This Week at TravelGolf.com: Dec. 6, 2007

Viva Laughlin (golf, that is, not TV)

"I don't know why they even bothered, giving it just two episodes," said my dad. He pointed to Don Laughlin's penthouse suite towering above the Colorado River at the Riverside Resort & Casino. "They shot some scenes up there in his penthouse."

"Doesn't really seem fair, I guess," I replied about the Hugh Jackman musical vehicle "Viva Laughlin" that failed so spectacularly on CBS.

"I watched it, it was a pretty good show," my dad said. "All that singing and dancing though, I don't think they needed that."

While "Viva Laughlin" turned into the "Cop Rock" of its day and was quickly tossed into the gaping hole that sucks bad TV shows into the void, the city of Laughlin, Nev. itself is having few similar failures. This town continues to thrive, and often is simultaneously the hottest place in the U.S. when it comes to weather, real estate and growth.

Because as the rest of the U.S. sees the real estate market slamming on its brakes, Laughlin continues to grow, with new housing developments propping up, even as used homes see their prices rise. PGATour regular Alex Cejka has a home in Laughlin he recently put on the market for a whopping $1.2 million.

And golf scene in Laughlin continues to stay hot, as well. Newer Laughlin golf courses like Laughlin Ranch Golf Club, and the Matt Dye-designed El Rio Golf and Country Club have been maturing, while nearby golf courses like Valle Vista Country Club in Kingman, Ariz., and Cerbat Cliffs just past Kingman continue to draw golfers with their combination of desert design and low green fees.

Sure, Laughlin has a well-deserved reputation as an old folks' destination. Where else do you see receptacles in the bathrooms for diabetics to get rid of their syringes? And casinos including Harrah's, the Colorado Belle and Edgewater all go out of their way to cater to the older sect in the winter, while younger visitors thrive on boating trips on the river in the summer.

So while "Viva Laughlin" may go down as one of the great failures on national TV, Laughlin, with its thriving golf, entertainment and golf scene, is having no such worries of cancellation.

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