AZGA Arizona Golf Buzz: Valle Vista, a semi-private course near Kingman, lies just off of historic Route 66 and offers a combination of playability and affordability set against the backdrop of the picturesque Hualapai Mountains.
Designed by Fred Bolton, the club welcomes public play, providing four sets of tees, ranging from 4,998 to 6,266 yards and plays at par 72. From the tips, it is rated at 68.7 with a slope of 117.
It opened in 1975 in the Valle Vista residential community, which is the newest of those along the historic travel route. Even without signs you will know when you’ve found it because of the curve in the highway that never seems to end.
From Truxton Wash Bridge, it continues for seven miles and the community boasts that it is the longest continuous curve on any U.S. highway. That would be apropos because the longest running stretch of Route 66 runs through Kingman, which celebrates the “Mother Road” with an annual “Fun Run,” during which hundreds of classic cars travel from Seligman to Topock.
Being a relatively short course, Valle Vista offers plenty of birdie opportunities for golfers who can avoid the hazards, including about 50 bunkers in play and water on nine holes. The par 5s in particular are ripe for picking at 490, 485, 505 and 485 yards from the tips.
Move up one set of tees and the longest hole becomes the 18th at 472 yards. The course starts strong with a par 4 of 378 yards and the par-3 seventh can be a handful at 200 yards with water in play.
Smallish greens place a premium on approach-shot accuracy. Valle Vista has full practice facilities with a driving range, putting green, chipping and sand bunker areas, and its clubhouse has a full bar and restaurant.
Kingman is an historic town, which began as a small camp settlement for railroad workers and was named after Lewis Kingman, who surveyed land along the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad right of way. Its population exploded when gold was discovered in the area in 1900, and the building of Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, which created Lake Mead, created another boost.
One of the great things about playing golf in this area is that there is a lot to see and do nearby after the final putt drops. Short day trips will take you north to Hoover Dam and on to Las Vegas, south to the London Bridge, now located in Lake Havasu City, AZ, or northeast to Arizona’s treasured Grand Canyon National Park.