The best courses you can play in Nevada
Nevada as a golf state might be unfairly overlooked. Perhaps it’s because visitors to Nevada often have something else on their minds—bachelor/bachelorette parties, casino trips, business conferences or various other shenanigans—but the truth is, Nevada boasts some of the best public golf anywhere.
For whatever reason you find yourself in Nevada, we’ve compiled the best golf courses that you can play. There are buckets of good golf in different regions: A golfer would be happy to visit Las Vegas, Reno or Mesquite and find a weekend’s worth of nice courses worth playing.
Scroll on to learn more about each course and be sure to expand each course page to read reviews from our course-ranking panelists. We hope you enjoy our searchable course database, Places to Play, our new hub for course reviews, experts' opinions and star ratings.
More From Places to Play
1 / 5
The Henebrys/Courtesy of Shadow Creek GC
2 / 5
Courtesy of Shadow Creek GC
3 / 5
The Henebrys/Courtesy of Shadow Creek GC
4 / 5
5 / 5
Shadow Creek has the reputation of being one of the most expensive courses built in America, a reported $47 million at the time, which translates to roughly $120 million in today's dollars. Designer Tom Fazio said that a budget was necessary at Shadow Creek to perform what he now calls “total site manipulation,” creating an environment where none existed by carving rolling hills and canyons from the flat desert floor north of Las Vegas and pumping in plenty of water. Alas, this once-in-a-lifetime dream design has been too successful, triggering many equally expensive, but inferior, imitations.
View Course
1 / 7
Stephen Szurlej
2 / 7
John and Jeannine Henebry
3 / 7
4 / 7
5 / 7
6 / 7
7 / 7
Wolf Creek is a fantasy calendar come to life, with holes clinging to stark canyon hillsides and plunging down narrow ravines. A genuine amateur architect design (although Jim Engh provided an early routing), Wolf Creek finished third in Golf Digest's survey of America's Best New Upscale Public Courses of 2001, behind Pacific Dunes and Arcadia Bluffs (Bluffs). All three are now ranked among America's 100 Greatest Public Courses.
View Course
1 / 9
_Credit%20Dave%20Burk.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.1280.853.suffix/1668111742331.jpeg)
Dave Burk
2 / 9
_Credit%20Could%20Be%20the%20Day.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.1280.720.suffix/1668111737565.jpeg)
Dave Burk
3 / 9
Alex S. MacLean
4 / 9
_Credit%20Dave%20Burk.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.1280.853.suffix/1668111739972.jpeg)
Dave Burk
5 / 9
_Credit%20Dave%20Burk.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.1280.853.suffix/1668111741220.jpeg)
Dave Burk
6 / 9
7 / 9
L.C. Lambrecht
8 / 9
Courtesy of Rees Jones
9 / 9
_Credit%20Could%20be%20the%20Day.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.1280.853.suffix/1668111738571.jpeg)
Dave Burk
One of the great engineering feats in golf thus far in this century, Cascata climbs up and down a steep, rocky mountain hillside southeast of Las Vegas. It's authentically Nevada on the edges, the barren areas akin to Wolf Creek in Mesquite, but its turfed areas, planted with date palms, ironwoods and willows, and crossed by endless babbling brooks, are something of a salute to nearby Shadow Creek. Cascata plays mostly uphill on the front (the ninth tee is 600 feet above the clubhouse) and downhill on the longer back nine.
View Course
1 / 3
Brian Oar
2 / 3
Brian Oar
3 / 3
Barbara Kraft
Nestled in the heart of the Vegas strip, Wynn Golf Club has become a go-to venue for Capital One’s “The Match,” hosting the match between Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau in 2021, the four quarterbacks in 2022, and in 2023, the teammates battle between Steph Curry/Klay Thompson vs. Patrick Mahomes/Travis Kelce. The Tom Fazio design features dramatic elevation changes, created by moving over 400,000 cubic yards of earth. Fazio and his son, Logan, renovated the course in 2019 to make room for a casino and hotel expansion onto the property, creating eight new holes and refurbishing the other 10. The par-70 layout features six par 3s, including the picturesque 18th, with a green perched at the base of a roaring waterfall.
