Teeing Off in the Tropics of Nevada

A golf course with a South Pacific theme, studded with 2,500 palms and tens of thousands of tropical plants, and charging greens fees up to $300. We must be in . . . Las Vegas?

In a town where almost everything came from somewhere else, the quirky Bali Hai Golf Club fits right in. The $32-million, 18-hole, par-72 course, just south of Mandalay Bay Hotel & Resort, is the Strip’s second golf course; the other is at the Desert Inn. (Although the inn was shuttered in August, the course is still open.)

Other unusual Bali Hai touches include volcanic rock, white sand and roughs made of crushed granite. Although the course opened for public play this month, the clubhouse, with a golf shop and 400-seat restaurant, won’t open until spring, said spokesman Jerry Rose.

Greens fees are $300 (including cart) for morning tee times on weekends, $250 on weekdays and $150 to $175 for tee times after 2 p.m. Rose said those rates were expected to drop in the summer off-season. Telephone (702) 450-8000.