See You In Las Vegas

The time is upon us! Safe and easy travels to everyone on Saturday & Sunday.

Weather forecast as of today:

Monday - 46/69 Sunny

Tuesday - 45/71 Sunny

Wednesday - 46/69 Sunny

Thumbs Up!!

Will Team TPC Southwind win again in 2009?

Professional Jon Goin is back with his same crew to defend their win from last year. Pictured below are Kelly Finnell, Greg Firtik, Mike McCarver, David Douglas, and Jon Goin. Good Luck!

5 Days and Counting...

Only a few more days now. As we all prepare to rush off to the fabulous Las Vegas let's review a few things.

Arrival

Most of you are arriving on Sunday, Nov 8th. This is one of the busiest days at the Las Vegas airport so prepare your mind for it. Remember that you can check-in to your room at the airport and this could save you time when arriving at the hotel. See previous blog on "tips" for more info on this.

Pro-Am

Round 1 on Monday at Bear's Best Las Vegas, 10 am shotgun start. Approximately a 20 minute ride to the course. A continental breakfast will be available to you. A box lunch will be handed out to you during your round. All golf fee's, cart fee's, range fee's, breakfast, and lunch are included in your entry fee.

Round 2 on Tuesday at Bali Hai, 9 am shotgun start. A short ride down the strip and you arrive at this golfer's paradise, about 7 minutes if you hit the lights. Again continental breakfast and box lunch included. All golf, cart, range fee's included. Caddie's are available upon request, however not included with your entry fee. Note that the driving range is limited. You hit off mats into a net and there are a limited number of spots. Practice putting greens are a plenty though.

Join the TGA for our annual Cocktail half Hour Reception later on this evening. The half hour takes place from 6:30 pm - 7:00 pm at the Diamond Lounge in Bally's Casino (attached to Paris, you can walk from Paris through to Bally's very easily). For each team attending the half hour you will be entered into a raffle to win a $100 casino chip (actual chip, not

a promo). See you there!

Round 3 on Wednesday at Cascata, 10 am shotgun start. Allow 40-45 minutes for the trip out to Cascata. Even if you are early its worth it. Hot breakfast included and cookout following play. Forecaddie's are included in your entry fee, however all player's are required to tip a minimum of $25 per person to their forecaddie. All golf fee's, cart fee's, and range fee's are included in your entry fee. Most teams are in a hurry to get back so there is no formal awards presentation. Gift certificates for the winning teams will be sent to your host Golf Professional the following week.

Professional Skins Game

All Professionals may opt to be a part of the daily skins game. The cost to get in is $20, you can play one day or all three days. Please pay your skins money to Connie or Dori before our rounds begin each day.

3 Hole Team Challenge

This is new for this year. Each round 3 holes will be selected at random to be the "3 challenge holes." For those teams choosing to play your low gross+low net score for the "3 challenge holes" will be added together. Team with the lowest score for the 3 holes wins! Cost for your team to enter is $10 each round. Again, see Connie or Dori before the round begins to sign-up.

Hydrate

I thought I would bring this up again. That should tell you how important it is to drink water as much as you can while in the dry desert, as you drink cocktails and stay up too late!

Tipping

If you are unsure about who to tip or how much this should help. If you choose to use the valet for your car the standard tip is $1-$2. If you want a little better service from the valet you can do more, but those guys change so much how do you know if you will get the same guy each time so just a small tip usually goes a long way already. The hotel bellman, these guys can be very helpful, $1-$2 per bag, a little more if your bag is heavy or over sized. For cab drivers I tip based on their performance. If the driver made me fear my life (and this has happened) I tip him nothing, maybe $1 if it was a great distance. If the driver is pleasant and makes me feel safe and secure I tip him $2-$4 (if just going up and down the strip). If I go a great distance then I will tip more depending on how far. Limo drivers, for those who roll in luxury, $5 is usually the minimum if just going up and down the strip. If you are going a great distance you should tip a bit more. If you are using a limo to go to and from the golf courses certainly $3-$5 per person is appropriate as the driver will likely help with your golf clubs. So what about in the casino? If you want to keep the drinks coming then you will want to give a good tip. For the cocktail waitress $1 is the standard tip, per drink. If you tip $2 per drink you might get a stronger one and a little bit more frequent attention from the waitress. I have not done this but I read that some people go ahead and give a $5-$10 tip upfront (mostly for poker players and those who will be at a table game for a while) and have found that in return they get really good service. Bartenders are a standard $1 per drink. Sometimes the bartender can be a good source of information when it comes to dining, hot spots, etc. If I get what seems to be good info from a bartender and he pours me a good drink I might tip a little more. What about dealers? This is different for everyone and

is based primarily on emotion. If you are winning you tip the dealer well, if you are losing you tend to tip a little or nothing at all. It's not the dealers fault if you lose, so give them a little something for their time. Unless they

are really boring and unfriendly then do what you feel is right. Most dealers in Las Vegas are outgoing and fun and generally want to try and enhance your experience. Throw them a bone.

