Ranking Vegas: Here are my Las Vegas Top 21 Golf Courses
I update this every time I play a course from my Las Vegas bucket list. This opinion article is based solely on MY opinion. More than once, I’ve been asked how in the hell can I have such a phenomenal place, like Cascata, ranked below its sister course Rio Secco. Well, for me, it’s a no-brainer. I look at much more than just how a golf course plays or how a clubhouse looks. I try to look at the total picture from the moment you step foot on the grounds until you shut the car door to determine where the golf course ranks.
How the rankings came to be.
In choosing my Las Vegas Top 21 Golf Courses, I decided not to use a number formula like most of the periodicals do; my system comes down to my gut feeling the day I played. When it came down to it, I had to place Rio Secco higher than Cascata, and are several reasons why. The golf at both locations is fantastic.
For me, though, Rio Secco is much more of a playable course than Cascata. Mind you, the day I played Cascata, we were dealing with 40mph winds the entire way up the mountain. The wind made for a brutal round and an incredibly tough day, but it didn’t change my opinion much.
The Cascata experience is beyond over the top.
It was a truly fantastic time, but I enjoyed playing at Rio Secco such much more when it came down to it. The views of the Las Vegas Skyline at Rio Secco are unmatched by any course in the valley in my opinion (except for maybe DragonRidge) and the facilities, staff, practice area, the course overall, and the greens, oh the greens, at Rio are as good as it gets.
When I consider all of those reasons and the fact I can play Rio Secco for a third of the price, it was easy for me to rank in my Top 5.
I hope that helps with a little bit of the methodology that goes into my Las Vegas Top 21 Golf courses. As always, if you feel I’m crazy and want to throw your list together, leave a comment below, and we can chat about it!
Ranking Vegas:
Las Vegas Golf Rankings as of 08/26/2022
The Top 21:
#01 • Shadow Creek Golf Club
#02 • Southern Highlands Golf Club (Private)
#03 • Paiute Golf Resort, Snow Mountain
#04 • Paiute Golf Resort, Sun Mountain
#05 • Golf Club at South Shore (Private)
#06 • Coyote Springs Golf Club
#07 • Paiute Golf Resort – Wolf
#08 • TPC Summerlin (Private)
#09 • Cascata Golf Club
#10 • The Las Vegas Country Club (Private)
#11 • DragonRidge Country Club (Private)
#12 • Rio Secco Golf Club
#13 • TPC Las Vegas
#14 • Anthem Country Club (private)
#15 • Boulder Creek Golf Club
#16 • Reflection Bay Golf Club
#17 • The Revere Golf Club, Lexington
#18 • The Revere Golf Club, Concord
#19 • Las Vegas National Golf Club
#20 • Rhodes Ranch GC
#21 • Conestoga Golf Club
The Next 21 Courses.
#22 • Canyon Gate Country Club (Private)
#23 • Spanish Trail Country Club (Private)
#24 • Chimera Golf Club
#25 • Angel Park GC, Mountain
#26 • Wolf Creek Golf Club
#27 • Siena GC
#28 • Bear’s Best Las Vegas
#29 • Boulder City Municipal GC
#30 • Bali Hai Golf Club
#31 • The Club at Sunrise
#32 • Red Rock Country Club, Arroyo
#33 • Wildhorse GC
#34 • Legacy GC
#35 • Stallion Mountain GC
#36 • Primm Valley GC, Lakes
#37 • Primm Valley GC, Desert
#38 • Aliante GC
#39 • Angel Park GC, Palm
#40 • Desert Pines GC
#41 • Painted Desert Golf Course
#42 • Sunrise Vista GC
The Bottom of the List:
#43 • Palm Valley GC
#44 • Las Vegas Muni
#45 • Desert Willow Golf Course – (Executive Course)
#46 • Angel Park Golf Club – Cloud 9 (Par 3 Course)
#47 • Las Vegas Golf Center – Nine Hole (Par 3 Course)
#48 • North Las Vegas (Par 3 Course)
Courses Gone from The List
- Royal Links Golf Club
- Badlands GC
- Black Mountain Country Club
- Silverstone GC
Las Vegas Bucket List
Everyone seems to have one, so I decided what the heck and put this together. It’s ever-changing and mainly focused on Las Vegas Golf courses. Once I whittle this Bucket List down, I’ll start putting some much-needed attention to other courses across the states and abroad.
#01 • The Summit (private)
#02 • Red Rock Country Club (private)
#03 • Wynn Golf Club
#04 • Highland Falls Golf Course
#05 • Eagle Crest (Executive)
#06 • Los Prado’s (Executive)
#07 • Durango Hills (Executive)
OUTSIDE OF THE VEGAS VALLEY:
#01 • Falcon Ridge (Mesquite, NV)
#02 • Oasis (Mesquite, NV)
#03 • Casablanca Golf Club (Mesquite, NV)
#04 • Mojave Resort
#05 • Lake View Executive Golf Course
For additional insight on Vegas Golf;
Check out our Podcast series RANKING VEGAS, where Joe and I, using a points system, rank all the Vegas courses we’ve played. Click HERE to view the podcast page for the series.
