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When it comes to expensive golf, Sin City is the Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods of golf destinations.

We're talking three courses that charge $500 for a single round of golf, a clutch on either side of $300, municipal courses that sneak up near $100 when you toss in range balls, cart, a couple of dogs at the turn and a Bud or three, and an average greens fee, according to the National Golf Foundation, that is tops in the nation.

"Las Vegas is a very unique destination," says Joe Massanova, marketing director for the TPC Canyons golf club, "and standard rules which govern the rest of the country do not apply."

The watershed moment occurred in October 1989 when Steve Wynn opened, however narrowly, the gates to Shadow Creek. Once solely the domain of invited guests, Shadow Creek eventually allowed public access to the tune of $1,000 per round. Now it's down to $500. But Shadow Creek is a special place.

"The saying was, 'Steve had an unlimited budget for Shadow Creek and he exceeded it,' " says Dwaine Knight, men's golf coach at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. "Whatever it took to make the place special, they did. It is a must-see type of experience in golf."

There's not a throwaway hole or even a single shot at Shadow Creek. The piney woods-in-Vegas effect works because no corner was cut in bringing it together. The course is an entirely new world created from scratch.

Almost every hole is self-contained. Lakes are crystalline. The eponymous stream looks as though it's always been there.

Wynn later gave up Shadow Creek, but his latest, Wynn Las Vegas Golf Club at his new hotel, now is among the ranks of the half-grand courses, so a three-round getaway costs a pretty penny even without taking into account caddie fees, limo driver and locker-attendant tips, trinkets from the pro shops and three nights of accommodations, food, drinks, gambling and entertainment in Vegas.

Another dozen-plus courses charge $225 to $325. It's staggering how pedestrian tracks wedged between rows of houses seek and get $150 or more.

"Las Vegas has a considerable percentage of affluent visitors willing to pay higher greens fees. Money takes on a different meaning in Las Vegas," Massanova says. "When someone is betting $500 or $5,000 a night in the casino, some would view a $300 round of golf over the course of five hours the cheapest five hours they spent here."

And as golf rankings go, it seems the investments pay dividends. Golf Digest's list of "America's 100 Greatest Public Courses" puts Shadow Creek in third place, Mesquite's dynamic Wolf Creek Golf Club at 27th, Cascata at 69th and Reflection Bay Golf Club at 86th. TPC Canyons is a PGA Tour event-hosting facility. And Wynn made the top 50 in Golf Magazine's assessment of best public courses.

"Within the past decade, Las Vegas has seen an explosion of high-end resort golf as well as top-tier designers. People may have wanted to play golf in the past, but the product was not readily available," Massanova says.

It certainly is now — even if you have to call your financial advisor before booking a tee time.

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