Courtesy of the club
Courtesy of the club
Courtesy of the club
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Courtesy of the club
Courtesy of the Club
Courtesy of the club
Courtesy of Jon Cavalier
Southern Highlands Golf Club
Southern Highlands Golf Club
1 Robert Trent Jones St
Las Vegas, NV 89141-6038
United States
Overview
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 (ranked No. 24), 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.
About
Awards
Ranking history:
Second 100 Greatest: Ranked from 2013-'24.
Highest ranking: 162nd, 2017-'18.
Best in State: Ranked inside the top 5, 2001, 2005, 2013-'26. Ranked inside the top 10, 2003, 2007-'12.
2025-'26 ranking (and previous): 3rd.
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“Fun private course in Las Vegas. Reminds me of Shadow Creek “light”. Good fun layout for everyday play. Some tricked up holes, some great holes including holes 10 and 11. Conditioning wasn’t the best when I was there, but it was offseason."
Read More2026
Review
“Southern Highlands Golf Club is a very private Robert Trent Jones, Jr. and Sr., design located 30 minutes outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. Nestled in minor rolling hills, the 7,008-yard course plays to a 141 slope and 73 course rating. From the drive to the course, the stately clubhouse, superb service, and well-appointed locker room, Southern Highlands implies, and delivers, a very good golfing experience. Southern Highlands meanders through a residential community but very few homes are visible and none intrude. While most elevation changes are fairly subtle, there are a few that are dramatic, particularly the par 4 11th and 14th with multi-story drops to the fairway. 10 holes play at least somewhat downhill while 3 are at least a club uphill. There is a good mix of doglegs with 6 lefts and 5 rights and only 3 straight-away holes so no particular ball flight is favored. While not long overall, Southern Highlands does offer some stout holes, notably the par 5 3rd and 9th, as well as the par 4 10th, 11th, and 15th. The par 3s are all good holes but are either short or medium length and would have benefited from some additional yardage on at least one to add some variety. All of the tee shots at Southern Highlands allow any type of shot shape, except for the par 4 6th. This tee shot is through a visually intimidating narrow chute and prevents a fade. This is the only hole on the course where the tee shot is pinched, and I am torn between embracing the novelty or feeling it is out of place. The short, drivable par 4 5th is an unusual short hole in that longer players do not even need to hit driver to reach the green, making it almost too easy. The water to the right of the green does provide some danger but there is plenty of room left for a bailout and at least an easy par. Southern Highlands is very well bunkered, both off the tee and around the greens, although most are large multi-fingered amoebas rather than many small bunkers. All but a few greens allow a variety of ball flights to access portions of the greens, but some pin positions will demand a lofted approach if attacking the flag. The course conditions were very good but not excellent, mainly due to the excessive summer heat. The course closes for two months during the heart of the summer and it should. Given the oppressive 110+ degrees, the fact that the greens were receptive and not baked concrete is quite impressive. They rolled true but slow, certainly understandable due to the heat. The fairways were barren in a few spots but overall, very good and firm without breaking a wrist during impact. I can certainly see impeccable conditions from tee to green during cooler months in they can keep the course this good in the dead of summer. All the copious bunkers were consistent and very playable. Southern Highlands is not a particularly difficult golf course but is very fair. If you hit good shots, you can score but misses are punished, albeit not severely. The length is reasonable, especially given the frequent downhill holes and 2200-foot elevation making the course seem a couple hundred yards shorter. A lush oasis just 30 minutes from the bling of Las Vegas, Southern Highlands is an attractive layout with the local foothills as one backdrop on several holes. Scattered waterfalls, although man-made, appear more natural than other courses with similar features. Standing on the tees of much of the back nine, the sights of Las Vegas are clearly visible. Southern Highlands is fun to play, well-conditioned, fair, and is well worth visiting if you can get an invitation."
