Greens fees fall as mercury soars

Compiled by Brian Hilderbrand

Saturday, June 16, 2007 | 7:37 a.m.

Compiled by Brian Hilderbrand

It is possible to safely play golf in the punishing summer heat if you follow these sensible tips, provided by longtime UNLV head golf coach Dwaine Knight:

Hydrate

"Not only do you need to drink water during the round, you really need to hydrate the night before to be able to stay hydrated during the round."

Stay hydrated

"Our players carry bottles of water with them and try to drink a little bit on every hole and not wait and drink a whole bottle at one time when you're thirsty."

Wet towel

"When you start feeling overheated, a wet towel on the back of your neck really helps a lot."

Portable shade

"Wear a big hat. Anything to get the sun off you a little bit will help."

Pay attention

"Be aware of the warning signs of heat exhaustion. If you start getting a little bit confused, not thinking clearly, that's a sign of heat exhaustion and, possibly, heat stroke coming on." Although it can be tempting to flag down the beverage cart for a cold beer during a round, Knight said nothing beats drinking plain water while you're out on the course. "Drinking alcohol actually takes liquids out of your body, so you have to be really careful with that," Knight said. "You need to save that for the 19th hole." - Brian Hilderbrand

Local golfers who don't mind braving the triple-digit heat this summer will find some outstanding discounted greens fees being offered at many of the area's public golf courses.

Virtually every public course is offering attractive summer rates at least through the end of August - and some well into October.

The following is a list of public golf courses in Clark County and their advertised summer rates, including cart, for county residents for a midweek round after 1 p.m. Many courses offer even deeper discounts later in the afternoon, some start their special rates at 11 a.m. and a few offer these rates all day.

The discounted rates at most courses are for play Monday through Thursday, excluding holidays.

Public golf courses in Las Vegas area