320 days of sunshine a year in Las Vegas means a potential for playing golf almost every day of the year and Las Vegas has the golf courses to support that goal.
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by Julie Engelhardt
 Gambling may be one of the biggest reasons people come to Las Vegas, but there are other great perks as well, such as blue skies, great mountain views, and relatively little rainfall throughout the year. These conditions make Vegas an ideal place to play a very popular sport—golf.
With more than fifty courses winding around and about the Las Vegas Valley, and neighboring cities—and more cropping up each year—it would be a sin not to play a few rounds in this city before heading back home.
Deciding which course is the best is like trying to figure out which buffet has the tastiest shrimp or most decadent deserts. It all really depends upon your taste, and how much you want to spend. They each come with their own unique price tag.
There are public courses and private courses, courses that have exquisite clubhouses and restaurants, and even some that are lit for night play. If you're on a budget, a round of golf can be kind of reasonable, and cost somewhere from twenty to fifty dollars. But if you've come to live the high life, and money is no object, then you're looking at plunking down a green fee that will, without question, cost $150 or more—much, much more.
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Knowing where to begin on our journey through the world of Las Vegas golf is tricky because there are so many courses. We'll start with a few suggestions so, grab your caddy and your clubs, and let's jump into our virtual golf cart to take a quick tour of some of the greatest greens in Las Vegas.
Nicklaus, Palmer, Casper, Rodriguez, Miller, and Zoeller. If you grew up watching golf during the 60's, 70's and 80's, those were the names to look out for-before the Woods and the Singhs played through. All of these legends have designed courses for Las Vegas.
Angel Park Golf Club has two courses, Palm and Mountain, designed by Arnold Palmer.
Angel Park has been hailed as the “worlds most complete golf experience.”
Besides the 36 holes of championship golf on Palmer's courses, they also have the Cloud Nine short course, with 12 holes, and a Gary Panks designed 18-hole lighted putting course. In the evenings, nine of 12 holes at Cloud Nine are also illuminated for night play.
 Situated at an elevation of 3,000 feet, Angel Park Golf Club not only has great courses, but it has terrific views of Red Rock Canyon and the entire Las Vegas Valley.
The Golf Shop at Angel Park is top rated.
 The Badlands Golf Club, which opened in 1995, has courses that were designed by golf legends Chi Chi Rodriguez and Johnny Miller.
Three nine-hole courses are available—the Desperado, the Outlaw, and the Diablo.
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Choose from ten Grand Canyon tours featuring helicopter, airplane or bus transportation and combinations including Colorado river raft or Hummer Mohave desert tours.
Grand Canyon Tours are from 4 – 15 hours.
Visit Hoover Dam, Valley of Fire State Park, Red Rock Canyon, Mount Charleston or Old Nevada in air conditioned comfort.
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T wo of these courses have been described as being some of the most difficult in Las Vegas. The original 18, the Desperado and Diablo nines, wander through rugged desert canyons. The Outlaw nine is very player-friendly, offering wide fairways. If you are new to the game, take advantage of the on-site Ken Venturi Golf School and American Golf's Nike Golf Learning Center.
 Another fine club in town is the Silverstone Golf Club.
The golf course opened in 2001, and the 34,000 square-foot clubhouse debuted in 2002.
Silverstone is off the beaten path, as it were, since it is located on the extreme northwest side of Las Vegas.
 The Silverstone Golf Club has three nine-hole tracks, the Mountain, the Desert, and the Valley.
In keeping with the Vegas theme, Silverstone has a 28th hole to decide any wagers that were left unsettled after 18 holes.
 The money-deciding hole is located just outside the clubhouse and is about 90 yards completely over water.
Silverstone is also the site of the only Golf Digest School in Nevada, plus it has hosted the National Public Links Qualifying Tournament.
If you've enjoyed your tour of Las Vegas on iNeTours.com you may also want to visit London, New York City, San Francisco and the California Wine Country, Los Angeles, San Diego, New Orleans and Yosemite National Park.
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