Whoever overlooked the irony of golf in the desert, drunken Scot or not, their idea is one that has had serious legs. Desert golf, with its dramatic target holes and craggy, contrasting settings, is a defining feature of the western states. From Palm Springs, California to Scottsdale, Arizona there’s enough golf to satisfy busloads of duffers for years to come.

While Vegas golf may have something in common with its western counterparts, true to the city’s nature, there is a general sense of excess where the links are concerned in Sin City. Not content to simply be a sport for the plaid-slack crowd, golf in Vegas is rarely less than an experience, and sometimes quite a bit more.

Water
For a desert city, Las Vegas is not afraid to exploit its water. All down the strip, fountains and lakes ripple, topped by the Bellagio‚s nightly water show. Conservation be damned - or dammed in the case of Lake Mead, the city’s main water supply. Courses from the Oasis Golf Club in Mesquite, Nevada (851 Oasis Boulevard; 702-346-7820) to Wildhorse Golf Club (2100 W. Warm Springs Rd.; 800-468-7918) are home to prominent lakes that, but for their concrete shorelines, would be at home in the fertile valleys of Loch-land.

But for the aqua-inclined, nothing quite matches Lake Las Vegas. Brought to life by the construction of the Henderson Dam, the shoreline of the 320-acre lake features three golf courses, a Hyatt Regency Resort and, coming in late 2002, a Ritz-Carlton. The Jack Nicklaus‚ Southshore Golf Club is private, but his Reflection Bay (702-740-4653) was recently rated the best course in Vegas by the readers and editors of Vegas Golfer magazine. The new Tom Weiskopf design, The Falls (702-568-5668), opened early this summer and a new Tom Fazio course is under development, making Lake Las Vegas a destination.

Shopping
Located in the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian Resort & Casino (3377 Las Vegas Boulevard; 702.699.9600), In Celebration of Golf is either one of the world’s most impressive golf shops or a sure sign that retail stores are a product of Satan himself. The two-level store features separate rooms for clubs, bags, women and men’s clothing, golf art, books, shoes, as well as an assortment of knick-knacks and tchotckes that would shame your grandmother’s collection of porcelain Kewpie dolls. Need a hickory shafted club for your trophy room at home? Feel like talking to an animatronic Clubmaker who’ll regale you with golf history? Awash in plaid and Scottish lore, In Celebration is the “Fat Bastard” of golf shops and, accordingly, not for the faint of heart.

If you’re looking for golf clubs without a theme, the Callaway Golf Center (6730 South Las Vegas Boulevard; 702.896.4100) is the answer. Despite its name, the Center offers clubs from most major makers and has every techno-gadget to ensure that that problem with the wicked shanks lies in your swing, not the fit of your clubs. The staff is low-key and knowledgeable and the location, just south of the Strip, is ideal.

Practice
Though lighted golf facilities are nothing new, they take on a special glow when their backdrop is the Vegas strip. The Callaway Golf Center features the Divine Nine par 3 track, a 113-stall, double-deck driving range and the Giant Golf Academy. Nine holes will set you back thirty bones on the weekend, but a full rental set of Callaway clubs is only twelve dollars. It’s a great way to get a feel for the clubs, which can conveniently be fitted and purchased at the attached pro shop.

One of the most unique ways to hone your game is the lighted eighteen-hole putting course at Angel Park. (100 South Rampart Blvd; 702-254-4653 / www.angelpark.com) Each of the eighteen holes is an experience, complete with sand traps, water hazards, sawgrass bushes, doglegs and contoured fairways. Playing the course well takes creativity (ever chipped out of a bunker with your putter?) but novices will have ample opportunity for fun on the well-maintained grass. And if the ball is betraying your best intentions, cocktails are available.

Best
Ever since it opened, Reflection Bay has received lots of noise from media everywhere. It’s hard to fault their attention; the course takes advantage of its 1.5 miles of Lake Las Vegas shoreline frontage, providing a challenging, beautiful layout that rewards every level of golfer. Named “One of the Top 10 Courses You Can Play” by Golf Magazine in 2000, Reflection Bay should continue to top lists of Vegas‚ best golf courses.

TPC at the Canyons (9851 Canyon Run Drive; 702-256-2000) is home to the PGA Tour’s Invensys Classic, and its tour pedigree is obvious. The stadium setting is friendly to tournaments and golfers alike, and takes advantage of the dramatic desert landscape. Golfers must carry large canyons, hit into desert island greens and manage a course that can be excruciating when the wind picks up.

VIP
For high roller treatment on the links, Vegas has a couple obvious choices. Shadow Creek (3 Shadow Creek Dr. 702-791-7161) was once the private course of Steve Wynn, and has hosted celebrities ranging from Michael Jordan to George Clooney. This Tom Fazio design has achieved accolades by the dozens. A lush wonderland of trees, water and contoured fairways, the course keeps the desert out of site and any memory of the Strip far from mind. It is as much a golf experience as it is a golf course, with caddies escorting players down the fairways and limousine transportation to and from the course. Be prepared to plunk down $500 dollars a round and be a guest of an MGM Mirage property however. Otherwise, all you can do is enjoy the view from the gates.