Bring some balls! No. 3 at Eagle Valley West is one tough hombre. After two relatively short par fours to work your way comfortably into a round, this par 5 comes at you head-on. Visually intimidating from the tee, the view is just an accurate harbinger of shots to come. The tee shot must carry a barancca that angles away the entire left side to a strip of fairway with a long bunker along the far right. Nail one toward safety from any of the tees: the 566 yard golds, 517 blues, 486 whites and 457 reds and you’re still hoping for a landing in the lush, green carpet of fairway surrounded by the Nevada terrain of sagebrush and desert – the home of the lost ball. A solid drive will leave you a difficult club selection for an uphill lay-up. Take it toward the bunker on the far right edge of the fairway or just a bit left? Time to hit it straight because either way the end of the fairway gets narrow and begins to slope downward to your next barancca. From 120 yards out a player needs to loft a third shot farther uphill to carry the 90-yard chasm of more high desert terrain. Add a club as long is much better than short, as usual. Chunk it and you’re gone. A teasing strip of grass about 10 yards deep fronts the green on the other side and serves as a beacon of direction – and hope from sagebrush travails. A large, back to front sloping green has bunkers to the left, right and in back so your work is not yet done. A pause to look back down the fairway presents one of the best holes in the area. To many, golf’s appeal is its reflection of life. No. 3 could be a rough day!

The theme continues at the par 3, 13th. The continuity of Eagle Valley West remains intact as you near the far end of the course: more sagebrush, desert and another challenging carry over the elements. With tee choices from 211 yards, 162 or 155, or 140, this is another enjoyable hole. A short that carries this chasm but falls short of the green will leave a straight uphill shot to a blind pin on another back to front sloping green. Bunkers short left and along the right add to the need for accuracy near the green. Another large green is receptive to tee balls, but Hot tip: do NOT go past the pin. Downhillers here are destined to come in threes as it’s almost impossible to stop. Even a lightly brushed stroke off the toe is no guarantee. Another strong hole at one of the area’s top courses.