Boulder City Magazine is a monthly publication full of information about Boulder City and Southern Nevada. Boulder City Magazine features the Boulder City Home Guide, a real estate guide to Boulder City and Southern Nevada.

Cover Story
by Bob Conrad, Golf Course Manager
Boulder City Golf Course and Boulder Creek Golf Club

Golf Boulder City
Golf in the Las Vegas area didn’t begin with a fancy casino-supported course. No, the incredible golf that we see today began, as much of the modern history of this region, with the desires of the men and women who built Hoover Dam. They craved recreational opportunities, and it was left up to the City of Boulder City, Nevada to build the first “playable” golf course in Clark County. Playing on a sand-based course (after all, irrigation came after the Dam was built), they just flattened out a teeing area, “cleared” the brush for a fairway by hand, added oil and a rake to smooth out a putting surface (couldn’t really call them greens, could they?) and golf was born in the Eldorado Valley. The course wasn’t very long, but it didn’t have to be because there wasn’t much roll on those sandy “fairways”. But spending time with family and friends and enjoying the scenic views of the valley and the towering mountains was just fine for these first residents of Boulder City.


In the late 1960's, a group of golf loving Boulder citizens talked the town into building a regulation nine-hole course. The City decided to go first-class, hiring acclaimed architects David Rainville and Billy Casper to design and lay out the first nine holes. With Boulder City staffers and about 300 residents working hand-in-hand, literally, the Boulder City Golf Course officially opened in 1973 and quickly became famous throughout the Las Vegas Valley for its fast greens and quality golf experience. In 1984, the City opened the second nine-holes, stretching the original golf course to a 6600-yard, par 72 layout that provides a haven not just for golfers, but native plants, abundant trees and several integral water features as well.



What it might lack in pure yardage, Boulder City Golf Course makes up for in challenging shot-making opportunities. Unlike many of the other courses in the Valley, Boulder City is a more traditional-style layout with a park-like feel. How many area courses boast of their tree-lined fairways? You'll find them at Boulder City Golf course, with water coming into play on 7 holes and smooth, fast greens.

There are 180 acres of turf for the golfer to play. The fairway width is generous, but if you stray from the short grass, the rye/fescue rough can be a challenge. There are seven par-4s of nearly 400 yards, a 569-yard par-5 and several risk/reward type holes. The eighth hole is a 273-yard par-4 with two lakes and a stream that surrounds the green. Big hitters can elect to try to drive the green, but for most of us, the smart call is a lay-up and a difficult approach to a two-tier green. The back nine has been upgraded to include streams that meander in front of the twelfth green and along the fairways of the thirteenth and fourteenth holes with lakes on each of those holes. A large lake was installed in front of the seventeenth green placing a premium on the shot to the medium par-3. The Boulder City Golf Course is a wonderful alternative to the Las Vegas Valley golf course style. After your round, visit their 5,000-square-foot clubhouse that not only has a full-service pro shop, but a bar and grill and impressive banquet and catering functions.

The Boulder City Golf Course was voted the “The Best Golf Course for under $100.00” in 2002 and “Best Bargain Golf Course" in 2003 and 2004 by the Vegas Golfer Magazine.

Twenty some-odd years ago when Mark Rathert was part of the Benz & Poellot design team creating 27 holes for Gainey Ranch Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, he helped design and landscape each nine with a different theme: lake, dunes, and arroyo (dry washes and canyons).

When he got the job to build the new 27-hole layout for the City of Boulder City, he revived the idea, but this time he did it himself, and even better for visiting golfers. He mixed the three themes into all three nines at Boulder Creek Golf Club so golfers could enjoy oasis, desert, and arroyo holes regardless of which nine they played.

Boulder Creek Golf Club opened in January of 2003 and has become one of the best of the new premier courses in the Southwest. Rathert's three-look concept offers variety hard to find anywhere in the Las Vegas Valley. The oasis-themed holes feature palm trees, beach bunkers, lakes and waterfalls. The arroyos are artfully woven into the fabric of the course. The desert holes are bordered by the area's unique soft, playable sand. There are no blind shots, no hidden hazards, just 7,400 yards of great golf at great rates.

Ever since the Boulder City Golf Course proved a success, city leaders have envisioned a one-of-a-kind, world-class golf facility that would provide great golf programs, lessons and affordable recreation south of Las Vegas. That vision has been accomplished in the Boulder Creek Golf Club. Whether you are a local resident, visitor to the area, resort guest, local tournament coordinator, junior golfer, or major event coordinator, you're in for a treat at this world-class, yet public facility.

The Clubhouse at the Boulder Creek is a true oasis in the desert. It is home to a well-stocked Golf Shop; the Creekside Restaurant that's open for breakfast, lunch and dinner; a full bar; and a full service coffee shop. The Golf Shop supports a computer-driven handicap service and the men's and women's locker rooms. The full banquet facility at the Boulder Creek Golf Club is available to host tournaments, corporate outings, banquets and weddings. The area media has certainly sat up and taken notice. Las Vegas Magazine has voted it the “Best New Golf Course in Las Vegas” in 2003 and “Best Bargain Golf Course”.


Boulder Creek and the Boulder City Golf Course can be a special value played together and often, through the Golf Boulder City Card. The card offers discounted greens-fees, special deals on merchandise, free practice balls every time you play, tournaments and access to guest passes. Find out more about the Card or make tee-times online through the city's golf Web site, www.golfbouldercity.com, or you can call either Golf Shop to make your arrangements. Boulder City Golf Course can be reached at 702-293-9236 and Boulder Creek at 702-294-6534.




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