Description
(At Right: The Painted Desert Golf Course) (Click on images for larger view.) Everything in Las Vegas is bigger, better, glitzier and larger than life. You don't just play a round of golf. You have a golf experience. Our golf tour guide, Marty Tunnel of Select Products, arranged for us to have a killer lunch at Smith & Wollensky on the Strip, be picked up in a tricked out party van, and driven to the airport, where we were then whisked away on a helicopter and taken toThe Revere at Anthem golf course created by PGA Tour player Billy Casper and architect Greg Nash. Located in Henderson, Nevada, The Revere offers great views of the rugged desert canyons and valleys of the Las Vegas foothills, with the city below and the mountains beyond. A 7,143-yard, par 72 layout tests your shot-making capabilities with classic risk/reward scenarios.Regardless of your skill level, The Revere provides a variety of options to accommodate your game. (Above: Revere at Anthem golf course.) On our second day of play, our friend Marty hosted us at his annual Bottomless Cup Golf Tournament at the Badlands Golf Club, proving that drinking, smoking, gambling and golf do go together nicely! The Badlands combines three courses - "Desperado", "Diablo", and "Outlaw." With those kind of names you know that you're in for a challenge! Twenty-seven holes set against the Red Rock Canyons, The Badlands has deep-flowing arroyos, canyons, and natural washes surrounded by the scenic desert. Badlands was ranked among the Top Ten Best Courses in Nevada by Golf Digest. This is one bad-ass golf course; with holes like the Rattlesnake, Dead Man's Curve, and Going West, you better be ready for a challenge. This is target golf at its best. The Badlands is a Johnny Miller designed course, with consultation from Chi Chi Rodriguez. Desperado/Diablo is the longest course, with 6,926-yards, at par 72 with a 73.0 rating and a 133 slope. The Badlands is also home to the David Leadbetter Golf Academy. (Above: Royal Links.) A sense of Europe seems to be invading Las Vegas, with inspiration from Venice, Rome, Monte Carlo and Paris. The European presence has also come to influence the golf courses. One of the newest jewels is the Royal Links Golf Club. Owner Bill Walters pledged that if he ever had the opportunity, he would build a course to honor the history of this magnificent game. It came true with the creation of Royal Links. The course features 18 signature holes from the British Open Championship rotation. In creating Royal Links, the design team sought to provide players with shot value, challenge and drama similar to those at the honored golf courses. The course reflects famous holes and venues like the "Road Hole" from St. Andrews,complete with the stone wall, the "Postage Stamp" from Royal Troon and Carnoustie's #15, a course Ben Hogan conquered. Other courses represented are Prestwick, Royal Liverpool, Muirfield, Royal Birkdale and Turnberry. This "links-styled" course even has its version of the legendary "Hell's bunker," where Jack Nicklaus made a 10 on the hole after landing in the bunker.