Las Vegas

Tom Fazio built a North Carolina parkland course in the middle of the Mojave by trucking in 21,000 trees and carving the elevation himself. It's a top-25-in-America experience with a green fee that starts with a comma, and you have to be staying at an MGM property to even book it. Worth it once — the par-3 17th alone justifies the cost of admission.

Forty-five minutes northeast of the Strip in Mesquite, and the photos don't lie — it's a Dennis Rider routing carved into red-rock canyons with elevation drops that make yardages a polite suggestion. Skip the GPS and trust the caddie or the cart screen. Bring extra balls; the desert eats them.

An 18-hole Tom Fazio/Steve Wynn redesign sitting directly behind the Wynn hotel on the Strip — the convenience is borderline ridiculous. It's lush, manicured, and not particularly difficult, but you walk off the 18th green into the Wynn lobby. Pricey for what it is, but the location buys you a slow morning and a 10 a.m. tee time without leaving the hotel.

Eighteen replica holes Jack Nicklaus picked from his own designs around the world — gimmicky on paper, surprisingly fun in practice. The variety means every hole feels like a different course, and the Strip skyline view from the back nine is one of the best in the city. Good 36-hole-day option paired with a Strip course.

Caesars-owned, Rees Jones-designed, with a 418-foot waterfall running through the clubhouse — yes, really. About 30 minutes from the Strip in Boulder City, and the conditioning is consistently the best in town outside Shadow Creek. Stays empty enough that you can play in three and a half hours.

Pete Dye-designed and the most playable of the three courses on the Paiute reservation, about 25 minutes northwest of the Strip. Wide fairways, real desert framing, and a green fee that won't make you flinch. The smart pick for the day in the rotation when nobody wants to spend $500.

Jack Nicklaus design at Lake Las Vegas, about 20 minutes from the Strip. Five holes touch the lake and the par-3s are genuinely strong. Less of a destination than Shadow Creek or Cascata, but the price and the proximity make it a solid third or fourth round.

The play if golf is the priority — Wynn Golf Club is in your backyard and the rooms are still the best on the Strip after all these years. Service is a tier above the MGM properties, the pool is excellent, and you don't need a car to get to dinner. Not cheap.

If you want to play Shadow Creek, you have to stay at an MGM property — and the Bellagio is the one to pick. Center-Strip location, the best dinner lineup of any Vegas hotel, and the kind of casino floor that pulls the group together at 11 p.m. without anyone planning it.

The other smart MGM pick for Shadow Creek access — newer rooms than Bellagio, slightly more modern feel, and connected to The Shops at Crystals if anyone in the group needs to apologize to a spouse. Same Shadow Creek booking privileges. Fair value for a Strip property of this tier.

Best terrace suites on the Strip — the wraparound balconies with Bellagio fountain views are wasted on most guests but not on a golf group with a 5 a.m. tee time and a sunrise to kill. Vibe is younger and louder than Wynn or Bellagio. Not an MGM property, so no Shadow Creek.

All-suite, no-casino MGM property tucked between Bellagio and ARIA — the smart move when the group wants kitchens and space without paying Wynn rates. Walk to Bellagio for dinner, walk back to actually sleep. Still books Shadow Creek as an MGM property.

For groups of six or more, a private home in Summerlin or The Ridges runs cheaper per head than Strip suites and gives you a kitchen, a pool, and a place to play cards at 2 a.m. without a $40 cover. Trade-off: you need cars and you're 20 minutes from dinner.

The big-night dinner. Spicy rigatoni vodka, veal parm for the table, and a tableside Caesar that's worth the show. Reservations open 30 days out and disappear in 30 seconds — set an alarm. Loud, theatrical, and worth every dollar.

If the group wants steakhouse but bigger, this is the move. The whole-roasted suckling pig is the play if you have six or more, but the cotton-candy foie gras is the dish nobody forgets. Inside SAHARA — slightly off-center on the Strip, which keeps it from being a tourist scene.

Greek seafood at the Venetian — the whole grilled fish flown in daily is the order, and the Milos special (paper-thin fried zucchini and eggplant with tzatziki) shows up at every table for a reason. The lunch prix fixe is one of the best deals on the Strip.

Off-Strip Thai that's been on every serious eater's list for 20 years. Get the crispy duck, the nam kao tod, and whatever the special is. Goes on the schedule for the lighter dinner night when the group needs something other than another steakhouse.

The post-round, hangover-cure breakfast that's been on the Strip since 1972. Comically large portions, fruit boats the size of a steering wheel, and a sunken fireside lounge in the back if anyone wants a Bloody Mary at 9 a.m. Cash-and-credit, no reservations, perfect for golf groups.

Fast breakfast inside the Cosmopolitan. The Fairfax sandwich — soft scrambled eggs, chives, cheddar, sriracha mayo on a brioche — is the answer when tee time is at 7 and nobody wants to sit down. Line moves fast. Coffee is fine, not great.

David Chang's Vegas steakhouse at the Palazzo — pulls the steakhouse formula apart and rebuilds it with Korean and Chinese influences. The bing bread and the dry-aged ribeye are the moves. Better food than most of the bigger-name steakhouses on the Strip.

Fried chicken and bourbon at the Venetian. The 27-hour brined chicken with watermelon and waffles is the signature for a reason, and the bourbon list is deep enough to ruin a Tuesday. Solid lunch stop, good late dinner, no pretense.

Yes, it's on the list. The Dean Martin Drive location is five minutes from the airport — perfect last meal before the flight home. Double-double, animal style, neapolitan shake. Don't overthink it.