The 9th hole, like every hole at Las Vegas' Shadow Creek, is a stunner!
As I recently blogged, I think both the game of golf and Lindsay Lohan could really benefit from her taking up the sport with the same passion she once reserved for hard charging partying. Now that Charlie Sheen is out of work, and has a sizable following of fans, I think he too could use golf, and golf could certainly use him. Both celebs could follow in the footsteps of Amy Winehouse, Lawrence Taylor and Ted Nugent, the best known examples of stars using golf as rehab.
So while you will not find Lohan and Sheen putting on the greens of Shadow Creek – not this year at least, there is always hope – next month plenty of stars will come out and take to the fairways for the Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational. This tournament has been going on for 10 years, but it used to be held at The Ocean Club on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, which I personally believe is the worst golf resort (or resort period) posing as a luxury property that I have been to on earth (see my post in the last month’s A Position recap of bad golf travel experiences), so the change is very, very welcome.
Readers will know that I absolutely love Shadow Creek, and this Fazio masterpiece remains one of the most impressive pieces of golf architecture ever undertaken on the planet, and is easily the best course in the Vegas area. Next month it will also be star studded, making it a great opportunity for fans of both the game and celebrities. You usually cannot get near heavily fenced and gated Shadow Creek, and from March 31- April 3 you can see it in all its well maintained glory for just $25 a day on Thursday and Friday, $50 on Saturday and Sunday, or $100 for a four day pass. That’s a lot cheaper than a PGA tournament, the course is better than most on Tour, and the players will be having a lot more fun. The “Bring the Kids for Free” deal lets each paying adult bring two kids under 16 at no extra charge.
Most critics consider Shadow Creek to be Tom Fazio's best work.
The first two days are a celebrity-am where groups of amateurs are paired with one of the invited celebrities, while the final two days are the celebrity only tournament. Either way, there will be plenty of photo and autograph opps! The event is co-hosted by the Aria Casino Hotel in Las Vegas’ sparkling new gem, City Center, and tickets are for sale at the Aria Box Office or online through the MJCI.
So far the impressive lineup includes, in addition to His Airness: entertainment world personalities such as Larry David, Maury Povich, Alan Thicke, Spike Lee, Don Cheadle, and Shannon Elizabeth , plus tons of current and former pro athletes from the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL and even soccer, such as Jerome Bettis, Sam Bradford, Brandi Chastain, Richard Dent, Paul O’Neill, Mike Piazza, Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway, Drew Brees, Wayne Gretzky, Ken Griffey, Jr., Marcus Allen, Mario Lemieux, Mia Hamm, Boris Becker, and John Smoltz.
Admission is for good cause: over the years the MJCI has raised more than $5 million for charity, and this year’s recipients are the Make-a-Wish Foundation, Nevada Cancer Institute, James R. Jordan Foundation and Cats Care, the charity arm of the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats, Jordan’s team.
See you in Vegas!
