Playing golf in the desert doesn’t have to be about who can hit the ball nearest to the big cactus. It can be up there with the best golf in the world, as Las Vegas is only too keen to prove.
Royal Links
From The Colosseum to the Eiffel Tower, Vegas has a bit of a thing for paying tribute to the architectural classics, and the theme continues at Royal Links where, just 10 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip, you can be transported to Bonnie Scotland.
The “Road Hole” from St Andrews and the “Postage Stamp” from Royal Troon are among the holes modelled on 11 British Open courses. The clubhouse is a castle, and, like, many Vegas courses, Royal Links offers the services of a traditional caddie or forecaddie (who will find your ball, but won’t carry your bag, laddie).
Wynn Golf and Country Club
Ever had one of those mornings when you wished you could just roll out of bed, step into your golf shoes and walk onto the first tee? Vegas has a huge selection of golf courses, but there’s only one attached to a resort on the Strip.
If you want to stay in the heart of the action, the Wynn Golf and Country Club has the convenience factor down pat. It also offers streams and a forest inspired by the rolling hills of South Carolina and Georgia. An 11-metre waterfall cascading into a lake at the back of the 18th green provides a spectacular finish.
Bali Hai
Indonesia is the inspiration for the Bali Hai Golf Club, where 100,000 Balinese plants provide a tropical vibe that will hopefully help you stay a bit more laid back than usual when you slice yet another drive into a palm tree. So close to the Strip that on the 16th island green restaurant diners can watch you putt, Bali Hai has been named one of America’s top 50 resort courses by Golf Digest magazine.
Bear’s Best Las Vegas
The “Bear” in Bear’s Best is none other than the great Jack Nicklaus, who has gathered 18 of his favourite holes from the 270 courses he has designed around the world, and put them all together in one exciting Las Vegas package. One minute you’re playing a hole modelled on one of Nicklaus’s designs in Montana, the next you’re playing a hole from one of his courses in Mexico, as big Jack keeps you on your toes.
Rio Secco
Butch Harmon, who has coached Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson among others, has his coaching headquarters here at Rio Secco, which means there is some serious help on hand should you for any reason fail to master the 18 holes carved into the canyons and plateaus in the foothills of the Black Mountain Range. It’s a par-72 that can play as long 6700 metres off the back tees. If you want something to aim for, Tiger holds the course record, a 64.
Shadow Creek
An oasis of waterfalls, lakes and hills, Shadow Creek has long been shrouded in mystery. Once so exclusive that only invited guests could play, it has in recent years inched its doors open to the public. If you’re staying at an MGM Resorts International property on the Strip, you can play on a weekday for $500, which includes limo transport, club hire and caddie.
The MGM thing appears non-negotiable: apparently George W Bush was refused a game because he was staying with a rival chain. And he was president at the time.
Arroyo Golf Club at Red Rock
If, amid all these tributes to lands far away, you’d like a reminder that you’re in the desert, the Arroyo Golf Club at Red Rock might be just what you’re after. The course’s backdrop, Red Rock Canyon, provides a striking contrast to the manicured greens and fairways of this Arnold Palmer-designed par-72 links-style layout.
Once a members-only proposition, the Arroyo course in Summerlin, about 16km from the Strip, is now open to the public. It also offers some great views of the Vegas skyline, just in case you start missing it.
TPC Las Vegas
More spectacular Red Rock landscapes await at TPC Las Vegas where, weaving through arroyos and barrancas (that’s gulleys to you and me), the course reaches a high desert elevation of up to 7600 metres, giving you an extra 10 metres on your drives.
As this is one of the few PGA Tour courses open to the public, you’ll need all the help you can get.
