Even
though Las Vegas is one of the fastest growing metropolises
in the country, as well as one of the youngest, Las Vegas
still maintains a past and a tradition, relatively speaking
of course. That tradition is captured at the sublime, Las
Vegas National Golf Club on Desert Inn Road, just off of the
Strip.
A Bert Stamps design opened in 1960, the sense of the decade is evident in the rectangular pastel colored stucco clubhouse that might have seemed modernistic back then, but now is a charming reminder of an architecturally dated style that says but one thing, "Welcome to Old School Las Vegas".
Las Vegas National has all of the look and feel of the era. From the opening hole, the wide green look is a throwback to the Augusta look every course wanted. Only three tees are found here, another signal of the past before the need for five sets of tees for every player level that is now commonplace. This course has had years of care and the course conditions are excellent. The final sign of age is the mature trees that provide shade and shadows, something that a lot of the new courses in Vegas just don't have.
Las Vegas National plays 6,815 yards from the tips and has just three sets of tees, another sign of the tradition. The course opens and closes with healthy par 5's but it is the blend of strong par threes that you will really remember. Each one offers a well-protected target by either water or bunkers and the 16th is a true knee knocker that plays to 222 yards from the back tees.
A previous host to the Las Vegas Invitational, Tiger Woods shot a one-under 70 during his inaugural PGA victory in 1996.
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