French Lick Resort
If you want to find a good to great golf course, look for casino resorts that offer golf as an amenity.
There are several reasons for this. The idea is to attract you to the casino floor for gambling, so if you build a good golf course and it attracts golfers, the hope is that those golfers will stick around for a little bit of gambling. The same holds true for the hotel rooms at these resorts. They’re usually higher end, and it’s not unusual for both the golf and the hotel room to be pretty reasonably priced to get you there. That seems like a win-win for us and a great way to book a golf package.
In the Midwest, many of these casino resorts are owned and operated by Indian tribes or nations, or perhaps located on a river or waterway. And there are quite a few of them, from Michigan and Minnesota down to Kansas. (We know Kansas might be considered a plains state, but some think of it as the Midwest, too.)
Another great attribute of these casino resorts is that they often feature some pretty nice entertainment options, where you can enjoy some music by known musicians. The dining options are usually pretty tasty, too.
With that said, here are eight of the best golf courses associated with casino resorts in the Midwest. Our top pick is French Lick Resort because two of its golf courses are top 100 you can play in the United States. The rest of our list is in no particular order.
French Lick (Ind.) Resort
Truly one of the best and most historic golf resorts in America, French Lick Resort offers the pinnacle of modern and classic golf, plus a new short course at a unique, luxurious resort setting. The courses at French Lick include the Pete Dye Course, which has played host to numerous professional events, including the 2015 Senior PGA Championship and the current Korn Ferry Tour Championship. One of the longest and most difficult courses in the world (it can play more than 8,100 yards), it’s also incredibly beautiful, especially in the morning as it sometimes feels like it’s sitting above the clouds with views that span 40 miles from elevated tees and the clubhouse. If the Dye Course wasn’t enough, however, this Southern Indiana resort (located in Hall of Famer Larry Bird’s hometown) also offers The Donald Ross Course, a classic layout that’s also pretty challenging and incredibly scenic. The course, which goes back to 1917, has 80 deep-faced bunkers, lots of elevation change, and severely undulating greens. The course was meticulously restored in 2006. It has a great tournament history as well, having hosted the 1924 PGA Championship won by Walter Hagen. Other courses offered include Sultan’s Run, a Tim Liddy designed championship layout; nine-hole Valley Links; and a new short course opening in May 2025, the nine-hole Sand Creek Course. The resort features three hotels, highlighted by the West Baden Springs Hotel, once called the “Eighth Wonder of the World” because of its 200-foot atrium. When it opened in 1901, it was the largest freestanding structure in the world. Other resort attractions and highlights include a spa, terrific dining, ziplining, and a casino offering slots, table games, and a sportsbook.
French Lick Resort
Sweetgrass Golf Club at Island Resort & Casino, Harris, Mich.
Host of the Epson Tour’s Island Resort Championship at Island Resort, the Sweetgrass Course at this Michigan Upper Peninsula resort is a prairie links-style layout with wide fairways, large greens, and some water features, with a beautiful windswept look. The course was designed by Paul Albanese, who also designed the newer championship course at the resort, Sage Run, which runs through hardwoods and open spaces. The resort, which is owned by the Hannahville Band of the Potawatomi Nation recently is also adding another Albanese design, the Cedar Course, a nine-hole layout that draws inspiration from the golden age of golf course architecture. It’s expected to open in 2026. As for the resort, it’s one of the largest in the Midwest with 450 guest rooms, more than 1,200 slots, table games, sports book, a spa, an RV park, waterpark, and a wide variety of excellent restaurants.
Sweetgrass Golf Club at Island Resort & Casino
The Meadows at Mystic Lake, Prior Lake, Minn.
Considered a really good value for an excellently conditioned and playable golf course, the Meadows at Mystic Lake is championship layout designed by Garrett Gill and Paul Miller. The architects took advantage of wonderfully peaceful terrain to create an exceptional golf experience. Mature trees line the fairways, wildflowers surround the layout, and there are a few water features that come into play. Owned by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, the 7,200-yard golf course is an amenity of the Mystic Lake Casino and Hotel, located just 25 minutes from the famous Mall of America. The casino/hotel complex includes 10 bars and restaurants, a large entertainment venue, luxury accommodations, a spa, and one of the Midwest’s largest gaming floors.
