The Chase at Coyote Springs, Nevada

It was the once iconic Col. John "Hannibal" Smith from the A-Team who famously said "I love it when a plan comes together." In the case of The PGA Golf Club in Coyote Springs, Nevada that phrase should be altered to say, "I LOVE IT WHEN A MASTER PLAN COMES TOGETHER!" The grandiose nature of this master plan seems simple enough - take 43,000 desolate desert acres and turn it into Nevada's third largest city replete with golf courses galore.

"This development really elevates the brand of the second PGA Village in the United States - a western version of PGA of America's first PGA Village located at Port St. Lucie, Florida. As a golf-based master planned community, we are designing residential villages around the drama created by our spectacular golf courses, and plan for our residents to mix quality time on the course with the camaraderie of country club lifestyle," stated Mike Sizemore, Coyote Spring's Director of Golf.

The PGA of America is used to large scale successes, but that didn't preclude them from bringing in a few heavy hitters to get the project rolling. Eighteen-time major winner Jack Nicklaus designed the first of potentially 15 courses, The Chase. While 2008 PGA Hall of Fame inductee Pete Dye has signed on to collaborate with Nicklaus on the second course, which is unnamed as of yet.

"Jack Nicklaus and Pete Dye are unequivocally in the rarefied air of elite course designers, and we feel very fortunate they are involved with PGA Village Coyote Springs. Their success draws guests to play the latest design and is a huge advantage for us," explained Mike Sizemore. "We are happy to have them under contract to complete our second course at PGA Village Coyote Springs. Given our track record of producing an award winning golf course with The Chase at PGA Golf Club, we are confident that this future co-design course will be another course worthy of the same distinction as The Chase."

Four sets of tees allow The Chase to play from 7471 yards to 5288 yards, and no matter where you tee it up you'll be confronted with dramatic views and sinister green designs. "We paid respect to the land and the game of golf by employing only slight vertical elevation changes, minimal doglegs, limited use of blind shots, generous landing areas, and very intricate green complexes that provide our guests with a more old school feel. We were able to integrate typical Nicklaus challenges into the course while still allowing players of all ability levels to fully enjoy the layout," added Sizemore.

How they got so much water out here in a desert is beyond me, but boy is the sharp contrast between open blue sky, green fairways, jagged red mountain peaks, and beige bunkering a slight to behold. Manufactured beauty has never looked this good since the Rolls Royce. Gentle mounding throughout the property closes you in just enough to disguise the fact there maybe other golfers on the property. Therefore it's not all the glitz you'd expect to see at say the TPC Sawgrass. . . yet. So until the surrounding community is complete, it's a stripped-down, less is more feel that elicits a "I've got to get back here sometime soon" declaration to it.

After four spectacular "firm hand-shake" holes at The Chase, the views and challenges rise exponentially. The 539 yard par-5 5th must have been inspired by the wii golf game because it is out of this world. This is risk/reward golf at its finest thanks to a 122 yard wide waste bunker that cuts the fairway in two. Jack does provide an oasis in the desert in the form of a bailout fairway to the left. But any approach from this area results in a semi-blind shot toward the flag. It's a brilliant design that dares the golfer to carry the hazard and begs to ask, "You didn't come all the way from the Midwest to layup- now did you?"

At 219 yards from the blue tees, the par-3 8th didn't need to get any tougher, but it does thanks to a huge pond down the entire right side of the putting surface. If you've got a cut shot with a fairway wood or hybrid now's the time to execute it, as anything left of the flag is the optimal play. The tee box on number 8 is slightly elevated, so make sure to factor in the change and the wind before selecting a stick. Director of Golf Mike Sizemore can't stop talking about the hole dubbed "Pocket Rockets" either. "I love the visual challenge, shot quality, uniqueness, and aesthetic beauty of this formidable par-3. It allows the knowledgeable player to use a large variety of strategies when playing the hole. You will marvel at the stunning beauty of the down hill sloping, large water feature, and magnificent view of the Meadow Valley Range. The majesty of the tallest peak of the Mormon mountain is almost a match for this great par-3."

The back nine is filled with wickedly fun holes piled right on top of each other, so picking out a few favorites just isn't fair. I do love the 401 yard, downhill dogleg par-4 13th though without a doubt. Again Jack makes you think off the tee, providing three distinct options of attack. A 10 foot deep, 20 yard long bunker resides smack dab in the middle of the short grass, and avoiding it is paramount to your success on this one. The prudent play is to hit driver either right of the bunker or a fairway short of trouble all together. Both will leave you a longer shot into an undulating green. The aggressive play is to flirt with the left side of the fairway, so your ball skirts past the bunker. It should then take the down slope which will leave you a short wedge left from a far superior angle. All of these factors make playing The Chase a multiple time adventure.

The 375 yard par-4 18th draws The Chase to a stunning conclusion. Palm trees almost hide the fact there's H2O down the entire right hand side with a green that is three times as long as it is wide. The good news is that any well struck drive should catch the down shoot of the fairway and leave nothing more than a high iron in. A closing par will surely make your time at The Chase an exceptional one. Heck, The Chase is so good a four-putt triple bogey will still make for a great ride home.

The man who's been here from the start, Mike Sizemore, loves how The Chase concludes. "The final hole named "All In" adds to Nicklaus' stunning collection of unparalleled designs. It combines visual aesthetics in an otherworldly four tier waterfall to make an instant classic. This challenges the player to make a great tee shot," regaled Sizemore.

Finally, it's important to mention the all-inclusive experience The PGA Golf Club provides its guests. Besides a five hour thrill ride on a world-class stage, patrons receive practice facility usage, a golf cart, a forecaddie, as well as their complimentary snack bar and beverage service. Much like the moniker of the 18th hole, when playing The Chase you are most definitely "All-In."

As this article serves as only a preview of what to expect, the journey of Coyote Springs has only just begun. But thanks to the backing of the PGA and the design acumen of Nicklaus and Dye, it's a master plan that's going to come together - quite nicely I might add. For more information on The PGA Village at Coyote Springs, visit their website at www.coyotesprings.com or call their pro shop at 1-877-PGA-VILL.