View Course
1 / 1
Brian Walker
Edgewood Tahoe is one of golf’s most televised courses as the annual host of the American Century Championship. It also holds the distinction of being the only course in Nevada to have held a USGA championship, hosting a U.S. Senior Open and a U.S. Amateur Public Links in the 1980s. Once a member of Golf Digest America’s 100 Greatest Courses, Edgewood Tahoe is as telegenic as they come with fairways framed by stately pines, greens flanked by sparkling ponds and several holes positioned on Lake Tahoe, including the final three. At over 6,000 feet elevation, the ball flies roughly 10 percent further than sea level.
View Course
More From Places to Play
.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.406.271.suffix/1660142448226.jpeg)
1 / 5
Courtesy of the club
2 / 5
Courtesy of the club
3 / 5
Courtesy of the club
4 / 5
Courtesy of the club
5 / 5
Courtesy of the club
About an hour north of Las Vegas, this Jack Nicklaus design was a member of Golf Digest’s 100 Greatest Public Courses ranking in 2011. Wide, generous fairways offer a variety of shot options, but undulating, sloping greens require precise approach play. Uneven lies in the fairway—plus an often-present wind in the valley—will also test your irons. The course debuted as No. 2 on Golf Digest’s Best New Public list in 2008, trailing only future U.S. Open host Chambers Bay.
View Course
1 / 1
Courtesy of the club
A former member of Golf Digest's 100 Greatest Public Courses, this Jack Nicklaus design sits along the edge of Lake Las Vegas, less than 20 miles east of the Strip. The routing features a variety of hole directions, effectively using the natural landscape to create a balance of uphill and downhill shots. The five holes set along the water make for a memorable finish.
View Course
1 / 6
_Credit%20Could%20be%20the%20Day.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.1280.853.suffix/1668826263620.jpeg)
2 / 6
_Credit%20Could%20be%20the%20Day.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.1280.853.suffix/1668826262232.jpeg)
3 / 6
_Credit%20Could%20be%20the%20Day.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.1280.853.suffix/1668826267056.jpeg)
4 / 6
_Credit%20Could%20be%20the%20Day.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.1280.853.suffix/1668826265723.jpeg)
5 / 6
_Credit%20Could%20be%20the%20Day.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.1280.853.suffix/1668826271208.jpeg)
Armand Barragan
6 / 6
_Credit%20Could%20be%20the%20Day.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.1280.853.suffix/1668826269454.jpeg)
Armand Barragan
Rees Jones, known as the “Open Doctor” for his work on prominent U.S. Open venues, renovated his original design at Rio Secco in 2017. With the redesign, Jones enhanced the playability for the average golfer, creating many new tees and greens. A former member of Golf Digest's 100 Greatest Public Courses, Rio Secco provides exciting elevation changes and views of the Las Vegas Strip. And, if your round didn’t go as planned, the Butch Harmon School of Golf is on property to help.
View Course
1 / 5
Courtesy of Incline Village Golf Courses
2 / 5
Courtesy of Incline Village Golf Courses
3 / 5
Courtesy of Incline Village Golf Courses
4 / 5
Courtesy of Incline Village Golf Courses
5 / 5
Courtesy of Incline Village Golf Courses
In the mid-2000s, Kyle Phillips renovated this Robert Trent Jones Sr. design just as he did at Spain’s famed Valderrama, host of the 1997 Ryder Cup. Make sure that you’re in control of your start line on your tee shots, as stately pines guard many of the tees and fairways. The course features a blend of doglegs moving in each direction, often severely. At over 6,000 feet elevation, the ball flies roughly 10 percent further than at sea level.
View Course
1 / 4
BRIAN OAR - FAIRWAYS PHOTOGRAPHY
2 / 4
3 / 4
4 / 4
You would never know you’re less than 30 miles from the hustle and bustle of the Las Vegas Strip at this Pete Dye design, surrounded by barren desert and jagged peaks. In typical Dye fashion, there are plenty of risk-reward holes, including the split fairways at the par-5 sixth and the par-4 17th. The island green at the par-3 15th closely resembles Dye’s signature 17th at TPC Sawgrass’ Stadium Course.
