Whether you’re an amateur golfer or you can hang with the pros, you know that sometimes you’re golfing for the sake of a leisurely afternoon, and sometimes you’re golfing because you crave the challenge. When you fall into the latter category, you know that Las Vegas golf courses, in all their infamous glory, can put you to the test. After all, it isn’t just the slot machines, betting arenas and poker tables that want to test your pride — it’s the city’s favorite sport, too.

The great thing about golfing in Vegas is that there are so many different types of golf courses, it’s sometimes difficult to narrow it down to where to go. Here’s a category for you: games that go out with a bang. These are some of the city’s most well-loved courses, and their final holes are out to get you.

Bali Hai

If golfing in Vegas is on your bucket list, then so is golfing at a course designed by Schmidt/Curley. The final hole at this course is intimidating, in part, due to its length: it stretches 486 yards for a par 4 shot. But that’s not what’s going to have you breaking a sweat just before you finish your game, but rather, it’s the bunker located 250 yards from the tips. Of course, you’ll have to navigate past the cunningly placed lake and bunker guarding the front of the hole. Are you up to the challenge? Or will you have to take refuge in the bailout area located to the left, where you can choose to spend a par? Visit the course for a day that’s sure to be filled with excitement, and find out for yourself.

Cascata

Many people visit Cascata because they love the backdrop: breathtaking mountains, rivers, and streams. What starts out to them as a leisurely game of golf against some beautiful scenery ends in a heart-pounding final hole. After all, one of the beautiful mountains that make up the trademark sights of Cascata blocks the direct route to the final hole, which, bearing no mercy, sits at 559 yards away from the beginning tee at a par 5. To add insult to injury, there’s a stream that wraps around the base of the mountain and while it’s nice to look at, it might take a toll on your score. The hole finishes off with a bunker toward the back of the course.

Boulder Creek – Desert Hawk Course

If you can snag some Las Vegas golf deals at the Boulder Creek golf club, it’s an opportunity you won’t want to miss. Of course, as soon as you see the course’s 9th hole, which is decorated with a huge pond and bunker right smack in the middle, it’ll be too late to turn back, anyway. It’s the perfect hole for an experienced golfer who is looking to improve his skill on tricky doglegs.

Like we said before, there are many golf courses that you’ll probably want to hit while you’re in Vegas, but it’s tough to narrow down your choices. These are all courses that are fun to golf, until you get to the very end.

Sara Kay is part of an elite team of bloggers who contribute to hundreds of blogs and websites across the web.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

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