Royal Links Golf Club offers VIP experience
Old Tom Morris would have loved what is going on at Royal Links Golf Club in Las Vegas.
Morris, born in 1821, finished second in the inaugural British Open and won the second one. He ended up winning The Open Championship — as it’s now called — four times. The major is being played for the 145th time this week.
Morris also was a golf course designer, greens keeper, golf professional and innovator. He didn’t invent the game, but World Golf Hall of Fame historians have called him the sport’s “founding father.”
Royal Links was built to honor the tradition of The Open Championship, the vision of Las Vegas businessman Bill Walters. The themed layout features 18 replica holes from courses played during golf’s oldest tournament. Among those that can be experienced are the Road Hole from St. Andrews and the Postage Stamp from Royal Troon, the host course of this year’s tournament.
Recently, executives from Royal Links, Maverick Helicopters and several resorts teamed to offer a VIP twist on the average Las Vegas golf experience. For $500 per person, golfers staying at any MGM Resorts property, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, the Four Seasons and a few other resorts can take a limo to the helipad and fly directly to Royal Links, where the “royal” treatment awaits. The fee includes limo to and from the resort, flight, club delivery or rental, plus the round.
“It was really cool for my guests, and they loved it,” Mandalay Bay executive casino host Rick Kozlowski said. “People come to Las Vegas to have over-the-top experiences, and it was definitely that for golf. It’s our job to create indelible memories, and my guys will never forget it.”
LOCALS GO FOR CLARET JUG
Golfers with strong ties to Las Vegas who are playing in The Open Championship include three-time Shriners Hospitals for Children Open champ Jim Furyk, former UNLV players Charley Hoffman, Adam Scott and Ryan Moore, and residents Kevin Na and Scott Piercy, who attended Bonanza High School.
STEPHEN SEAR RETAINS TITLE
Stephen Sear, a member at Thunder Canyon in Washoe Valley, finished at 1 under at Cascata last weekend to win the Nevada State Amateur for the second straight year. He shot 2 under in the final round and made up a two-shot deficit in the final three holes to defeat 1992 champion Edward Fryatt.
Fryatt, a former UNLV All-American and PGA Tour player, finished at par for the tournament and tied for second with former UNLV captain AJ McInerney. Two-time champion Brady Exber finished tied for fourth at 3 over with Erik Mathewson, Bradley Keyer, David Nelson and UNLV assistant golf coach Philip Rowe.
Sear, 49, prevailed on his home course last year and became the fifth golfer to win in back-to-back years.
“I don’t want to say last year was easy, but because it was on my home course, it felt that way, and I think I had a big advantage,” Sear said. “This year, I had to overcome a lot of inner demons, because I was playing a course I wasn’t very familiar with, and it also doesn’t set up very well for me.
“My favorite thing is to play against the young guys, and it’s even better to beat them. I’m not as talented as they are, and they have a lot more potential, so I have to outsmart them.”
DEAL OF THE WEEK
Join the E-Club at Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort and play this summer for $40 to $65 a round.
STARS ON, OFF COURSE
• Justin Timberlake, former host of Las Vegas’ PGA Tour event, at Topgolf Las Vegas.
• Several former Nevada State Amateur champions, including current Web.com and PGA Tour player Craig Barlow, played in the inaugural Reunion Invitational at Cascata. Bob Pratt, the 1954 state champion and a member of three NCAA championship teams at the University of Houston, attended the luncheon.
The golf notebook appears each Thursday. Freelance writer Brian Hurlburt is a two-time author who has covered golf in Las Vegas for more than two decades. He can be reached at bhurlburt5@gmail.com or @LVGolfInsider.
