Casablanca Golf Club

Location: 1100 W. Hafen Lane, Mesquite, Nev.

Directions: Leave I-15 at second Mesquite exit, turn left onto Mesquite Blvd., turn right at Riverside Rd., turn right at Hafen Lane.

Director of Golf: Dan Griffin

Superintendent: Craig Justus

Course designer: Cal Olson

Year opened: 1994

Cost: $40 with cart in summer with various packages in connection with the hotel. Around $100 in winter.

Reservations: 866-401-6022, 120 days in advance

Easiest time to get on: After 10 a.m., it's not too busy in the summer. Sunday is the least busy day.

Course record: Bill Lunde 62

Course description: As you head to Las Vegas, you'll see several golf courses in Mesquite. CasaBlanca might be the most noticeable, the flat course that meanders along the Virgin River on the south side of town. It's a links-style golf course with a lot of vegetation that winds through the Virgin Valley. The layout is pretty straightforward, no hidden hazards or holes that require long carries. Most of the greens are fairly flat without a lot of undulations. This may not be the best time to play the course weather-wise, but it's popular in October and November and from January to June.

Fun fact: The course and nearby hotel were originally called Players Island before switching in 1996. In keeping with the casino theme, the tees are not named by colors, rather by playing card suits. The back tees are Double Spades at 7,036 yards, followed by Spades, Clubs, Diamonds and Hearts at 5,209 yards.

Holes to remember: No. 8 is the signature hole, a pretty par-3 with a lake along the right side and a waterfall behind the green. No. 5 might be the hardest, a long par 4 with an alternate risk-reward route that shortens the hole, but requires a longer carry off the tee. The 17th is a reachable par-5 with fairway bunkers on the left and a fairway that narrows considerably near the green.

— Mike Sorensen