FEATURE STORY

With warmer temperatures coming on, it's time to check out Las Vegas' top golf courses at cool prices

By Bill Bowman,
Contributor

LAS VEGAS - With all the gloom and doom surrounding the economy these days, we're here to offer you some good news. Finally.

Bringing a large golf group to Vegas? Course review: Bali Hai Golf Club Review: Arroyo golf course at Red Rock Country Club Celebrate 20 years of The Mirage with a special stay-and-play deal

There have been a few golf course closings in Las Vegas. You can't play Stallion Mountain Country Club, The Falls Golf Club at Lake Las Vegas or Reflection Bay Golf Club right now. These may be short-term closures. Only time will tell.

But we're here to talk about golf and value, Vegas-style. If you're coming to Vegas in the near future, make sure to pack your sticks. With the warmer temperatures racing through the Southwest, cool tee-time deals with many of Las Vegas' golf courses check in at well under $100 per round. Get 'em while they're hot.

"LasVegasGolf.com has packaged the best golf/hotel bundles available and also offers great add-ons such as rental clubs and roundtrip golf course transportation," says John DeMarco, managing director of LasVegasGolf.com.

So pick a direction once your plane touches down, and you're just minutes from teeing it up at a top Las Vegas golf course.

It's time. Grab your sunscreen, plenty of water and that wide-brimmed hat, and get ready to tee it up.

Las Vegas golf courses: On the Strip

Bali Hai Golf Club: Voted #6 of the "Top 50 Public Golf Courses in the Country" by GolfWeek Readers 2009. Here you’ll experience 7,002 yards of tropical golf paradise right on the Las Vegas Strip.  An island green, brilliant white-sand bunkers, more than 100,000 tropical flowers and plants, and seven acres of water features are just a few of the highlights available to golfers right on the famed Vegas Strip. Bali Hai is a Schmidt/Curley design.

Rates are as low as $89.

Las Vegas golf courses: Northwest

Badlands Golf Club: Target golf at its best highlights this Johnny Miller/Chi Chi Rodriguez masterpiece. Badlands features 27 holes that will test even the best players in your group. Remember that driver isn't always the club of choice off the tee.

"Badlands is the epitome of what a desert golf course should be. You frequently have to carry the ball over the rugged desert terrain and, to score well, have to place the ball in the proper side of the fairway," Kevin Iole wrote in this review of Badlands.

Rates are as low as $40.

Las Vegas golf courses: West

The Arroyo Golf Club at Red Rock: Arnold Palmer left his signature in Vegas in a big way at Arroyo. Bermuda fairways and bentgrass greens are inviting and add stunning beauty to this par-72 layout. Just minutes from the Strip, Arroyo Golf Club at Red Rock is a must-play course. Rates are as low as $50.

Las Vegas golf courses: Southwest

Siena Golf Club: Rolling fairways, beautiful water features and perfectly placed bunkers add charm and challenge to this Curley/Schmidt layout. Siena boasts rates as low as $60.

Las Vegas golf courses: South

Revere Golf Club: Billy Casper and Greg Nash teamed up to design two outstanding 18-hole layouts. The Lexington and Concord courses offer impressive routing through rugged terrain with magnificent views of the Vegas Valley. Rates at Revere are as low as $70.

Las Vegas golf courses: Southeast

The Legacy Golf Club: The 10th hole tee box on this Arthur Hills design is one of Vegas' most famous layouts, with teeing areas in the shape of a club, heart, spade and diamond. And the "Devil's Triangle," a three-hole stretch on Legacy Golf Club's back nine, will test a player's shotmaking ability with a variety of second shots. Rates are as low as $55.

Las Vegas golf courses: East

Royal Links Golf Club: Voted #13 of the "Top 50 Public Golf Courses in the Country" by GolfWeek Readers 2009 this links-style course was created to honor the rich tradition and history of the game of golf.  The Royal Links faithfully recreates 18 of the best holes of the British Open rotation course including two holes inspired by this year’s Open; Turnberry Golf Club #14 and #15.

To further add to the unique experience at Royal Links we recommend you take one of their beautiful ParMates – extremely attractive and energetic female caddies!

Rates start as low as $59.

Black Mountain Golf & Country Club: This golf course is one of the oldest layouts in Vegas and a favorite among the locals. The 27-hole layout at Black Mountain combines traditional golf (18 holes are tree-lined) along with desert golf (the newest nine holes are desert-style in look and feel). Rates are as low as $50.

Las Vegas golf courses: Northeast

Desert Pines Golf Club: Voted one of the "Top 50 Public Golf Courses in the Country" by GolfWeek Readers 2009.  Journey to the Sandhills of the Carolinas where you encounter more than 3,000 pines framing the holes of this tight course with water coming into play on 9 of the 18. Desert Pines is not a long course, so a premium has been placed on accuracy, especially off the tee. Strategy is the key to scoring well here.

Conveniently located just minutes from downtown or the Strip, this Dye design features countless pine trees lining the fairways where white sand bunkers protect large, undulating, bent grass greens fashioned after those at Augusta National. Golf Digest has recognized Desert Pines as one of the best new upscale courses in the country.

Rates at Desert Pines Golf Club are as low as $39.

Las Vegas golf courses: Central

Las Vegas National Golf Club: A traditional course that has been home to PGA Tour pros in the past (including the year Tiger Woods won his first tour event), this course is highlighted by demanding par 3s. It's also the new home to the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame. Rates are as low as $40.

There you have it, a quick trip around the Vegas Valley with some of the best golf values. Of course, there are certainly more options in each and every direction, from desert designs to lush layouts, and you can find all of the best rates listed right here on LasVegasGolf.com.

Your next great round in Vegas is just a call or a click away. And, especially in the summer, there's no better time to shop around for the best values.

Oh, and please pass the sunscreen.

Bill Bowman is a Las Vegas-based writer who has more than 35 years in the sports writing business. He's spent the past eight-plus years covering the golf scene in Vegas and has teed it up for magazine profiles with celebrities including comedian Bill Engvall, actor Jeffrey Donovan (USA's Burn Notice), ESPN personality Colin Cowherd, NASCAR's Kurt Busch, Collective Soul's Ed Roland, the Baltimore Ravens' Jonathan Ogden and many others.

July 13, 2009

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.