With a greens fee now reaching $1,250, you have to be pretty well-endowed to score a tee time at Las Vegas’ Shadow Creek. So it makes sense that those fortunate enough to play there, or the membership, toss around quite a few bills while on the course.
Especially when the typical clientele at Shadow Creek are gamblers.
On this week’s GOLF Subpar, longtime Shadow Creek General Manager Monte Montgomery retold one of his favorite stories of massive wagers at the course and it centered on two historic pro gamblers.
“It’s probably noon and I hear this hot rod coming down our main road and I’m like, I wonder who this might be, the boss or somebody comes around this gray exotic car,” Montgomery started telling co-hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz. “And the guy pulls in and the doors pop up like a Lambo and whatever and Phil [Ivey] pops out.”
Ivey told him he and fellow professional poker player Erick Lindgren had taken up golf and were learning how to play. Given their professional exploits, that of course meant wagers were had on the course
But Montgomery was still astonished at the sight of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, even at a place like Shadow Creek where the typical ride to the course is an exotic sports car.
“I’m like, when the hell did you get that?” Montgomery asked him.
“And he goes, ‘I just went down and bought it this morning.’
“I said, ‘how much something like that cost?’
“He goes, ‘I had just spent like 750[-thousand].’ He goes, ‘But it didn’t cost me anything.’ He goes, ‘I beat Lingren last night for…’ Well, I don’t even want to get into that.”
Let’s just assume it was for more money than the car cost him.
“We’re playing again today and I just wanted to come out and show him what I bought with his money,” Ivey explained.
The message was probably received.
Before Ivey headed off for his round, he tossed the keys to Montgomery’s 11-year-old son Taylor, who was standing next to him.
“I’m like, ‘He’s not driving that thing.’ I said, ‘Do you care if I take it a for a spin?'” Montgomery asked.
“He goes, ‘Do whatever you want, Monte.’”
Not a bad perk of the job. Montgomery said he took the car down a side street next to the golf course and hit 150 mph before returning the car to the parking lot without a scratch on it, as if nothing had happened.
You can listen to the entire interview with Montgomery here, or watch it on YouTube below.
