Golfweek’s Best 2021: Top 50 Casino Golf Courses
Welcome to Golfweek’s Best Casino Courses in the United States. This list focuses on courses owned and/or operated by casinos, with data pulled from Golfweek‘s massive database of course rankings. (Pictured atop this story is French Lick Resort’s Pete Dye Course in Indiana.)
The hundreds of members of Golfweek‘s course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them based on our 10 criteria. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings on each course are averaged to produce a final rating for each that is then used to compile the Golfweek’s Best course rankings.
Each course is listed with its 2020 ranking in parenthesis, an average ranking from all the Golfweek Raters who reviewed it, its location, architect(s) and whether it is a classic courses built before 1960, or a modern courses built in or after 1960.
For more of our rankings in different categories, click below:
Nos. 1-10
We-Ko-Pa’s Saguaro course in Arizona (Courtesy of We-Ko-Pa)
1. (1) Shadow Creek, 8.13
North Las Vegas, Nev.; Tom Fazio (m)
2. (2) Fallen Oak, 7.26
Saucier, Miss.; Tom Fazio (m)
3. (3) The Greenbrier (Old White), 6.84
White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.; Charles Blair Macdonald, Seth Raynor, Lester George (c)
4. (4) French Lick Resort (Pete Dye Course), 6.77
French Lick, Ind.; Pete Dye (m)
5. (18) Yocha Dehe a Cache Creek Casino, 6.70
Brooks, Calif.; Brad Bell (m)
6. (5) We-Ko-Pa (Saguaro), 6.63
Fort McDowell, Ariz.; Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw (m)
7. (T6) The Wilderness at Fortune Bay, 6.58
Tower, Minn.; Jeff Brauer (m)
8. (T6) Salish Cliffs, 6.54
Shelton, Wash.; Gene Bates (m)
9. (13) Turning Stone Resort (Atunyote), 6.48
Verona, N.Y.; Tom Fazio (m)
10. (T20) Island Resort and Casino (Sweetgrass), 6.46
Harris, Mich.; Paul Albanese (m)
Nos. 11-20
Circling Raven in Idaho (courtesy of Circling Raven)
11. (10) The Preserve, 6.41
Vancleave, Miss.; Jerry Pate (m)
12. (11) Spirit Hollow, 6.41
Burlington, Iowa; Rick Jacobson (m)
13. (8) Barona Creek, 6.38
Lakeside, Calif.; Gary Roger Baird, Todd Eckenrode (m)
14. (9) Nemacolin Woodlands (Mystic Rock), 6.37
Farmington, Pa.; Pete Dye (m)
15. (15) Firekeeper, 6.28
Mayetta, Kan; Jeff Brauer, Notah Begay (m)
16. (12) Ak-Chin Southern Dunes, 6.27
Maricopa, Ariz.; Brian Curley, Lee Schmidt (m)
17. (14) Edgewood Tahoe, 6.25
Tahoe, Nev.; George Fazio (m)
18. (16) French Lick Resort (Donald Ross), 6.22
French Lick, Ind.; Donald Ross (c)
19. (19) Circling Raven, 6.17
Worley, Idaho; Gene Bates (m)
20. (17) We-Ko-Pa (Cholla), 6.16
Fort McDowell, Ariz.; Scott Miller (m)
Nos. 21-30
Dancing Rabbit Golf Club’s Azaleas in Mississippi (Courtesy of Dancing Rabbit)
21. (T20) Meadows at Mystic Lake, 6.06
Prior Lake, Minn.; Garrett Gill, Paul Miller (m)
22. (T29) Eagle Falls, 6.05
Indio, Calif.; Clive Clark (m)
23. (32) Dancing Rabbit (Oaks), 6.02
Philadelphia, Miss.; Tom Fazio, Jerry Pate (m)
24. (T29) Journey at Pechanga, 5.94
Temecula, Calif.; Arthur Hills, Steve Forrest (m)
25. (23) Tatanka, 5.94
Niobrara, Neb.; Paul Albanese (m)
T26.* Nemacolin Woodlands (Shepherd’s Rock), 5.90
Farmington, Pa.; Pete Dye (m)
T26. (24) Lake of Isles (North), 5.90
North Stonington, Conn.; Rees Jones (m)
T26. (34) Apache Stronghold, 5.90
San Carlos, Ariz.; Tom Doak (m)
T29. (T27) Blue Top Ridge, 5.88
Riverside, Iowa; Rees Jones (m)
T29. (T25) Sewailo, 5.88
Tucson, Ariz.; Ty Butler, Notah Begay (m)
Nos. 31-40
Kalispel Golf Club in Washington (Courtesy of Kalispel Golf Club)
31. (T27) Turning Stone Resort (Shenendoah), 5.87
Verona, N.Y.; Rick Smith (m)
32. (22) Sandia, 5.86
Albuquerque, N.M.; Scott Miller (m)
33. (37) Dancing Rabbit (Azaleas), 5.80
Philadelphia, Miss.; Tom Fazio, Jerry Pate (m)
34. (31) Kalispel, 5.76
Spokane, Wash.; Jim Barnes, Robert Johnstone (c)
35. (T35) Turning Stone Resort (Kaluhyat), 5.74
Verona, N.Y.; Robert Trent Jones Jr. (m)
36. (42) Shell Landing, 5.72
Gautier, Miss.; Davis Love III (m)
37. (43) Whirlwind (Cattail), 5.71
Chandler, Ariz.; Gary Panks (m)
38. (39) Thornberry Creek at Oneida, 5.66
Oneida, Wis.; Rick Jacobson (m)
39. (40) Inn of the Mountain Gods, 5.62
Mescalero, N.M.; Ted Robinson (m)
40. (33) Belterra, 5.60
Florence, Ind.; Tom Fazio (m)
Nos. 41-50
Sequoyah National in North Carolina (Courtesy of Sequoyah National)
41. (45) Whirlwind (Devil’s Claw), 5.57
Chandler, Ariz.; Gary Panks (m)
42. (38) Sequoyah National, 5.56
Whittier, N.C.; Robert Trent Jones Jr. (m)
43. (T35) Talking Stick (O’odham, formerly North), 5.54
Scottsdale, Ariz.; Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw (m)
44. (44) Talking Stick (Piipaash, formerly South), 5.48
Scottsdale, Ariz.; Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw (m)
45. (49) Bali Hai Golf Club, 5.38
Las Vegas; Brian Curley, Lee Schmidt (m)
46. (T50) The Bridges GC at Hollywood Casino, 5.34
Bay St. Louis, Miss.; Arnold Palmer, Ed Seay (m)
47. (46) Mohegan Sun GC, 5.32
Baltic, Conn.; Geoffrey S. Cornish, Stephen Kay, Robert McNeil (m)
48. (48) Cherokee Hills, 5.26
Catoosa, Okla.; Perry Maxwell, Tripp Davis (c)
49. (T50) Windance, 5.12
Gulfport, Miss.; Mark McCumber (m)
50.* WinStar (Scissortail), 5.07
Thackerville, Okla.; D.A. Weibring (m)
* New to or returning to list
(c): Classic, opened before 1960
(m): Modern, opened in or after 1960