OK. Till next time...

Host Hotel Feature - Paris Las Vegas

"Bienvenue en France!"

Las Vegas will take you places. You go to Las Vegas to enjoy what it is, but you always get more. Example, Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. A mini

vacation to Paris, France in the heart of the Las Vegas strip.

Paris, the hotel version, has a lot to offer its guests. The passion and ambiance you find is Paris, France is delivered inside this 85,000 square foot hotel. One of its best feature is the 540 foot replica of the Eiffel Tower. It brings the hotel to life on what is always a busy Las Vegas strip. If you want to experience the tower in full then taking the 90 second elevator ride to the top is a must. Great view of the strip, best to go right before sunset so you can enjoy the day and night view, both are great. You can also get a birds eye view of the Bellagio water show - bonus. To complete your experience you can dine at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant, sitting 100 feet above the strip, and enjoy its great views and fine French cuisine.

Let's continue with the dining theme. My favorite restaurant in Paris is Les Artistes Steakhouse. The dining room has been dubbed "the most beautiful dining room in Las Vegas," and I agree. It has really neat architectural designs and its wall are adorned with Impressionist artwork. Very nice and upscale, however you do not have to get all fancied-up to dine there. I always start with the Lobster bisque and end with the creme brule, they are a must! The Le Village Buffet is also great, but the line to get in can be very long at times. Best time to avoid a long line is before 9:00 am or if you find yourself waking up later (likely) go around 10:30 a.m. They begin switching over to lunch around 11:00 and you can enjoy both meals. That's a score.

The casino floor at Paris is average in comparing it to most on the strip, however it has the flair

of themed fountains, statues, vaulted ceilings, and cobblestone paths with wrought iron lamps to keep up with the French themed motif. Most table games range from $10-$25 minimum bet. I like to walk over to Bally's as there are usually more $10 minimum tables, and if its early in the day you can find a few $5 tables there. The Sportsbook at Bally's has recently been updated, just re-opened in September, and has been getting great reviews. "The Book" at Bally's now features an exclusive VIP area (with sports memorabilia and high definition), each seat has its own television monitor, a full bar with 20+ large television screens (with a few plasma's mixed in), and of course the score ticker. Sounds like a good place to be on Sunday!

What else should you know about Paris...

Las Vegas Review Journal's 2009 Best Poll rated Paris as the "Best Strip Hotel."

Besides the Eiffel Tower replica you can also enjoy viewing the Arc de Triomphe, Louvre facade, Paris Opera House, and Hotel de villa.

Need to shake your groove thang? Hit Paris' chic nightclub Risque! You can get fresh air and enjoy the strip view from its second story balcony (or people watch, which is always fun to do in Vegas).

Maybe shakin' it is not your cup of tea...how about live Jazz? Napoleon's offers live jazz music and a premium champagne menu. The bar also features dueling piano's.

The rooms are good with the best feature being the bathrooms. All marble with a separate tub and shower. If you are lucky, and we all know that lucky is how you beat Vegas, then you may even land a strip view. One year I had a room with a view of the Bellagio water show, not too bad. Much better to view out on the strip though!

So there is a general run down of our host hotel. Remember that you can walk though the hotel over to Bally's. But, do not keep yourself bottled up inside the two. There is so much on the strip to see and enjoy. If its your first time in Vegas then you must get out at night and see the sights and sounds. Here are other hotels I recommend you check out - The Venetian, Caesar's Palace, The Mirage, The Wynn, The Palazzo, and The Bellagio. All of these are within walking distance of Paris.

Also, do not forget that you can check in to your room at the airport. This could save you some time and when you arrive at Paris - game on!

Till next time...

Final Round:Cascata

"Like No Other"

"Spectacular"

"Magical"

"Heaven"

"Breathtaking"

The above are words/phrases I have used over the y

ears to describe Cascata. It is an escape to golf heaven, a secluded paradise that you will not want to leave. I love how you are playing a hole and feel as though you and your group are the only golfers on the planet at that moment. You cannot see any other holes around you, its just fantastic.

