If Golf is your Thing…You’ll Love Pahrump!
Pahrump has many hidden treasures: Beautiful RV Parks, off-highway exploration, hiking, wineries, nearby ghost towns, an excellent museum that captures the history of the area, its proximity to Death Valley in all of its glory… and the list goes on. But one thing some people don’t know about is the access to golf in the desert.
And you don’t have to go to Las Vegas to get excellent golf. You can stay right here in Pahrump. There’s not just one course but three prime golf courses accessible from town; two right in town and a very unique one about an hour away.
Mountain Falls Golf Club 
This top-rated public course has been ranked among the top 25 courses in
several categories. It has been voted as:
Number 3 in the top 25 courses in Nevada
- Number 16 in the top friendliest courses in the U.S.
- Number 24 in the top 25 courses with the best off-course amenities in the U.S.
- Number 5 in the top 25 value courses in the U.S
Not bad for a town with a population of less than 40,000.
It’s a full 18-hole course with the front nine designed by Jack Nicklaus and the back nine by Cal Olsen. The all-rye fairways allow for year-round golf with no need for over-seeding closures like many other courses. They aerate the greens twice a year.
The surrounding mountains add to the majestic ambiance of the course. Enjoy a meal before or after your round at the newly remodeled Grill Room, where you can overlook the beautiful lake and have a bird’s eye view of the mountains and the 10th fairway. You can also stop by “at the turn” and grab something to eat or drink between nines. A beverage cart is available on the course on high occupancy days.
Mountain Falls Golf Club is currently open and following COVID-19 safety precautions. They require one person to a cart unless from the same household. When you arrive at the course, the staff is restricted from providing cart service. They will bring a cart to you but cannot touch your clubs, so you must load them on the cart yourself. Other precautions include thoroughly sanitizing carts after each use, no ball washers or rakes are provided on the course, and the holes have been adjusted to keep the ball from going to the bottom of the cup, allowing for easy retrieval. Flags are not to be removed from the hole. Masks are required when you are inside buildings.
Summer hours are from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm with the first tee time at 7:00. Non-summer hours are from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm with the first tee time at 8:00. Nye and Clark County residences can make reservations seven days in advance and get a discount, while others can book tee times out further.
They have two summer leagues, one for men and one for women. These leagues discontinue in September. Mountain Falls hosts 30-40 groups and outings during the non-summer months when the weather is perfect for a day of golf. Randy Mudge, the head of the golf shop, is a PGA professional and offers lessons throughout the year.
From the tips (the professional tees), the course is 7,082 yards, with a rating of 72.7/129. From the forward tees, it is 5,389 yards, with a rating of 64.2/99 for men and 69.4/124 for women. Also, an additional two middle tees allow golfers of any skill the opportunity to play at this magnificent golf course.
Mountain Falls Golf Club is located at 5001 Clubhouse Drive, Pahrump, NV 9061. Find out more information and book your tee time on their website at https://www.mountainfallsgolfclub.com, or you can call them on 775-537-6553.
Lake View Executive Golf Course
For those golfers who are just learning the game, prefer a shorter course, or don’t have time to spend four or more hours for a golf game, Lake View Executive Golf Course is the answer.
An executive course is shorter than a regular one. There are more par 3 holes and fewer par 4’s and 5’s on these types of courses; thus, it takes less time to play a round of golf. It might allow you to squeeze in a game before or after work or perhaps during an extended lunch hour. It also doesn’t take up as much time on your precious days off.
Lake View is 3,518 yards from the middle tees with a par of 59, a slope of 82, and a rating of 58.6. From the forward tees, the length is 3,222 yards, par is 60, the slope is 80, and the rating is 57.6
It is a public course, but it also offers the following types of memberships:
- single annual
- family annual
- six-month single
- monthly single.
Their hours are 6:30 am to 6:00 pm daily. The course is 18 holes and consists of five par 4’s, thirteen par 3’s and no par 5’s. It’s a shorter course, but it still provides a challenge. William F. Bell designed the course in 1979.
This course has been voted “best executive or midsize course in Nevada.” It is easily walkable, but if you’d rather ride, carts are available too. No clubs? No problem! You can rent clubs if you wish.
Lake View is open but adhering to COVID guidelines to reduce the number of touchpoints and interactions on the course.
A few examples are:
- Golf leagues and tournaments have been temporarily discontinued to avoid large groups
- All guests are asked to pay with a credit call
- When open, practice areas are reduced to 50% capacity
- Ball washers and rakes have been removed from the course
- Every player must have their own clubs
- One player to a cart unless from the same household
- Flags are not to be removed, and the cups have been modified, so balls are easily removed
- All water fountains and coolers have been removed or disabled
- Employees wear gloves and masks, and face coverings are required for golfers when inside buildings
- All surfaces, carts, and range balls and baskets are disinfected after every use
You will find the full list of safety and health practices on their website.
Their tag line is “Fast and Affordable Golf,” while their motto is “Great Golf and Terrific Service – a winning combination found since our opening in 1979.”
The course address is 1471 East Mount Charleston Drive South, Pahrump, NV 89048. For more information or to make reservations, call 775-727-4040 or go to their website at https://www.lakeviewgolfpahrump.com. You can make tee times a week in advance. The only days they are closed are Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The Furnace Creek Golf Course at Death Valley
About an hour’s drive from Pahrump, you’ll discover a very unique course, The Furnace Creek Golf Course at Death Valley. Come and play your lowest golf game here as it lies 214 feet below sea level, the lowest golf course elevation in the world. According to Golf Digest, it’s among America’s top 50 toughest courses.
The drive from Pahrump to the course is part of the adventure as you experience the beauty of Death Valley National Park. The surrounding landscape is something you won’t find anywhere else with its hills, valleys, unique vegetation, desert habitat, unusual rock formations, and sand…lots of sand.
Opened in 1997, Furnace Creek is a Bermuda grass 18-hole course. From the back tees, it is 6,215 yards and has a par of 70, a rating of 69.6, and a slope rating of 114. It is truly an oasis in the middle of the desert.
It was designed by world-renowned Perry Dye, son of another famous course designer, Pete Dye. Dye courses are always challenging and known for their uniqueness and their environmental sensitivity. According to the American Society of Golf Course Architects Association (ASGCA), Perry is “a leader in practical grassing solutions. For example, to conserve water in arid environments, Perry preaches ‘Brown is Beautiful,’ and he, therefore, recommends extremely drought-tolerant grasses and native grasses in out-of-play area.” Death Valley certainly fits that description.
This course has also been designated as a “Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary” by the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System (ACSS), which is the educational division of Audubon international.
Not only is Furnace Creek the lowest course, but it can also get scorching in the summer. In August of this year, the temperature hit a record-breaking high of 130° F. So, the best time of year to play is in the non-summer months. However, some people like to brag about playing golf on the hottest day.
The course hours fluctuate as the heat increases. During the summer months (June-September), tee times start at 6:30 am, and the latest you can go out is 10:00 am. During the season (non-summer months), the tee times begin at 7:00 am, and they are open until sundown, which changes during the year.
The 19th Hole is closed during the summer, but you can enjoy one of their world-famous hamburgers, among other delicious items, a fully stocked bar, and a relaxing open-air atmosphere during the season. And don’t forget to check out the Clubhouse pro shop, an excellent resource for everything golf from tees to tee-shirts with Death Valley logos.
Furnace Creek Golf Course is also following COVID precautions with social distancing, single person in carts unless you drove there together, sanitizing equipment, etc. They are currently planning to have their October Kick-off while following the COVID rules. This includes having tee times instead of a shotgun start.
It’s a fun course to play with lots of fantastic views, unusual holes, and of course, the unique location. One thing to remember while playing this course…you are at 214 feet below sea level. Just like in the high elevations, you take one less club, in this environment, you may want to take one more club to give the ball an extra push.
For additional information, you can go to their website at https://www.oasisatdeathvalley.com/furnace-creek-golf-course/. You can make tee times online, or you can call 760-786-3373. The course address is
328 Greenland Blvd., Death Valley, CA 92328 just off of Highway 190.
