#14: Golfing at the Desert Inn — 1958
The Desert Inn opened with a golf course that quickly became an oasis of manicured green surrounded by raw desert. Tournament photographs from the late 1950s show professional golfers navigating palms, fairways, and distant casino buildings under enormous skies. The contrast was pure Vegas: water-intensive elegance engineered where nature had provided dust. Players faced bunkers and pressure, while spectators enjoyed the novelty of championship golf occurring within easy reach of neon and late-night gaming afterward.
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