In the mid-1980s, Ronald Boedekker’s imagination ran wild as he looked down upon the Nevada desert from his helicopter window. Hovering above a vast desert landscape, he envisioned a large body of water surrounded by a five-star resort destination that featured mountains, homes, golf courses, premier hotels, restaurants and boutiques—a rich desert oasis outside of nearby Las Vegas. That vision came to fruition in 1987 when the groundbreaking for Lake Las Vegas Resort began.

Staying true to its name, the resort was to be built around a large, 320-acre lake, a spectacular—and usable—water feature. This massive undertaking was supported by a substantial dam that took more than two years to build and reaches 18 stories tall.

Twenty years later, Lake Las Vegas Resort has become an internationally recognized residential and vacation destination with build-out continuing for another eight years at a total cost of $7 billion.

The setting couldn’t be more ideal—a backdrop of low-lying mountains, a crystal blue lake and the natural splendor of the desert floor. Two Jack Nicklaus designs, SouthShore Golf Club and Reflection Bay Golf Club, meet with The Falls Golf Club, a Tom Weiskopf design, to create a well-rounded golf experience. New for 2008, Rainbow Canyon Golf Club designed by Tom Fazio will stretch from the lake’s shoreline to the Rainbow Garden Geological Preserve. 
 

GARY PRIMM

Primm Valley is the brainchild of Gary Primm who took a barren desert locale and made it a golf destination, complete with two world-class Tom Fazio courses. “Creating the Primm courses goes hand-in-hand with the public’s expectation level,” said course designer Tom Fazio. “In the case of Primm Valley, we had a large site but at the time it was considered fairly remote. We had to create a product people would come the distance to play with such quality and uniqueness that people would come back—that’s the reason we have these two unique courses.”

  The side-by-side courses couldn’t be more different. The Lakes is flush with abundant greenery, waterfalls, streams and lakes, and wide open fairways; while the Desert features terrain typical of the landscape such as cacti and dry grasses. Either way, it’s hard to go wrong.