Badlands Golf Club was definitely named appropriately. The 27-hole course, located in northwest Las Vegas, has harnessed every element of the Nevada terrain, from natural canyons to deep arroyos and natural washes. What might be seen by anyone else as an arid and desolate landscape has been converted into the ultimate golf challenge at Badlands. But don’t be scared off by the premise – though challenging, Badlands is a golf experience not to be missed, especially for the seasoned golfer.

Set in the beautiful Red Rock Canyons, Badlands is designed by Johnny Miller, a golf architect renowned for his challenging courses. And this is one desert course that will truly test your accuracy with three nine’s called the Diablo, the Desperado, and the Outlaw. Each nine provides the ultimate in target golf; ahead lays the lush green with perhaps a bunker to its side or some water, but should you fail to land the ball on it, you’re forced to navigate a dry earth marked with rocks, arroyos, and desert shrubbery. And should the wind happen to be in force on the day you play, you’re in for a real interesting ride.

While Desperado is a fairly straightforward game of accuracy, Diablo and Outlaw require a little creativity in addition to a good shot, with the ample use of elevation changes on the former and bunkers on the latter. However, many say that Outlaw is the friendliest of the three nines, with more grass and less desert on its holes. Overall, however, no one is calling Badlands easy – the course, however, is memorable, often fun, and definitely worth trying at least once.

Four different sets of tees are available so golfers of any level can play the course, and the course plays at roughly 3,500 yards for each nine from the back tees. Which nines a golfer plays on any particular day is determined by the tee time; usually, the earlier golfers are ascribed to the Diablo and Desperado, which are the originals (Outlaw was added later on). However, with the availability of three different nines, one of the enjoyable aspects of Badlands is that players can get a different golf experience every time they go.

Badlands also offers several nice amenities, such as heating and cooling units in all golf carts to ensure a comfortable game during the winter and summer. The Club also features a large practice facility with a 16-station driving range, as well as unlimited golf balls.