Golf

A GOLFER'S PARADISE
Las Vegas is no longer golf's best-kept secret. In fact, Las Vegas recently was named the top emerging golf destination in the world by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators.

From exquisite championship courses designed by legends of the sport to lush fairways and breathtaking views - golf is just another reason the destination attracted 38.9 million visitors in 2006.

Today, more than 60 golf courses are available for play in Las Vegas throughout the year thanks to the area's inviting climate. Las Vegas offers challenging, yet beautifully sculpted courses developed by world-renowned designers including Jack Nicklaus, Tom Weiskopf, Billy Casper, Arnold Palmer and Pete Dye.

Many of the world's most famous professional and amateur golfers, including Tiger Woods, former U.S. President Bill Clinton and NBA legend Michael Jordan, feel at home on the Las Vegas links.

Las Vegas hosts many nationally and internationally televised golf tournaments including the PGA Tour's Michelin Championships at Las Vegas, LPGA Takefuji Classic and Wendy's Three-Tour Challenge.

For golfers needing additional instruction, several golf schools are available. Walters Golf Academy offers lessons by Mike Davis, the only instructor in the country to be accredited as both a PGA Certified Professional and a PGA Master Professional. Private lessons are available at Bali Hai Golf Club or Royal Links Golf Club.

The Golf Institute at Lake Las Vegas Resort offers lessons at The Falls Golf Club and Reflection Bay Golf Club. Gary Knapp, a PGA professional, has been teaching golf for 23 years and has been mentored by some of golf's greatest.

At the Butch Harmon School of Golf at the Rio Secco Golf Club, golfers experience state-of-the-art computer equipment to help analyze their unique swing. Special packages include private instruction, hotel accommodations and transportation to and from the course.

Chris Eastman at The Revere Golf Club at Anthem in Henderson, Nev., teaches the basic
fundamentals. Eastman has taught golf for more than 17 years and even taught six
professionals at various times.

Fast Facts
Southern Nevada is home to 64 public or semi-private golf courses and 14 private courses.

There are 12 courses available in the outlying areas of Southern Nevada, including Mesquite, Laughlin and Primm.

The Las Vegas Paiute Resort is the first master-planned, multi-course resort to be built on Native American land in the United States.

Professional Golfer Tiger Woods earned his first PGA Tour victory in 1996 at the Las Vegas Invitational (now the Michelin Championships at Las Vegas) at the Tournament Players Club at Summerlin.

Designers with two or more golf courses in Southern Nevada include Billy Casper, Greg Nash, Arnold Palmer, Lee Schmidt, Brian Curley, Tom Fazio, Jack Nicklaus, Ted Robinson, Rees Jones, Pete Dye, Jay Morrish and Robert Trent
Jones, Jr.

Las Vegas has hosted stops on some of the world's major tours including the LPGA, Seniors Tour, PGA Tour and NCAA Championships.

Here's a snapshot of just a few of the area's notable golf courses:

Badlands Golf Club: Designed by Johnny Miller and Chi Chi Rodriguez, Badlands was Las Vegas' first public 27-hole facility and was named as one of Nevada's Top 10 golf courses by Golf Digest Magazine.

Bali Hai Golf Club: Located at the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, Bali Hai delivers an island feel with towering palm trees and sparkling green fairways accented by white crushed granite.

Bear's Best: Designed by golf legend Jack Nicklaus, Bear's Best offers 18 replicas of Nicklaus' finest holes currently found at courses from Montana to Mexico. Bear's Best Las Vegas is home to a clubhouse that features Jack's Place, where photos, plaques and other memorabilia from Nicklaus' legendary career are displayed.

Legacy Golf Club: The Arthur Hills-designed facility features tee boxes on the 10th hole that are in the shape of each suit in a deck of cards: spades, clubs, diamonds and hearts.

Reflection Bay Golf Club: The 7,261-yard, par-72 award-winning course is the first public resort golf course in Nevada personally designed by Jack Nicklaus and the host course to the nationally televised Wendy's Three-Tour Challenge.

The Falls Golf Club: The newest course at Lake Las Vegas Resort is a masterpiece designed by Tom Weiskopf. The 7,250-yard, par-72 course challenges golfers with terrain that varies from the mountainous landscape to the desert floor, creating elevation changes from subtle on the front nine to dramatic on the back nine.

JW Marriott: Located in the heart of Southern Nevada's most prestigious golf neighborhoods, JW Marriott guests have access to a wide variety of golf facilities including an exclusive partnership with TPC Las Vegas at the Canyons. The 18-hole course incorporates a natural desert surrounding with a challenging layout to achieve one of the most enjoyable golf experiences in the western United States.

Wynn Las Vegas: Experience 18 holes of world-class golf right on the Strip, where 11 of the holes include a water element. Designed by Tom Fazio and Steve Wynn, more than 800,000 cubic yards of earth were moved to create the dramatic elevation changes.