Historic Las Vegas Country Club Hosting LIV Golf on a Historic Weekend for the City
This is the latest in a series of articles about how golf is the common thread of nearly every big event in Las Vegas, the Sports and Entertainment Capital of the World.
It seems very fitting that the big money of LIV Golf is hitting the historic and iconic Las Vegas Country Club, which is located mere seconds from the glittering Las Vegas Strip. After all, in 1983, the course and membership played a key role in bringing the first million-dollar purse to the PGA Tour.
There is no denying that LIV Golf has changed the game and upped the ante when it comes to professional golf. Now the show is coming to Las Vegas Feb. 8-10, one of the biggest weekends in the city’s history when it hosts the Super Bowl.
In 2010, I was hired by the equity members of the Las Vegas Country Club to write the official history book. The Las Vegas Country Club: Chronicle of an Icon was the result, 248 pages filled with stories not only about an intriguing country club, but also about the role it played in the evolution of the city of sin into an international destination.
The movie "Casino" included a scene where an FBI surveillance plane landed at Las Vegas National Country Club. That happened in real life at Las Vegas Country Club.
Las Vegas Country Club
Then, in 2018, a new ownership group—Samick Music Corporation—hired me to create a new chapter and they printed a second edition. Now, LIV Golf comes to the neighborhood, and there is no doubt another chapter or two will be much needed following the tournament.
Bryson DeChambeau, one of LIV Golf’s first recruits from the PGA Tour and an unabashed proponent of the league and philosophy, spoke about LIV Golf coming to Vegas and the show that it promises to be.
“I think this is LIV Golf trying to create a spectacle for the United States to see,” DeChambeau said. “We haven't been highlighted enough here in the States. I can't wait to see what the response is going to be like with the football fans and the Vegas fans alike. It is a perfect combination for a unique and upbeat environment. There are going to be a lot of fun moments out there, a rowdy crowd, and probably a lot of clip-able moments (for social media).”
The Las Vegas International Country Club was founded in 1967 by Marvin Kratter, the owner of the Boston Celtics at the time. During the early days, entertainment superstar Dean Martin played the course daily, even before the club officially opened. Today, a statue of Martin stands in the shadows of the clubhouse and will be a perfect selfie spot during LIV Golf Las Vegas.
In 1970, a group of four notable and legendary Las Vegans—Moe Dalitz, Irwin Molasky, Allard Roen and Merv Adelson—headed up an ownership group that bought the club. Soon thereafter, the Club became THE place to be and be seen in the gambling and entertainment mecca and the name was shorted to The Las Vegas Country Club.
Celebrities, politicians, mobsters, athletes, law enforcement, gamblers and business people all gathered inside the walls of the club, which was considered “neutral territory.” Some of the real-life action depicted in Martin Scorsese’s movie, Casino, took place in around the Las Vegas Country Club. In one memorable scene, an FBI plane ran out of gas and landed in a lake next to a green (Las Vegas National Country Club was used in the movie).
It is a true story and a few years ago, the new owners placed a replica plane in the same spot next to the 10th green that will surely be a highlight of the LIV Golf television broadcast. For the LIV Golf event, the hole will be played as the 1st hole.
Dean Martin could often be found at Las Vegas Country Club.
Las Vegas Country Club
DeChambeau thinks the city and LIV Golf are a perfect match, and envisions a day when gambling on professional golf will be even more prevalent.
“The Vegas history is pretty unique with the the way it started and how and it is a city built from pretty much nothing,” DeChambeau said. “The (LIV Golf) money is great, but I think the spectacle is even more important. Vegas has a tradition and history of casinos and gambling, and all of that, which is interesting for live golf. I think we are starting to get into that a little bit more. I am excited for the time when we can start gambling on each hole, like closest to the pin, longest drive, all that sort of stuff. That is what LIV Golf wants to bring. LIV Golf is going to add to the history of Las Vegas. We are looking forward to bringing Las Vegas a new spectacle, something unique and different in the game of golf.”
The stories are countless when it comes to the Las Vegas Country Club, and many could be revealed in the coming weeks. Those range from LIV Golf CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman winning a PGA Tour event at the course in 1986, to a Vegas casino owner being swindled by golf hustlers for millions of dollars on the course, to poker professional Amarillo Slim being enticed into a five-figure bet about whether he could hit a golf ball over the former Hilton Hotel that is located adjacent to the 18th tee box (he could not and lost).
“The story of the Las Vegas Country Club is really the story of Las Vegas as told from the fairways and tennis courts,” said Michael Saltman, a longtime member and Las Vegas businessman.
Truer words have never been spoken. And over Super Bowl weekend in a frenzied Las Vegas, the LIV Golf spectacle will be shining a spotlight on the city—and club.
Brian Hurlburt is the founder of www.LasVegasGolfInsider.com and can be followed @lasvegasgolfinsider on social media. As the author of The Las Vegas Country Club: Chronicle of an Icon, he is consulting with the LIV Golf Las Vegas event to help paint the picture of the club’s history.
