, it seems they’ve walled off part of the casino in the back where they used to have some nickel VP. I eventually found one machine but it had a blurry screen and no sound, so it wasn’t much fun, and it quickly sucked $10 out of my tiny bankroll.

I then made my way back to NYNY, where I found a multi-play machine that let me play one hand of DDB nickels. This machine took the last $40 of my bankroll without even one “picture worthy” win. That’s no fun.

At this point I was really tired and just headed back to Monte Carlo. I watched TV for a bit but was asleep by 11:30.

 

Day Two: Thursday, March 2, 2017

You’re able to use 3 myVEGAS rewards every 30 days, so after the room and NFI, I had one remaining for this trip. I chose a free breakfast buffet at Monte Carlo. I headed down there around 9:00 and got in right away. I’d never heard good things about the Monte Carlo buffet, but I thought it was pretty good, for breakfast anyway. I got an omelette, bacon, sausage and potatoes on my first plate, and then more bacon, French toast and a sweet roll on my second.

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After this, I was stuffed, which was my plan because I knew I probably wouldn’t eat again until dinner. I definitely wouldn’t pay $18.99 for this buffet, but for free it was great.

Then I hit the road toward Pahrump, which takes you out toward Red Rock Canyon but then veers northwest over the Spring Mountains. Coming down into the valley where Pahrump sits felt like I was on another planet or something, with a huge expanse of flat valley with mountain ranges circling all around the distant edges.

Mountain Falls Golf Club is part of a master-planned community that is only halfway built. The course was built in two stages, first by golf course architect Cal Olson, and then the other nine by the Nicklaus Design Group. The newer nine is the front nine and plays through undeveloped land slated for build-out. The back nine navigates through neighborhoods but is decidedly more mature and fully realized in appearance. I definitely preferred the back nine to the front. The whole place has a very “resort course” type feel. The course was in fantastic condition. Here are some pics:

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Playing here provided me the opportunity to take a different route home than normal. A few different highways take you across seriously remote-feeling sections of desert, which was really cool.

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At one junction, you could turn left to Baker (my route) or right to Death Valley. This market with a cool, retro sign was situated there:

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The terrain seemed to change, too, with what appeared to be white, salty ground and these weird rolling hills.

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Maybe the highlight of this route was a stretch maybe a mile long where desert wildflowers were growing right alongside the road. With the setting sun illuminating them from behind, I just had to stop and take some pictures:

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I stopped at Freddy’s in Victorville for their Double Patty Melt for dinner, which was good as usual.

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I made it home around 9:00, just in time to tuck my daughter into bed. Quick trip, decent golf, great course conditions, bad gambling, but always nice to get away!

 

Great pics of the courses. I always enjoy the reports including golf.

 

Whereas I really appreciate the big, multi-day trip reports, I am super envious of your type of quick, solo trip (especially including golf), which I can't pull off. Thanks for posting!

 

My thoughts exactly. I'd love to be able to hop in the car and go to Vegas for a quick overnight and bring the sticks. I've never played golf in Vegas, but it's on my list this year. Thanks for the report!

 

Nice pictures of the places you went. I do have a question regarding the golf in Vegas after seeing those pictures. The grass looks really well maintained. I guess that requires water? What's the real situation with water supply for Nevada and Las Vegas so far as golfing is concerned?

 

The first course I played, Paiute, is owned by the Paiute Indian tribe. My understanding is they have no water restrictions.

Not sure about water sources in Pahrump, but most courses in and around Las Vegas are well maintained and very green except for summer, when they dry out a bit. Accordingly, green fees are typically pretty high. While water levels in Lake Mead have been very low the last few years, I don't think any severe restrictions are in place for watering golf courses.

 

Great pictures and awesome that you can make that quick trip.

 

Nice report. Thanks for posting!