Course: Royal Links Golf Club in Las Vegas
Location: 5995 East Vegas Valley, Las Vegas, Nevada
Phone: 888-427-6678

Introduction
I was down in Vegas a couple weeks ago and had the opportunity to play at the Royal Links Golf Club of Las Vegas. This is a course I have heard great things about and have always been eager to play it. The golf course features holes inspired by eleven different British Open rotation courses. Royal Links is one of three Walters Golf Las Vegas courses (the other 2 being the Bali Hai which is just off the strip behind Mandalay Bay and Desert Pines).

If you follow the PGA tour like I do, playing at the Royal Links presents an opportunity to essentially play holes from courses like St. Andrews, Royal Troon and Prestwick among several others. Not only did the fact that I could play British Open holes by just flying down to Vegas, the course itself has received accolades like the “Best Course in Las Vegas” in the 2006 Review Journal “Best of Vegas” poll and one of “America’s BEST Courses” by GolfWeek. Needless to say, when I had the time and opportunity to hit these links, it was the most excited I’ve been in a while to hit a new course.

Travel/Location
It’s about a 20 minute cab ride from the Las Vegas strip to Royal Links. The Royal Links website provides great directions for those who are driving from popular locations like the strip, the airport and downtown Vegas. The Royal Links Golf Club clubhouse is definitely unique in that the exterior is a gorgeous small castle that definitely contributes to the British Open feel the course strives for.

The Course
Walking to the tee for the first hole definitely feels like you are over in Scotland as you must cross the famous stone Swilcan Bridge in order to tee off.

The course designers pulled out all the stops to ensure that the British Open feel was replicated in Vegas, particularly the all-consuming rough that I see every year at the British Open; unfortunately it swallowed a few of my balls over the course of the day! The course is beautifully built with certain vantage points providing a view of the strip beyond the pin while other holes allow you to escape allowing you to almost feel like you are actually across the pond. Golfing down here especially during the winter months for Canadians must be a treat as the temperature approaches a high of just under 20C during the day.

As for the course itself, the layout of the course definitely provides golfers with various strategic options. There are four par-3’s and four par-5’s. The course is definitely set-up to be challenging but playable for the novice golfer. Just keep in mind that the rough is definitely unforgiving and there are many deep sand traps

A few memorable holes:
#10: The famous Road Hole: the wall juts out and blocks your vision of the pin, just like they do over at St. Andrews. You must clear a section of the old wall with a sign on top of it! Definitely a challenge and a joy to play.

#7: Inspired by #13 at Royal St. George’s Golf Club, the hole features rolling hills that hide a number of sand traps leading up to the green. A great tee shot down the middle can find you stuck in the sand right in the middle of the fairways.

Altogether, the course is definitely a challenge but definitely rewards certain risks. Aside from the course maintenance that we unfortunately timed our visit with, the aesthetics of the course are beautiful and it is obvious the condition of the course is generally excellent. The course definitely lives up to its aim of providing a British Open golf experience.

Fun Factor
On top of the challenging and unique golf experience, the staff at Royal Links Golf Club aims to foster a laid-back relaxing atmosphere and this was definitely evident during our round. The club tries to ensure that there is “something for everyone” and offers the option to have a “Parmate” caddie accompany you during your round of golf. The website boasts an extensive roster of Parmates to choose from. A few Parmates were on the course with another group while we were there, and they were definitely easy on the eyes and having a great time.

At the end of the day, the course succeeds at its aim of providing a relaxing customer-first atmosphere that will please both the serious golfer and the bachelor party. The course is meticulously thought out, beautifully constructed and offers a strategic challenge.

The next time you’re heading to Vegas or planning a golf trip, I encourage all of you to check out the Royal Links Golf Club. Although a round of 18 is a little on the higher side compared to what we are used to in Calgary, the unique design of the course and the aggressive pricing compared to similar courses in Vegas make this course a very good deal in my opinion. Furthermore, if you check out www.waltersgolf.com, they seem to always have promotions for rounds and hotels, which can make golfing at the Walters Golf courses an even better deal!

Altogether, I would give this course a 4.5 out of 5.