BALI HAI GOLF CLUB (2000)

DESERT REGION

Public - 18 hole - cost: $169 - $295

5160 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89119

Tel: (888) 397-2499

Designed by Lea Schmidt, Brian Curley. The layout is a remarkable transformation of the once flat, lifeless urban desert floor into a rolling tropical paradise filled with lots of sand and water. You had better be straight off the tee, or the abundant "environmental areas" or water will gobble up your supply of balls. Bali Hai is right on the Strip, just south of the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Resort. Like the Strip, its South Pacific theme is totally artificial but fun, and the service is good. What is hard to swallow are the price and the constant noise of the adjacent roads and airport.

BARBARA WORTH GOLF RESORT (1930)

DESERT REGION

Semi-Private/Resort: 18 hole - cost: $25 - $48

2050 Country Club Drive, Holtville, CA 92250

Tel: (760) 356-5842

Designed by Lawrence Hughes (redesign). This is a horizontal course with generous fairways and mid-sized greens. Although several ponds and trees line the course, missing the fairways does not penalize you unfairly. The course is walkable and suited for family golf. Barbara Worth has a 104-room hotel. From San Diego (about 125 miles east to the course): Take I-8 east and go through EI Centro. Pass Dogwood and take the Highway 111 exit north to Brawley. At the only light, which is a large intersection, turn right on Evan Hughes.