Cascata: More than words can say!
Set into the natural landscape of the Boulder City, Nevada Red Mountains, Cascata Golf Club is a castle-like golf oasis like you’ve never experienced before. Featuring a private driveway and gated entryway, Cascata welcomes you with a jaw-dropping view and a 37,000 square foot clubhouse. The lobby features a gourmet restaurant capable of serving up to 200 guests, complete with an elegant pool table room and a great view of the practice facilities. A river runs through the lobby underneath the building’s foundation and provides a fantastic atmosphere to guests. Cascata has won numerous awards and accolades, including being named the #2 best course in the entire state of Nevada. If you are looking for a once-in-a-lifetime experience playing golf at a castle on the mountain, Cascata will go above and beyond to make sure you have an unforgettable trip.
As we drove up to the clubhouse, we were greeted by the valet and prompted for the make and model of our car. The valet is complementary at the course, so you can drive right up to the front and they will take it off your hands and have it waiting when you are done. A separate greeter escorted us into the clubhouse and towards the men’s locker room to show us “our lockers.” I didn’t know what to expect from the course, so I wasn’t quite sure what he meant.
No problem taking a full swing in my Chase 54 golf polo
As we entered the locker room, I noticed each locker area featured a flat screen TV tuned to the golf channel (of course). I also noticed that we had our names engraved into the plaques on the front of the lockers. “Our lockers” was now making more sense. I definitely did not expect my name to be on a locker, so that small attention to detail really made a big difference in my first impression. I was excited to get ready since I had just gotten some new apparel from Chase 54 Golf Apparel. The golf polo from their Ledger line is excellent quality and the Dryfuze material ended up breathing great throughout my round!
The Hallway Leading to the Locker Room Where “Your” locker awaits
After we were ready, I decided to have a look around the locker room to see what else it had to offer. The room was beautifully decorated and featured full showers equipped with soap and fresh towels. The showers each had a floor-to-ceiling locking door to ensure your privacy. The sink area consisted of everything from shaving cream, razors, toothbrushes, mouthwash, lotion and more. There was also a flat screen TV between the sinks just in case you want to watch TV while you clean yourself up!
As we made our way out to check in at the golf shop, we treated ourselves to the complementary breakfast cart equipped with coffee, fruit, and breakfast pastries. The golf shop is an open floor plan as a section of the grand lobby and the sound of a flowing river can be heard from everywhere throughout the room. It featured many high-quality items including all the major name brands with some brandishing course logos.
Cascata pro shop: A river runs through it
After checking in we made our way down the stairs to our golf cart. Waiting there was our own personal caddie, Chris Curran, who greeted us and welcomed us to the Cascata experience. We then headed out through the automatic doors to the practice facilities. The driving range faced up the mountain away from the valley and featured a 418-foot waterfall as a backdrop. The range balls were supplied there for you along with an alignment stick, which you can take home for future practice and a memento from your round. The facility also featured sizable putting and chipping areas nearby the driving range, which sat alongside the “Cascata Hedge.” Putting is crucial at Cascata so I suggest getting to know the speed and break! Hint: Greens slope towards the valley.
Once we felt nice and warm, we headed to the first tee. The course was very exclusive as there were not many other groups set to play that day. It was definitely noticeable in the pace of play, which is a subtle but appreciated aspect of playing a round of golf.
The first hole starts you out nice and easy with a short par 4 up the mountain. I suggest taking more club rather than less as the slope up the mountain is deceivingly uphill and will cut distance off your drive. Your assigned caddie will help you out with yardages and account for the slope throughout your round, all you have to do is execute the shot (easy right?). The advice we received was to hit the approach long or else the false front will wash it back into the fairway.
Par-5 3rd Hole
Most of the front nine is facing up the mountain with 175-yard approach shots playing 210 (again, your caddie will tell you what yardage to play it). One of the few downhill holes on the front nine was the Par-5 3rd hole. The tee shot is the highest point of the golf course and displays a beautiful view of the Boulder City valley.
Par-3 7th Hole
My favorite hole on the front nine was definitely the par-3 7th hole. The green is carved into the mountain and the approach is from an elevated tee box. A river runs along the left side and down around the front of the green, so you must get the distance exactly right. The wind must have picked up as I hit my shot long into the back river (just kidding, I bladed it).
What goes up must come down, as this proves true when approaching the back nine. Most of the holes feature elevated tee shots back down the mountain, requiring less club but more accuracy. The fairways are somewhat wide, but the elevation will exacerbate any miss, most likely resulting in grabbing a new ball (it’s tough to find/play errant shots here).
One of my favorite holes on the back nine was the par 4 14th hole. The waterfall behind the tee boxes feeds a creek, which runs along the right side of the fairway and empties into a green-side lake. Although not a long hole, the tee box is slightly elevated into a narrow fairway with trouble on both sides, making this hole tricky to score on. In the afternoon, the wind comes into play on approach so you must adjust your club accordingly.
As we approached the Par-5 16th hole, Chris began to tell us an interesting story about when the course designers first surveyed the land. When they came to the now 16th hole’s location, they discovered that a woman had been living in a cave in the mountain for years. Due to squatter’s rights in the state of Nevada, the investors had to buy her out in order to use the land as their own.
As you make your way towards the fairway, make sure to ask your caddie to point out the cave where she was living. You can see where she built a rock wall for shelter, and the cave apparently ventures deep into the mountain and features multiple levels. Chris called the top level her “sky deck” or “balcony.” Chris is also a prairie dog whisperer, and as he clapped and clicked, the furry little critters appeared out of numerous rocks and bushes to get cookie crumbs. One of them even ate out of his hand!
Par-4 14th Hole
Another favorite hole of mine on the back nine was the par-5 18th hole. Similar to the par-4 14th hole, the 18th is a dogleg left with a creek along the left side, crossing over the middle of the fairway, and emptying into a front green-side lake. Driver might be too much here off the tee, unless you try to cut the dogleg, which Chris did not recommend. For most, this hole will play as a 3-shot par 5, as the approach shot over the lake is dangerous. There is nothing wrong with laying up!
Next trip to Vegas Be sure to play Cascata
Cascata
(Overall Rating 4 ¾ stars out of 5)
Overall, Cascata Golf Club was not just a round of golf, but an entire experience. From the moment you walk in and are led to the locker room, you know that your visit will be different from anything you have experienced. Our caddie Chris Curran did an amazing job of showing us a good time while not taking the round too seriously. It was more than just playing golf; it was an adventure. Each hole had its own unique feel to it and were all almost completely secluded from one another. The attention to detail is what really made this experience stick out from all the others. Things like engraving your name into the locker and giving you an alignment stick are just a few examples. I will definitely be back to Cascata Golf Club for an experience unlike any other. Cascata not only ranked a near perfect 5 stars but it was good enough to break into the Golf Aficionado Top 10. Make sure the next time you head to Vegas you include a round at Cascata, we can’t imagine going there again without paying them a visit.