View Course
1 / 4
Brian Oar
2 / 4
Brian Oar
3 / 4
Brian Oar
4 / 4
Brian Oar
Meandering through canyons and between rocky outcroppings, Conestoga provides a unique experience of playing within Mesquite’s natural landscape. With water in play on just two holes, you likely won’t lose many balls provided you keep it out of the surrounding desert, which lurks to snag errant shots. The picturesque 10th hole, with a mountain backdrop and a green set in front of a tumbling waterfall, is one of Mesquite’s most memorable holes.
View Course
1 / 3
2 / 3
3 / 3
This Bobby Weed and Raymond Floyd design previously hosted PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions events when it was known as TPC at The Canyons. The nearby Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area provides a scenic backdrop for a course that features elevation changes and forced carries over canyons. Fairways are generally wide and forgiving, while the greens have subtle breaks influenced by the surrounding mountains. The course has six sets of tees to accommodate every level of player.
View Course
1 / 9
Brian Oar
2 / 9
3 / 9
4 / 9
5 / 9
6 / 9
BRIAN OAR - FAIRWAYS PHOTOGRAPHY
7 / 9
8 / 9
9 / 9
Brian Oar
Perhaps the most playable of the three courses at the Las Vegas Paiute Resort, Pete Dye’s Snow Mountain offers generous landing areas and plenty of risk-reward challenges. Given the desert setting, wind will likely play a factor. The course finishes strong, offering views of Sheep Mountain on the par-3 16th, traditional Dye railroad-tie bunkers on the 17th, and a stern test with water down the entire left side on the 18th.
View Course
1 / 5
2 / 5
BRIAN OAR - FAIRWAYS PHOTOGRAPHY
3 / 5
BRIAN OAR - FAIRWAYS PHOTOGRAPHY
4 / 5
BRIAN OAR - FAIRWAYS PHOTOGRAPHY
5 / 5
Brian Oar
Water comes into play on just three holes at this Pete Dye design. Instead, the defenses of the Sun Mountain course are the strategically placed bunkers (including several pot bunkers on the back nine) and undulating fairways. The edges of fairways tend to pitch toward the middle, making them play more forgiving than they appear. The course provides impressive views of the Sheep Mountain range throughout.
View Course
1 / 5
John Collins
2 / 5
John Collins
3 / 5
Tony Korologos
4 / 5
Tony Korologos
5 / 5
John Collins
This Arnold Palmer design features many canyon fairways framed by towering rocky outcroppings. The course effectively uses the terrain, creating a variety of elevation changes, including several captivating elevated tee shots to landing areas that appear smaller off the tee than they actually are. The elevated tees provide beautiful vistas of the surrounding mountains. The Big Break Mesquite, the eighth season of the former golf reality television show, was filmed at Oasis Golf Club.
View Course
1 / 2
Brian Oar
2 / 2
Brian Oar
If the movie “South Pacific” could use the dramatic cliffs of Kauai’s Napali Coast to represent the mythical island of Bali Hai, why can’t Vegas turn it into an entertaining 7,015-yard par 72? Architects Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley took 145 acres of crushed rock and refuse across Las Vegas Boulevard from McCarran International Airport, imported thousands of palm trees, white granite sand from southern California for waste areas, Augusta white sand from Georgia for the bunkers, black volcanic rock from Utah for an accent and enough tropical honeysuckle, pampas grass and pineapple guava to complete the illusion. Adjacent to the airport, Bali Hai offers a unique setting in the heart of Las Vegas. For those seeking a Vegas-like experience, we’re told Jello shots and Golfboards are frequent options for guests here. The island green at the par-3 16th often features an audience from the nearby restaurant patio.
View Course
More From Places to Play
• • •
Explore Golf Digest's recently relaunched Places to Play community, where you can add star ratings and reviews for all the courses you play. We've collected tens of thousands of reviews from our course-ranking panelists to deliver a premium experience, which includes experts' opinions, bonus course photography and videos, plus much more. Check it out here!