Las Vegas Paiute (Snow Mountain)

When discussing Dye-dedicated destinations, one cannot forget the public-access trove that exists just north of Las Vegas: The Paiute Golf Resort features 54 holes, all designed by Pete Dye, along with his son Perry and his niece, Cynthia Dye-McGarey. The first of those three courses to appear is now known as Snow Mountain.

Although considerably shorter than The Wolf, Snow has in some cases simply replaced the need for distance with the need for strategy. For example, both nos. 7 and 13 offer a chance to go for the green from the tee — by carrying a series of bunkers and a desert waste, respectively — but that doesn’t mean golfers should. This design strategy keeps scoring possibilities equal for those of lesser distance, even if the overall yardage seems short.

The resort also advertises the par threes at this 18 as the best on the property...a bold claim. Still, the 7,100 yards from the tip offer plenty of challenge for the average golfer, and a series of lakeside holes create the potential for disaster from any set of tees.

The third course at Paiute is its other "mountain" course: Sun Mountain.