Nicklaus charms guests at The Ridges

SPECIAL TO REAL ESTATE

The Howard Hughes Corp. invited several dozen custom-lot buyers and potential lot buyers to a special event last Monday at The Ridges, a luxury community the developer is building around the Jack Nicklaus-designed Bear's Best Las Vegas golf course in Summerlin.

Nicklaus, in Las Vegas to accept an ESPY award, mingled with guests and shared his thoughts on developing the course, which will replicate holes from others he has designed in the southwestern United States and Mexico.

"In many respects, it's easier to design a course from scratch than to attempt to fit in duplications of holes I've already designed," Nicklaus said. "Plus, this land's varied features and dramatic topography have presented other challenges, but that's part of what will make this golf course so interesting, diverse and unique. The average golfer will enjoy the beauty of the course and the fun of the game; the pros will enjoy the challenge."

Before meeting the guests, Nicklaus drove the course, which is in its early stage of development. He said it is scheduled for completion late this year, and will not resemble other courses he has designed in Southern Nevada.

"We made sure that didn't happen," Nicklaus said, noting that black slag, for example, will be brought in from his Old Works course that was built upon the former site of a copper smelting plant in Anaconda, Mont. The slag will be used to fill the bunkers on Bear's Best holes No. 4 and 11.

The Ridges, a 752-acre community, will eventually comprise six custom-home enclaves and 10 neighborhoods behind guarded gates. A landscaped loop road will provide access to all neighborhoods within the gated portion of the community.

Located at the west end of Desert Inn Road, just east of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, The Ridges features elevations in excess of 4,000 feet, according to a spokesperson.

Dan Van Epp, president of Hughes Corp., encountered the site while hiking about a year ago.

"As I stood atop the hill that is today known as Promontory Pointe, I saw a scene that I had not yet viewed on any of my weekend hikes," Van Epp said. "I easily envisioned several golf holes with beautiful homes. But best of all, I could see everything in this valley. With sweeping city views to the east and rugged mountain views to the west, coupled with what is destined to become one of the most memorable golf courses in Southern Nevada, The Ridges will be a place like no other in the valley."

Promontory Pointe will be a guard-gated enclave of 13 custom lots expected to be available by late summer.

"By virtue of its extraordinary topography, commanding views and exclusivity, Promontory Pointe is destined to become the ultimate natural environment for custom living," Van Epp said. "Intimately connected to its surroundings, Promontory Pointe will provide seclusion for those seeking privacy, while still affording a view of the entire Las Vegas Valley."

Promontory Pointe overlooks Promontory, the first custom neighborhood under development at The Ridges. Promontory's lots range from one-half acre to three-quarters of an acre, and are priced from $200,000 to more than $1 million.

Bear's Best Las Vegas, a joint venture between Golden Bear International and ClubCorp, will be the central amenity and offer residents preferential tee times at discounted rates. Additional amenities will include a private 8.3-acre park; Club Ridges, a community clubhouse with a swimming pool, lap pool and fitness center; and outdoor, lighted tennis courts.

"We have taken great pains to develop a sophisticated, contemporary desert architecture that will complement the natural surroundings. It will be characterized by horizontal elevations, deep roof overhangs, earthtone colors and lower-than-normal building heights," Van Epp said.

Summerlin, a development of the Hughes Corp., has ranked as the nation's best-selling master-planned community for eight of the past nine years, according to Robert Charles Lesser & Co. The community aligns the western edge of the Las Vegas Valley and has more than 55,000 residents and more than 11,000 people working in its schools, shopping centers, medical centers and business parks. There are 12 major parks, more than 45 neighborhood parks and more than 45 miles of trails.

To visit the Custom Home and Lot Sales Center, travel west on Sahara Avenue to Town Center Drive, or take Interstate 215 to Sahara Avenue.

The office is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

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