When Perry Como recorded the classic ‘Some Enchanted Evening’ in 1949, he would never have guessed that the fictional island he crooned about would be the inspiration for one of Las Vegas’s most exclusive and unique golf resorts. Since the turn of the century, Bali Hai Golf Club has been delighting golfers with its one-of-a-kind views of the Las Vegas Strip.
Built to look like the tropical island it was named for, the Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley designed course is within 10 minutes of the city’s top hotels and just across the street from McCarran International Airport. To complete the tropical effect, the property was filled with 4,000 trees – including 2,500 towering palms – more than 100,000 tropical plants, and nearly seven acres of water features.
At 7,002 yards from the tips and a par of 71, Bali Hai is no pushover. Players can tell from the very first tee that the course will be tight and challenging. As with any course of this caliber, everything is in amazing shape, giving golfers the chance to play shots from immaculate fairways and roll putts on pure greens.
Bali Hai starts off with a relatively short, easy par four. What follows is a series of increasingly difficult holes that builds to a series of dramatic finishing holes using the golden Mandalay Bay Resort as a backdrop.
One of the most interesting and intimidating shots happens on the par three 16th, which plays over water with a full view of the clubhouse and restaurant. It’s followed by the two par fours that will test a player’s mental fortitude as they try to finish with a good score.
While Bali Hai looks the part of a desert oasis, there are reminders that you’re in the middle of one of the busiest cities in America. You’ll hear everything from freeway noise, trains, and airplanes as you play, but those things all add to the feeling of having escaped the real world.
Bali Hai has a large clubhouse, and pro-shop which is well versed in renting clubs to visiting gamblers who need to take a break from losing money to get their fix on the golf course.