Bali Hai Golf Club was the only championship golf course located directly on the Las Vegas strip. The reopening of the Wynn Golf Club eliminated this distinction. Don’t think this convenience suggests a common golf experience. Bali Hai Golf Club attempts to recreate the beauty and drama of the South Pacific. An award-winning clubhouse of Balinese architecture developed from ancient Hindu, and Japanese aesthetic principles continue the South Pacific theme. Unfortunately, there is not a full driving range, a disappointment for such an impressive club.
There are 2,500 soaring palm trees and over 100,000 tropical plants. They constructed seven acres of water features that affect play on eight holes. They accomplish the unique flavor in transition areas through the liberal additional of “Augusta-like” white sand and black v olcanic rock outcroppings.
Ranked #13 in Nevada according to Golf Magazine.
The golf course sports four sets of tees from 5535 yards to 7002 yards. Selecting the right course length is often the foundation of a good experience on a new course. The lack of a fifth tee was noticeable as the middle tees are 6156 and 6601 yards respectively. Rather than 500-yard increments, five teeing grounds usually provide 375-yard increments resulting in better yardage fit for many. The course has five Par3s with four of them under 165 yards from the Gold tees. Conversely, six Par 4’s over 420 yards from the Gold tees lengthen the course by two hundred yards.
Countless palm trees and enormous swaths of white sand are immediately clear on the first tee. Being across the highway from the airport, airplanes taking off overhead are commonplace but were not a distraction. There are many white sand bunkers and waste areas. The beauty of these “beaches” is apparent but it’s a painful recovery. Views of the shiny golden towers of the Mandalay Hotel in the distance on many holes add a dramatic accent an already magnificently landscaped golf course. Watch the golfers on the sixteenth green when having lunch on the clubhouse patio. It’s a fabulous short Par3 with an island green.
Bali Hai keeps a decades-long tradition of Las Vegas Strip golf. There is no dull golf here; you feel like you’re embracing the Vegas spirit. Dramatic views, great tunes from your golf cart speakers and a challenging golf course add up to “fun-in-the-sun.”
Memorable and enjoyable.
If You Go:
Course Info – Bali Hai Golf Club is a high-end public golf club with one golf course.
Yardage: Four sets of tees span from 5535 yards to 7002 yards. From the back tees (Black) the rating is 73.0 and the slope is 130. The Silver tees are 6156 yards with a 68.6 rating with a slope of 113.
Location – On the Las Vegas Strip across from the airport and near the Mandalay Bay Resort.
Lodging – The Closest hotel is the Mandalay Bay. Plentiful hotels on the Strip, downtown, or west of Las Vegas.
Fees: $99 to $249 depending on time of year and day.
By Chuck Fox, Owner, Quintessential Golf, Resident since 2012
Quintessential Golf (https://www.quintessentialgolf.com)
A source of golf travel inspiration, Quintessential Golf online magazine spotlights the most spectacular, enduring and scenic courses, resorts and golf adventures. Written from a player’s point-of-view, articles include magnificent high-resolution course images. Brought to you by Chuck Fox, single-digit golfer, writer and photographer based in Danville, California, he is fulfilling his passion and dream to play, photograph and share the romance and beauty of golf throughout North America.