|
DragonRidge Golf Course - Las Vegas golf course
DragonRidge is a private, gated community and as the gates open to allow access into the area, a rock formation high atop one of the mountains explains how the course got its name. The ridges along the mountain appear like the ridges along a dragon's back.
The golf course opened in May 2000 with a temporary clubhouse and its permanent 28,000-square-foot building is due to open next summer. Even with the temporary clubhouse, DragonRidge has already played host to some prestigious events and garnered accolades for its pristine conditions.
Tiger Woods has hosted two of his Tiger Jam events at DragonRidge and the course is the site of this year's Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge. The challenge between the PGA, LPGA and Senior PGA players is scheduled for Nov. 5 at the course and will be televised Dec. 21 and 22 on ABC.
"I think it's a great honor we've been selected for these events," said Cliff Lawson, director of golf at DragonRidge. "I know I'm a little biased but I think our course is one of the top three or four in the valley."
The course was designed by the team of Jay Morrish and David Druzisky who decided to use the mountains natural terrain and carve the course through the hills and valleys.
"It was fun to design a golf course and be able to put golfers through a host of different experiences," said Druzisky, who has worked on courses with legendary designers Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Bob Cupp. "I think the course plays like a storyline, through the front nine with the water elements to the back nine with the more challenging holes and rugged topography."
The front nine at DragonRidge features a par-3 second hole that can be measured anywhere from 235 yards from the back tees to 155 yards from the forward tees. But the elevation change from the tee box to the green makes the hole play a lot shorter.
The elevated tee boxes on the second hole are carved into the lava rock covered mountains and can be a hike for those playing the back tees. The tee box is the highest elevated point on the 18-hole course and offers outstanding views of the Las Vegas Valley.
"Despite its length, the hole is extremely fair," Lawson said. "The tees are elevated so it plays shorter than it's actual length and the green and the surrounding area are generous."
|