Let me try and paint a picture for you. All of this happens before you tee off. First, as you come off the by-pass, turn left back under the by-pass, you feel as though you are driving off to nowhere. You cannot see Cascata from the by-pass, but its over there tucked and tumbled around Nevada's desert mountain landscape. You keep driving, no sign yet that you are even at Cascata but you see that there are no more directions

to follow so you move along. You finally reach the gate and a little box welcomes you, telling you to pull forward to the circle. You pull through the gate, pull up to the 37,000 square foot clubhouse and at this point do not worry about another thing. Someone is there to open your door, get your clubs, and park your car. Now, to this day I still do not know where they stash our cars!? Underground?! As you enter the clubhouse you are immediately greeted by a rushing waterfall running through the main lobby. Its gorgeous and you find yourself drawn to it for a few long seconds, then you come back down to earth and remember that you need to change shoes and get ready to warm-up. You enter the locker room to find your own personalized locker and any amenity you could want. You are almost ready to roll and then you remember that you need some fuel. Boy have you come to the right place. The second

thing I look forward to most when going to Cascata for our annual event is the breakfast. Come hungry, its so good. After you are full its off to the range. Ah, another beautiful waterfall rushing down the range to keep you calm and relaxed as you get ready to take on 18 holes. Cascata means "waterfall" in Italian and it starts 418-feet up from the top of the driving range.

Whew, that was a lot. I think you get the idea that Cascata is going to be an experience like no other. The course is challenging, but you already feel so rewarded by this point with all the beautiful scenery and amenities. You will without a doubt enjoy this intimate and luxurious golf course with its lush fairways, lakes, and streams set in a stunning red Nevada mountain backdrop. Play away.

• Designed by Rees Jones
• #1 Facility in the U.S., ranked by Zagat Survey 2009
• "Golf's hidden treasure," according to Sports Illustrated

Pro Am Details

Wednesday, November 11th

10:00 a.m. shotgun start

Full hot breakfast

Cookout following play

Caddie with each group

*Gratuity for caddie: Each player must pay a gratuity fee to your caddie. Minimum gratuity fee is $25.

2 Closest to the hole prizes

DP's Best Of Vegas

DP's Best "Free" Show

The Bellagio water show is a must see, and its free for all to enjoy. Another plus, its across the street from our host hotel Paris. Lights, music, and water magic! Best viewed at

night, take a few minutes

while walking up and down the strip to check it out.

DP's Best Show

I have only been to a few shows in Vegas and my favorite (well second favorite, Elton John's Red Piano is my favorite but its not showing anymore) is Jersey Boys. If you love music you do not want to miss this show. It is really good and the ticket prices are very reasonable compared to some of the other "circus" shows. Located at The Palazzo Hotel & Casino.

DP's Best Restaurant Not Located in a Casino

Hands down Smith & Wollensky's. Great steaks, large wine selection, and the best macaroni and cheese ever. I know that sounds crazy, but I make a point every year to go and enjoy a mac and cheese snack - comfort food to the max! Located on the strip.

DP's Best Cheap Play Casino (on the strip)

O'Shea's!! Great location on the strip, next to Flamingo. $5 tables (craps, blackjack, roulette) and

entertaining slots. O'Shea's is not a hotel, just a one floor casino. Happy hour is 24/7 on draft beers, and probably some other drinks too. Can get crowded, but always fun!

DP's Best Upscale Casino

The Palazzo Las Vegas is gorgeous and is one of the newest additions to the strip. Huge casino floor, great tables, and fancy, fancy, fancy. All the table games are the latest and greatest (the roulette table lights up under the number or sequence that hits). If you want first class and high rolling this is your place.

DP's Best Shopping

The Forum Shops in Caesars Palace are my favorite. Caesars Palace is a spectacle in itself, add hundreds of great fashion designers...score. Banana Republic, Hugo Boss, Dolce and Gabanna, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Niketown, Marc Jacobs, Tiffany & Co, Tommy Bahama, the list goes on and on. Great places to eat as you stroll around as well. Everyone should check out Caesar's Palace.

DP's Best Sports Book

Some would probably disagree on this selection, but I have a good reason for it. I like the sports

book at New York-New York. Why? Its not so much the draw of the sports book itself, but what sits next to it. It is actually very small, but its located across from ESPN Zone and that my friends is hard to beat. Again, this is just my opinion, but I do not want to watch horse racing or soccer or whatever other random thing is playing in the sports book. I want to watch football and I like placing my bets and moving on. In ESPN Zone on Saturday and Sunday (during football season) you will find football on 99% of the televisions. Bonus - you can even watch TV while in the bathroom. The stalls have flat screens in them. Only in Vegas!

