Las Vegas National Golf Club opened in 1961, is one of the oldest golf courses in Las Vegas. Las Vegas was a much different place during this period of time, and golf courses were built to suit the equipment and games of the day. Las Vegas National is not a very long golf course, only 6,500 yards from the back tee, but mostly this is due to the five par-3's on the golf course.
Las Vegas National is a treasure that sits about 10 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip on Desert Inn Road. Tucked amid a housing development that features houses built during the 60's and 70's, this is certainly a blast from the past. Players will not be able to overpower this golf course but must instead rely on accuracy and working the ball to score well.
The golf course starts out simply enough with a par-5 that measures 560 yards from the back tee. The driving range sits to the right of the fairway along with several bunkers that will catch stray balls. The left side of the fairway is fairly open and left is the best place to miss the ball on this hole. For most players this will be a three-shot hole but some of the longer hitters will have a chance to reach the green in two shots.
The best layup position is toward the two palm trees on the left side of the fairway near the green. This green is elevated so you will want to leave yourself a distance that will give you the most spin. There are several bunkers that surround this long green and both are deep and difficult to get out of.
Although many of the par-4's are short, driver is not always the best play off the tee. Often the greens are quite large and surrounded by deep bunkers. In order to hold these firm greens it is necessary to hit full shots into the greens. This will give the player the maximum amount of spin.
The most difficult holes on this golf course are the par-3's. Most of these holes measure 200 yards or better and usually require high lofted iron or wood shots to reach the greens. A perfect example of this is the long 14th hole which measures 230 yards from the farthest tee. This is the longest par-3 on the golf course but not the most difficult. The right side of the green is flanked by a bunker that manages to catch most tee shots on this hole.
If a player happens to miss the ball to the left they will have a difficult pitch shot to a narrow green. Aim for the left side of the green and hope you have enough club to reach the green. It almost seems like this hole plays slightly uphill. Like most of the greens at Las Vegas National this is a quick, undulating green. This golf course has had a long time to practice tricking players on long putts.
Las Vegas National Golf Club is a great example of golf as it was played in the desert many decades ago. Recently the golf course was sold and, like most older golf courses near the Strip, may have a short shelf life. I expect this golf course to be around for a long while, but with the price of land in Las Vegas, don't be surprised to see this area put to other uses in the future.
