Stallion Mountain Country Club, Secretariat, CLOSED 2009

Stallion Mountain Country Club is a Private, 18 hole golf course located in Las Vegas, Nevada. At one time this was a 54 hole facility consisting of three (3) 18-hole courses: Citation, Man O'War, and Secretariat. 36 of the holes, The Citation Course and The Man O'War Course, were closed in 2004 and sold for primarily residential development. The remaining 18 hole course comprises the majority of the original Secretariat course.

Stallion Mountain golf course first opened for play in 1995. The par-72 course was designed by Jeff Brauer and Jim Colbert

Las Vegas is studded with high-end golf courses, all claiming to offer high rollers the best golf experience they have ever had. Stallion Mountain Country Club sort of delivers on that claim - with an asterisk. The asterisk being that it is a "private" club, but can be played by the average golfer who goes to Sin City in a large group that books the course for an outing.

Stallion Mountain is run by golf course management company EAGL Golf - in conjunction with Walters Golf - which has agreements with several "preferred partner" hotels for such outings. Once a 54-hole facility, Stallion Mountain Country Club now consists of one 18-hole, sub-7,300 yard course named Secretariat - the Man O' War and Citation courses were closed in 2004.

Located about 20 minutes east of The Strip, Stallion Mountain Country Club's Secreteriat course was the brainchild of noted Champions Tour golfer Jim Colbert and architect Jeff Brauer. The course lies within a gated community and the ultra-modern clubhouse and amenities are first rate. Stallion Mountain was built with the corporate set and wealthy retirees in mind but it is not all that memorable if you are looking for the "Wow!" factor.

As a high-end course, Stallion Mountain Country Club is well-groomed with fairly wide open fairways and rough cut short enough to find those wayward shots. This is not a desert course, but rather a track located within a residential development, so if houses lining a few fairways are bothersome this course may not be to your liking. Most of the hazards at Stallion Mountain are man-made with a few carries over the five lakes that populate the course. Mid to high handicappers get a bit of break on yardage compared to the 7,223 yard championship tees. Breaks come in the form of 400 yards (back) tees and 1,000 yards (middle) tees. Beginners enjoy an even bigger break of over 1,600 yards, but the course still plays fairly long for them too. At 7,223 yards the course rating is 73.6 with a slope rating is 127.

The par-5s and par-3s at Stallion Mountain are all better than average in length, especially when a 280-yard drive on some of the par-5s still leaves a long and tough shot in to make the green in regulation. The par-3 5th is the signature hole, where you have to stick a 218-yard shot (from the tips) onto a two-tiered green fronted by a picturesque pond and guarded by bunkers at the back.

However, the par-5s are not to be feared too much for difficulty as the four highest handicap holes are on the par-4s. The two hardest are at the turn on the 9th (428 yards from the championship tees) and coming in at the 18th (452 yards). Getting around the course on a hot day is eased by the use of carts but the layout of the holes leaves a lot to be desired. There is a glaring lack of directional signs pointing golfers to their next tee block - definitely something that should be sorted out.

There are 90 bunkers placed throughout the course, most of which are quite soft and getting a ball out is not that difficult. Tee stations are well-kept and equipped with accurate yardage markers. The pace of play is good - after all golf carts are used - and the beer cart personnel keep everyone well-watered along the way.

Golfers can hit unlimited balls on the range, practice their putting and chipping and sand trap play around a couple of practice greens. Carts are provided as part of the green fee, but don't come equipped with GPS - so you have to determine yardage the old fashioned way with on-course markers. Out-of-state private golf club members can also inquire with EAGL Golf about a reciprocal agreement for play.

Stallion Mountain Country Club, The Secretariat Course closed in 2009.