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FEATURE STORY: ROSE ZHANG

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Best in State

The best golf courses in Nevada

By Derek Duncan and Stephen Hennessey

June 27, 2023

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Nevada might not get the credit it deserves for being an upper-echelon golf state. Though not everyone travels to Las Vegas for golf, they are rarely disappointed if they pick the right courses. Many courses have momentum throughout the state in our ranking: Clear Creek Tahoe, the Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw designed course up in Carson City, debuted on our Golf Digest's Second 100 Greatest rankings this year. Southern Highlands, a private club outside Vegas, moved up more than 30 spots. And The Summit Club, one of the newer Discovery Land designs from Tom Fazio and a host of the 2021 CJ Cup, continues to crack our top five.

We urge you to click through to each individual course page for bonus photography, drone footage and reviews from our course panelists. Plus, you can now leave your own ratings on the courses you’ve played … to make your case why your favorite should be ranked higher.

More From Places to Play

The best courses you can play in Nevada

1. (1) Shadow Creek

Public

1. (1) Shadow Creek

North Las Vegas, NV

4.8

148 Panelists

The Match between Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods may have fizzled as a pay-per-view spectacle, but the venue was certainly a showcase during the Black Friday, 2018 broadcast. Shadow Creek has the reputation of being one of the most expensive courses built in America, a reported $47 million at the time. Designer Tom Fazio said that 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.

2. (2) Clear Creek Tahoe

Private

2. (2) Clear Creek Tahoe

Carson City, NV

4.4

71 Panelists

One gets the feeling Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw looked long and hard at this mountain property on the east side of Lake Tahoe before agreeing to take the job. On one hand the site is gorgeous, an elevated evergreen forest with views of the surrounding Sierra Nevadas and distant valleys. One the other, it was far more rugged than they prefer and would prove challenging to link up 18 well-connected holes on such vast terrain. Ultimately, beauty won out and they were able to find enough calm ground—especially from holes ten through 15—to make the journey around it seem meditative and not a lurching, adrenaline-filled rush. The boulder-strewn site recalls parts of Rock Creek Cattle Company in western Montana, currently No. 56 in the ranking, and the off-site views and the way fairways and greens blend into the native grasses and conifers brings to mind Gozzer Ranch, ranked No. 37. Pretty good company.

3. (4) Southern Highlands Golf Club

Private

3. (4) Southern Highlands Golf Club

Las Vegas, NV

4.3

80 Panelists

Although Southern Highlands was billed as a co-design between Robert Trent Jones Jr. and his famous father, in truth the senior Jones, who would die in 2000, was retired by the time construction on this lavish Las Vegas layout began in 1998. Still, there’s a plaque on the 12th hole proclaiming it to be the last hole Mr. Jones ever designed. Regardless, Southern Highlands reflects his son Bobby’s design tenets and visuals. The Highlands was always intended to be Bobby’s answer to Tom Fazio’s Shadow Creek, but with a more financially sensible real estate component. It has the same Carolina-pines motif, the same sprawling, overly elaborate bunkers, the same kinetic water features and, if anything, even more elevation change, with the 11th tee box sitting ten stories above the fairway and providing an unobstructed view of the Las Vegas Strip several miles to the north.

4. (3) The Summit Club

Private

4. (3) The Summit Club

Las Vegas, NV

4.2

51 Panelists

Best In State

Tom Fazio did his thing at one of his newer Discovery Land Properties, The Summit Club, maximizing exceptional views of the Las Vegas Strip on this land that sits about 3,000 feet above sea level. Fazio routed the course and molded the land in a way so that every hole is secluded from the next—similar to what he did at Shadow Creek. Summit Club, a runner-up for Golf Digest’s 2017 Best New private award, offers a strong variety of holes—with optionality particularly on the par 5s. You’ll find the typical Discovery Land offerings here—with multiple comfort stations including Jerry’s—which we got a sneak peek into last year as one of the best halfway houses in the U.S.

5. (7) Wolf Creek Golf Club

Public

5. (7) Wolf Creek Golf Club

Mesquite, NV

4.2

134 Panelists

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.

6. (8) Cascata

Public

6. (8) Cascata

Boulder City, NV

4.2

169 Panelists

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, is something of a salute to nearby Shadow Creek. Cascata plays mostly uphill on the front (the ninth tee is 600 feet above the clubhouse), downhill on the longer back nine.

7. (6) Montreux Golf & Country Club

Private

7. (6) Montreux Golf & Country Club

Reno, NV

4.4

30 Panelists

Best In State

View Course

8. (10) Wynn Golf Club

Public

8. (10) Wynn Golf Club

Las Vegas, NV

4.5

40 Panelists

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.

9. (5) SouthShore Country Club

Private

9. (5) SouthShore Country Club

Henderson, NV

4

94 Panelists

Best In State

View Course

10. (9) Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course

Public

10. (9) Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course

Stateline, NV

3.8

58 Panelists

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 farther than at sea level.

11. (11) Coyote Springs Golf Club

Public

11. (11) Coyote Springs Golf Club

Coyote Springs, NV

3.7

93 Panelists

Best In State

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.

12. (14) TPC Summerlin

Private

12. (14) TPC Summerlin

Las Vegas, NV

4

52 Panelists

Best In State

TPC Summerlin co-hosted the 1996 Shriners Children’s Open (then the Las Vegas Invitational), where Tiger Woods captured his first career PGA Tour victory. The Las Vegas desert layout, designed by Fuzzy Zoeller and Bobby Weed, winds through arroyos and canyons. As you’d expect from a TPC facility, the practice facilities are tremendous, covering 12 acres and including two short game areas and a 10,000 square-foot practice green.

13. (13) Reflection Bay Golf Club

Public

13. (13) Reflection Bay Golf Club

Henderson, NV

3.7

45 Panelists

Best In State

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.

14. (12) DragonRidge Country Club

Private

14. (12) DragonRidge Country Club

Henderson, NV

3.4

55 Panelists

Best In State

View Course

15. (NR) Rio Secco Golf Club

Public

15. (NR) Rio Secco Golf Club

Henderson, NV

3.8

98 Panelists

Best In State

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.

16. (NR) Incline Village Championship Course

Public

16. (NR) Incline Village Championship Course

Incline Village, NV

3.6

20 Panelists

Best In State

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.

17. (15) Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort: Wolf

Public

17. (15) Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort: Wolf

Las Vegas, NV

3.7

47 Panelists

Best In State

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.

18. (NR) Conestoga Golf Club

Public

18. (NR) Conestoga Golf Club

Mesquite, NV

3.4

39 Panelists

Best In State

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.

19. (NR) TPC Las Vegas

Public

19. (NR) TPC Las Vegas

Las Vegas, NV

3.7

51 Panelists

Best In State

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.

20. (NR) Las Vegas Country Club

Private

20. (NR) Las Vegas Country Club

Las Vegas, NV

3.5

78 Panelists

Best In State

View Course

More From Golf Digest

America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses

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