Conestoga Golf Club

Getting To Know: Conestoga Golf Club

An Insightful Interview With Scott Ballif, Head Golf Professional

By Brian Weis

Whether you have played a course 20+ times a year or looking to play the course for the first time, insights from an insider can help enhance your golf experience. Below is an interview with Scott Ballif who shares some valuable tidbits about the course, memorable holes and must eats and treats at the 19th.

Give Our Readers An Overview of the Golf Course/Property
This 18 hole scenic masterpiece is artfully interwoven with the character and contours of Sun City Mesquite's spectacular landforms. Undulating through canyons with gently ascending and descending elevations, rugged rock outcroppings and tranquil water elements, the integrity of the land is preserved at every opportunity. The masterful design and creativity of famed golf course designer, Gary Panks, provides this championship course the appearance of being crafted by nature forged over time.
Whether you are a novice, an avid player or prefer the role of spectator, everyone will enjoy the dramatic beauty the course showcases as it meanders through the heart of the community. Tranquil, yet infused with great drama, grand view corridors delight residents and visitors alike.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
Managed by Troon Golf. Designed by Gary Panks. Recently voted by local golfers best in Mesquite. Conestoga is a very challenging golf course. When you leave, you want to return again to not only challenge the golf course, but to experience the great service you receive.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
The greens do not break as much as they appear. Use the yardage book tips. They are very useful especially on the blind holes #3, #4 #7 and #17. There are over 50 bunkers on the golf course that are a magnet for your golf ball. Play for the wagon wheel 150 markers in the fairway.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
Voted by:
*GOLF Magazine - 2012/2013 "Best Courses Near You" - Nevada #7 *GOLFWEEK - 2012 "Best You Can Play" - Nevada #5 *GOLFWEEK - 2011 "Best New Courses" - #14 *GOLF Magazine - "Best Trips" - May 2011 *Mesquite Local News Readers Poll - 2011 "Best Golf Course in Mesquite"
*LINKS Magazine - "Best New Courses of 2010" - #18

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
Number six is the signature hole. It is the most photographed and used in all of our marketing materials. It has three forced carries across desert and rock ravines. If you birdie this hole, you better write it down because it does not happen often.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
My favorite hole is #6. It requires a well placed drive and a solid second shot to get you in position to attack the flag. If you don't you will get a bogey or worse. Avoid the left side of green complex. It slopes severely into the desert (no man's land) a definite bogey or worse from there.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
The 1880 Grille was named in keeping with the pioneer spirit, which is the overall theme for Sun City Mesquite and the Conestoga Golf Club. The name honors the first pioneers who came down the Old Spanish Trail and settled this area around the year of 1880.

One of the many signature dishes, the 1880 Burger is unique to the area. It is a thick & juicy, Black Angus patty served on a brioche bun. It is topped with the tasty Conestoga's tobacco onions (light and crunchy fried onion rings), cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and a secret 16 spice special sauce. When this burger is put all together it is a good five inches in height.

Who Holds Course Record and What Was Their Score?
Frank Fairman- Professional Golfer from the Gateway Section- 66

Back Tee Stats
Par: 72
Yardage: 7232
Slope: 74.9
Rating: 147

More Information
Conestoga Golf Club
1499 Falconridge Parkway
Mesquite, Nevada, 89034
702-346-4292
www.conestogagolf.com

Revised: 02/19/2013 - Article Viewed 36,785 Times

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.