Las Vegas, Nev. (July 19, 2015)–Chances are you’re watching players struggle with weather and course conditions on the Old Course at St. Andrews during the Open Championship this week. And, chances are you’re wondering how you might fare on a links-style course like the Old Course with all of its nuances. Well, you’re in luck. Tee it up at Las Vegas’ Royal Links Golf Club and you’ll experience 18 of the toughest–and most impressive–golf holes anywhere. And you can also visit the official Royal Links website to learn the tips on how to play the infamous Road Hole at St. Andrews and other “British Open” holes. –By Bill Bowman
Royal Links Golf Club was designed by Dye International and the 7,029-yard, par-72 layout, replicates 18 golf holes from courses that have played host to the Open Championship. The Dye team and owner and visionary Bill Walters went to painstaking measures to create a real-life British Open experience in Las Vegas had did just that.
And that includes three from the Old Course at St. Andrews. With its rolling fairways, impressive bunkering (more than 100 bunkers on the course and many of them are hidden off the tee, just like their counterparts in Europe), challenging greens and plenty of gorse, players will definitely be challenged from the first tee shot to the final putt.
And don’t fear, Walters Golf has some tips on the best way to get around Royal Links. And you will probably learn a thing or two about how to play the real thing; or at least how the pros should be playing the holes this week, including the Road Hole that can make or break a player’s quest for the Claret Jug.
Layouts like Carnoustie, Royal Troon, Muirfield, Turnberry and other magnificent designs have hosted the Open Championship, but it’s St. Andrews that gets the rave reviews.
And at Royal Links, three holes from the course are here for players to tackle. The par-5 5th, a 322-yard hole, is a replica of the Old Course’s 12th. The par-4 10th looks and plays like the famed ‘Road Hole’ (the 17th at the Old Course). Then there’s the final at Royal Links, the par-5 18th that is designed after the 14th at the Old Course.
Royal Links Golf Club is located just minutes north of the Las Vegas Strip. If you’re intrigued by links-style golf, this is the course you need to play. In all, there are golf holes from 11 courses that have been the site of the Open Championship woven together to form a links-style challenge at Royal Links. And it’s not just the golf course. Monuments give history lessons about the Open Championship and the Swilcan Bridge adds to the ambience…as does the castle-style clubhouse.