Las Vegas Golf Course Scene

Bushnell Outdoor Products, makers of the No. 1 laser rangefinder on Tour, recently introduced the Pro 1600 – the newest member of the company’s industry leading distance measuring devices, available in two models: Tournament Edition and the patented Slope Edition.

“Our new Pro 1600 is extremely easy to use and will appeal to every golfer who has ever wanted an accurate yardage reading to the flagstick or virtually any other object on the course,” said Bushnell Senior Product Manager Jordan Vermillion. “From a Tour standpoint, we gathered feedback from our Tour Rep Royce Nielson, former caddy for Arnold Palmer, to better understand what the world’s best players and their caddies’ desire when preparing for tournaments. We also wanted to bring to market a unit that catered to the recreational golfer who is seeking precise accuracy and doesn’t want to rely on the scorecard or sprinkler heads for a distance reading.”

Mesquite, Nevada is a growing resort destination in the picturesque Virgin River Valley. Located an hour north of Las Vegas, Mesquite combines a small-town atmosphere with a multi-faceted array of big-city attractions such as 24-hour gaming, six spectacular hotel/resorts, fine dining, celebrity entertainment and championship golf.

Of Golf Mesquite’s eight impressive courses, its newest offering is the Jack Nicklaus’ Signature-designed Chase course at the PGA Golf Club Coyote Springs.

The Chase was recognized as the No. 2 Best New Courses in the U. S. by Golf Digest, No. 3 Top 10 Best New You Can Play by Golf Magazine, one of the Best Golf Courses of 2008 by Links Magazine and one of the Top 10 New Courses in the World by Travel & Leisure Golf. With that kind of resume the Chase should definitely be at the top of your “must play” list this year. 

Nestled within the spectacular master-planned community of Summerlin, just minutes from the world famous Las Vegas Strip, TPC Las Vegas is a stern and compelling test of golf set against the stunning backdrop of Red Rock Canyon.

Designed by noted golf course architect Bobby Weed along with World Golf Hall of Fame member and four-time major champion Raymond Floyd, who served as a consultant, the par-71 7,081-yard TPC Las Vegas is a championship-caliber layout featuring lush green parcels of manicured turf woven through a rugged tapestry of arroyos, barrancas and undisturbed desert washes, highlighted by dramatic vistas and an abundance of risk-reward challenges.

Former Wall Street Journal columnist Jonathan Clements once compared making the most of your golden years to stretching your dollar during a lengthy stay in a certain well-illuminated party and entertainment haven.

“Retirement is like a long vacation in Las Vegas,” Clements wrote. “The goal is to enjoy it to the fullest, but not so fully that you run out of money.” One company has made that possible for years in Las Vegas, and will now look to expand and diversify the scope of its discount offerings to benefit golfers.

Tix Corporation has earned the reputation as the leading half-price ticket provider in Las Vegas by providing Sin City visitors and residents access to reduced rates for shows, concerts, dinners, attractions and sporting events.

In 2008 Tix Corporation acquired the trusted discount golf service Standby Golf, which began its operation in 1975 in Palm Springs, and will now extend preferred Vegas rates to traveling and local golfers. 

In a city famous for its high rise hotels and casinos, Las Vegas has increasingly become a true golf destination with a portfolio of courses aimed at giving an experience unlike anything “back home.” Vegas is known for doing it bigger and better than anyone else, and arguably nobody does golf better here than Harrah’s Entertainment.

Harrah’s is the largest gaming company in the world. They own/operate Strip casinos and hotels for every type of customer: for the decadence-at-any-cost crowd - Caesars Palace, Paris, and The Rio; and for those with slightly understated tastes, Bally’s, Flamingo or Harrah’s Las Vegas are wonderful options.

For golf aficionados who appreciate challenging designs, pristine conditions and an overall customer service first approach, then Harrah’s is the only choice, proudly presenting Cascata and Rio Secco Golf Club as well as the best golf instructor in the world, Butch Harmon.

Las Vegas National Golf Club is located just a stone’s throw from the famed Las Vegas Strip. This classic Bert Stamps design opened in 1961 and has since held a storied existence rivaled by only the most prestigious clubs in the world.

How many other clubs have been the regular hangout of the Rat Pack, held numerous events on the PGA, Champions and LPGA Tours and been a location for a major Hollywood production, Martin Scorsese’s 1995 crime drama classic, Casino?

While Las Vegas National (formerly known as the Sahara Country Club) has a tradition steeped in history, it remains a local favorite for avid golfers primarily because it’s a course that you don’t have to “hit it a mile” to reach the fours and fives in regulation. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that if you do hit it a long way but out-of-bounds, trees and water await the errant shots. 

By David P. DiFilippo

Age: 24
Height: 5’ 6”
Residence: Las Vegas, Nevada
Turned Pro: 2005
Rankings: World – 199 • 2008 Money
List – 87
Career Best Finish: 8th Place – SBS
Open February, 2008

David P. DiFilippo: How would you assess your 2008 season?
Erica Blasberg: Up and down. Probably the best golf I’ve played on TOUR but I didn’t finish as well as I would have hoped. I do feel I’m close to a breakthrough year.

Now in its 40th year of existence, the classic Las Vegas Country Club (LVCC) is a facility rich in tradition and history It holds the honor of being the oldest private course in the city.

Site of past professional (the PGA Las Vegas Invitational and the LPGAs Takefuji Classic) and top amateur events (the Nevada Women’s State Amateur Championship and the Callaway Junior Series) the club has also hosted innumerable celebrities, movers and shakers at their centrally located, off Strip venue. And that’s not to mention the rich and famous who call this original, private guard-gated community home!

In the 1950s, the land now occupied by LVCC was the site of Las Vegas Downs, a thoroughbred race track. When the racetrack went into bankruptcy, the property was purchased by an investor, Joe W. Brown, who sold it to Marvin Kratter of Nevada Equities who build the country club.

Honestly, when was the last time you were taken back by the beauty of a golf course? The first time you saw Pebble? A late afternoon round at Torrey Pines? For me, it was when I played PGA Golf Club Coyote Springs.

The Chase at PGA Golf Club Coyote Springs is a new Jack Nicklaus Signature Design – “Signature” meaning, the legendary Golden Bear actually designed the course himself. The Chase is simply awe-inspiring. PGA Golf Club’s desert locale is surrounded by magnificent mountains that seemingly change colors like a chameleon – red, orange, purple…the colors never stop. The course’s rye-grass fairways were in Augusta-like shape, a.k.a. perfect. The eleven lakes on the course are straight out of a scene from the movie The Blue Lagoon – thanks to land that is rich in minerals the water that flows out of the ground is a beautiful turquoise blue color. Add to all of that the stark natural beauty of the Southern Nevada desert and you have a breathtaking golf experience.

Created to celebrate the legacy of a great American patriot, Paul Revere, The Revere Golf Club is a revolutionary Troon Golf experience that will test your bravery, intelligence and skill, similar to the trial Revere endured during his famous “Midnight Ride.”

The Revere presents a blend of beauty and challenge unlike any other in Southern Nevada. Draped through the rugged desert canyons and valleys of the Las Vegas foothills, the golf club offers unending, awe-inspiring views of the city below and mountains beyond.

Revere Golf Club, which was recently awarded a prestigious rating of 4½ out of 5 Stars by Golf Digest and listed among its “Best Places to Play”, is home to two 18-hole championship golf courses – Lexington and Concord. The layouts are aptly named for the battles in which Revere acted so heroically and was later glorified for after his death.