Links Magazine | The Best Of Golf

BILL WALTERS

Bill Walters, businessman and avid golfer, once said, “Las Vegas has become America’s newest golf destination. There is a big evolution taking place here, and we’re working to lead the way.”

And lead the way he has. Walters Golf has partnerships with all the major hotels in Vegas, providing entrée for them to book tee times at the four courses the company represents through Las Vegas Golf Getaways, also Walters-owned. Additionally, Walters Golf has preferred relationships with more than a dozen local properties, allowing them to offer “Stay and Play” packages in a wide range of price points and experiences—from the Venetian and Mandalay Bay to Hooters and Boulder Station.

Walters Golf has also developed numerous first-rate golf facilities throughout Las Vegas. Royal Links Golf Club, Desert Pines Golf Club and Bali Hai Golf Club are owned and operated by Walters Golf—apparent in the unique experience available at each course. Inspired by various British Open rotation courses such as St. Andrews, Royal Troon and Turnberry, Royal Links relishes in its Scottish cues offering bits of history at each hole. Desert Pines further exemplifies Walters Golf’s desire to transport golfers to top golf destinations around the world. In this instance, the destination is the Carolina sandhills on a course reminiscent of Pinehurst. Found in the heart of Las Vegas, Desert Pines is the first golf facility developed and constructed in a public-private partnership with the City of Las Vegas. Lined with mature trees and white-sand bunkers, the course frequently rewards skills over power. Rounding out the Walters Golf triumvirate, Bali Hai is a golfer’s tropical paradise located right on the Strip.

The course is just a jump from McCarran International Airport and features one of Vegas’ top golf shops along with fine dining at Cili restaurant. Bali Hai reflects a lush golf experience worlds away from nearby desert-style courses. Seven acres of water features, volcanic rock outcroppings and more than 100,000 tropical plants evoke a sultry feeling perfectly capped by an umbrella-topped cocktail.

Before the explorers passed through Las Vegas, another group had laid claim to the area thousands of years prior. The Paiute Indians used the land as their hunting and living grounds. Fast forward to the 20th century where the Paiute tribe found a way to thrive, despite deteriorating land and the proliferation of a lifestyle that contradicted their simple existence.

In the early 1990s the tribe began plans to develop its 4,000-acre reserve into an endeavor that would link it inextricably to area commerce. The Las Vegas Paiute Resort is the first master-planned, multi-course resort to be built on Native American land in the United States. Located outside city limits, Paiute Resort helps bring golfers back to nature with its three premier courses that emphasize indigenous materials. Its first course opened in 1995 followed by two more within the next few years. Legendary designer Pete Dye created all three championship courses, and he’s left an indelible mark with his distinctive design. Snow Mountain is the original; Sun Mountain, is a bit tamer; his third lives up to its name: The WOLF, which opened in 2001 and is the longest course in Nevada at 7,604 yards. Forced carries and an island green on the 15th present challenges for any player.