|
The old saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. When it comes to betting on the course in Las Vegas, truer words could never be spoken.
Golf Las Vegas Now contributor Jack Sheehan came to Vegas in the seventies thinking he could fill his wallet with cash by picking off the pigeons waiting for a golf bet at the few Las Vegas golf courses that were around. He learned. And today, there are more courses, and just as many pit bosses, dealers or valet parkers--never mind the true hustlers--that can shoot whatever score they need to win the bet. But that just makes Vegas, Vegas. Here's Jack's tale: I thought winning spare cash on Las Vegas golf courses would be as easy as picking low-hanging fruit when I rolled into town in the mid-1970s. My handicap was zero, I had been playing high level tournament golf since I was a teenager, and most of the guys playing on weekdays in Vegas worked the swing shift at casinos after their rounds of golf. How tough could they be? One of my first hard lessons was against a couple of pit bosses at Paradise Valley Country Club. I was in my twenties, they were in their fifties, and they only wanted two shots a side a piece. One of these bandits, named Sonny, shot 33 on the front nine and his sidekick Mac shot 35. You do the math. The round cost me $300, but may have saved me a fortune down the road. Not only would I learn that day that there were good golf hustlers in Las Vegas, but that the city was a virtual Mecca for money players. A mantra I’ve never forgotten was uttered by Sonny as I handed over the cash after the round. “Ninety-five percent of all golf bets are won on the first tee,” he said. In hindsight, I think his percentage was low. Want to play a Las Vegas golf course? Complete Las Vegas golf course tee time information is a click away.
|
