Category: Bullhead City

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Bullhead City Northern Arizona

Laughlin Ranch Golf Club

The Buzz: Laughlin, Nev., offers an economical alternative to the Las Vegas crowd and developers across the river in Bullhead City, Ariz., are hoping that Laughlin Ranch Golf Club can take advantage of that draw despite the pitfalls of a crippling recession. The overall Laughlin Ranch development, which encompassed 12,000 acres and called for 44,000 residential units and four golf courses, was hit hard by the economic downturn. Through 2009, fewer than 500 of the projected 3,000 single-family homes had been built and less than half were occupied. Various components of the project, which were owned by separate entities, were placed into bankruptcy late in 2008. The development has slowly begun to recover and, back at the ranch, it’s business as usual for the golf course.

#1 Hole at Laughlin Ranch
Dave Druzisky created the 7,297-yard layout that features three 600-yard-plus par-5 holes, including the monstrous 11th, which stretches to 650 yards and plays uphill. When the course opened, it kicked things off by hosting a national long-drive competition and those competitors might be the only bashers who could reach the 11th green in two pokes. The course takes advantage of an elevated setting in the Black Mountains, with holes perched on ridge lines, running through deep arroyos and offering picturesque views of the Colorado River and Laughlin’s casino strip, particularly on the back nine. Rolling fairways and undulating greens add to the challenge, and golfers will find that the course plays dramatically different depending on their choice of the five tee boxes. The course also offers an impressive, 35,000-square-foot clubhouse, which includes a swimming pool, full spa, state-of-the-art fitness center and classes, and a full-service restaurant featuring tasty Southwestern cuisine.

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Bullhead City Mohave Valley Northern Arizona

Desert Lakes Golf Course

Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Golf Course Buzz: Desert Lakes is one of four courses in the immediate vicinity of Fort Mohave, Bullhead City, and Laughlin, Nevada. The area has a rich territorial history and has undergone significant growth in recent years, due largely to the expansion of the casino hotels in Laughlin, located on the Nevada side of the Colorado river. The river flows through the Fort Mojave Indian Reservation, a parcel that covers 42,000 acres in Arizona, Nevada and California where the three states intersect.

Desert Lakes, which opened in 1989, was designed by the father-son team of Bob E. Baldock and Robert L. Baldock, who were prominent course architects in the Southwest. The layout is characterized by narrow, undulating fairways, medium-sized greens, three lakes and some nice views of surrounding mountains. It has three sets of tees at 6,569, 6,267 and 5,440 yards.

The par-72 layout is rated at 70.5 with a slope of 119, which suggests plenty of birdie opportunities and that is the case. All of the par-5s are reachable in two shots, with the third hole, at 525 yards from the back tee, being the longest on the course.

The par 3s offer varying distances of 190, 163, 169 and 210 yards. One unusual feature is that the first hole, a par 4 of 421 yards, is the No. 1 handicap hole.

Highlights of the course are the ninth and 18th holes, with water coming into play on both. No. 9 is a 410-yard par 4 with a lake guarding the left side of the green and end of the fairway. The 18th is a good finishing hole, a 510-yard par 5 with lakes squeezing both sides of the fairway on a dogleg left.

Other amenities at Desert Lakes, which is managed by Eagle Golf, include a driving range, practice green and snack shop. Its relatively flat terrain makes this an easily walkable course. There are two casinos on the reservation and plenty more in nearby Laughlin.

Significant history in this locale includes – the surrounding area was established as Camp Colorado in 1859, abandoned by the Union Army two years later for fear of Confederate forces in the area, and subsequently re-garrisoned in 1863 to protect travelers and cultivate friendly relations with Indian tribes. The fort was turned over to the Indian Service in 1890 and later became part of the reservation.

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Bullhead City Northern Arizona

Chaparral Country Club

Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Golf Course Buzz: This is basic golf, with few frills, at the first course built in Bullhead City, Arizona, a sister city to the gambling town of Laughlin, located on the Nevada side of the Colorado River, about seven miles to the west.

Chaparral Golf and Country Club, designed by Jack Foster, is a nine-hole course that opened in 1970 and has two tees on each hole to help create more of an 18-hole feel. It’s a traditional design with water coming into play on two of the nine holes. With 2 loops, the course plays to par 64 for men at 4,626 yards with a rating of 62.1 and slope of 98. Women play to par 65 at 4,614 yards with a rating of 65.2 and slope of 103.

Menacing the first shot of the day is a lake, the rarest of hazards in this desert environment. It threatens the tee shot at the first, a 301-yard par 4, and then returns to demand a full carry to the green on the fourth hole, a 133-yard par 3.

The signature hole is the par-4 third, which also is the longest on the course at 388 yards. It features a sharp dogleg left, two large bunkers guarding each side of the fairway, and two more bunkers protecting each side of the green.

Chaparral has a short-game practice area and putting green, a clubhouse that includes full-service dining for breakfast and lunch, and a swimming pool adjacent to the clubhouse. Chaparral is a course that won’t put a big dent in your wallet as green fees here are among the lowest in the area.

Read the Arizona Golf Course Directory AZGA Buzz for every golf course in Arizona at www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory/; it’s “All Things Arizona Golf” from the Arizona Golf Authority.