Las Vegas is not just for gambling any more, at least not just in the casinos. A high-stakes bet on a round of golf may cost you as much as a few high-stakes hands of poker, but it is certainly better to be on the greens. Las Vegas is known for its golf courses located in the Valley, shadowed by the surrounding mountains. The following are just a few championship golf courses beckoning you to play:

Public Courses

Aliante Golf Club. 702/399-4888. www.aliantegolf.com Located in the master-planned community of Aliante in North Las Vegas, this 7,000-yard course features meandering arroyo that comes into play on 14 holes. The Gary Panks-designed course is highlighted by numerous water features, generous landing areas and the strategic use of trees not commonly found in most desert courses, such as pear and purple locust trees.

Angel Park Golf Club. 702/254-4653. www.angelpark.com Angel Park is home to two Arnold Palmer-designed golf courses — the Mountain and the Palm — and has been billed as the world’s most complete golfing experience. The club also offers a lighted 12-hole short course, an all-natural grass putting course and a beautiful clubhouse.

Badlands Golf Club. 702/363-0754. www.badlands-golf-club.com Designed by golf legend Johnny Miller with consultation from Senior Tour star Chi Chi Rodriguez, Badlands Golf Club was voted one of Nevada’s Top 10 Public Golf Courses by Golf Digest. This 27-hole course features beautiful desert scenery and a target-style layout.

Bali Hai Golf Club. 702/450-8000 or 888/427-6678. www.bali-hai-golf-club.com Located right on the Las Vegas Strip, Bali Hai is highlighted by seven acres of water features, a total of 4,000 trees that includes 2,500 stands of towering palms and 100,000 tropical plants. Designed by Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley in 2000, the par-71 course is rated by Golfweek as one of the Top 40 Resort Courses in the U.S.

Bear’s Best. 702/804-8500. www.bearsbest.com The Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course features a collection of holes from celebrated courses like Castle Pines, PGA West and Cabo del Sol. Each Bear’s Best course offers a different 18-hole selection by Jack Nicklaus from his more than 200 course designs open for play worldwide. The course is located just minutes from the Las Vegas Strip at the base of the Red Rock Mountains.

Boulder Creek Golf Club. 702/294-6534. www.bouldercreekgc.comMark Rathert designed the course, which opened January 2003, with open fairways, no blind shots and no hidden hazards. The Desert Hawk #9 hole uses a combination of oasis and desert themes, allowing golfers to use all clubs in their bags; Coyote Run 9 is defined by wide fairways and playability; Eldorado Valley features a challenging layout surrounded by deep, natural sand bunkers.

Cascata 702/294-2005, www.harrahs.com/golf/cascata-golf/Cascata, Harrah’s par-72 golf course in Boulder City, was designed by Rees Jones and offers 18 holes surrounded by nature’s finest — a 3,600-foot peak at Red Mountain, lush fairways, and picturesque lakes and streams. The Tuscan-style, 37,000-square-foot clubhouse and golf shop offer a variety of services to all guests.

Desert Pines Golf Club. 702/388-4400. Desert Pines is described by many as “The Pinehurst” of Las Vegas. The par-71 course features thousands of mature pine trees lining the fairways. White sand bunkers protect large greens with water coming into play on nine out of 18 holes. Desert Pines is located just minutes from downtown. A 20,000-square-foot, two-tiered, climate-
controlled practice facility is also available.

Lake Las Vegas Resort 702/740-4653, www.lakelasvegas.com/golf.asp This resort offers three courses: two public, Reflection Bay and The Falls, and one private, SouthShore. Reflection Bay is the first public resort golf course in Nevada designed by Jack Nicklaus. Designed by Tom Weiskopf, The Falls is a par-72 course. SouthShore Golf Club, the first private Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course in Nevada, is a 6,917-yard course, which offers up to five tee settings per hole.

Las Vegas Golf Club. 702/646-3003. The oldest golf course in the Valley, Las Vegas Golf Club received a $5 million renovation, which included a new clubhouse and course upgrades. A lighted driving range with lessons is available.

Las Vegas National Golf Club. 702/734-1796. www.lasvegasnational.com One of Vegas’ favorite layouts, Las Vegas National Golf Club features a classic design with rolling fairways, glistening lakes and smooth, well-protected greens. Home of the newly constructed Las Vegas Hall of Fame exhibit. Also the site of Tiger Woods first PGA tour win.

Las Vegas Paiute Resort. 702/658-1400. www.lvpaiutegolf.com The Paiute features three Pete Dye courses — Snow Mountain, Sun Mountain and Wolf. Each course is a par-72. The Snow Mountain and Sun Mountain courses both received a 4.5-star rating by Golf Digest in 2006, ranking them among the top 200 best daily-fee courses to play in North America.

Legacy Golf Club. 702/897-2187. www.thelegacygc.com The Legacy is an 18-hole championship golf course, designed by Arthur Hills, which features the Devil’s Triangle — three holes on the back nine that can make or break a game.

Rhodes Ranch Country Club. 702/740-4114. www.rhodesranch.com Located in the Rhodes Ranch
master-planned community, this 6,900-yard, Ted Robinson-designed course is played in the gentle slopes of the Spring Mountains and features play that showcases the natural beauty of Southern Nevada.

