Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort - Sun Mountain Course - hole 18
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Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort - Sun Mountain Course - hole 18
The scenery on the 18th hole of Sun Mountain Course at the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort rules the day. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort - Sun Mountain Course - hole 2
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Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort - Sun Mountain Course - hole 2
The Sheep Mountains frame the second green on the Sun Mountain Course at the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort - Sun Mountain Course - hole 4
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Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort - Sun Mountain Course - hole 4
The fourth hole on the Sun Mountain Course at Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort plays 206 yards. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort - Sun Mountain Course - hole 6
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Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort - Sun Mountain Course - hole 6
The classic Pete Dye look rings the bunkers near the sixth green of the Sun Mountain Course at the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort - water scene
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Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort - water scene
Water might not be prevalent in the desert, but it looks great on the Sun Mountain Course at the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort - hidden flag
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Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort - hidden flag
This flag, shot from another fairway, may look hidden, but there's actually plenty of green fairways at the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort - Sun Mountain Course - hole 7
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Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort - Sun Mountain Course - hole 7
The seventh green on the Sun Mountain Course at Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort is reachable in two. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort - Sun Mountain Course - hole 8
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Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort - Sun Mountain Course - hole 8
It's not easy to hit the eighth green on the Sun Mountain Course at the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
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Find pleasure in the desert on the Sun Mountain Course at Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort

LAS VEGAS -- The Sun Mountain Course has been branded the easiest of the three Pete Dye courses at the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort.

That's like saying a 25-kilometer run is easier than a marathon.

It may be easiest, but it's not a walk in the park. At 7,116 yards, Sun Mountain (which opened in 1996) is the shortest and generally the most manicured of the Paiute golf courses. Golf Digest ranked it No. 12 on its list of the top 25 golf courses in Las Vegas in 2011.

"A lot of people say it is the less difficult," said Chad Gunier, general manager at Paiute. "When you talk to members and the staff, most will say it is their favorite."

With less water and wide fairways, it's harder to lose a ball on the Sun Mountain. Two ponds do add drama to three holes, especially at the par-4 18th hole. The bunkers lined with railroad ties on the sixth hole are quintessential Dye.

Robert Goldstein, who was visiting from Los Angeles, called the panoramic views of the desert and the Spring and Sheep Mountain ranges "incredible."

"Each hole has its own qualities," Goldstein said. "It's unique compared to the other courses I've played in Palm Springs. It's definitely a return [to play again] course.

Jason Scott Deegan has reviewed and photographed more than 1,100 courses and written about golf destinations in 25 countries for some of the industry's biggest publications. His work has been honored by the Golf Writer's Association of America and the Michigan Press Association. Follow him on Instagram at @jasondeegangolfpass and Twitter at @WorldGolfer.
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Find pleasure in the desert on the Sun Mountain Course at Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort