One of the best things about going to a destination casino property is that they usually have memorable golf courses on site or nearby, places for the high-rollers and nickel-slots players alike to be entertained and refreshed for another round later at the tables, the pits, or in front of the machines.
Great golf is part of the appeal of these properties – with courses designed by many of the giants of the industry.
The proliferation of gaming at resorts owned by Native American tribes means golf courses have come online in some far-flung locations; for every great track in Las Vegas or Atlantic City areas there is also a match in Idaho, Kansas, New York and Louisiana.
We typically recommend that the best time a golfer who likes to gamble can have is a morning round, followed by a quick lunch and an afternoon 18. Shower up, head out for a steak or seafood feast, and then indulge in a night at the poker and blackjack tables or the craps pit finishing things off.
Three or four days of that – add in some pool time, a little parimutuel betting on the horses, and some requisite site seeing – and you have the makings of a really great golf getaway.
There are plenty of great locations to enjoy that offer enjoyable golf and gaming, but we’ve taken the pleasure of highlighting a few of our favorites for you.
Paiute: Snow Mountain
Las Vegas: A legend for a reason
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first – Vegas has many of the best casinos and resorts in the world and a plethora of great courses within a short distance from those properties. But you knew that already.
Two of our favorites in the area are Bali Hai Golf Club, which is right on the Strip close to McCarron International Airport and Allegiant Stadium, and the 54 holes at the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort about a half-hour northwest of downtown.
Bali Hai is a whopping slice of Polynesia, with lush surroundings, more than seven acres of opulent water features with 2,500 stands of towering palms and over 100,000 tropical plants. If there was ever a golf course worthy of being named after the famous Indonesian land of enchantment, this is it.
Designed by Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley and opened in 2000, the par-71 layout plays to 7,002 yards from the tips. Transition and out-of-play areas are accented with gleaming white-sand and black volcanic rock outcroppings. Slow-running streams, ponds and waterfalls run through various holes, adding to the scenery and contributing to the challenge.
At its highest point the course offers beautiful views of green hills and trees and distant mountains as well as the towering mega-hotels on the south end of the Strip.
From the smooth bunkers to the endless foliage, a trip around Bali Hai can be mesmerizing. The best thing is that it is fun to play as well, with huge, often bowl-shaped fairways with bunkers that are forgiving in their placement and easy to drive over. And there are plenty of good chances to make things happen on the putting surfaces as well, as the greens were built to hold short-irons and wedges.
Bali Hai’s hotel partner is the all-new Resorts World, with stay-and-play packages starting at $169 per person.
The Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort’s three courses – Snow Mountain, Sun Mountain, and the Wolf – were all designed by the legendary Pete Dye. Snow Mountain and Sun Mountain, opened in the mid-1990s and are decidedly kinder, gentler, and sensible Dye routings. Both courses hug the land with generous, rolling fairways bordered by native vegetation and wildflowers. It’s almost like the courses were found on the site rather than fashioned.
The Wolf Course, opened in late 2001, and is known as the longest course in Nevada and the most challenging course at the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort. Tipping out at a whopping 7,604 yards, this signature course of the property will test every facet of your game. Wolf is set on a higher portion of the property, with less elevation change, but its mounding gives each hole a feeling of isolation and you’ll notice that this course features a difficult yet beautiful island green on the par-3 15th hole that tends to be the picture of choice that gets posted on social media by golfers who play here.
The Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort is a partner with MGM Resorts International for stay-and-play packages beginning at $149 based on hotel and course choice, day, and season, so needless to say the value is incredible here.
Paiute: Wolf Course
Turning Stone Resort Casino: A New York Legend
There’s a lot to like about the three championship courses at the Turning Stone Resort in Verona, set in central New York’s Oneida Indian Nation.
This is a destination that has it all – from its numerous dining options, top-drawer accommodations in any of the seven lodges, hotels, and inns, to the casino with its table games, slots, bingo, and poker room.
All that augments the trio of stunning and fun 18-hole golf courses at the resort – with the tracks varied in their design, in their features, and their challenges. The courses are: Atunyote, designed by Tom Fazio; Kaluhyat, a Robert Trent Jones, Jr.; and Shenandoah, fashioned by Rick Smith.
All three courses have been lauded for their quality and playability. But it’s the overall variety – and the varying degree of difficulty in the courses – that make Turning Stone a step above the competition.
In case three championship courses weren’t enough, Turning Stone Resort Casino also features the fun-and-friendly Pleasant Knolls nine-hole course and the nine-hole par-3 course Sandstone Hollow.
Turning Stone
French Lick Resort has the best of both worlds
The Midwest charm found at French Lick Resort is simply one-of-a-kind. The setting is the hills of the Hoosier National Forest, about a 60-minute drive west northwest of Louisville, Kentucky where the draw was originally its historic mineral springs.
It’s here that Tom Bendelow fashioned the first golf offering for the resort in 1907, where Donald Ross designed his much-ballyhooed golf course in 1917, and where Dye added to the destination’s golf appeal in 2009 with his brawny, big-shouldered, world-renown track.
The Donald Ross Course at French Lick maintains many elements of its classic design, including 80 bunkers with flat bottoms and deep, gnarly faces, along with square and rectangular-shaped greens that really move, putting a premium on the approach shot.
The Pete Dye Course at French Lick is routed across the top on some of Indiana’s highest hills and sports narrow, immaculate fairways through rugged, intense terrain. The Dye Course, which plays at 8,100 yards from the tips, has three man-made lakes, “volcano” bunkers and a 40-mile panoramic view of the southern Indiana countryside.
The Valley Links course is a family-friendly nine-hole conversion of the original Bendelow layout adjacent to the French Lick Springs Hotel. It plays at nearly 3,500 yards for the back tees and is perfect for all skill levels and ages while remaining a fun and challenging place to play.
The resort is home to two nationally historic hotels – the French Lick Springs Hotel and the sublime West Baden Hotel – rejuvenating spas, and a spacious, single-level casino which has been rated No. 4 Best Casino outside of Las Vegas by Yahoo Travel. The team at French Lick Resort also recently added the new Valley Tower for those looking for a more modern experience during their visit to this incredible resort.
We love golf in this part of the country and the courses at the French Lick Resort offer the best of everything – it’s a slice of heaven in south Indiana.
French Lick Resort: Pete Dye Course
Other notable places to golf and gamble
Other recommendations for a great golf and gaming getaway include:
- Atlantic City – with numerous casino/resorts and golf at the historic Atlantic City Country Club, and the two courses at the Seaview Resort.
- Southwest Louisiana – this is a hotbed for golf and gaming, with three opulent casino/resorts and a trio of great courses – The Country Club at the Golden Nugget, Contraband Bayou GC, and the National Golf Club of Louisiana.
- Nemacolin – set in southwest Pennsylvania about 75 miles from Pittsburgh, this fabulous destination has two Dye-designed golf courses (Mystic Rock and Shepherd’s Rock) and an onsite casino as well as excellent lodging and plenty of activities for the family.
- Coeur d’Alene Casino – with two of the Western United States top courses (Coeur d’Alene and Circling Raven), this Idaho casino/resort 45 minutes southeast of Spokane, Washington has to be on your bucket list of places to play and gamble.
- Albuquerque/Santa Fe – don’t sleep on this underrated destination, as this region of New Mexico has notable Native American-owned casino resorts and a dozen great courses within an hour’s drive (Sandia GC, Paa Ko Ridge, Twin Warriors GC, and Black Mesa GC, to name a few).
Mystic Rock at Nemacolin