Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Fazio stays on right track with new Primm course

BRIAN HILDERBRAND is a Las Vegas SUN sportswriter. His golf column appears Tuesdays. He can be reached on the Internet at [email protected]

It appears as if Tom Fazio's record will remain intact.

Fazio, the golf course architect who has placed one of his designs in Golf Digest magazine's Best New Courses of the Year listing for seven consecutive years, should make it eight in a row with the opening of his latest course in Primm.

The 18-hole Desert Course at Primm Valley Golf Club, which officially opened to the public last Friday, provides golfers a stiffer challenge than the resort's Lakes Course.

Though not a true target course, the Desert Course places more of a premium on accuracy than the player-friendly Lakes Course. But, like its companion course, the Desert Course features many of the characteristics of a Fazio design. These include including plenty of bunkering, well-guarded greens and multi-tiered, undulating putting surfaces.

Also, like the Lakes Course, several of the Desert Course's fairways feature a "bowl effect" that funnels shots to the center of the fairway -- one of the more attractive features of the original course for the mid- to high handicapper.

Unlike the more wide-open Lakes Course, the Desert Course features more narrow fairways and is rife with trouble. Virtually every fairway is bordered by either thigh-high wheat grass -- from which it is nearly impossible to do anything with an errant shot except punch out -- or desert waste areas.

From the back tees, the Desert Course measures a challenging 7,131 yards and brings many of the fairway bunkers into play. The course shortens to 6,540 yards from the blue tees and 6,085 yards from the white tees. The forward-most tees play to 5,397 yards.

The Primm Valley Golf Club also features one of the best practice facilities of any public course in Southern Nevada with a generous grass-tee driving range, putting green and short-game practice area.

Clark County residents can play the Desert Course for $60 Monday through Friday and $80 on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. The Primmadona Resorts -- Whiskey Pete's, Buffalo Bill's and Primm Valley -- also offer several "stay and play" packages that allows golfers to play at a reduced rate when they stay at one of the properties.

* AROUND THE GREEN: UNLV fans and golf enthusiasts are invited to join Rebels football coach Jeff Horton and men's basketball coach Bill Bayno for their annual golf tournament. The 16th annual UNLV Bayno/Horton Golf Classic will take place on Monday, June 1 at Stallion Mountain Country Club's West Course. The entry deadline is May 27 and the field is limited to 144 players. The individual entry fee is $250 and includes greens fees, cart, tee prizes and a banquet immediately following the event. Proceeds from the tournament go to the UNLV football and men's basketball programs. The tournament format is an 18-hole scramble. Registration will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The shotgun start will take place at 1 p.m. with dinner and awards beginning at 5:30 p.m. Call 895-UNLV for additional information. ... HELP of Southern Nevada is holding its fourth annual Golfers' Roundup golf tournament on Friday, June 19 at Las Vegas National Golf Club. Call 369-4357 for details.

* UPCOMING EVENTS: The PGA Tour remains in Texas this weekend for the MasterCard Colonial at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth. David Frost is the defending champion; the USA cable network and CBS will televise. ... The Senior PGA Tour will stage the Bell Atlantic Classic this weekend at Hartefield National in Avondale, Pa. Bob Eastwood won last year's event; ESPN will televise. ... The LPGA Tour is in Corning, N.Y., for the Corning Classic. Rosie Jones is the defending champion; The Golf Channel will televise. The LPGA Tour also will holds its annual Skins Game this weekend at Stonebriar Country Club in Frisco, Texas. ABC will televise nine holes each on Saturday and Sunday.

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