Read More2025
Review
“Southern Highlands Golf Club is a very private Robert Trent Jones, Jr. and Sr., design located 30 minutes outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. Nestled in minor rolling hills, the 7,008-yard course plays to a 141 slope and 73 course rating. From the drive to the course, the stately clubhouse, superb service, and well-appointed locker room, Southern Highlands implies, and delivers, a very good golfing experience. Southern Highlands meanders through a residential community but very few homes are visible and none intrude. While most elevation changes are fairly subtle, there are a few that are dramatic, particularly the par 4 11th and 14th with multi-story drops to the fairway. 10 holes play at least somewhat downhill while 3 are at least a club uphill. There is a good mix of doglegs with 6 lefts and 5 rights and only 3 straight-away holes so no particular ball flight is favored. While not long overall, Southern Highlands does offer some stout holes, notably the par 5 3rd and 9th, as well as the par 4 10th, 11th, and 15th. The par 3s are all good holes but are either short or medium length and would have benefited from some additional yardage on at least one to add some variety. All of the tee shots at Southern Highlands allow any type of shot shape, except for the par 4 6th. This tee shot is through a visually intimidating narrow chute and prevents a fade. This is the only hole on the course where the tee shot is pinched, and I am torn between embracing the novelty or feeling it is out of place. The short, drivable par 4 5th is an unusual short hole in that longer players do not even need to hit driver to reach the green, making it almost too easy. The water to the right of the green does provide some danger but there is plenty of room left for a bailout and at least an easy par. Southern Highlands is very well bunkered, both off the tee and around the greens, although most are large multi-fingered amoebas rather than many small bunkers. All but a few greens allow a variety of ball flights to access portions of the greens, but some pin positions will demand a lofted approach if attacking the flag. The course conditions were very good but not excellent, mainly due to the excessive summer heat. The course closes for two months during the heart of the summer and it should. Given the oppressive 110+ degrees, the fact that the greens were receptive and not baked concrete is quite impressive. They rolled true but slow, certainly understandable due to the heat. The fairways were barren in a few spots but overall, very good and firm without breaking a wrist during impact. I can certainly see impeccable conditions from tee to green during cooler months in they can keep the course this good in the dead of summer. All the copious bunkers were consistent and very playable. Southern Highlands is not a particularly difficult golf course but is very fair. If you hit good shots, you can score but misses are punished, albeit not severely. The length is reasonable, especially given the frequent downhill holes and 2200-foot elevation making the course seem a couple hundred yards shorter. A lush oasis just 30 minutes from the bling of Las Vegas, Southern Highlands is an attractive layout with the local foothills as one backdrop on several holes. Scattered waterfalls, although man-made, appear more natural than other courses with similar features. Standing on the tees of much of the back nine, the sights of Las Vegas are clearly visible. Southern Highlands is fun to play, well-conditioned, fair, and is well worth visiting if you can get an invitation."
Read More2025
Review
“Views are some of the best you can get in Nevada. Conditioning was very good, unique layout and a unique routing. Aside from Shadow Creek this is second best in Nevada in my opinion."
Read More2025
Review
“A very exclusive club with some stuffy rules. The course is challenging with an emphasis on hitting approaches from the fairways."
Read More2024
Review
“Beautiful, excellently maintained Robert Trent Jones, Jr.and Sr. course. Challenging par 3's with forced carries. Large green complexes and wide, nicely manicured fairways. Lots of fun to play."
Read More2022
Review
“One of the great courses in the Las Vegas Area. From arrival to the finishing hole views the experience is first class. The golf course is also an exceptional experience. Well conditioned, and each hole is distinct. Don't pass an opportunity to play Southern Highlands."
Read More2021
Review
“Southern Highlands presents a diverse array of challenges. Long, yet reachable, risk/reward par 5's, a driveable par 4, unique par 3's, effective elevation changes, strategically placed water hazards, and a plethora of pin positions that can make a hole play differently every day."
Read More2021
Review
“At first glance the course appears simple, but once you start planning the approach to each hole they reveal subtle complexity. Reading the greens takes experience--or trust in one's caddie—and the first impression of many holes changes after looking at the hole working backward from green to tee. Though I played during the cold season, conditioning was first rate."
Read More2020
Review
“More playable than it appears, and great fun with wide variety of hole designs. Love the par 3's. Would rather see a different green complex on the 9th - much too penal and doesn't fit with the rest of the course."
Read More2018
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