Dye’s designs at Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort ranked among best in country

According to the rankings on GolfAdvisor.com, golfers love them.

All three courses earned top 50 status on the website’s 2015 list of America’s best courses. The list was tabulated from more than 125,000 golfer reviews. Sun Mountain was ranked fourth, and the Wolf was 11th. Snow Mountain was 23rd. The courses were also the top three in Nevada.

“When we first arrived at the site in the late ’90s, I was stunned by the panoramic views and the magnetism of the mountains,” Dye said. “It was such an incredible property for an architect to be given carte blanche. They had about 4,000 acres and told me, ‘Have at it.’ “

Dye, whose nickname is “Dye-abolical” for his penchant to create extremely challenging courses, is arguably best known for creating the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, the annual home of the PGA Tour’s Players Championship. The par-3 17th hole features an island green surrounded by water.

It makes for stunning TV and exciting finishes during golf’s fifth major.

The Vegas version is the par-3 15th on the Wolf. The hole is nearly as dastardly as the Sawgrass original, but as are all of the holes and courses at Paiute, it is kinder and gentler than prototypical Dye designs.

Paiute welcomes local and visiting golfers. Visit LVPaiuteGolf.com to sign up for the popular E-Club that offers deals and specials throughout the year.

TPC Las Vegas, owned and operated by the PGA Tour, was ranked 31st nationally and fourth in the state.

Juniors can qualify for Augusta

Registration has opened for the 2017 Drive, Chip and Putt Championship. The national finals take place before the Masters at Augusta National.

In 2015, Morgan Goldstein was perfect in all three categories and won the 12-13 division. Boys and girls juniors from ages 7 to 15 are eligible.

The local qualifying event is scheduled for June 25 at Aliante. Visit DriveChipandPutt.com to register. Finalists for 2016 already have been determined.

Deals of the week

The three courses at Golf Summerlin are offering a special Valentine’s Day 2-for-1 tee time promotion after 10 a.m. on Sunday.

Help for disabled golfers

The Eureka Casino Resort in Mesquite now offers the Paramobile. The device allows disabled golfers to play standing up. The resort delivers it to any Mesquite course for free when a reservation is made.

According to Paramobile creators, “the therapeutic benefits of the golf game for physically limited players are immense. Using the Paramobile stimulates the metabolism, stretches the muscles, reduces spasticity and enhances joint mobility.”

Stars on, off course

* LPGA Tour player Natalie Gulbis took 20 kids from her Boys and Girls Club to hit golf balls at TaylorMade Golf Experience last week. Gulbis spends a lot of time with the kids when not on the tour.

Around Vegas golf

* Southern Highlands Director of Golf Jim Delaney fired a 71 on Monday to win the Southern Nevada PGA Chapter event at Red Rock Country Club.

* Tiger Jam with Tiger Woods returns April 29 and 30 at the MGM Grand and Shadow Creek.

* Save the date: Las Vegas’ PGA Tour event, the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, is scheduled for Nov. 3 to 6, later than usual.

The golf notebook appears every Thursday. Freelance writer Brian Hurlburt is a two-time author who has covered golf in Las Vegas for more than two decades. He can be reached at bhurlburt5@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @LVGolfInsider