Painted Desert at Painted Desert Golf Club

Painted Desert Golf Club sits in the northwest Las Vegas valley, opened in 1987 as one of Jay Morrish's early desert designs. The course occupies rugged terrain at the base of the Sheep Range, where natural washes, rock outcroppings, and native vegetation define the playing corridors. Morrish routed the layout to emphasize the property's dramatic elevation changes and desert character, with fairways carved through arroyos and holes that climb and descend across the rocky landscape.

The design reflects the target-style approach common to desert golf of that era, asking players to carry forced carries over natural waste areas while rewarding accurate placement. Several holes play along ridgelines or drop sharply from elevated tees, offering views across the valley toward the Spring Mountains. The bunkering is minimal, as the desert floor itself provides much of the hazard, and greens are typically elevated and well-defended by the surrounding terrain.

Painted Desert operates as a public facility and has served Las Vegas golfers for more than three decades. The course represents an earlier generation of desert golf architecture in the region, predating many of the resort layouts that followed in the 1990s. Its routing takes full advantage of the natural topography, and the setting remains relatively undeveloped compared to courses built closer to the Las Vegas Strip, preserving a sense of isolation and raw desert character.