Since the day it opened in 1990, Shadow Creek Golf Course, host of Tiger Woods' mano-a-mano match with Phil Mickelson the day after Thanksgiving, was shrouded in mystique and secrecy.

From its exorbitant price – ranging from $ 45 million to $ 60 million – at its location in the Mojave Desert 15 miles north of the Las Vegas Strip, passing through its esteemed clientele of top sportsmen, industrial captains, golfers and golfers. Sports icons and stars On the big screen, Shadow Creek has quickly become a foolish dream for all those who put a coat hook in the ground.

Through word of mouth, this mesmerizing golf course near the city that has never been subtle and that lives and breathes extravagance has touched the hearts of golfers around the world.

Woods was one of those who loved leaving once, and he counted down the time he spent until he got on the property a few years before his red shirt started to make sense on Sunday.

"The first time I played, I met Elizabeth Taylor at the 17th start. And that does not make sense because, well, we do not meet people like that when we're kids, "said Woods, who later learned that the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson, was often sitting near from the waterfall of the 17th hole. by the green.

In his active days, George H.W. Bush was a member and had a fishing rod above his locker as he often tried his luck in the streams, ponds and lakes of the course. Ex-presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have lockers in the unpretentious clubhouse, as do Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, John Elway and Derek Jeter, as well as Sylvester Stallone and Matt Damon.

The course has lost none of its glamor, brilliance or courage since its grand opening and, alongside Woods and Mickelson, he deserves the place that is his headline for The Match. This is a great step for the battle between the best players and the greatest stars of this generation, a wonder created by the man of the treasures of nature, which will challenge both players and spectators.

"When I played there for the first time in the early 90s, there was nothing around the property. Everything was deserted and in the middle was Shadow Creek. It was an oasis in the middle of the desert, a stunning mirage, "said Mickelson. "It's a spectacular golf course. Not only is it aesthetically beautiful, but it features incredible risk / reward holes with many opportunities for birdie and eagle.

"Some holes are good for me and some holes favor Tiger, which is a testament to the beauty of its design."

Coming from the fertile imagination of Steve Wynn, the casino mogul whose clairvoyance helped transform the Strip into what it is today, Shadow Creek appeared from the work of famed architect Tom Fazio , who was instructed to create a golf masterpiece without any price restrictions. .

"Steve told me that he wanted to build a golf course as good as any other in the world. When I saw the land, I thought it was crazy, "Fazio said. "But whatever I want to do, I've done it."

What he did was create an environment where he did not usually exist except 350 acres of lifeless and hardened desert. Fazio and its builders started the process by digging 50 feet into the ground – about 3 million cubic meters of earth was excavated. This allowed Fazio to carve hills and canyons. The massive mining has also provided enough dirt to create a slope around the property to prevent the sun from entering the eyes of the players. Instead, majestic mountain ranges shine in the distance.

Some 20,000 species of more than 200 different species have been imported and form a lush forest throughout the property that casts a shadow over the fairways and emerald greens, waterfalls, streams, ponds, streams, lagoons and lagoons. lakes. The woods are so thick, no holes can be seen from one another.

The unique environment is also home to living vegetation; vibrant and multicolored floral decorations; and exotic birds, including swans and blue herons, six-footed pheasants, as well as rabbits and other critters. There is even a red phone booth in London on the ninth tee.

"It's a fun place. We had some great games, "said Woods. "And the landscape is amazing. You think you are in North Carolina or something like that, or Colorado with mountains and pines and waterfalls. What Steve Wynn did is nothing short of a miracle. "

After an expensive renovation in 2006 that covered the sand field, lengthened and expanded some greens to allow for a greater number of pin placements, the par-72 layout can switch to 7,560 yards. Although each hole may be the signature hole of the course, those who could play a crucial role in The Match are the fourth quarter of 553 yards that cares about the 13th historic Augusta National; the ninth inning 409 yards; and the two closing holes – the 164 yards, descent, normal 3 of the 17th and the 564 yards, protected from the water, normal 5 of the 18th.

"I think the par-3s will be decisive," said Mickelson, who had the course record before Woods did better with a 61, which was later matched by Fred Couples.

Since the renovation, Dustin Johnson has a record of 65 points. "All the holes will be important, but the normal 3 will be decisive because we will most likely have very tight competitions," added Mickelson. "If that happens, the focus will be on those holes."

For a decade, you could play Shadow Creek only by invitation. But since 2000, when Wynn sold his assets to MGM Resorts International, everyone can play the course. This is an exorbitant price: you must stay at a MGM hotel in Las Vegas. The green fee is 500 USD, plus the tip of the mandatory caddy.

Jordan Spieth, triple world champion, said that this deserved to be considered.

"I was very impressed with Shadow Creek the first time I played it, and I've played it many times since then and you're still stunned," he said. "It's an amazing golf experience, one of the best I've ever had in the country.

"I like the mixture of holes. You have par-4 controllable, then long doglegs. Green complexes are complicated and very difficult. You can score on the course, but it also represents a legitimate challenge.

"Let's hope that ends at the end. The 17 par-3 is just a 9 iron, but it's a tiny green surrounded by water. And the 18th par-5 has water in play, so, yes, you can make an eagle, but you can easily make a bogey. "

Competition, side bets, jokes between Woods and Mickelson will highlight the pay-per-view. Like Shadow Creek.

"The drone coverage is one of a kind," said Mickelson. "We will have different perspectives on each move, which you can not do with 150 guys but you can do it with two guys. This will incorporate the course. You will get better aerial views of what the players are facing and this will introduce the course. And it's quite a journey, believe me.