"Best Bet"...In Unique Golf Experiences in Las Vegas
When you go to Las Vegas, you don't expect to enjoy the same recreational activities you can experience at home. You expect the exceptional ...Las Vegas-style gaming, multi-million dollar themed hotels/resorts, top-notch shows, and world class dining. Why should the golfer expect any less from his Las Vegas golf experience? In search for the city's most unique and challenging courses, those selected for this editorial epitomize unique characteristics and theme to allow golfers to "experience golf from around the world". Additionally, courses were chosen for their proximity to the Strip…all are within 20 minutes from the heart of the Strip. So, fellow golfers… take a vacation from the ordinary game….escape to the unexpected!
Royal Links Golf Club Hole 9, 567-yard, Par-5 and Castle Clubhouse
ROYAL LINKS GOLF CLUB…
"The Soul of Scotland"… "The Adventure of Las Vegas"
Missed your invitation to play in the British Open? Well, you can still play 18 of the best holes from 11 different British Open rotation courses. Even better, they are located less than 9 miles from the heart of the Las Vegas Strip. Not your typical round of golf, Royal Links provides golfers, who might never visit Great Britain, a chance to connect to the history and tradition that have made golf the great game that it is.
Royal Links Golf Club, which opened in December 1998, has since received notable recognition and awards to include most recently: "America's Best Courses You Can Play" (Golfweek 2005), and "Best Golf Course of Vegas 2006" (Las Vegas Review Journal). This Peter Dye links-style course features the best 18 holes inspired by some of the most famous golf holes where the British Open Championship has been played, including the enchanted "Road Hole" and "Hell Bunker" from St. Andrews' Old Course and the "Postage Stamp" from Royal Troon. Other legendary courses in the loop include Carnoustie, Turnberry, Royal Liverpool, Prestwick, Royal Lytham, Muirfield, Royal Birkdale, Royal St. George, and Royal Cinque Port.
Royal Links will immerse you in the rich tradition and lore of golf. Your historic golf adventure begins to come into view with a glimpse of a timeless Scottish-style castle, the vast openness of the links style golf course, with the Las Vegas skyline in the background. The breathtaking scenery makes it easy to forget where you are. The Royal Links distinctive castle-style clubhouse, awarded "Best Clubhouse" (VegasGolfer Fairways Awards: 2005) and Swilican Bridge" transports you to another place…another time ….and in your mind's eye you capture the image of Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus standing on that bridge.
Every detail in the clubhouse is designed to replicate the birthplace of golf. The interior circular entryway incorporates stained glass windows that reflect natural daylight onto an unmatched collection of golf memorabilia. ‘Larger than life' artwork depicts the tradition of golf in Scotland. Within the castle is Stymie's Pub, an authentic re-creation of an Isle tavern, which offers traditional British fare, golf memorabilia, fireplace and warm hospitality for which the British Isles are renowned. Stymie's is open for breakfast and lunch. Even the golf shop, which was ranked "America's Best 100 Golf Shops" (GolfWorld Business: 2005), has an old world feel with dark, rich woods and ornate 19th century décor. Before teeing off on your historical adventure, you must get a yardage book from the golf shop, which highlights the golf history of each hole and pays tribute to golf's greatest players through pictures and golf stories from the past.
At strategic locations throughout the Royal Links course monuments and markers have been placed to pay homage to great players and commemorate some great moments in British Open history. A Champions Wall near the practice green honors American champions of the British Open.
Royal Links Golf Club Castle Clubhouse
Adding to the authentic "Scottish" golfing experience, professional forecaddies are available to accompany each group. They are knowledgeable about the course layout, history of each hole, as well as help golfers navigate the 108 pot bunkers, many of which are hidden. Walking caddies are also available and required for those wishing to walk the course.
Royal Links works just as well for vacation hackers as it does for professional golfers (Tiger Woods holds the course record of 67; February 2001). This attribute is reflected in its tee-box designations: Royal, Gold, Ruby, and Emerald, which correspond to playing challenges ranging from a tough 7,029-yard, par 72, slope-135 difficulty rating to an attainable 5,142 yards, slope 115. The course's interesting aspects include its rolling heathery landscape, varied seasonal turf, 108 mostly hidden pot bunkers and an atypical mix of holes: four par-3s, ten par-4s, and four par-5s.
Hole #8, inspired by Royal Troon Golf Club's famed "Postage Stamp", is perhaps the most storied par-3 in all of golf. Willie Park described the hole as having "a pitching surface skimmed down to the size of a postage stamp", a description that gave the hole a name which it still bears today. Although this challenging hole is only 153 yards from the "Royal" tee-markers, the small green is elevated and well protected by five pot bunkers –one in the front and two each on the left and right.
The famed "Road Hole" of St. Andrews (#17 on the Old Course) served as the inspiration for hole #10, a fascinating yet destructive 466-yard, par-4. Just like in Scotland, golfers must clear a section of the old wall with their tee shots, avoid a menacing bunker protecting the front left of the tiny green and steer clear of the road that cuts diagonally across its back.
Royal Links Golf Club Hole 18
The challenging 18th hole at Royal Links mimics hole #14 on St. Andrews' Old Course –"Hell Bunker". The 515-yard, par-5 is pocked with a minefield of strategically placed treacherous bunkers. Five bunkers, similar to St. Andrews "Beardies", lie to the left of the fairway, eager to gobble up errant tee shots. Then golfers must carry two more large bunkers –akin to "Hell and the Grave" at St. Andrews, before approaching the shallow green, which is peppered by smaller bunkers on the left.
A round at Royal Links is like being transported to the birthplace of golf. Don't leave Las Vegas without treating yourself to this unique golfing opportunity!
