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About Las Vegas Golf History

Golf, gambling, and poker have always had ties together in Sin City. In 1977, Jack Binion, owner of Binion's Horshoe, founded the Professional Gamblers Invitational. Binion got the idea of the Professional Gamblers Invitational while playing golf with famed poker star, Doyle Brunson. Binion thought that high-playing gamblers that played golf, should learn about each other. There are gamblers who would shoot over 100 on the golf course, but are willing to bet $6000 per hole if the match can be fair somehow. The rules of the tournament allowed the players who shot 100 or over to tee the ball up anywhere they please, including sand traps. The players who shot in the 90s can roll the ball around to make for a perfect lie, while the players who typically would shoot in the 80s were supposed to play the ball where it is. Stamping down the line of a putt was permitted, while players also were allowed to tote as many clubs in their bag as they wished. Also grease or Vaseline was permitted to be used on the club face before a shot was made. The theory is that the grease reduces the spin on the ball, thus the ball will tend to neither hook nor slice nearly as much and possibly fly farther. The tournament fostered camaraderie and side bets. One participant, Sam Simms, once said, "The only time I'm out of action is when I'm out of money."
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