Southland Focus

A weekly look at public courses of interest to Southern California golfers.

PRIMM VALLEY

Address: 1-15 on the California-Nevada border, Primm, Nev.

Green fees: $60-$90

Tee Times: Three weeks in advance

(800) 386-7867

*

The facility: This Tom Fazio-designed course, which is on the California side of the border off I-15, about 40 miles from Las Vegas, is a golf oasis in the desert. It opened in February 1997. The adjacent Desert Course, also designed by Fazio, is expected to open today. There are package deals available with the nearby resorts.

The good: A spectacular layout. There are four sets of tees, so pick your spot carefully. Plenty of water (it’s called the Lakes, remember?) with ponds and streams all over the place and a postcard waterfall guarding the par-three 12th (a 234-yarder from the black tees. Good

luck). No. 2 is a scenic par five that doglegs around a lake. The holes are challenging without being unfair. Lush fairways.

The bad: OK, it’s not exactly convenient, being about 230 miles from downtown Los Angeles. The greens in late April, while true, were a strange combination of hard and slow. You’ll want to play as early in the day as possible, before the afternoon winds.

The score: If the weather is good, golf doesn’t get much better than this. The course is championship caliber, 6,945 yards from the longest of four sets of tees, and the people are helpful and friendly (without being annoying). Well worth the drive.

*

Overall course rating: Four balls

*

One ball--No-frills golf.

Two balls--Worth an occasional round.

Three balls--Like shooting four strokes under your handicap.

Four balls--Where the golf gods play.

*--*

Back Middle Front Hole Tees Par Tees 1 402 4 300 2 508 470 5 408 3 386 371 4 290 4 346 341 4 325 5 337 309 4 260 6 166 153 3 118 7 540 508 5 424 8 430 400 4 370 9 182 171 3 134 Out 3,297 3,092 36 2,629 10 318 297 4 247 11 509 485 5 413 12 218 190 3 119 13 414 355 4 289 14 317 311 4 262 15 403 379 4 311 16 373 351 4 386 17 157 124 3 96 18 438 424 4 386 In 3,147 2,916 35 2,390 Total 6,444 6,008 71 5,019

*--*

Rating/Slope: Back--71.5/126, Middle--69.3/120, Front--69.1/118