December 12, 2009–The depth of talent when it comes to Las Vegas golf courses is very good, from legends like Tom Fazio's Shadow Creek to Rees Jones' Cascata, and many other Las Vegas golf courses. Shadow Creek has been called the "World's Best Course" by the Robb Report, and Cascata earned some of the highest ratings available in the most recent ZAGAT survey. And now Golfweek has released the annual list of "Best Casino Golf Courses", and the Creek is #1 while Cascata checks in at #4.
The list was released in the December 12th issue of Golfweek, and the author, Martin Kaufman, throws out some staggering numbers about the growth of casino gaming over the last decade or so, even with the recent downturn. "The American Gaming Association reported that casinos' gross gambling revenues grew from $22.2 billion in 1999 to a high of $24.3 billion in 2007 before dipping to $32.54 billion in 2008," wrote Kaufman. And some of the beneficiary of that is the big leagues of casino gaming–Las Vegas–and the terrific golf courses that are located on and around the Las Vegas Strip.
The top five spots on the list remain unchanged from a year ago, with Shadow Creek being called the "casino course against which all others are measured." Numbers two and three also have Las Vegas golf course ties as Fallen Oak, as Shadow Creek is, is owned by MGM Mirage, while We-Ko-Pa Golf Club is Arizona is managed by OB Sports, a company that operates three Las Vegas golf facilities. The fourth spot on the list belongs to Cascata, a course that Sports Illustrated writers once called, "Golf's hidden treasure." Cascata was also one of only three golf courses in the United States to earn 29 out of 30 points in the "Top-rated faciliities category of the ZAGAT survey, and was one of only two golf courses to earn 29 out of 30 in the service category.
In all, the Las Vegas golf region is made up of more than 60 Las Vegas golf courses, including two more Tom Fazio courses at Primm Valley Golf Club, both that should have earned entry into the list. The Lakes and Desert courses are pure Fazio through-and-through, and offer Las Vegas golf packages with the Primm Valley Resorts hotels. Primm Valley is located about 35 minutes from the heart of the Las Vegas Strip.