Posted on: November 15, 2024, 04:01h.
Last updated on: November 15, 2024, 04:01h.
Golfweek this week revealed its selection of the top casino resort golf courses for 2024, with a strong presence of sovereign tribe-owned tracks dominating the rankings once again.
Claiming the top spot once again is MGM Resorts’ Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, known for being consistently ranked as the No. 1 casino golf course in the US, with a steep fee of $1,250.
MGM also secures the second spot with its Fallen Oak Golf Course, situated at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. French Lick, a commercial casino, ties for third place with its Pete Dye Course in Indiana, alongside The Greenbrier’s Old White renowned track in West Virginia.
The tribal presence becomes prominent from the sixth to ninth positions on the Top 50 Casino Golf Courses list.
Tied for third place is the Yocha Dehe Golf Club, associated with the Cache Creek Casino Resort in California, owned and operated by the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation. At the sixth spot is Barona Creek Golf Club at Barona Resort & Casino near San Diego, owned by the Barona Band of Mission Indians.
The seventh spot is held by the Saguaro Course at the We-Ko-Pa Golf Club of Scottsdale’s We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort. The eighth position goes to The Wilderness at Fortune Bay Resort Casino in Minnesota, owned by the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa. And the ninth spot is claimed by the Atunyote Golf Course at Turning Stone Resort Casino in New York, owned by the Oneida Indian Nation.
Resort Golf Leaders
While tribal nations dominate the top 10, their influence extends significantly to the remaining top 40 casino golf courses. Out of the remaining 40, tribal-owned courses secure 24 spots, as per Casino.org.
Tribal golf courses offer premier championship courses and exceptional golf experiences at a fraction of the cost compared to playing at an MGM property (unless you’re a high roller gambling $5K per hand at blackjack in exchange for a complimentary round at Shadow Creek).
While a round at MGM’s Fallen Oaks costs $275 and a round at The Greenbrier’s Old White is priced at $665 for non-hotel guests, rounds at We-Ko-Pa’s Saguaro Course in Arizona are available this weekend for $170.
At the Eagle Falls Golf Course at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Southern California’s Coachella Valley, rates are even more affordable.
Owned by Cabazon Band of Cahuilla Indians and ranked No. 24 on the Golfweek list, a round this weekend is priced at just $125 before 1 pm with a cart, range balls, four bottles of water, and a play $20 get $20 in free slot play coupon. The greens fee decreases to $100 after 1 pm.
How Courses Are Ranked
Golfweek states that its numerous course raters consistently evaluate courses and rank them based on 10 criteria points.
These criteria include the course’s routing, design integrity (for classic courses) and shaping quality (for modern courses), overall land plan, greens and surrounds, variety and memorability of par 3s, variety and memorability of par 4s, variety and memorability of par 5s, tree and landscape management, conditioning and ecology, and the “walk in the park test,” which determines if the setting is worth spending four hours of your time.
These overall ratings are averaged to produce a final rating for each course.