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...
