How Las Vegas has become the new Florida for professional golfers

On the heels of her runner-up finish at the HSBC Women’s World Championship on the LPGA Tour in early March, Danielle Kang celebrated. It was her best result of the year, and like any 25-year-old during a week away from work, a night out with some friends was nothing unusual.

But because Kang - who captured the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in 2017 (a major on the LPGA Tour) and is one of the most recognizable faces in the sport - lives in Las Vegas, her celebration was a little more robust.

A gaggle of servers at one of Las Vegas' iconic nightclubs brought sparklers and indoor fireworks to her table, and spelled out "D-A-N-I-E-L-L-E" with block-letter signage.

Just another night in Las Vegas, right?

But as Las Vegas has been shedding its Sin City moniker over the last few years - becoming a destination for world-class restaurants, renowned entertainment and shopping, and sporting events - it's become a hot destination for some of the world’s best golfers, including Kang, who is teeing it up this week at the ANA Inspiration, the first major of the year on the LPGA Tour.

For professional golfers, Las Vegas is quickly becoming the new Florida.

The city is home to a plethora of different golf courses, but the world's best usually gravitate toward TPC Las Vegas or TPC Summerlin (the host course for the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open on the PGA Tour) because, as part of the TPC network, members of the Web.com Tour or PGA Tour can have access to those courses for free, along with their practice facilities.

Las Vegas' private club circuit is also one of the best in the United States, as the city counts the revered Shadow Creek (Michael Jordan is a member there, for example) and the newly opened Summit in its ranks.

Kang's brother, Alex - a member of the Web.com Tour - and fellow professional golfer David Lipsky live in a house in between the two TPC golf courses, owned by sister Danielle.

"She’s our landlord," Alex told theScore with a laugh.

"It’s a little man cave," Danielle added.

Alex says that, when they first moved to Las Vegas, there were only a handful of professionals there. He's seen a significant increase in golfers moving there in the last few years, including Aaron Wise and Maverick McNealy - both celebrated collegiate golfers who are now on the PGA Tour and Web.com Tour, respectively - along with Wyndham Clark (Web.com Tour) and Sang Moon Bae (a two-time PGA Tour winner).

Then there is the Las Vegas stalwarts and multi-time PGA Tour winners Ryan Moore, Kevin Na, and Scott Piercy.

Alex says the quality of golf and training facilities make it an attractive destination, along with the fact that there are direct flights to almost anywhere - key for professional golfers who spend so much time on the road. There is usually an opportunity to get a game going with some fellow high-level professionals, but he has a pretty solid backup plan in case his colleagues are away.

"I have a sister that plays golf and she’s pretty good," Alex said with a smile.

Piercy, who was born and raised in Las Vegas and has won three times on the PGA Tour, says it’s been interesting to see the influx of Tour pros descending upon his hometown. Still, he isn’t all that surprised because of how much the town has to offer.

"You have the best of everything in Las Vegas," Piercy said.

In any city hosting large gatherings of 20-somethings with disposable incomes, there are opportunities for fun. But it’s all about balance.

"We grind so much when we’re playing, so to be able to let loose and have a good time and take in the shows and other forms of nightlife in Las Vegas ... it is a good balance," said Lipsky. "I thought about living in other places like Jupiter, Scottsdale, Dallas ... but being able to have friends come in all the time to Vegas and being able to meet new people and have entertainment opportunities and these practice places ... it was a no-brainer for me."

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Danielle says living in Las Vegas is like living anywhere - there are restaurants, bars, golf courses, and more - but its versions just happen to be known worldwide.

"People come to Las Vegas to get away from their hectic schedules and get lost in Vegas. But when you live here ... we live in the suburbs," Danielle said. "The whole of Las Vegas isn't the Strip ... that’s only four miles."

The city’s population has ballooned to more than $2 million in recent years, and a slew of new infrastructure projects have been launched. Nevertheless, real estate prices just outside of the touristy Strip area remain affordable.

Recent statistics from the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors show that the price for a median single-family home in Southern Nevada is just $275,000. Compare that to a comparable golf-centric area in Florida, where the price is nearly $100,000 more, it makes Vegas an attractive location.

Nevada also has no state income tax, which is important to a golfer, according to Wyndham Clark, who claims that was a chief reason for choosing to move to Las Vegas.

"It’s important, especially for your signing bonuses and things like that," said Clark, who finished T4 at the second event of the Web.com Tour season this year and whose swing coach is based in Las Vegas. "Off the Strip it’s pretty cheap so I thought I would give it a try and it’s been enjoyable."

Piercy says he’s seen rapid development over the last few years, including the new T-Mobile Arena - home of the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights.

The playoff-bound Golden Knights have been the surprise of the season and are one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup in their inaugural campaign.

Piercy admits he was never a hockey fan growing up in the desert, but his kids have taken to the sport - he says his youngest wants to be a goalie - and although he was skeptical at first, the city has really taken to the team, as it finally has a sports team of its own in one of the four major sports leagues prior to the arrival of the NFL's Raiders in two years (MGM Resorts International has also brought a WNBA team to town, and there is a Triple-A baseball franchise, too).

"(Vegas has) people to support big-time teams, plus opposing teams want to come to Las Vegas and party," he said with a smile. "With the Golden Knights, they call it the 'Vegas Flu' against the other teams."

And Dale Wishewan, one of the minority owners of the team, says it’s been amazing to see how well the Golden Knights have been received by people in the city.

"I’ll get in a car or an Uber from the airport and I’ll ask about the new arena, then I’ll segue into asking about the new hockey team and (the driver) will go on for the remaining part of the trip about the Golden Knights," he said. "They’ll name off (players) that they should have no reason to know."

The hockey-golf connection runs deep for the Kang family as well, as Danielle is close with Wayne and Janet Gretzky and Alex was friends with one of the Gretzky sons, growing up near Los Angeles. The Great One helped Danielle play out of a private club in L.A., and to this day, the Gretzky Hockey School logo adorns both his and her golf bags.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Danielle has leaned on the advice of Gretzky, along with almost-Gretzky, Dustin Johnson (the world No.1's fiancee is Paulina Gretzky) in the past for encouragement after tough losses and during big tournaments.

She's trained hard in Las Vegas and has adopted a new approach compared to last season - after notching her first LPGA Tour win.

"Last year I had a really good, successful year and I want more of it," she said. "My game is tuning up, falling into place and I’m eager to win. I think that’s just a new attitude."

Las Vegas itself has taken on something of a new attitude as well, as the city has rallied from the concert shooting in October that left 58 dead. Piercy, for example, still has #VegasStrong on his bag.

For him - and many other golfers who have decided to call Las Vegas home - the city offers so much to elite athletes that it just makes sense to stick around.

"It has pretty much whatever you want, whenever you want. It has so much to offer from the food to the sports teams to just ... everything. There are just so many things to list," Piercy said.

"It's home."

Adam Stanley has written about golf since 2011 for PGATOUR.com, LPGA.com, and the Canadian Press, among other organizations. He's also a frequent contributor to The Globe and Mail. Find him on Twitter @adam_stanley.