From June through September, golf in Las Vegas is a different sport. Your swing changes by the twelfth hole, your decisions get worse by the fifteenth, and the back nine is where the big numbers live. Here's how to play it, from a coach who's out there every week and whose body gives him plenty of warning.
The tee time is the first decision
Before 7 a.m. or after 4 p.m. from mid-June on. Anything between is a different game, and twilight rates make the late option cheaper anyway. If you're stuck with a 10 a.m. time, take a cart and don't be a hero about walking.
Water isn't enough
You're sweating out salt as well as water. Plain water for five hours will leave you cramping on the sixteenth with a full bottle in the cart. Alternate water and an electrolyte mix, and eat something salty at the turn: jerky, nuts, a beef stick. Skip the sugar. Sports drinks that are mostly sugar give most people a lift and a crash, and the crash lands on the back nine.
Eat a real breakfast two hours before: protein and slow carbs. The free cookies at the turn are not lunch.
The tired miss
Everybody has one. By hole fourteen in the heat your swing shortens and your miss shows up on the same side every time. Mine is a club short and a few yards of fade. Learn yours on a hot practice round, then plan for it: take one more club, aim a little away from the miss side, and stop trying to swing like you did on the third hole. The best players in the heat don't fight the tired swing. They budget for it.
When to stop
Cramps are a warning: stop, shade, fluids, salt, and don't swing until it's fully gone. If you've stopped sweating, feel dizzy, confused, or nauseous, that's heat illness and it needs medical attention, not a 7-iron. There's always another round. The guys who finish anyway are the ones who end up in the clubhouse with a wet towel and a story.
On a playing lesson in summer we'll plan the whole round around this: the fuel, the tee time, and the tired miss. It's half a lesson on golf and half on not wrecking yourself.
Questions people ask
Is it safe to walk in summer?
Before 7 a.m., for most healthy people, with water. Midday, no. Take the cart and stop apologizing for it.
Best months to play in Las Vegas?
October through May. March and November are the sweet spot: 70s, no wind, cheaper than peak season.
Do golf balls go farther in the heat?
A little; hot air is thinner. Not enough to change your club. The tired swing takes more off than the heat gives back.
