Public Golf Courses
Tournament Players Club Las Vegas welcomes golfers to desert elegance. The 7,063-yard professionally built course gives visitors a chance to play a PGA course. Unlike the TPC at Summerlin, which neighbors this course, TPC Las Vegas is open to the public. Enjoy the desert view from the 18th tee box, while eyeing the Vegas Strip just off in the distance to the south.
Desert Pines---Often called the "Pinehurst of Las Vegas," this 6,810-yard course has more than 4,500 pine trees and offers several holes with water. That's a rare combination in the dry Vegas area.
Bali Hali--You'll sure feel like you're playing a Vegas course amid the 2,500 palm trees and more than 100,000 tropical plants. The only public course on the Strip offers bunkers filled with Augusta sand and even an island green.
Royal Links--This course is modeled after some of the famous links courses across the Pond. Each hole is fashioned after a famous hole at St. Andrew's, Royal Troon or another British Open course. The Scottish-designed course even boasts an English castle.
The Falls Golf Club at Lake Las Vegas Resort--Designed by U.S. Open champion Tom Weiskopf, this course is probably the most breathtaking in all of Vegas. It sits in between mountains and has waterfalls and of course a lake running through it.
Bear's Best--For all the Jack Nicklaus lovers, this course boasts the 18 best holes from the almost 300 Nicklaus-designed courses around the globe.
Wynn Golf Club
The only private course located on the Strip, Steve Wynn's Golf Club features plenty of trees and ridiculous views of the Vegas Strip. It is only for hotel guests, but even you aren't staying there, you have to catch of glimpse of the 18th hole, which is backed by a 37-foot streaming waterfall.
Pro Tournaments
TPC at Summerlin has been a staple on the PGA Tour. It has changed names over the years, and is currently called the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open. It takes place the third week in October and tickets are available on the PGA's website. There are a number of events hosted here throughout the year as well, check Summerlin's site for details (see Resources).
TPC Las Vegas--This 7,603-yard course, often referred to as "Desert Elegance" has hosted several Senior PGA Tour (Champions Tour) events in the past. The tour skipped Las Vegas in 2009, but check the course's site to see upcoming tournaments.
Viewing and Betting on Golf
The Vegas sports books are a great place to pop a squat and lay down golf bets or just watch the world's best compete on the huge flat-screen TVs. Bally's, MGM and the Mirage are the biggest sports books in town, with TVs and waitresses circling the area. Bettor's tip: Get your wagers in early Thursday before the starts of the major championships. Large crowds bulk up right before the first tee times. Look to make more than just the usual bets on a player to win a tournament, like Tiger Woods 3-2 odds to win the Masters. Take a shot at head-to-head match-ups instead, such as Phil Mickelson (+130) vs. Tiger Woods (-110). That way, if your guy isn't in contention to win the tournament, you still have another bet you can track and have a shot at winning.
About The Author
Sean Quinn is a writer and editor based in New York City. He has spent the last decade covering major sporting events from the NFL playoffs to the U.S. Open. He has written for the Kansas City Star and ESPN, among others. He is a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
