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• Photo gallery: Sports books of Las Vegas | Photo gallery: Las Vegas golf courses

While summer has already packed its bags and left for good in many regions -- Loveland and A-Basin ski resorts opened in Colorado last week before Game 4 of the Rockies-Phillies divisional series got snowed out Saturday night -- nothing says summer like a round of golf with your buddies. And Vegas in October actually feels like a pleasant summer day -- you don't want to be out there in August when it's 100 degrees in the shade and 120 in the fairways. Some of the best courses in the country can be found in and around Vegas, and SportsTravel's got the lowdown on many of them. If money's no object and you don't want to leave the Strip, then there's only two choices for you: the ultra-exclusive golf clubs at The Wynn and Bali Hai. But if you had a rough night at the blackjack tables, don't worry. There are also plenty of great public and municipal courses to enjoy.

If you want the true Vegas experience -- i.e., a facsimile of other wonders of the world -- check out Bear's Best Las Vegas, which consists of 18 reproductions of Jack Nicklaus' favorite holes from among the more than 270 courses the Golden Bear has designed all over the globe, or Royal Links Golf Club, which features 18 stunning holes selected from 11 British Open rotation courses.

More of a spectator than a ball-striker? You're in luck, because the week's biggest local sports event is the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin Golf Course. The 2008 champ, Marc Turnesa, is seeking to defend his title and take home the lion's share of the $4.2 million purse. More importantly, a lot of money will be raised for a great cause. Come out to the course with your fantasy frenemies for a day. It's definitely a worthier endeavor than making another fruitless donation to the slot machines. And after gambling, clubbing and drinking in all the excess of Sin City's nightlife, there's no better way to atone than getting some sunshine and supporting Shriners Hospitals for Children. Plus there's great golf to be seen. The event produced Tiger Woods' first professional win, back in 1996, but El Tigre won't be among the many PGA Tour pros competing this year. Having already brought sexy back, JT says he's working on bringing Tiger back to the Shriners Open sometime soon.

Now that you've gotten some sun and some exercise, it's time to try to capitalize on your positive karma. Take your pick of the sports books around town to set up shop with your crew and view all of the college football games Saturday and NFL matchups Sunday, as well as the AL and NL Championship Series. Millman, who writes a weekly Behind the Bets column and tracks NFL and NCAA football lines in his blog, has some practical advice.

"You want to actually spend your Saturday watching college football and your Sunday watching NFL," Millman says. "You want to be somewhere where the chairs are comfortable. The Venetian, Mandalay [Bay], the Bellagio -- those all are great places to do it.

"The key is getting there early -- you have to get there early because it gets so freakin' crowded."

If you're watching your alma mater go down in flames and dreading the letdown of the rapidly approaching flight home and inevitable crash back to reality, Millman has a way for you to extend the rush for another week.

"The Hilton is fun because it's so big. It's the biggest sports book in the world. They're always first with their numbers. The point spreads moves are a little more interesting, especially if you want to make a futures bet. Let's say you're there this weekend. Saturday the games end. By Saturday night or Sunday morning they're going to have the odds, the lines, on next weekend's college football games. If you see a number you like, you can get excited about it and jump on it for a week. If you win, you can mail in your ticket and get your money. It's a way to keep your interest."

If your posse is not so much wise guys as tailgaters but you still want to catch all the football action, then Lagasse's Stadium at The Palazzo is the place to be. Celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse's newest venue opened on Sept. 25.

"I am a huge sports fan, and I love to cook and tailgate with friends," Lagasse says in the official press release. "At Lagasse's Stadium I've included some of my favorite game-day dishes, and many of the iconic foods that fans love to eat at sporting events across the country. Our goal was to create a unique and fun dining experience for sports fans -- there's not a bad seat in the house!"

It's the ultimate one-stop shop -- sports book, restaurant, bar, lounge, outdoor patio, sky and luxury boxes -- complete with a floor-to-ceiling video wall in addition to more than 100 HD TVs showing any sports event you could care to bet on.

But you don't have to settle for a strictly boob-tubular sports experience. There's live college football at UNLV at 7 p.m. on Saturday night, when the Runnin' Rebels host No. 24 Utah at Sam Boyd Stadium.

On the other hand, if you're sitting in the stands and watching the home team get spanked on a Saturday night in Sin City ... maybe you need a better travel agent.

Dan Peterson is an editor for ESPN.com. He can be reached at Daniel.R.Peterson@espn3.com.

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