The Meadows at Mystic Lake
The Falls at Grand Falls Casino & Resort, Larchwood, Iowa
You can play an excellent Rees Jones course if you visit The Falls at Grand Falls Casino and Golf Resort, located in the northwest part or Iowa near the South Dakota and Minnesota borders. The Falls got its name from a 30-foot waterfall that flows into a 12-acre lake on the golf course near the 18th hole. The course, which can be stretched to more than 7,100 yards, offers great views of the countryside and lots of signature holes, including the aforementioned finisher, a par-3 that plays around the falls and into a semi-island green. The resort includes a casino with 41 gaming tables and a sportsbook, a hotel with luxury rooms, some of which overlook the golf course and pool, and excellent dining at four onsite restaurants.
The Falls at Grand Falls Casino & Resort
Blue Top Ridge at Riverside (Iowa) Casino
Another Rees Jones design, the Blue Top Ridge Golf Course at Riverside Casino and Resort is another really good value at a course that’s conditioned exceedingly well and presents lots of interesting holes. Playing as long as 7,400 yards, the course also has plenty of movement to it. The back nine is particularly intriguing, and there are lots of places you can get into trouble, so it’s a really good test. The resort offers a large casino, of course, as well as a hotel featuring rooms that range from standard comfortable accommodations to expansive luxury suites. There is a full-service spa, fitness room and several restaurants onsite, including a 19th hole for the golf course.
Blue Top Ridge at Riverside Casino
Belterra Golf Club at Belterra Casino Resort, Florence, Indiana
Located next to the Indiana-Ohio border not far from Cincinnati, Ohio is one of one of Indiana’s best public courses, Belterra. This amenity to the Belterra Casino and hotel is a wonderful Tom Fazio design that winds through lakes and more than 2,200 trees, featuring wide fairways and the large bunkers for which Fazio is known. Belterra also has outstanding practice facilities that include a grass range and extensive short-game area. As for the resort, it encompasses a luxury hotel with more than 600 rooms, six restaurants that include a steakhouse and sports bar, a full-service spa, and a showroom with live entertainment.
Belterra Golf Club at Belterra Casino Resort
Tatanka Golf Course at Ohiya Casino Resort, Niobrara, Neb.
An amenity of the Ohiya Casino Resort, Tatanka used to be considered a bit of a hidden gem in Nebraska, but the secret on how good it is has been out now for a few years. Designed by Paul Albanese, this prairie style course consists of one interesting hole after another with stunning views that go on for miles, with plenty of ridges, hills, and undulating greens that will test your short-game imagination. The course, which can be stretched to nearly 7,500 yards, is very well manicured. It includes a full grass range, short-game area and practice greens. Golfers who book stays at the hotel get a reduced green fee. Accommodations include a variety of cabins as well as a hotel at the Ohiya Casino Resort. Amenities include gaming, an indoor pool, live entertainment and three restaurants.
Tatanka Golf Course at Ohiya Casino Resort
Firekeeper Golf Course, Mayetta, Kansas
Not too far from Topeka, Firekeeper is a huge golf course that can play more than 7,500 yards or as short as 4,500 yards, so it’s very playable by all levels. Fairways are generous, which is really kind of necessary since the wind can really whip up this golf course, which was designed by Jeffrey Brauer with input from former PGA Tour player and TV analyst Notah Begay. The course is a tale of two nines. The front feels more like prairie golf, while the back nine is more of a traditional, hilly parkland layout. The course is operated in association with the nearby Prairie Band Casino & Resort, which is owned and operated by the Prairie Band of the Potawatomi National. The resort offers around 300 guestrooms, numerous restaurants and a casino with more than 1,000 slots and table games.
Firekeeper Golf Course
The Wilderness at Fortune Bay Resort, Tower, Minn.
Overlooking Lake Vermillion, The Wilderness at Fortune Bay is arguably one of the top courses in Minnesota (ranked the No. 2 public course in the state by Golf Digest). Designed by Jeff Brauer (who also crafted the excellent Wilderness Golf Club in Texas, not coincidentally), The Wilderness at Fortune Bay is a 7,207-yard, par-72 layout that will test players of all abilities with its tall pine tree-lined holes, unique rock outcroppings, elevation changes, water features, and large, undulating greens. It’s always in great shape, and features lots of intriguing holes, including the signature 13th, a par-4 that plays along the shores of the lake. The finishing stretch also features back to back par-5s and a strong finisher, the par-4 18th, which also plays around water. The course and Fortunate Bay Resort Casino are owned by the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa. The resort features 173 rooms, many with great views of Lake Vermilion and the golf course. The casino has more than 800 slot machines and a blackjack pit, and there are several excellent restaurants on property, as well as a marina and a must-see Heritage Center.
The Wilderness at Fortune Bay Resort