Being a golfer, but not a ’striker of the ball’ as much as I’d like to be, I’ve seen a lot of changes in the golf courses in Vegas. But, no doubt about it, Las Vegas is home to the best of the best when it comes to golf courses.

When I first moved here over 20 years ago, golf wasn’t a big tourist attraction. In fact, the casino’s quest to bring in visitors did not include golf packages. Now, it’s a rarity not to have one!

Golf in our beautiful city has grown from a handful of courses to over 30 within Vegas, and 10 or so right outside Vegas. Sadly, some of my very favorite courses are now gone. The Tropicana, the Sands, the Dunes, only wonderful memories. And soon to be only a memory will be the Desert Inn Golf Course. It’s sad to see the courses that once were the talk of the town reduced to - well, not rubble, but another hotel/casino.

For a golfer to live in Vegas with the variety of play in over 40 courses, it’s a dream come true.

The Legacy Golf Club

I know this course like the back of my hand, having walked or driven it more times than I can remember. Back in the day, the course was brand new - in fact, the entire area of Green Valley was brand new! It was difficult to market the course when it first opened because it was 11 miles off the Strip, not really on a tourist’s ‘List of Things To Do In Vegas’ at the time. But with solid determination, it began to market to tourists in the international arena. Within a few months, The Legacy was filled to capacity, and had the greens keepers yelling to slow down the play so they could keep the course maintained!

Managed successfully by OB Sports since Day One, The Legacy and Angel Park (a ’sister’ course in the northwest part of Vegas designed by Arnold Palmer) has been on the top of the “Where to Play In Vegas” lists for years. Designed by Arthur Hills, the Legacy course is one of those that evokes emotion in you as you play because of its beauty and layout.

The Holes

My favorite hole has to be, hands down, the 10th, and it should be on your list of “Must Play” holes when you arrive in Vegas. It’s a par-3, 193-yard hole that is a one-of-a-kind. The four tee boxes, measuring from 131 to 193 yards, are in the shape of each suit in a deck of cards. (No doubt a unique idea, but then, what else would you expect in Vegas?) The hole plays over a natural desert vegetation area and you land on a small, tiered green, guarded by a small bunker at the hole front right with desert vegetation surrounding it.

Another favorite is the ‘Devil’s Triangle’, a series of three holes beginning with the par-4 11th hole and ending with the par-4 13th hole. It’s famous for tripping up even the best golfers!

The whole course features Scottish-style fairways, rugged lava rock and large undulating greens, with everything surrounded in its natural desert foliage. There are times as you play the course that your eyes will wander to the beauty of the desert, which constantly changes with its brilliant colors. The overall course is played annually by the area’s best golfers for the sectional qualifying round of the U.S. Open, but if you want to play the game of your life, it’s a must-play course.

Inside The Legacy Golf Club

The Pro Shop is filled with an incredible selection of anything and everything ‘golf’ you could possibly need. I can’t remember the square footage, but it’s not a small pro shop, and the variety speaks for itself.

The restaurant serves some tasty dishes from appetizers to drinks to banquet meals, and professional event planners are on staff to coordinate any event! If you’re there on a Sunday, don’t miss their Sunday Brunch! You’ll see a lot of the locals enjoying the delicious food.

Deluxe golf schools, clinics, private instruction, junior lessons and playing lessons are just some of the many instructional options available through Resort Golf Academies at The Legacy Golf Club. Ranked as “one of the top 100 golf schools in the country,” by Golf Magazine, Resort Golf Schools offers a wide variety of instructional options.

The Legacy is in Green Valley which is in the southeast part of Las Vegas Valley, about a 12-minute ride from the Strip. And every cab, limor or bus driver in town knows how to get there!

So if you’re coming to Vegas and want to play golf, try the Legacy Golf Club. It’s a wonderful adventure!

You can also find other golf courses in Las Vegas at Vegas courseguide

If you happen to be someone who’s traveling too often, you should definitely consider getting travel insurance. Most people tend to disregard its importance because of preconceived notions that they can just get on with their lives without it. However, you should know that traveling is among the most accident prone activities that people engage in. Although it is fun, traveling renders you vulnerable for things beyond your control. This is especially true when you are riding on any public transportation. Actually, even if you decide to drive your own vehicle you are still placed in any possibility of unforeseen danger.

Buying travel insurance should not be done at the last minute. It should not be accomplished days before your next trip. If you foresee yourself engaging in way too many trips before you get the work in your hands, you should already sign up for travel insurance. Most companies already offer this as a mandatory thing for their people who will be engaged in business travels way too often. But if you are doing freelance work which involves traveling, then you should do this on your own. Even if you are not traveling for work but simply doing it for pleasure, you should still consider getting travel insurance if you engage in out-of-town trips every so often.

Here are some of the important reasons why you should accomplish getting travel insurance early on and way ahead of time:

1. Get enrolled before you leave – While you may have already filed all the needed requirements and accomplished all enrollment forms, you might still end up not having a surely enrolled travel insurance plan before you leave if you filed it days before. This is because authorities will still evaluate your enrollment and will check your credit background. You should expect the evaluation process to take days even weeks to be fully accomplished.

2. You can recover costs – If for some reason your booked trip gets cancelled yet you already made accommodations and tickets, you can recover the costs you paid for in advance if you already have travel insurance. This happens because you already have your travel insurance officers to back you up before you even make arrangements. They will be the ones who suggest the booking office you should choose, and often times these booking agents are tied up with them or are directly affiliated with them. Should there be changes, they can easily process it for you.

3. Getting discounts for trips – Sometimes, newly enrolled travel insurance holders give tokens to their newly acquired customers through traveling incentives. You can take advantage of this once you become accepted in your insurance enrollment. By doing so, you can save up on vital things such as tickets or travel accommodations to name a few.

So the next time you go out on a cruise or take the next flight off to your business meeting, make sure that you already have your travel insurance in check. It really does wonders for you and also helps your loved ones be more at peace as you travel.