Hi, Joe:
My Sunday golf group is planning
to play Wolf Creek in Mesquite,
Nevada. What do you think of it?
James Edwards
Overland Park, Kan.
This is the closest thing to a safe bet in Vegas. Wolf Creek ($175-$195; 866-252-4653, golfwolfcreek.com) is ranked No. 58 on Golf Magazine's Top 100 Courses You Can Play and is a stunner.
The Oasis Golf Club's Palmer course ($80-$140; 888-367- 3386, theoasisgolfclub.com) is a decent alternative, and you can round out the trip with a visit to a nice newcomer, Falcon Ridge ($45- $115; 877-270-4653, golffalcon.com).
Dear Joe:
A bunch of us want to take a road
trip of 150-200 miles from the
Bay Area. Do you know of any
cheapskate specials or even a
place where we could camp
nearby, yet play at a really nice
course that's worth the drive?
Mike Greene
American Canyon, Calif.
Camp among the redwoods at Calaveras Big Trees State Park, then head down Route 4 to Copperopolis to play Saddle Creek ($49-$99; 888- 852-5787, saddlecreekgolf.com). If the call of the wild proves too much, Saddle Creek's stay-and-play packages start at $165 per person.
Dear Joe,
I'm planning a trip to
Cincinnati to celebrate my
dad's retirement with a Reds
baseball game and some golf.
Can you suggest three courses
in the $60-$80 range within a
half-hour of downtown?
Jeremy Biddinger
Columbus, Ohio
Late spring in the Queen City could mean dodging raindrops, but finding quality golf in your price range isn't a problem. My top picks are Aston Oaks ($35-$45; 513-467-0070, astonoaksgolfclub.com), a Nicklaus Design track with nice views of the Ohio River, and Legendary Run ($32-$53; 513-753-1919, legendaryrungolf.com) an admirable Arthur Hills creation. Another sturdy test is the Golf Club at Stonelick Hills($35-$63; 513-735-4653, stonelickhills.com), 15 miles east in Batavia.
What's New This Month?
Indian Wells Golf Resort (Players Course)
Indian Wells, Calif.
Green fees: $110-$185;
760-346-4653,
indianwellsgolfresort.com
Designer John Fought likens his new creation at Indian Wells Resort to L.A.'s fabled Riviera, but while his Players Course lacks the historical pedigree of Hogan's Alley, it does stack up admirably in terms of beauty and brawn.
Fought's design is a new golf course on the site of an old one. He retained many of the old layout's trees, but replaced most of the lakes with what he calls "California-style barrancas," essentially sand-filled dry ravines dotted with small trees and dense vegetation.
The most dramatic barranca hole may be the gargantuan 626-yard, par-5 9th, but for sheer memorability, the downhill 186-yard 12th takes top honors, thanks to its bunkerframed green and its amazing Eisenhower Mountain vista.
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