Games People Play
Where there's a casino, it's a good bet you'll find a golf course
Golf and gambling were a twosome long before the Flamingo Hotel was even a twinkle in Bugsy Siegel's eye. In fact, wagering and putting have been linked for centuries, as chronicled in amusing detail in Michael Bohn's 2008 book Money Golf: 600 Years of Bettin' on Birdies. According to Bohn, Scots in the 15th century were the first to connect the game and betting.
Today, the great tradition continues, as casinos from upstate New York to Southern California offer opportunities for players who are equally happy swinging a club or rolling the dice. “I think golfers and gamblers share the same DNA,” says Kevin Drum, executive director of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Golf Association. “Golfers gamble by trying to reach the green with their second shot on a par-5, even if that shot is 225 yards over water. Placing a bet at the craps table is thrilling in a similar way. You take a risk, hope for a reward, and feel thrilled if things go your way.”
Drum's stomping ground is home to some of the best casino and golf pairings in the South. The high-energy Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, in Biloxi, features more than 1,200 slots and 56 table games amid a shrine of rock memorabilia, as well as a theater that presents a diverse list of headliners. Performers this spring include Heart (March 27), Eric Burdon and the Animals (April 3), and the Oak Ridge Boys (May 29).
Just a short spin down the beach, the Beau Rivage Hotel and Casino, also in Biloxi, attracts high-stakes players from around the world, with 2,100 slots, the Southern Poker Championship, and headliners like Queen Latifah (April 3), Chicago (April 10), and Jerry Lewis (April 17) on the entertainment calendar.
The Beau Rivage also offers an enticement for golfers. The resort's Fallen Oak course was ranked by Golf Digest as one of the top 10 new courses in the United States in 2007 and by Golf Week as one of the country's top two casino courses. Like many of the best casino courses, Fallen Oak — an instant classic designed by Tom Fazio — is exclusive, available for play only to Beau Rivage guests. Other notable courses within easy striking distance of the Hard Rock, Beau Rivage, and Gulf Coast casinos include Shell Landing and the Preserve.
“It's like playing links golf in the middle of the desert,” says Todd Michaelsen, head pro at the Chase. “It's a traditional course in an untraditional place.”
Considering its arid surroundings, the Chase course is also unusual for an abundance of water, drawn from a natural aquifer. Water hazards come into play on 11 holes, guarding several greens and cutting a dramatic swath — replete with waterfalls — between the ninth and 18th holes. Some of the rock formations are actually concrete sculptures mimicking the nearby mountain ridges. You can't blame Nicklaus for the faux touches, though. This is Las Vegas, after all. In fact, with its rippled fairways and sweeping elevation changes, the whole course has a sculpted quality that makes for a transporting round.
Westward Holes
Like the Beau Rivage, Las Vegas' famed Bellagio, the jewel of the MGM Mirage properties, understands that the notion of exclusivity is cherished by high rollers and low handicappers alike. Bellagio set the standard for luxury on the Las Vegas Strip when it opened in 1998 — and then upped the ante for golfers by partnering with Shadow Creek, a Tom Fazio–designed course with a rarefied, members-only atmosphere. Following a multimillion-dollar renovation completed last December, Shadow Creek shows no sign of relinquishing its position as Las Vegas' top-rated course.
Sin City isn't the only game in the West for gambling and golf, though. Palm Springs, Calif., a longtime magnet for Los Angeles' elite and winter refugees from the Northeast, boasts great golf courses and first-rate casino hotels. The finest roster of courses in the area belongs to La Quinta Resort and Club, which attracted a who's who of Hollywood, from Greta Garbo to Errol Flynn, following its grand opening in 1927. These days, La Quinta's guests are likely to be just as focused on golf as on glamour, but the sprawling complex of Spanish-style casitas and shimmering swimming pools retains its classic feel. Guests have access to the five courses of the adjacent PGA West club, including the astonishingly demanding and beautiful Stadium Course by Pete Dye, as well as renowned designs by Greg Norman, Jack Nicklaus, and Arnold Palmer.
Just 13 miles away, in Rancho Mirage, the smooth green surfaces that call to players are gaming-table felt, not putting greens. As the name suggests, Aqua Caliente Resort Hotel and Casino, expanded and remodeled in 2008, is the hottest gambling spot in greater Palm Springs. The 71,000-square-foot casino houses 1,600 slot machines, 32 game tables, an 11-table poker room, and much more.
Situated on land owned by the Cahuilla tribe, Aqua Caliente represents a significant trend, namely, the construction of gambling and golf facilities on ancient tribal land. Other significant developments in this vein include the Turning Stone Resort, in upstate New York's Mohawk Valley. In addition to 2,400 slot machines, over 80 gaming tables, and daily and weekly poker tournaments, Turning Stone features three championship courses. To accommodate golfers in the off season (because of the region's long, cold winters, the courses are closed from November through April), Turning Stone offers the Golf Dome, a year-round indoor facility with simulators that allow golfers to virtually play courses such as Pebble Beach and St. Andrews. The Golf Dome also offers computerized swing analysis as well as plenty of room for short-game practice with sand bunkers and a nine-hole putting green.
Also located on tribal land — and equally dedicated to golf and gaming — is the Coushatta Casino Resort, in Kinder, La. The resort's Koasati Pines course is the longest in Louisiana, totaling more than 7,600 yards. It boasts a four-and-a-half-star rating by Golf Digest and features a 19th hole — not a clubhouse, but an actual golf hole where players can settle matches that end in a tie. Also impressive is the resort's 100,000-square-foot casino, with more than 2,800 slot machines and 70 gaming tables. “We're a big draw in the area,” says director of marketing Phil Ziegler. “Since we're in such a remote area, there's really only one reason people head out here. Well, actually, two reasons: golf and gambling.”
Sea and Sandtraps
For gambling golfers who'd like to add beach time to the formula, the Bahamas are a good bet. The Royal Oasis is the largest casino in the Freeport/Lucaya area — in fact, it's one of the largest in all the Caribbean, with 28,000 square feet filled with slots, gaming tables, and even a sports book where gamblers can bet on action worldwide. The massive resort complex includes two excellent golf courses, the Emerald and the Ruby.
Another jewel in the Bahamas is Our Lucaya Beach and Golf Resort. Two hotels bracket the beachfront property, a classic Sheraton and a contemporary Westin. The resort's two championship layouts follow the theme, with the Lucayan Course — a 1962 design by Dick Wilson, who's known for Miami's famed Blue Monster — and the Reef Course, a modern, links-style layout by Robert Trent Jones Jr. Post-round options include a visit to the resort's 25,000-square-foot spa or a stop at the Isle of Capri Casino, where the Vegas-style experience includes baccarat, stud poker, and blackjack as well as 320 slot machines. Looking for more? Head to the beach, curl up on a towel, and dream of birdies and big jackpots.
— Peter Speedwell
Photographs: Courtesy of Fallen Oak (course); istockphoto(craps table, golfer); courtesy of The Bellagio(hotel)
