10 of the Best Golf Courses in Las Vegas
When it comes to fun, no place does it quite as spectacularly as Las Vegas. With casinos, world-class entertainment, and top restaurants and bars, Vegas is the place to be if you want to enjoy yourself. However, for those who like to enjoy nature and take a break from the bright lights, why not play a round of stellar golf, too?
What’s So Special About Las Vegas Golf Courses
Like everything in Las Vegas, golf courses are a product of vast amounts of time, money, and effort. As such, Las Vegas golf courses are almost always something special.
“Las Vegas offers an experience that won’t be found anywhere else. Las Vegas is home to dozens of America’s top-ranked courses, some of which are designed by favorites including Billy Casper, Greg Nash, Arnold Palmer, Tom Fazio, Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye, and Robert Trent Jones, Jr., to name a few,” said Rebecca Lane, Las Vegas PR spokesperson.
How This Was Made
As a D1 collegiate golfer, I’ve played nearly 75 courses in my life. This list includes my picks of the best Las Vegas golf courses across price points, accessibility and degree of difficulty.
These beautiful Las Vegas golf courses have layouts that enhance the natural Nevada environment. When you play these tracks, expect lots of mountains, rolling terrains, and desert arroyos.
Angel Park Golf Club
Iconic to Las Vegas, Angel Park Golf Club represents what the city is all about. Tons of elevation changes make it so that even the best golfers must pick their golf clubs intentionally. An illuminated driving range also means the fun doesn’t end when the sun goes down and can continue throughout the night. Finally, the desert and canyons are entirely in play on many of the holes at Angel Park Golf Club.
Designed by Arnold Palmer, it’s no surprise that Angel Park Golf Club was named “the world’s most complete golfing experience.” Just 20 minutes northwest of McCarran International Airport and the Las Vegas Strip, Angel Park Golf Club is one of the Las Vegas golf courses you must visit if you are in the area.
TPC Las Vegas
Originally named TPC at The Canyons, TPC Las Vegas is an authentic Nevada experience through and through. It’s also one of the only PGA Tour courses available for public play.
Opened in 1996, TPC Las Vegas was described as “desert elegance” and keeps the environment in mind. This course presents players with dramatic scenes, deep arroyos, and many desert scrubs. Though beautiful, TPC Las Vegas has something that many other Las Vegas golf courses do not: it is affordable.
For golfers who don’t want to drop a ton of money on a single round of golf yet still want to experience Las Vegas golf courses, TPC Las Vegas provides a beautiful blend of playability and accessibility. You won’t be disappointed if you give TPC Las Vegas a visit.
Bear’s Best Las Vegas
Designed by Jack Nicklaus, Bear’s Best takes on the namesake of the Golden Bear himself and delivers in terms of elegance and design.
This unique Las Vegas golf course will challenge even the best players. Each hole is hand-picked out of hundreds of golf holes from some of Jack Nicklaus’s most notable designs and implemented into the course. The result: a must-play experience that stands alone as an iconic golf course.
Though Bear’s Best charges a high daily fee to play, you’ll receive a golf experience unlike any other here. Bear’s Best Las Vegas offers finely-manicured “bent grass” putting greens that will make your ball roll as accurately as possible. Also, the course design itself is challenging and will require you to use your head and think through your game plan. Finally, the fairways and tees are maintained immaculately.
Playing at Bear’s Best is about as close to experiencing true Jack Nicklaus golf as you can!
Bali Hai Golf Club
Though there are dozens of Las Vegas golf courses in the area, there are few championship courses. The Las Vegas strip has only one championship golf course: Bali Hai golf club.
Located right in the shadows of some strip resorts, Bali Hai golf club is where you should go if you’re looking for all of the fun in a Las Vegas experience, all bundled into a single round of golf.
Bali Hai golf club offers a high-end restaurant for all players to enjoy, VIP food, and club service, so you’re treated like a genuine member, music available in every golf cart, and some delicious food on and off the course.
