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Tuesday, July 28, 1998
New course will let local golfers walk, have caddie
By Kevin Iole
Review-Journal
Las Vegans who prefer to walk when they golf can do so when the new British 18 golf club opens on Vegas Valley Drive later this year, but they'll also have help toting the bag.
Owner Bill Walters plans to implement a caddie program, making it the first public facility in Southern Nevada to offer golfers a chance to use a caddie.
In Southern Nevada, only Mirage Resorts Inc. chairman Steve Wynn's ultra-exclusive Shadow Creek Golf Club in North Las Vegas uses caddies.
Walters, who said the projected opening is late November for the course replicating famous holes from British Open courses, is interviewing candidates to be a caddie master.
"We would like to have caddies at all of our properties, if they were properly positioned," Walters said. "At the British 18, it's the type of facility that is crying for a caddie program. I think it will provide a real memorable experience for those who choose to use a caddie."
Walters is building the British 18 in a public/private partnership with the city of Las Vegas. It is expected to be one of the most high-end courses in the Valley, though the pricing structure for locals will be the same as at the Walters-owned Desert Pines, where the maximum greens fee for a local resident (including cart) is $53.
The British 18 rate for tourists is expected to be more than $200, Walters said. A caddie will be available for an additional charge, though no pricing structure has been established.
Walters said golfers who use a caddie could either walk along with the caddie or ride in a golf cart and have the caddie walk while carrying the clubs. He said he would hire a combination of professional caddies and local disadvantaged youths to fill his corps.
He said the caddies would be able to provide advice to golfers, take care of course manicuring duties normally done by the player -- such as replacing divots, raking bunkers and repairing ball marks -- and help golfers find errant shots.
"We are going to provide the highest levels of customer service at the British 18, and our caddies will be a part of that," Walters said. "Obviously, our caddies will go through an extensive training program before they ever go out on a bag by themselves. They'll know every nook and cranny of the course before they ever carry a bag.
"Believe me, anyone who hasn't had the opportunity to use a caddie before will find it a truly memorable experience. And the caddies will be able to help the golfers play better. For a low-handicap or scratch type of player, it could mean the difference of a shot a round. But for the mid-to-high handicap type players, it has the potential to make a significant difference in score. You'll be getting a highly trained, professional opinion as to how to play the course."
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