Top public and private golf courses in Nevada

Shadow Creek, the top-rated public-access golf course in Nevada, is famed for being unlike just about any other daily-fee or casino-operated layout anywhere. It’s a Tom Fazio-created oasis hidden out of reach for most golfers.

In general, players must stay at an MGM Resorts International property to obtain access, and a round at Shadow Creek includes a limousine ride to the course. The layout, recently made even more famous with several made-for-tv and PGA Tour competitions, isn’t really looking to boost rounds played and boasts a green fee that can reach as high as a reported $1,000. Golfweek’s Best raters have ranked it as the No. 10 course built in the U.S. since 1960.

But there are plenty of other public-access options around Las Vegas and across Nevada. Keep scrolling to see the best of them.

Golfweek’s Best offers many lists of course rankings, with that of top public-access courses in each state among the most popular. All the courses on this list allow public access in some fashion, be it standard daily green fees, through a resort or by staying at an affiliated hotel. If there’s a will, there’s a tee time.

Also popular are the Golfweek’s Best rankings of top private courses in each state, and that list for Nevada’s private offerings is likewise included below.

MORE: Best Modern | Best Classic | Top 200 Resort | Top 200 Residential | Top 100 Best You Can Play

(m): Modern course, built in or after 1960
(c): Classic course, built before 1960

Note: If there is a number in the parenthesis with the m or c, that indicates where that course ranks among Golfweek’s Best top 200 modern or classic courses. 

Cascata in Nevada (Courtesy of Cascata)

1. Shadow Creek
North Las Vegas (10m)

3. Wolf Creek
Mesquite (m)

4. Edgewood Tahoe
Tahoe (m)

6. Coyote Springs
Coyote Springs (m)

9. Incline Village (Championship)
Incline Village (m)

15. Bear’s Best
Las Vegas (m)

Southern Highlands in Nevada (Golfweek files)

1. Clear Creek Tahoe
Carson City (103m)

2. Southern Highlands
Las Vegas (T151m)

3. TPC Summerlin
Las Vegas (m)