DP's Best Bars - I decided to break these selections down into categories because there are so many great bars in Vegas. Enjoy...

• Best Bar With A View

The Mix atop theHotel at Mandalay Bay. Posh and cozy with a viewing deck to take in the sites and sounds of the Las Vegas strip. The best time to go is before dinner for a drinks and appetizers. It turns into a club/lounge after 9:00 pm.

• Best Bar for Martini/Vodka Lover's

Let's just cut to the chase on this selection and say...vodka. If you favor Russia's most prized beverage then you must check out Red Square at Mandalay Bay. This bar has been voted as one of the top 100 bars in the world and Playboy Magazine voted it as the "Best Bar in America." Full food menu here as well described as continental, Russian. For the ultimate vodka experience check out the private vodka vault. You will even get to wear the furry cap and coat to keep you warm as you sip some of Russia's best vodka on the frozen icebar.

• Best Beer Taps

New York-New York Hotel and Casino, Mezzanine level, there is a little gem called Pour 24. If you were on our trip last year you might remember this bar because we held our cocktail reception there. The taps are encased in a block of ice and hold 24 micro brew beers from around the country. My favorite, Moose Drool from Big Sky Brewery in Montana.

• Best Margarita

"Wasting away again in Margaritaville." Inside Flamingo Hotel and Casino (and across the street from O'Shea's) is Jimmy Buffe

t's Margaritaville. By far the best margarita I've ever had. Not too sweet, just enough sour...they get it right. They have to! It's Margaritaville and its 5 o'clock somewhere.

DP's Best Golf Course

Check back Friday...

There are many more "bests" I could list and you may wonder why I did not list a best casino restaurant or best buffet. Here's why. Its hard to find a bad meal in Las Vegas, especially in the casino's on the strip. Some of the best chef's from around the world set up shop in Las Vegas therefore making it hard to pin point one that stands out overall. My

advice for dining is to first narrow down the type of cuisine you like. Then cruise over to the concierge in the hotel letting him know what you like and they will point you in the right direction. The concierge will also know the ins and outs on price points, specials, etc., etc. Use the concierge! Oh, and enjoy the feast!

Till next time...

Round 2 - Bali Hai Golf Club

I think this club is starting to become everyone's favorite. It is on the strip and minutes away from the hotel...hard to beat.

"Las Vegas Golf in Paradise," that is the matra of Bali Hai. Fitting seeing as how its namesake is the famous Indonesian land of enchantment. In the middle of all the hustle and bustle of Vegas is a lush golf club with 7 acres of water features, 4,000 trees, and 100,000 tropical plants...its gorgeous, enough said. Some of its feature holes are the par-3 #16 with its island green and #3, or "shipwreck" as some call it, a par-4 with a creek along the entire right side and bunkers on the left. Keep your ball on the deck!

This year Bali Hai was rated by GolfWorld as one of the "Top 50 Public Courses." The list of accolades for this club does not stop there, that is just the most recent. To name a few

others,

"100 Best Golf Shops"

"Best Cart Girls"

"Host course of the Golf Channels Big Break II"

"Best High-End Course"

"Best Clubhouse"

and the list goes on...

A lot of things to like about Bali Hai. Good luck and enjoy this golfers paradise!

Pro Am Details

Tuesday, November 10th

9:00 am shotgun start

Continental breakfast and box lunch included

Caddies available upon request (not included)

Limited range - mats into net (golf balls pop up for you...pretty neat)

Tips: Vegas Basics

There is so much going on in Las Vegas, so many distractions, so much to do...where do you start, who do you see, how do you play craps?? Lots of stuff. With all this going on you want to be sure to have a few things covered before you arrive there, or at least think about it. Here are a few tips to help you get acquainted with Sin City, and to help you look like a pro.

"Wow, this place is a zoo." McCarron International Airport, likely to be quite a scene on a Saturday or Sunday. Wear your elbow pads at the baggage claim, these people are eager to lose their money! But, you are patient and want to make good with your time. So let those mongers get their baggage first. You in the meantime will be at the Remote Check-In. Yes you can check-in to your hotel room at the airport. In the baggage claim area of Terminal 1 you will find two offices with registration desks just off of "Carousels 1-8" area. Go to the desk/office for Park Place Properties (Harrah's, Paris, Caesers, etc.). You can register and get your room key and when you arrive at Paris you can go straight to your room. This puts you ahead of all those baggage claim mongers who now have to stand in line to register at the hotel. Once you are done registering for your hotel room your baggage claim carousel should have dwindled and you will easily spot your luggage. You are a winner before you even leave the airport...unless you somehow got sucked into playing the airport slot machines.

