Adventures With Jeff and Sally Pt 2

Falcon Ridge

Sally had Ladies Day on Tuesday, and her partner was a woman from Massachusetts named Brenda, who is something of a pistol. In talking about a mutual acquaintance, she referred to her as a “good Morman. I can cuss in front of her and she doesn’t get upset.”

Meanwhile, Jeff and I ventured over to Mesquite, a 30 minute drive from St George that took us through one of the most amazing stretches of interstate travel that one can imagine. As we left Utah, we crossed a 20-odd mile stretch of Arizona that runs through the Virgin River Gorge and is surrounded by what seems to be mile high mountains of rock.

I-15

We popped out of the gorge and crossed the Nevada border, being greeted by the Mohave Desert and a large sign for the Eureka Casino that loomed over the exit for Mesquite. Nope, we were not in Kansas - or Utah - anymore.

Our tee time was for Falcon Ridge, but prior to that we had breakfast at Wolf Creek, a golf course well know to viewers of the Golf Channel’s The Big Break series. Wolf Creek looks a course that was routed by literally blasting out solid rock formations and then grassing and bunkering its remains. As we peered out the windows overlooking the course, I asked Jeff (who had played it several years ago) what the greens fees were.

“$350,” he grimaced. “And that doesn’t include the psychiatry session afterwards.”

The opening hole at Wolf Creek.

As it turned out, I could have used such a session - along with a deep tissue massage - after we played Falcon Ridge, although the out-of-pocket cost there was a much more manageable $75.

Much like Sky Mountain, the scene of our round on Monday, Falcon Ridge play much longer than its advertised maximum yardage of 6,500 yards, due primarily to the abundance of uphill hole and elevated greens. There are several holes featuring blind shots (aiming poles are stuck in the fairway to guide one’s tee shots), and there are quite a number of water features on the course, including the 10th, which includes a man made creek that bisects the fairway.

The 10th at Falcon Ridge

Speaking of man made water features, one homeowner apparently tired of the practice on the 6th tee:

Oops

As for the round itself - as is sometimes the case, I proved to be better at correcting someone else’s swing flaws than my own. Jeff’s tempo seemed a bit quick to me, something that I pointed out to him when he asked me if I could sense what was happening to produce some wayward shots. He smoothed it out and had a very nice back nine.

As for me? I took some nice photos.