The Golf Club: Hardy Does Las Vegas

BOSTON (CBS) - Hardy spent last week in Sin City golfing it up at some of Las Vegas' premier courses and he wants to tell you all about it.

Shadow Creek Golf Course

Hardy spoke with Shadow Creek general manager Mark Brenneman about his golf course, one of the most talked about in the world.

For 25 years, Shadow Creek has been the source of legend and myth; from it's creation in a barren desert to it's lush conditions and exclusivity, it stands out as a "must play" for golfers.

But can just anyone play it?

To get the real answers, Hardy put Mark through a series of "true or false" questions that both reveal some surprises and add to the mystique of Shadow Creek.

Listen below to find out fact vs. fiction when it comes to Shadow Creek:

Las Vegas Golf Club

Next up was Las Vegas Golf Club, and to help Hardy out with that was general manager Mike Magnera.

When Hardy lived in Vegas he would play LVGC "all the time." A public course, the Las Vegas Golf Club prides itself on being able to accommodate everyone, from the beginner to the pro. Completed in 1947, it is the oldest course in the city and is your typical municipal golf course.

"It plays 6400 yards from the tips, so it's fun and enjoyable for everyone in the family," said Magnera.

When Hardy was living in Las Vegas he and his friends would fondly refer to it as "the muni," or slang for municipal golf course.

Magnera admits when he first got started on the property he would take offense to the term, because most "muni's" are beat up and run down. But he has since grown to appreciate it.

"We keep the grounds pretty well manicured, and no matter how much play we get people always go out and enjoy themselves. As far as the 'muni' goes I prefer to call it the Las Vegas Golf Club, or The Golf Club. It's muni for most and it's the Golf Club to some."

I'd say these grounds are pretty well manicured, am I right?

Another thing that makes the Las Vegas Golf Club unique is that it's one of the only places in town where they allow you to walk, which 45 percent of its attendees choose to do.

Listen below for the full course review:

Paiute Golf Club & Resort

Next up was Paiute, which Hardy had the pleasure of playing twice while on vacation.

Sound familiar? It should. Hardy talked about the course on a recent episode of The Golf Club on May 24th.

"Paiute is located northwest of the Strip. Door-to-door from Caesars Palace to Paiute is about 25 minutes because you can drive a little bit faster out here than you're accustomed to. It's located on a Native American reservation and it's out in the middle of nowhere."

Paiute is like a virtual oasis with not one, not two, but three 18-hole championship courses.

"There's nothing else out there but a gas station, a smoke shop and this big, beautiful golf destination," Hardy said back in May.

Well he was back there last week and it was just as gorgeous as he remembered.

Hardy sat down with Paiute's golf pro and general manager Chad Gunier to discuss the one-of-a-kind destination and what makes it different than the rest.

"As a destination we're known as the golf oasis in the area. You're not playing through houses or anything. You can get away from the hubbub of the city, come out here and enjoy real, pure golf," Gunier said of Paiute. "We're known for our conditions and design. All three are just fantastic golf courses. You can't play a bad course out here on the 54 holes."

Paiute was designed by legendary golf architect Pete Dye, the only course in Vegas that holds that distinction.

Find out more about Paiute by listening below:

The Wynn Golf Club

Last but certainly not least, Hardy concluded his Vegas adventure by dropping by The Wynn Golf Club.

Hardy spoke with golf director Brian Hawthorne to get a rundown of the city's only golf course attached to a resort on the Las Vegas Strip.

"We're pretty fortunate. We are the only resort that has its own on-property golf course. We're sitting on the grounds now of what used to be the Desert Inn Golf Club, constructed in the early 1950's. Mr. [Steve] Wynn purchased it in the early 2000's then it closed for a couple years. We had Tom Fazio come in and he completely re-worked the golf course," Hawthorne said of its current state. "We have 137 acres with a Las Vegas Boulevard address. Pretty amazing."

And amazing it is. Just check out the views and picturesque scenery:

Desert Inn, or "D.I." as it was affectionately known, was a course that ran east-to-west, and when you're playing golf it's not exactly ideal to be staring into the sun as it were at D.I.. So one of the first things designer Tom Fazio did was re-configure the course layout.

"Everything primarily runs north-south now as opposed to east-west," said Hawthorne.

Because everything is located on site, Hawthorne adds, "You can hole out on 18 and be on a craps table in five minutes."

"That's bad news for me," joked Hardy.

Listen below for the full discussion:

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