9 Responses
Danny Noonan
Thanks for this list. It’s been helpful in determining courses we will play in April of 2021.
We will be playing Reflection Bay Day One, Sun Mountain and Snow Mountain Day Two, Reflection Bay Day 3. We may modify Day 3 with Rio Secco but Reflection Bay at $90 is more our price point.
Thanks again for the list, it made it very easy to pinpoint great courses that we can afford!
We’ll post after our trip and let you know how your recs stacked up!
Mathew Wangrycht
Thanks for checking it out!! We love the feedback!
mike
I just got a tee time at the Winn golf club and dont see it on the list anywhere. Is it not a top course? thoughts?
Mathew Wangrycht
Yes, Wynn is a top-rated course in the valley for sure. However, I’ve only rated the courses I’ve played. U have yet to tee it up at Wynn.
brandon winchester
if you want to play Anthem Country Club – reach out to me.
Mathew Wangrycht
Thanks for the comment Cyrus. I love it when people interact with the site so thanks for taking the time to chime in.
Wynn didn’t make the list because I’ve never played the course. I did manage to get a couple rounds in when it was the Desert Inn Country Club but I never could bring myself to fork out the cash for the place. There’s just too many golf courses in the valley that are outstanding at a much better price point.
As far as Shadow Creek and Cascata go, you’re going to have a blast. The customer service at Cascata is so over-the-top you leave there feeling like royalty. Shadow is just a round of golf you have to experience to understand the magic of the course. You’re in for a treat.
TIPS: Cascata – Every putt you make will be an adventure. LISTEN TO YOUR CADDY! Those guys out there are amazing.
Shadow Creek – Enjoy every minute. The locker room is amazing. The food is fantastic and the golf is out of this world.
Headed over to your site now,
Thanks again for checking out the site!
Cyrus
Hey Matthew,
Just stumbled upon your site today. I like your list and enjoyed reading the two comments. Good response, and I’m surprised you never got a rebuttal. Maybe you put him in his place! The only course I’ve played in Vegas was the Wynn Golf Club, which I was surprised is not on your list? If this because the course is now gone? I’m actually heading to Vegas next week though, and have two games lined up at Shadow Creek and Cascata, very much looking forward to experiencing these two courses. Any tips I should know before I go? Love the blog, just started my golf blog last week, if you have time, give me your thoughts. Thanks!
Yohanne Vandrschmuut
I call shenanigans on your golf course rankings, as you have placed Legacy GC well above many much more deserving golf courses. I could name quite a few, but would rather you explain how Legacy GC is better from your experience than say Rhodes Ranch or Bears Best? Not to mention Paiute Wolf or Spanish Trails! As a reviewer of golf i would hope your ethics are in place and your list is ranked by actual belief that these are how you would rank golf courses you have played and are not fluffing up the ranking of lesser courses for your sponsors or for comps at those courses. I mean, do you really think that Las Vegas National should ever be ranked above Wolf Creek? Sir, i would would love to debate this list, though it is from 2014, and i’m hoping you have changed your opinions since than, and would like to see an updated list for 2015.
Mathew Wangrycht
Right on! Finally a worthy adversary! Mr Vandrschmuut (If that is even your real name) I’ve stated since the beginning of creating this page that these ranking are my opinion and my opinion only. Nothing has been “provided” to raise a course over another and had that been the case for Legacy I’m sure they would wish to be higher than #22.
So let’s start with your questions. First off Legacy GC is blast to play. The staff is great, the course is always in decent shape, the green fee’s are fair (for locals) and I’ve enjoyed myself just about every time I’ve been out there. Can’t say the same about Rhodes. I don’t frequent that course enough to know if it’s changed but I’ve never and I mean never have had fun playing that track. Bears Best was a turn off for me from the beginning. I didn’t like how all the holes changed from one style to another, It made it tough to get into a rhythm. The course was nowhere near in the condition it should have been for what they charge (and that has happened more than once out there for me) and the staff was beyond rude. So that’s why they are where they are.
Spanish Trails is a nice course but for being private it’s no better than any of the courses I have listed above it and because it’s private that’s why it’s so far down. The Wolf course out at Paiute is my least favorite. It has a lot to do with how tough it is and the fact its ALWAYS windy out there. Makes it had for a intermediate golfer like myself to have a good time. For instance Coyote Springs is much more difficult in my opinion and I’ve never played a decent round out there but I’ll keep going back because the course is fun as hell to play.
As for LV National over Wolf Creek that’s just my opinion. Even though Wolf Creek is visually stunning the golf sucks. Ridiculous holes that have no place on a golf course. Silly carries, blind shots and on and on. It was fun to play but I’d never go back out there and pay what they charge to play a round of golf. LV National on the other hand is a fantastic old style Vegas golf course that I love to play every time I go out there. Plus, now they have GolfBoards which is too much fun! I’d double pay at LV National vs a free round at Wolf Creek. The golf is just that much better. Wolf Creek isn’t real golf, it’s tourist golf and bad tourist golf.
I’ll go through and do some updating. Chimera is certainly moving up the ranks after the takeover of the debacle that was Tuscany Golf Club.
Thanks Mr Vandrschmuut for your comments, I look forward to reading your rebuttal and continuing this debate.