"Ugh, I need a drink...of water!" If this is your first time going to Las Vegas then you need to know one very important element...drink water, lots of water. You see, we are all coming from the humid, moist southeast and nothing in TN resembles the Nevada desert. It is dry, very dry and your skin, throat, and body will suffer if you do not keep "healthy" fluids in you. Light beer does not count, although I know some can resemble water and contain it too. Keep bottled water in your room, don't use what's in there, they will charge you for it. Go to one of the markets on the strip and buy a few bottles. My biggest tip is for when you are gambling. Drinks are free when you are gambling, even the non-alcoholic ones. I order a bottle of water in between drinks. For one this keeps you from getting completely smashed, and two you stay hydrated, and taking it a step further, three, you will have to go to the bathroom more often, therefore pulling you away from the tables in the event you are on a losing streak. This leads to another tip, if you do need to take a bathroom break while at a table tell the dealer that you need a break and you will be back to your spot. You can leave your chips there and the dealer will take care of it. If its a very busy table you may not get this option as people could be waiting. But 9/10 times this is OK.

I'll keep this next tip simple. Ignore the "smut peddlers." These are people on the streets "flipping" with their fingers cards that solicit women. Vegas is trying to shut down these peddlers, but it is hard. If enough people ignore these peddlers it will eventually go away. Look straight forward and ignore them. These people do not speak English so talking to them or voicing your opinion about their practice is pointless. Just keep moving!

I think this is enough to get your started. I will be doing another tips blog featuring "tipping" in Vegas and some betting tips. Up next though will be a feature on round 2 of our pro am - Bali Hai Golf Club. Look for this on Friday.

Till next time...

Golf Feature - Round 1 Bear's Best Las Vegas

Back by popular demand for our first round of golf this year is Bear's Best Las Vegas. BBLV was designed by the great Jack Nicklaus. Jack chose 18 of his favorite golf holes and wrapped them up in a nice package nestled amongst some gorgeous Nevada mountain landscape. Jack and his design team took their time is selecting their best golf hole designs from all around the world until finally bringing them together for a spectacular Las Vegas golf experience. To say the least, this course is unique and very enjoyable. Click here to learn which of the 18 holes Jack chose to use at BBLV.

What's growing out there?

The greens are bent and always well manicured. The fairways and teeing grounds are overseeded in the winter to ensure the best playing conditions year round.

More BBLV Highlights

New GPS systems installed in carts

Large practice facility

Voted by Golf Digest as one of the "Best Places to Play"

TGA Vegas Pro Am Information

Monday, November 9, 2009

Shotgun start @ 10:00 a.m.

Continental breakfast and lunch are included

Cart fee, green fee, range balls are all included

Professional skins game will be open for each round, $20 each day. See Connie or Dori to get "in on the skins."

There will also be a team game for each round, more details on that in the coming weeks!

That wraps-up Bear's Best Las Vegas. It will be a nice start to what is sure to be a great week in Las Vegas! Till next time...

Welcome to the Vegas Blog

Welcome to the official TGA Las Vegas Pro Am and Travel Trip Blog! I will be your cruise director as we count down the days to our annual trip. Over the next 30 days or so I will be updating the blog with anything and everything Las Vegas. If you are a first timer I hope you will find some useful information to help get you acquainted with the fabulous Las Vegas! If you are a regular attendee then my goal is to find new and exciting deals and attractions that may be worth checking out.

Let's not forget though that we are here to first and foremost have an enjoyable pro am. I will be featuring each of our three courses as the weeks go by beginning this Friday, October 9th with Bear's Best Las Vegas. I will also post updates for our 3 rounds here as well as on the official website for the Pro Am. You can view it by clicking here.

The blog is also a great way for our group to communicate. Please feel free to send any comments or questions my way. Also, if there is anything specific you would like for me to research in order to help you have the best Las Vegas experience let me know. I will be blogging about the top shows to see in Vegas, best restaurants, best casino's for gaming, shopping, etc, etc. I will be on the ultimate quest to find great deals as well!!

I must say as a disclaimer that I have in no way been asked or influenced to promote any places, people, or things that I might discuss in the blog. The information I provide will be based on my previous experience's in Las Vegas (this is my 8th year) and general research that I have done via the World Wide Web. I hope you will find the information useful and maybe even a little entertaining. Till next time...