Few cities in the world change as rapidly as Las Vegas does; every time you visit, there's so much that's new.
For example, at this year's Las Vegas Corporate Invitational Golf Tournament — sponsored by The Meetings Group of Penton Media Inc., which publishes Financial & Insurance Meetings, and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority — one of the sponsoring hotels was the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, which, only days before the tournament began, had celebrated its rebranding; it was formerly the Aladdin Resort & Casino.
This year, tournament guests also got to sample one of Las Vegas' newer golf courses, Silverstone Country Club. Silverstone is a mere 5 years old and is already considered to be one of the area's top golf facilities. With three distinct nine-hole layouts, it provides a challenge for any level of golfer. And, most appropriately for Las Vegas, Silverstone features a 28th hole — “The Decider” — that golfers can use to settle friendly wagers.
A slice of the old Vegas can be found at Las Vegas National Golf Club, host for the first day of the tournament. Built in 1961 as the Stardust Country Club, it has been the site of many professional golf tournaments. In 1996, it was a host course for the Las Vegas Invitational, which saw a young golfer named Tiger Woods win his first professional tournament.
While there was no Tiger Woods to be found in this year's tournament, the 36-hole event was spirited and fun. The overall tournament winner was the Alan Waxler Group, which included Patty Sabo, senior buyer, Carlson Marketing; Alan Waxler, president, AWG Charter Services and the Alan Waxler Group; Daniel Neider, chairman, Meetings & Incentives; and Michael Uhl, regional vice president, HelmsBriscoe. Each won a complete set of TaylorMade golf clubs.
Event sponsors included the Alan Waxler Group, which provided transportation services; Maui Jim Sunglasses; American Hole 'n One; Hawaiian Sun Tropic SunPak; and TaylorMade, as well as the following hotels: The Venetian; Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino; Grand Hyatt Las Vegas; Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino; Riviera Hotel & Casino; Bellagio Hotel & Casino; Harrah's Entertainment; Planet Hollywood; MGM Grand Hotel; Palms Casino Resort; Wynn Las Vegas; Mirage Hotel & Casino; Hard Rock Hotel; Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa; and Green Valley Ranch Resort.
Mandalay Bay hosted the opening night reception in the Mix Lounge on the 64th floor atop THEhotel at Mandalay Bay, while the Palms Casino and N9NE Group hosted the final night's reception, dinner, and awards banquet in its boutique nightclub, Moon. Golf course sponsors, along with Las Vegas National Golf Club and Silverstone Golf Club, included Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort; TPC at the Canyons; Walters Golf; OB Sports Golf Management; Tuscany Golf Club; Rhodes Ranch; Siena & Arroyo Golf Club; and Bear's Best Golf Club. Additional sponsors included the destination management company USA Hosts, Blue Man Group, Wolfgang Puck Private Dining and Catering, Las Vegas Photography Co., the Richard Petty Driving Experience, and Maverick Helicopters.