Local Knowledge: TPC Summerlin and the J. Timberlake Children Open

The PGA Tour is in Sin City this week for the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Before the start of the tournament, TPC Summerlin GM and Director of Golf Chuck Bombard was kind enough to join PGA.com for a little Q&A. Among other things, Bombard told us about the tournament's star host, and things to do in Vegas that you might not otherwise know about.

PGA.com: Justin Timberlake is one of if not the biggest name in the entertainment world today. How much of an asset has it been to have him associated with your tournament?

Bombard: Well, that's a great question. Bluntly, it's outstanding. Justin is quite a dynamic person. He's a great entertainer, a great athlete, evidenced by being a great dancer, and he has a love and passion for golf. It brings on a whole new market segment for us. Justin is helping us introduce the game to millions of entertainment fans who might not otherwise care for golf. His association with the event is multifold. He's a great entertainer. Combine that with being in the greatest city in the world for entertainment and it makes for a great relationship.

This is Justin Timberlake's second year as the celebrity host in Las Vegas. (Miller/Getty Images)

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PGA.com: We often ask the host PGA Professional about things to do in the area away from the golf course. For you, that line of questioning is probably a no-brainer -- anything you can think of, right? As someone who is very familiar with the area, what are the top 3 things people need to check out in and around Las Vegas?

Bombard: I love it when people ask me this question. It's one of the most diverse cities you'll ever find. No. 1, I'd say people need to check out the Hoover Dam. It was a monumental project done in the late 1930s. It was done on time and under budget and a big part of how Las Vegas and Boulder City came to be what they are today.

Second, just 15 minutes from the club -- and no more than a 15-20 minute drive from the strip -- people should go to Red Rock National Forest. It's something you'd never imagine in Vegas. There are beautiful stunning mountains. You can take some great hikes, or you don't even have to get out of your car. From start to finish it's five bucks for as long as you want to be there. You can have a spectacular 180-degree view of Las Vegas.

The third thing I would do, and this might be something people already know of -- the diversity and architecture of all the hotels is amazing. Some of the art work and some of the stuff they've done in the hotels are incredible -- the Bellagio, the Mirage, the Venetian, the Wynn Resort that just opened. The creativity is unbelievable.

PGA.com: Traditionally, Las Vegas has been extremely kind to first-time PGA Tour winners. What is it about this venue that levels the playing field and doesn't necessarily provide an advantage to the veteran players?

Bombard: I think being the general manager and golf director here for nine years and living in Las Vegas for 13, it's probably one of my favorite courses of all time to be able to work at and play.

To answer your question, it's the person that has the best feel that week. Feel for the greens and a feel for the course. It's a very easy course if you keep it straight -- which I suppose you could say about any course in the country -- but if you have a feel for the course and a feel for where your misses should go, you're going to play well here. We put our greens in three years ago and having a confidence and feel for the adulations is an advantage. I think that's what creates the first time winners. It leads to more opportunities than most places.

PGA.com: Las Vegas is usually a birdie-fest for the Tour players. Some people like it, some don't. I tend to like it because it's some of the most exciting golf you'll see all year as players assault par in absolute perfect conditions. Are you a fan of the birdie fest?

Bombard: It's always fun to see players play well and make a lot of birdies. It creates a lot of excitement. No one has shot 59 here, but that would be pretty cool to see. It creates excitement when it gets in that danger zone. They've brought the fairways in this year and grew in some rough, so I'm not sure what that will mean for the scoring. Who knows? I'm always an advocate of the low scores though. After all, these are the best players in the world. It's fun watching how low they can go.

PGA.com: Last thing, Chuck. What's your favorite aspect of hosting a PGA Tour event -- especially one with so much support from the world of entertainment?

Bombard: I'm a real social person anyway, so it's really exciting to host an event like this and see some old friends -- tour players -- and meeting new ones. It's great to be a host at a tournament like this. It's a unique opportunity to be in the greatest city in the world, with greatest entertainment, restaurants and hotels. It's a lot of fun for me to do. It's a busy, long week, but it's something different and exciting.