The Call of Coyote Springs

by Vic Williams

North of Las Vegas, A Groundbreaking Golf Community Takes Shape

As a vast new vision springs to life in a broad, multi-hued desert valley a scant hour’s drive north of Las Vegas, homeowners and golfers throughout the West — and all of America — are taking notice.

When the first home is completed at Coyote Springs in the next couple of years, it will usher in a remarkable era in partnership between builder, developer and the PGA of America. Designed as the largest master-planned community in Southern Nevada, Coyote Springs offers elements such as the first PGA Village in the western United States; signature golf courses personally designed by Jack Nicklaus and Nicklaus Design; and a PGA championship golf course designed by Pete Dye, Jack Nicklaus and Nicklaus Design. With stunning 360-degree mountain views, the unique design and impeccable quality of Pardee Homes offers a new-yet-classic philosophy of living.

Coyote Springs promises to be at the forefront of this emerging movement in master-planned community design. It’s a trend away from soulless subdivisions and toward neighborhoods that encourage human interaction through walking paths, town centers and front porches. It’s a modern interpretation of an old-fashioned town where people meet at the corner store and exchange pleasantries, where children ride their bikes down the sidewalk without worry, and where parks decorate the landscape offering open spaces for softball games and barbecues. Coyote Springs will offer all of this plus access to high-speed technology and the finest golf amenities.

Located 60 miles northeast of Las Vegas with easy access to Interstate 15, this unique development will span roughly 13,000 acres in Clark County on high-desert terrain nestled against majestic sienna foothills, dotted with desert grasses, cacti, wild sage and other natural vegetation. Thousands of acres are set aside for a nature preserve. And there’s the golf — the Nicklaus Signature course and Nicklaus-Dye design now under construction, with up to a half dozen more to come over the ensuing decade.

The man behind the vision is Nevada developer Harvey Whittemore. He approached the PGA of America in the late 1990s with the idea of partnering on a West Coast version of their PGA Village in Florida, complete with learning and historical centers. That’s what drew Nicklaus’ attention to the project. “The first time he came out here he said, ‘Harvey, if we can’t make this something extraordinary, there’s only two people to blame — me or you,’” Whittemore says of Nicklaus, who came on board in 2002 along with the PGA, which plans to bring both regular and special tournaments to Coyote Springs by late 2007. “He’ll be part of a legacy. If you take a look at his opportunity to take this and put his stamp on it, that’s what you can’t express to people until they come out here.”

And come out here they will — to live, learn, work and, of course, play golf. “I think it’s gonna be the new Palm Springs,” Whittemore says. “We’re creating whole cloth in this beautiful valley — a village, a community centered on championship golf. You’ve got Jack Nicklaus, you’ve got the PGA; there are no two better names. That will drive people to come in, and even if they don’t play golf, they’ll want to live in golf course communities.”

The first phase of construction is currently underway, including the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course and a 130,000 square-foot complex that will anchor the project and make up the core of the PGA Village. The Village will comprise four buildings — the PGA Clubhouse and Events Center, the PGA Learning Center, the Coyote Springs Welcome Center and the Coyote Springs General Store. Future phases currently include a Golf Demo Center, a PGA Superstore and the PGA Historical Center.

 

Joe Steranka, chief executive officer of the PGA of America, anticipates that the Coyote Springs addition will provide a strategic new location for the organization plus benefits to members.

“The PGA Village at Coyote Springs brings the uniqueness of the PGA experience to the western United States,” he says. “The vision of Harvey Whittemore and the Coyote Springs management team matches the PGA of America’s vision for world-class golf as the focal point for a community.”

When he made his fist site visit late in 2005, Jack Nicklaus noted that his greatest challenge as a designer is creating a golf course that is playable and enjoyable for the average golfer, while still providing a stern test for those who seek it. At 7,600 yards, with water featured on 11 holes, the championship tees of the Signature course should prove to test the skills of even the most seasoned professionals.

“We really wanted to start with a Jack Nicklaus Signature course,” Whittemore says. “We’ve had an awesome time doing this. He’s a professional, dedicated, he’s a gentleman. He knows what he’s doing; he creates and sees things different from everybody else. That’s the fun part. I can see the vision of what we’re doing, but you can’t replicate it on the ground like he can.”

A year from now, when Whittemore’s and Nicklaus’ vision takes full form on the fairways of Coyote Springs, the West, and the world, will have plenty to talk about — and have plenty of living to do. FG

Coyote Springs at a Glance

• Construction of the Coyote Springs development has begun; Phase I infrastructure completion is slated for 2007.
• Pardee Homes, which was named America’s Best Builder for 2003 by Builder magazine, will be the development’s detached single-family home builder. Pardee Homes will also construct a 30,000-square-foot Community Center, which will be open to all residents.
• Custom homes on larger lots will also be available directly through Coyote Springs Realty. Other products will include condominiums, town homes and retirement communities.
• The community will include its own churches, schools and retail stores when densities allow. Coyote Springs will have all of the business and government facilities of a mid-sized city.
• The PGA Village has been designed by Colorado-based Zmistowski Group. Nevada-based construction firm Martin Harris is building the Coyote Springs Welcome Center and PGA Clubhouse and Events Center first.
• The PGA Clubhouse and Events Center will be a three-story structure featuring a 300-seat meeting facility, two restaurants with full-service bar facilities, a delicatessen, locker rooms and a pro shop.
• The PGA Learning Center will be a full-fledged golf training facility featuring a driving range, an evaluation area, swing analysis, teaching rooms, kids camp, a fitness center, a bookstore and professional offices.
• The Coyote Springs Welcome Center will be a three-story structure housing real estate and resort sales, resort management, Coyote Springs executive offices, an interim medical center and a snack bar.
• The Coyote Springs General Store will feature a gas station, a full-service post office, a specialty grocery store and a coffee bar.
For more information about Coyote Springs, visit www.coyotesprings.com
or call 800.944.1594