The 2019 Las Vegas Challenge Preview
Disclaimer: Statistics provided are based on the LVC 2018 caddy book.
For 20 years now, Las Vegas has played host to the Las Vegas Challenge, formerly known as the Gentlemen’s Club Challenge. No matter the course, whether Sunset Park or Wild Horse Golf Club, the victor must reflect the ability to throw far while staying in bounds on fast, fairly narrow, fairways. It’s needless to say that this season opening event will punish those who “spray and pray”.
The Las Vegas Challenge is currently hosted by the Wild Horse Golf Course in Las Vegas, Nevada, a fun course that transforms into an expansive, three course disc golf complex, come tournament time: the par 61 Innova course, par 62 Adidas Terrex course, and the par 58 Disc Golf Values course.
The Innova course is 8,582', comprised of 11 par threes and 7 par fours, and requires as much touch as one is able to give. This tantalizing combination of gusty, elevated, and tight tee shots requires every shot in the book to be executed with precision. Many of the pins are located on knolls or adjacent to hazard bunkers and OB greens. Several of the par fours entail a “grip it and rip it” tactic off the tee so that one will not have to throw too hard to the fast, treacherous greens. The best way to avoid bogey on this course is to cut off as much as you can off the tee so that you are left with as little distance as possible between you and the basket. Throwing a fairway or driver approach shot, unless thrown perfectly or on a spike hyzer, will often yield an unprecedented amount of action off the ground.
Water only comes into play on 6 holes, mostly being a threat only off the tee. A certain level of ‘shank’ is required to find the drink on an approach shot. The only prominent water hazard that will catch your upshot resides on hole 16, but even that is just a mild inlet that will punish you should you attempt to access the green via sidearm or hyzer.
Hole Spotlight: 18
Hole 18 is a 700' par 4 that features a serpentine fairway with a large landing zone should you layup before the water to the left of the tee, or a small one should you try and bite off 400' and land in between the ponds. The pin lies elevated on a knoll, 50' behind the out of bounds green. The only landing zone near the green is a crescent shaped stripe of rough that stretches from the out of bounds sidewalk on the right, around the green, and just to the left of the pin. Behind the pin is hard packed clay with scattered plants that may keep your overzealous approach from skipping long into the OB creek. However, should your name be JC Kester, this may not even be an issue.
The name of the game at the 9,074' Adidas Terrex course, is distance driving. With the exception of holes 4, 8, and 17, you will not see anybody throw a mid range off the tee. The average hole length is 504'… Need I say more? Despite its length, this is the easiest course to shoot under on. Like the Innova course, there are 11 par threes, but the difference is, the par 3’s at Terrex are much, much longer, and often with an array of bunkers and greens separating the tee and the basket. The most differentiating factor between Terrex and the other courses its Terrex’s use of elevation change, many of the 400'+ par 3’s play more in the 500' realm because you are throwing up a noticeable grade.
A relief for players afraid of losing plastic, there is no water on this course with the exception of holes 10 and 11. That being said, unless you intend on playing a wide hyzer, the drink is easily avoidable on both holes.
Hole Spotlight: 11
Despite how easy the par 4, 511' hole 11 seems, it is riddled with treachery. Between the tee and the basket, you will find a green that spans the ~350'–440' landing zone, along with an OB sidewalk left that is close enough to the green that it is quite unnerving if your drive doesn’t flip enough. That being said, should your drive flip too much, you risk anhyzering onto the rightmost flange of the green, or over the OB string that runs the length of the right side of the fairway ~10' in from the water. The green is a tall grass mound that is guarded on all sides by small trees. One may attempt to throw over the trees rather than around them but this may yield a nasty roll (I’m speaking from experience, your disc picks up speed like nobody’s business down that thing).
The Disc Golf Values course is the “pitch and putt” of the courses, ironically, considering the course distance 7,124' and par 58. This course makes up for its lack of length with fast greens, swirling winds, and hole 6 (reference Hole Spotlight). The best score at this course will be shot by the player with the best fairway driver and hyzer (forehand and backhand) game that day. The only use for mid-ranges will be if that’s your preferred shot off the tee, or a scramble to one of the many fast, dirt greens this course has to offer. Professional Tip: If this year is like last year, pack a sack lunch for the backup on hole 2.
More good news for the aqua-phobics among us, the only chance you have at throwing your drive in the drink is off the tee of hole 8, but should you find that water, you have larger issues to worry about than that single OB stroke.
Hole Spotlight: 6
Hole 6 is a 294', uphill, triple island par 4. Sounds easy right? It’s often played with a mellow, swirling, 20mph wind, so trust me when I say you’ll be celebrating should you escape this monstrosity with a birdie 3. Each island is separated by about 50' of dirt, and the 3 islands successively decrease in size, the pin being on the smallest. I have personally witnessed an ace on it during a practice round and a card mate take a 14 during my tournament round. May the odds be ever in your favor.
Just for fun: I averaged the scores on each course (rounds 1–3, not final) of the 20 highest rated players at LVC 2018 and Adidas Terrex played the easiest of the courses by a long shot, with Innova playing easier than Values par-wise, but the hardest by raw score:
Course: Raw (par)
Terrex: 53.7 (-8.3)
Innova: 57.2 (-3.8)
Values: 57.15 (-.85)