Rio Secco Golf Club. 702/777-2400. www.riosecco.net Designed by Rees Jones, Rio Secco is an 18-hole championship course and home of the Butch Harmon School of Golf. The par-72 course offers great views of the Las Vegas Valley.

Royal Links Golf Club. 702/450-8123. Royal Links was built to honor the rich history and tradition of the game of golf. This links-style course features holes inspired by the British Open rotation courses, such as the Road Hole of St. Andrews and the Postage Stamp from Royal Troon.

Revere at Anthem. 702/259-GOLF. www.reveregolf.com The Revere at Anthem offers 36 holes of golf created by Billy Casper and Greg Nash. The two, par-72 courses, the Lexington and the Concord, wrap through the desert canyons and valleys of the Las Vegas foothills.

Siena Golf Club. 702/341-9200, toll free 888/689-6469. www.sienagolfclub.com Located in Summerlin, the Siena Golf Club features six lakes and 85 white sand bunkers on its par-72, 6,816-yard course. The course was designed by Brian Curley and Lee Schmidt and offers views of the Spring Mountains, Red Rock Canyon and The Strip. Opened in 2000, this course has variety in the routing and pacing of the holes.

Silverstone Golf Club. 702/562-3770. www.silverstonegolfclub.com This 27-hole facility opened in summer 2001 to the public and was designed by Robert Cupp. The course is located in Mountain Spa, a European-style community in northwest Las Vegas and gives a spectacular view of the Sheep Mountain Range. The course is made up of three rotating championship-style nines, with four sets of tees to allow all levels of play.

Tournament Players Club at The Canyons. 702/256-2000. www.tpc.com The Tournament Players Club at The Canyons is a resort and daily-fee golf facility. The TPC at The Canyons, designed by Bobby Weed and player consultant Raymond Floyd, can be described as desert elegance. The 18-hole course features a multitude of trees, elevation changes, steep ravines and a canyon lake.


Semi-Private Courses

Black Mountain Golf & Country Club. 702/565-7933. www.golfblackmountain.com One of the oldest courses in the area, Black Mountain just received a $2 million renovation. The Black Mountain range is the backdrop for this course, which features wide fairways, small greens and many trees.

DragonRidge Golf and Country Club. 702/614-4444 or 877/855-1505. www.dragonridgegolf.com DragonRidge Golf and Country Club marks the first collaboration between architects Jay Morrish and David Druzisky. The par-72 course’s design offers wide fairways, which allow golfers of all handicaps to make playable shots off the tee, with preserved natural rock outcroppings, desert washes and strategically placed bunkers.

Red Rock Country Club. 702/360-5600. www.redrockcountryclub.com Red Rock Country Club is located in the master-planned community of Summerlin. The country club community features two
private Arnold Palmer-designed, 18-hole championship courses, the private Mountain Course and the public Arroyo Course. There is also a practice facility with a double-ended driving range, putting green and chipping areas.

Private Courses

Anthem Country Club. 702/914-3000. Built at an elevation of 3,000 feet, this course, which was designed by Keith Foster and player consultant Hale Irwin, features many holes played through canyons and highlighted by waterfalls. The par-72 course is the first course created by Foster and Irwin in Southern Nevada.

Canyon Gate Country Club. 702/363-0303. www.canyon-gate.com The foothills of the Spring Mountain Range and Red Rock provide the backdrop for the golf course at Canyon Gate Country Club. This private, Ted Robinson-designed golf course spans 6,742 yards and features 70 sand traps and 12 lakes. Membership is available by invitation only.

SouthShore Golf Club. 702/558-0022. Jack Nicklaus designed this course, which winds itself through the Lake Las Vegas resort community. SouthShore hosts the Wendy’s Three-Tour Challenge.

Shadow Creek Golf Club 702/939-0388, www.shadowcreek.com Designed by Tom Fazio, Shadow Creek features creeks, waterfalls and more than 200 varieties of trees, framed by mountains. The course, which opened in 1989, is located on a 350-acre site where every hillside, creek, lake and waterfall were carefully built by hand. To play, you must be a guest at one of the MGM Mirage properties.

Southern Highlands. 702/263-1000. www.southernhighlands.com Designed by Tom Fazio, Shadow Creekfeatures creeks, waterfalls and more than 200 varieties of trees framed by mountains. The course, which opened in 1989, is located on a 350-acre site, where every hillside, creek, lake and waterfall were carefully built by hand. To play, you must be a guest at one of the MGM Mirage properties.

Stallion Mountain Country Club. 702/450-8077. This private club features three distinctly different 18-hole courses that provide challenges to players of all levels. In 2001, new greens were added, featuring Bermuda putting surfaces, and in 2004, design modifications were made by the team of Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley. Play at this private club is available to guests at member resort hotels or to groups.

Tournament Players Club at Summerlin. 702/256-0111. www.tpcatsummerlin.com The Tournament Players Club at Summerlin is a private 18-hole championship golf course and features a practice facility. It is located in the northwest section of the Valley in Summerlin and home annually to the PGA TOUR’s Michelin Championship at Las Vegas.

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