Las Vegas Paiute Golf Club
Designed by famous golf architect Pete Dye, Las Vegas Paiute Golf Club is home to the famous “Vegas Trifecta.” This golf club consists of three separate courses: Snow Mountain, Sun Mountain, and WOLF. Each offers players a unique take on Nevada golf, and together they comprise some of the best Las Vegas golf courses.
A few words that might come to your mind when you play Las Vegas Paiute Golf Club are: “stunning,” “unique,” and “beautiful.” Sun Mountain is the most natural of all three courses, with its design seemingly blending into nature.
Snow Mountain is Pete Dye’s original design and withstands the test of time when it comes to staying popular and current. Finally, WOLF is the signature golf course at Las Vegas Paiute Golf Club and continues to reign as the longest golf course in all of Nevada.
Cascata
This golf course is the place to go if you want to relax and escape all the noise and hype of Las Vegas. Loud music and flashy lights are fun, but sometimes you need a break.
Cascata, named after the Italian word for “waterfall,” is a golf course that takes natural beauty to another level. This par-72 course provides players with stunning views at every turn and uses the spectacular landscape to its advantage. These views include a natural waterfall that runs through the practice facility and a 3600-foot peak at Red Mountain, the hill that supports the golf course.
Bonus: the clubhouse and golf shop are in great shape as well. Stepping into either of these locations will transcend you into a world of old luxury you’re unlikely to find anywhere in Las Vegas.
Desert Pines Golf Club
Featuring over 4000 pine trees lining the course, Desert Pines Golf Club offers players an award-winning track right in the heart of Las Vegas. Substantial white sand bunkers surround the greens and protect tiny undulating putting surfaces. These greens are so smooth and quick that they are supposed to take after Augusta National!
Tucked away from the Las Vegas strip, Desert Pines Golf Club is located in the Carolina sandhills away from closed-in casinos. If you want to enjoy nature and reconnect with your surroundings during your vacation, Desert Pines Golf Club is the place to go.
Shadow Creek Golf Club
One of the most exclusive, and expensive places to play golf in America is Shadow Creek. However, if you can afford the green fees (around $1,500) and the nightly room rate at MGM resort, you’re in. You’ll get transported to the golf course in a private limousine, and your caddie will be waiting for you at the bag drop area.
Designed and sculpted by Tom Fazio, Shadow Creek is a golf course that one can not describe with any degree of faithfulness. Instead, you must play Shadow Creek to experience its true beauty. Shadow Creek is the only golf course on this list where you could bring a non-golfer, and they’d still find it beautiful and spectacular.
Shadow Creek is a breathtaking golf course molded out of the environment and continues to astonish people today with its beauty. Truly one-of-a-kind, Shadow Creek is a golf course that is captivating and highly distinctive. Every golf lover should have a chance to visit Shadow Creek if they get the chance.
Las Vegas National Golf Club
Located only ten minutes from the Las Vegas strip, Las Vegas National Golf Club is a classic and fun experience providing golfers of all skill levels with an enjoyable round.
Nicknamed “The National,” this course has hosted many PGA and LPGA events, including the Tournament of Champions, Sahara Invitational, and the Las Vegas Invitational.
Built on a foundation of good customer service, an enjoyable and quick pace of play, and rich history, Las Vegas National Golf Club is a course that has held its own throughout the years and will likely continue to grow in popularity for years to come.
Spanish Trail Country Club
Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., Spanish Trail Country Club will test whether you’re an avid golfer or just a weekend warrior. Deep collection spots around the green create a bunch of tough pitching and chipping situations. Random bunkers will catch wayward shots and provide for difficult approach shots.
The average green speed of 12 guarantees that any golfer who plays this golf course will learn a valuable lesson: stay below the hole. Spanish Trail Country Club is a beautiful track Trent designed to challenge the beginner golfer and the seasoned pro.
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