We forwarded this question to Ken Van Vechten, author of our book Golf Las Vegas: The Ultimate Guide (available in both e-book and soft-cover formats, which some autographed copies remaining) and a member of the Golf Writers Association of America.
Here's what he had to say, in his inimitable way.
Well, that’s quite a tall order you’ve called out, with more qualifiers than the typical political speech. Let me see if I can marry "nice," "not too expensive," "decent conditions," "somewhat close," and "caters to the average golfer."
Nice: Nice is Shadow Creek. Or Cascata. Or Reflection Bay. Unfortunately none of those are Strip-close or "not too expensive."
Decent conditions: It’s vacation. Play something you wanna talk about when you get home. We can do you better than decent conditions with the recommendations below. (And remember, it’s winter up here in the high desert, and while that does not upstate Michigan make, courses are breathing living organisms and February ain’t the height of growing season.)
Somewhat close to the Strip: That would be Wynn, Bali Hai, and Divine 9 at the Callaway Golf Center, all of which are on the Strip. Wynn costs an equivalent of a lease payment on the Mercedes, and that’s without factoring in the mandatory stay and toking the caddie. Bali Hai has seen its pricing reduced somewhat, but not nearly enough for what you get, which is a handful of beautiful holes, a whole bunch of same-old same-old crap, no driving range, and a comely location pinched between the airport, Las Vegas Blvd. South, and I-15. Oh, you also get a whiff of fast food drifting in from time to time. Divine 9’s a pitch-and-putt. Close to the Strip is too tough. Instead, go ahead, rent a car for the day, it’ll cost less than a two-ended taxi run to any course in town.
Caters to … : I've never known what is meant by the idea of "caters to average golfers" and I’m in the process of co-editing Zagat’s newest golf guide, so I can say that most other players have no clue what that means, either. Sure, most modern courses are overbuilt and too many macho players step up to the wrong tee, but when you get right down to it, this truly average golfer -- I'm a 15 and have the 80s and 108s to prove it -- is as apt to toss up a big number at a knockover like Podunkport Golf Club as at nicely gnarling Bear's Best or one-time tour-hosting TPC Las Vegas. The usual suspects -- a.k.a. the guys I’ve played golf with for eons -- say I focus better on tougher better courses. I attribute it more to an age-old adage: "The planets do align ever so rarely." Anyway, when I hear "caters to average golfers," I'm thinking that's code for "I don't want to spend much money." Which brings us to ...
Not too expensive: And unfortunately the one thing that goes hand-in-hand with Vegas golf is coin. It’s themost expensive golf market in the Great Republic, outpacing Hawaii, Scottsdale, Palm Springs, and all other golf-mad destinations. You could play the Old Course in St. Andrews twice for what they think you should pay for Scottish-wannabe Royal Links out east o’ Vegas alongside the wastewater-treatment plant and what looks like a refuse transfer station.
But fear not! I have a few solutions. If you have to be fairly close to the Strip, consider Las Vegas National. I give a full rundown in my book for why that might not be the best use of time and coin, but there's some value to the property, particularly if you use a booking service -- or online special -- to pay other than rack. You’ll burn a Ben and a few of his friends at National at rack.
What I’d do is drive about 25 minutes outside town and hit Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort. Tee it up at either Sun Mountain or Snow Mountain for 20 bucks more than National and experience the best overall golf facility in these here parts. Paiute is way more than a Jackson better than Nation. Better yet, drive about 35-40 minutes past the racetrack and be one of the first to play the Chase at Coyote Springs. That baby is $140 less than mundane Silverstone in North Las Vegas -- and before you get all in a tizzy contemplating paying more than $100 for a round of golf, take my word that the Chase gives duly vaunted and long-reigning champ Shadow Creek ($500 plus room) a run for the title of best course in Vegas, and that’s saying something. (That’s actually saying a lot of something.) It opened since I wrote Golf Las Vegas, but if you promise not to tell anyone, I’m thinking about putting it in at #1 come edition two. You’ve never seen Nicklaus like this. The Chase is an unbelievable track that moves every direction; it's brawny and brash with more than a bit of subtle trickery. Awesome. And you get a caddie.
Remember, this isn’t back-home golf and you can’t look at it that way. Truly crappy courses around here charge $80, $100, and much more. And your on vacation. Live it up. Four hours on any course is a cost-saving to doing battle with Lady Luck in any casino.
