This week, Golfweek unveiled its list of the top casino resort golf courses for 2024, and once again, courses owned by sovereign tribes have a strong presence in the rankings.
Claiming the top spot is MGM Resorts’ Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, consistently ranked as the No. 1 casino golf course in the United States. The course is known for its steep fee of $1,250.
MGM also secured the second position with Fallen Oak Golf Course, part of the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. French Lick’s Pete Dye Course in Indiana, another commercial casino, tied for third with The Greenbrier’s Old White course in West Virginia.
From the sixth to ninth positions, tribal courses dominate the list. Tied for third is the Yocha Dehe Golf Club, associated with Cache Creek Casino Resort in California and owned by the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation. Barona Creek Golf Club at Barona Resort & Casino near San Diego, owned by the Barona Band of Mission Indians, is ranked sixth.
The seventh spot belongs to the Saguaro Course at We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort in Scottsdale. Eighth is The Wilderness at Fortune Bay Resort Casino in Minnesota, owned by the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa. Turning Stone Resort Casino’s Atunyote Golf Course in New York, owned by the Oneida Indian Nation, takes ninth place.
Tribal nations account for half of the top 10 and their influence extends significantly throughout the top 50. According to Casino.org, tribal golf courses secure 24 of the remaining 40 spots.
Tribal golf courses offer premier, championship-caliber tracks and unforgettable golfing experiences at a fraction of the cost compared to MGM properties, unless you are a high roller gambling $5K a hand at blackjack for a comped round at Shadow Creek.
For instance, while a round at MGM’s Fallen Oaks costs $275 and The Greenbrier’s Old White is $665 for non-hotel guests, rounds at We-Ko-Pa’s Saguaro Course in sunny Arizona are available this weekend for $170.
At Eagle Falls Golf Course at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Southern California’s Coachella Valley, rates are even lower. Owned by Cabazon Band of Cahuilla Indians and ranked No. 24 on Golfweek’s list, a round this weekend costs $125 before 1 pm and includes a cart, range balls, four bottles of water, and a play $20 get $20 in free slot play coupon. The greens fee drops to $100 after 1 pm.
Golfweek notes that its hundreds of course raters continually evaluate courses based on 10 criteria points. These include routing, design integrity (classic courses), shaping quality (modern), overall land plan, greens and surrounds, variety and memorability of par 3s, 4s, and 5s, tree and landscape management, conditioning and ecology, and the “walk in the park test.” The latter assesses whether the setting is worthy of spending four hours of your time.
The ratings from these criteria are averaged to produce the final rating for each course.
