by Mr Morton
Four Gordonstoun golf players participated in the inaugural Independent Schools' Golf Associations golf tour to Las Vegas. The primary purpose of the tour was to attend the world renowned Butch Harmon School of Golf, whose alumni include Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, Ernie Els, Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia among others, for a full day of coaching with the resident professionals and to explore some of the forty plus golf courses in the immediate locale.
As the end of term approached the excitement amongst the Gang of Four (Susie, Astrid, Chris and Robbie) grew as the departure date neared. We met up at and were disappointed at being delayed, but this was somewhat mitigated by the news that we had been upgraded would now be travelling in the comfort of Premium economy. This proved to be a long day as the delay meant our arrival into Las Vegas - now a spectacular night arrival with the lights of the Las Vegas strip illuminating the entire area - was late in the evening. The transfer to our accommodation - the spectacular Red Rock Canyon Casino and Resort - was completed and five weary travellers finally relaxed and slept soundly.
Our first day began early with a trip north up the Las Vegas valley to our first course the Paiute Resort and Golf Complex, set in the awesome stony desert of the Paiute Native American Reservation. After crossing an apparently lifeless and colourless desert, the first impression of the golf course was the startling colour of the fairways and greens against the stark desert surrounds. The course, which undulates across the desert, proved to be every bit as spectacular as it appeared with lush fairways, exciting challenges over lakes and desert and fast true greens - real golfing paradise! The gang of four proceeded to tear up the course with impressive scores from all. Great fun was also had driving the carts around the course -sensibly naturally! The day rounded off with a lovely meal in the clubhouse with all of the attendant American style of service. This was a truly spectacular way to begin the trip.
Day Two dawned cold and cloudy with the threat of snow never far away and, before long, the white stuff began to fall. The locals, not used to this, made much of the situation rushing out to take photos and throw snowballs - not a skill that they practice regularly. The golfers in the Gang of Four (GoF) however were keen not to let the snow stop them and, to the amusement of the locals and the intense interest of the local media, the gang set out to play the Angel Park nine hole course with specially bought orange balls, negotiating their way around with tees made of snow and putting along troughs in the deepening snow. Despite, or perhaps because of the snow, great fun was had by all and of course followed by the inevitable American sized lunch all served with the welcome American hospitality and service. The day was rounded off with a night time drive along the Las Vegas strip to experience the wonderful sights and sounds of all it could offer and to visit the awe inspiring Caesar's Palace Casino with its surreal approach to shopping in the piazza arcade. This is an experience the Gang of Four will remember for a long time - shopping paradise!
Day Three was the highlight of the trip for everyone, six hours coaching with the staff of the Butch Harman School of Golf, every aspect of the game was covered, and no avenue was left unexplored in the quest for improvements in everyone’s game. The GoF made an immediate and positive impression with the coaches, demonstrating great willingness to listen and learn and tremendous enthusiasm for golf, hitting somewhere in the region of 3000 balls during the day - this is Tiger Woods country and if it was good enough for him it was good enough for our own golfing elite! Concentration remained high throughout the long day, which was some considerable achievement as the views around the golf school can only be described as incredible.
Day Four found us at the exclusive and extremely plush Rio Secco Golf club, set amongst spectacular canyons and surrounded by an executive housing development whose residents include Michael Jackson, Tiger Woods and other A-list celebrities - the GoF felt very much at home! Despite the cold all of the players set off with high hopes for a good round and things began well with good scores posted on the opening holes which includes a par three 180 yard carry over a 200 feet deep canyon requiring nerve and skill to land on the handkerchief sized green and to hold it. However, as the ninth hole was completed, the weather closed in and for a second time it snowed and this time heavily. This was the first time in thirty years that this amount of snow had fallen and settled on the Las Vegas strip, which is usually immune to such occurrences - it must be global warming was the complaint from the Gang of Four!
Undeterred by the premature closing of the course the gang decided this was the perfect opportunity for more retail therapy and, with Christmas just around the corner, the driver was persuaded to visit every outlet mall and shopping centre in the Las Vegas area, no small undertaking! The perfect day was rounded off with a tricky drive back to the hotel in wind-driven snow on icy roads. Once safely back inside, the creature comforts of hot baths and hot food were sought before retiring to bed.
Day Five dawned after a night of continued snow fall - all courses closed - so a day long visit to the “Strip” was planned. Parking in glorious sunshine but surrounded by snow at the south end of the strip the trip began at the Mandalay Bay casino with its own Aquarium boasting a large shark tank amongst its attractions. Progress north along the strip took us through a variety of enormous casinos including the pyramid-shaped Luxor, Excalibur, MGM with its own lions, and onwards to New York, New York, where the GoF enjoyed a wild trip on a roller coaster that begins and ends its journey inside the casino. Lunch was taken at the exclusive Wynn Casino buffet with food of all ethnic origins on offer - a smorgasbord of delight! Once refuelled, the GoF decided to head off to the shops of the Las Vegas Fashion Show mall for more retail therapy. The night trip along the Strip to return to the cars took us past the shows at Palazzo, Venetian, Mirage and Treasure Island, Caesar's Palace and then the spectacular fountain and light display at Bellagio which was a fitting finish to a great tour of the culture of Las Vegas!
Day Six saw us back to the golf with a visit to the Tournament Players Course Las Vegas - the Canyons. This course has hosted many prestigious professional tournaments over the years and winners have included Tiger Woods, to name but one of the world’s top golfers. The course proved to be an excellent challenge with holes cut through the Canyons running through the desert offering long carries and small target areas. Once again the greens were in excellent condition considering the date of late December, with them playing fast and true. The fairways were lush and tightly mown, giving a lovely playing surface whilst the rough was punishing if you found yourself in it - a great test of golf. The Gang of Four once again attacked the course with enthusiasm and skill, posting good scores and enjoying the whole experience. Our post- round meal on this day was in the charmingly named Applebee’s Restaurant where the portions exceeded all of our expectations and the quality was beyond all that had gone before!
Our final golf day took us south and out of the Las Vegas valley to Boulder Creek, a spectacular mountain course with view for miles over the valley stretching south towards Lake Mead. Our start, delayed whilst we waited for the frost to come out of the ground allowed for a long warm up and in particular a long practice on the putting green - this was a huge bonus as the greens were the quickest we played on and the most difficult to read - so the extra long practice stood us in good stead and once again the GoF attacked the course at every opportunity posting scores to beat all comers.
As our American trip drew to a close there was one last chance for retail and the final presentations before the return trip to the airport and the long flight home to Christmas with family. The Gang of Four had thoroughly enjoyed the trip - the golf had been fantastic, the snow made for a unique experience and the coaching gained at the hands of the Butch Harmon coaches was second to none.
For further informatoin on the ISGA (Independent Schools' Golf Association) and more pictures of the Las Vegas Tour, please follow this link www.isga.org.uk