Our first round of golf in Las Vegas was at Bali Hai, a golf course that prides itself on being on the Vegas strip. While this seems convenient, it also brings some unexpected characters into play.

We were standing on the putting green. Another group of golfers was teeing off on the first tee, about 100 yards away, when one of them started walking toward us.

I barely noticed the incoming stranger at first, but when it was clear he was heading straight for us I paid closer attention. As he neared our location, it was clear he wasn’t a golfer at all, nor had he seen a shower in at least a few weeks. His face was weathered beyond the usual golfer and his clothes were filthy. Was he a homeless vagrant? Who’s to say, but his arrival came with a question of his own.

“What came first, the smoke or the fire,” he asked, before asking if any of us could light his cigarette.

He went on to ask if the chicken or the egg arrived first, then the philosopher made his way toward some other golfers. When he started making his way toward the valet stand, a course manager came out of the pro shop, yelled at the philosopher and that was the end of that.

Bali Hai was enjoyable, especially the par 3 holes. The arrangement of bunkers and the sloping of the greens forced you to think about the type of shot you wanted to play, which made them memorable.

The rest of the holes weren’t especially memorable, but there was more than once I found myself choosing a Vegas monument as my target, which was kind of fun.

Bali Hai nearly shut down in this past year to become a parking lot for Raiders fans, according to the pro-shop clerk who checked us in. Somehow the course was spared, however, and will be around for the foreseeable future.

The same can’t be said for the course we played next.