SHOPPING & RECREATION
Teed Off in Vegas
OUR LOOK AT SIN CITY’S TOP GOLF COURSES
Golf is closing in on gambling and nightlife as one of Las Vegas’ main attractions. The city placed third in Golf Magazine’s list
of the 10 Best Golf Cities in America, thanks in part to its 53 public courses (more than any other U.S. metro area). Though prices can be well
above par (the median greens fee is $140), with an average round taking 41/2 hours, golf looks to us like one of Vegas’
more affordable distractions.
ANGEL PARK
Earning its billing as ‘the world’s most complete golf experience,” Angel Park combines 36 Arnold Palmer-designed holes
with lighted par-threes and an all-grass putting course set amid jaw-dropping panoramic vistas. Experienced players might cruise
certain holes, yet there are elements here — forced carries over water and unforgiving desert terrain — that will challenge even
veteran players. Mountain Course is the more advanced of Angel Park’s options, a more traditional course that meanders through
rolling terrain. The 6,525-yard, par-70 Palms Course will challenge low-handicappers but, with its large undulating greens, can also
offer an enjoyable round for intermediate and novice players.
100 S. Rampart Blvd.; 702.254.4653 or www.angelpark.com
BADLANDS
As its name suggests, Badlands offers true target-style desert golf in a ruggedly beautiful setting — and just 20 minutes from the Vegas
Strip. Each of Badlands’ three nines — the evocatively titled Outlaw, Desperado and Diablo — flow through dramatic arroyos and
canyons, and almost every hole obliges players to contend with the rock-strewn desert. Designed by PGA Tour legends Chi Chi Rodriguez
and Johnny Miller, Badlands has gained a reputation as a true original among area courses with its unique hazards and unequaled
views of the valley. Rates are steep ($95 to $205), but greens fees include a cart fitted with a Coolwell Comfort System — a real boon
during the roasting Nevada summer and exclusive to Badlands.
9119 Alta Drive; 702.363.0754 or www.badlandsgc.com
BALI HAI
Las Vegas hotels often mimic exotic distant locales, and now some of the city’s golf courses are following suit. Bali Hai Golf Club,
which opened in 2000, is one of the city’s most convenient courses and the only championship course located directly on the Strip.
It’s also one of Vegas’ more escapist golfing experiences — a South Pacific fantasy with sparkling white sand, volcanic black rocks,
more than 100,000 tropical plants and seven acres of water features. With five par-fives and an equal number of threes, the Brian
Curley and Lee Schmidt-designed par-71 layout presents myriad challenges that belie the balmy setting.
5160 Las Vegas Blvd., South; 888.427.6678 or www.balihaigolfclub.com
BEAR’S BEST
Bear’s Best is a best-of Jack Nicklaus course, bringing together 18 of the great man’s most famous holes for the ultimate in golfing variety.
With holes taken from such diverse topographies as Arizona, Colorado and Mexico, a round at Bear’s Best is a veritable world tour of
championship golf barely 20 minutes from the Vegas Strip. Tests of technique are subtle here, with water featured on just two holes and
the more-sand-than-rock desert forgiving of errant drives. It’s the bentgrass greens that tend to make or break a round
at Bear’s Best, with most guarded by multiple bunkers, placed at tricky angles or beset with awkward undulations.
11111 W. Flamingo Road; 702.804.8500 or www.bearsbestlasvegas.com
DESERT PINES
Desert Pines is known as “the Pinehurst of Las Vegas,” echoing the celebrated North Carolina resort with 4,000 pine trees lining
lush fairways and white sand bunkers protecting generous greens. Desert Pines is all about convenient, enjoyable golfing. It’s just
10 minutes from downtown Vegas and it isn’t the most challenging course in the area, rewarding canny course management skills
rather than sheer power off the tees. The shorter par-fours here are deceptively inviting, but it’s the greens — guarded by water hazards
and designer Pete Dye’s signature railroad-tie-framed bunkers — that stall the unwary. Southern-style hospitality is further evinced
by decidedly un-Vegas prices (summer rounds start as low as $45).
3415 E. Bonanza Road; 888.427.6678 or www.desertpinesgolfclub.com
LAS VEGAS PAIUTE GOLF RESORT
Located 25 minutes northwest of the Strip in the Kaibab Paiute Indian Reservation, this course is truly an escape from Vegas’ neon
bustle. Many of Paiute’s 54 championship holes are so isolated that only birdsong distracts from the game at hand. Wolf is the most
difficult of the resort’s three layouts, though its intimidating 7,600 yards can be tempered with five tee options. The original Paiute
course, Snow Mountain, is still a favorite, with its multiple water hazards and a progressive layout that makes it possible to avoid
parallel fairways. The gentlest of the three Pete Dye designs is Sun Mountain, set in rolling edge-of-nature terrain. Paiute isn’t for
golfers seeking a quick fix, but instead a place to play all day while savoring 360-degree desert panoramas.
10325 Nu Wav Kaiv Blvd.; 800.711.2833 or www.lvpaiutegolf.com
ROYAL LINKS GOLF CLUB
Royal Links re-creates some of Britain’s most famous holes so faithfully that, legend has it, Tiger Woods could name each one
as he played his course-record round of 67. If iconic holes like St. Andrews’ “Hell Bunker” and Royal Troon’s “Postage Stamp” don’t
transport you to Scotland, perhaps the abundant gorse and castle-style clubhouse will. The challenging design of the links-style course
includes a number of deep, hidden bunkers that spell disaster for score cards. Though this par-72 affair reaches more than 7,000
yards from the tips, less-experienced players should not fear — five different tee boxes offer hope to us all.
5995 E. Vegas Valley Drive; 888.427.6678 or www.royallinksgolfclub.com
SIENA GOLF CLUB
Siena is an unlikely Italian-themed gem tucked into the Summerlin community, eight miles from the Strip. White-sand bunkering,
manicured bentgrass greens and even cascading waterfalls punctuate the course’s gently rolling fairways. Designed by master course
architects Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley, Siena manages a delightful balance between straightaway holes and doglegs, while strategic,
penal bunkering and numerous water features (the course runs alongside Lake Siena) mean that accurate tee shots are crucial. A
locals’ favorite, Siena’s relatively reasonable rates (by Vegas standards) can start below $100, depending on the season.
10575 Siena Monte Ave.; 888.689.6469 or www.sienagolfclub.com
TOURNAMENT PLAYERS CLUB LAS VEGAS
Manicured turf contrasts with rocky native desert in this civilized take on desert golf. The course is demanding, with long, narrow
fairways leaving little margin for error and numerous forced carries over rugged arroyos and gullies. Abrupt changes in elevation,
inconvenient stands of trees and brisk winds raise the bar still further, requiring both quality shot making and canny course
strategy. Yet however engrossed players get while navigating TPC’s fairways, few fail to notice its views of the glittering Strip
and peaceful Red Rock Canyon.
9851 Canyon Run Drive; 702.256.2500 or www.tpc.com/lasvegas
