The Chase Course at PGA Golf Club Coyote Springs, Coyote Springs, Nevada a Jack Nicklaus Course Said to Be One of His Finest Desert Creations

The Chase Course at the PGA Golf Club Coyote Springs is the first in a series of Jack Nicklaus-designed courses for the Coyote Springs planned residential community. Both the course and the community are so isolated, it's been said that anyone making the 50-mile trek north from Las Vegas would be likely to encounter more coyotes than people along the way.

The course is set amid an arid site ringed with mountains and has been described as a "monument to shot-making.'' Water comes into play on more than half of the layout's 18 holes, and the bunkering and green complexes have been characterized as some of the "most artful'' of Jack's career.'' Overall, the course has been called "one of Nicklaus' finest desert creations.''

The par-72 course plays to a typically long 7,471 yards from the back tees and features firm, fast fairways with extreme undulations, giving the course a feeling of constant motion. Or, as its name implies, of constantly "chasing'' the golfer during a round.

According to Director of Golf, Mike Sizemore, Nicklaus wantedthe course to seamlessly meld into the surrounding scenery. The man-made rock features were created to emulate the mountain backdrops, and the resultmakes you feellike the mountains arejust a nine-iron away, not several miles in the distance as is really the case.

Some of the most noteworthy holes include No. 4, a par-4 that plays to 420 yards and features a "signature view.'' While relatively short, the hole has been described as having "plenty of teeth.'' Off the tee, players must traverse a large body of water to the fairway landing area, which doglegs right and features a large bunker at the curve.

The finishing hole at The Chase is named "All In,'' and is one of the most scenic holes on the course. This par-4 plays to only 375 yards from the Blue tees and features water that cuts in front of the tee boxes, then follows the hole on the right past the green. The carry to a wide landing area is not as daunting as it appears on the tee, but the approach shot to a long, narrow green located right beside the water can be.

Some of the accolades accorded The Chase include being named the #2 Best New Golf course by Golf Digest in 2009, and #3 ranking by GOLF Magazine.

Practice facilities at Coyote Springs are said to be among the largest and most diverse in the world. The facility measures in at 19 acres (with plans to expand it to 32 acres) and features more than 100,000 square feet of tee area, 13 target greens, as well as a short-game area for chipping, pitching and bunker practice. There's also a 10,000-square-foot putting green.