With a convention out in Las Vegas this past week, some work and casual friends joined together and we ventured out to the adventure ride that is Cascata. Our original plan was to get on to Shadow Cre... Continue »

With a convention out in Las Vegas this past week, some work and casual friends joined together and we ventured out to the adventure ride that is Cascata. Our original plan was to get on to Shadow Creek but it was sold out for months to come, so the next option was definitely this unique gem up in the mountains around Boulder City, well off the beaten path. We arrived early to take full advantage of all the nice amenities that are required to justify the very high cost for this bucket list experience. You've heard it all before - valet service, locker room customization, the indoor waterfall, the top-notch service from start to finish - and it's all more or less true. The cart barn is a wonder as well, like a Disneyland ride, and the carts are top shelf. The practice areas are tremendous and it's one other reason to arrive early to take full advantage of the facilities, and of course to watch some big horn sheep grazing on the range as you try to avoid smacking them with wayward shanks. There's a large putting green as well and two chipping areas that are a nice simulation of what you'll find around many of the greens. We also got some solid tips from our caddy and off we went with our afternoon tee time in very hot and later windy conditions. Cascata is a course of extremes. There are perhaps two or three 'flat' holes at most here. All the rest are either extreme uphill or downhill with no shortage of intimidating carries over desert waste areas. There are some unique water features on a lot of the holes with some creeks bordering many of the fairways and even some waterfalls coming right out of the surrounding mountains. Some of the sightlines at Cascata are amazing, with my favorite being the par 5 16th with its sliver of fairway crawling up the canyon's edge. The 18th is a tremendous closing hole that does absolute justice to the rest of the course. There are some long treks between holes so walking is definitely not an option. There is also no return to the clubhouse until all 18 holes are completed, but there is of course top notch cart service throughout the round and it's well-stocked every few holes with water and snack stations and restrooms - something you would certainly expect for the price being paid here. Now I would love to give all the conditions a perfect 10, but unfortunately I can't do that. It doesn't take away much from the experience overall, but it was a little disappointing from an aesthetics POV to see many of the greens suffering from damage. They rolled overall just fine but optically there's a lot of work that can be done. I'm sure it's just incredibly difficult to keep them looking like Augusta in the extreme desert weather, but honesty matters. They were still very quick and there are a lot of difficult but not gimmicky reads to make. I just wished they looked better. Fairways and rough on the other hand were in pretty perfect shape from tee to green on every single hole. There's really not a single complaint to make there. It was an absolute joy hitting pure shots off the lush carpet. Amazingly I managed to avoid every bunker but one on hole 9, but there the sand was quite perfect and I never heard a single complaint from my playing partners about the others so I'll assume they were the same. Most of the tee boxes were in excellent shape with the exception of some of the heavily cut up par 3s that showed some trouble spots. But all were level and you could always find the right surface to hit from for the day. We played from the blue tees, by the way. POP was great and we never waited on a single hole, however we were quite deliberate and there was a threesome behind us that we flirted with letting them pass us, but it never became so apparent they were in a rush and we always carved out space time and time again throughout the round. Our caddy was a seasoned pro and was definitely a helpful piece to the puzzle that is Cascata. The bottom line? This is a bucket list stop without a doubt but I'd be wary of paying top dollar again for the experience. I think this is definitely a premium course that every golfer should take in at least once, but I've no doubt the high price point will keep a lot of golfers selecting other options. If they could somehow get the price down to the $250 range then I guarantee a lot more would visit and even more come back for more. But the cost aside, it's a truly momentous day of golf that I hope everyone gets to try out soon.