Best Casino Golf Courses
There’s something magical about the feel of felt on your fingertips when you rake for another card at a blackjack table. It’s a moment of confidence, doubt, hope and overwhelming anticipation, and fortunately for us amateur golfers, it’s a feeling we can repeat over and over every time the ball rolls off the blade on a 12-foot putt. The casino and golf course combo accentuates this beautiful roller coaster of emotions, and if you love action, these are the places to ride the ride.
Sewailo Golf Club in Tucson, Arizona, is a Notah Begay III designed-gem that promises to elate the eyes as it challenges and entertains all who tee it up. Sewailo, or “Land Where Flowers Grow” in the native Yaqui language, is rich with natural elements like arroyos, meandering streams and rock outcroppings, and the steady mountain vistas are a welcomed distraction when things get rough on this 7,400-yard test from the tips.
Moving up the road to Phoenix, players get a chance to roll the dice at Talking Stick in Scottsdale or Harrah’s Ak-Chin in Maricopa, and they’ll never see snake eyes when they tee it up at The O’odham Course and Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club. The O’odham Course is a Coore and Crenshaw designed adventure that mimics great Scottish style links layouts in its invitation to approach the course thru the air or on the ground, and the tricky shots around the greens are perfect for stimulating one’s imagination. Ak-Chin Southern Dunes is unlike any “desert course” you’ll ever encounter, and its routing thru native grasses and rolling topography make it feel a bit like Erin Hills with mountain views. Yup, it’s that good.
Grand Bear Golf Course in Saucier, Mississippi, has been greeting Biloxi area players since 1999 with a massive parkland layout spread out over 600 acres of unique bayou landscape. The tale of two nines and two rivers (Little Biloxi and Big Biloxi), Grand Bear features fantastic golf holes framed by live oaks, gum trees and age-old magnolias that are best admired from afar.
Staying in Mississippi, but moving up the road a bit, The Azaleas at Dancing Rabbit Golf Club is a Tom Fazio designed gem that has been winning awards since the day it opened. Frequently called, “The Augusta You Can Play,” The Azaleas is a remarkable parkland layout that will leave you thinking that a green jacket is waiting for you after the round. Unfortunately, it’s not. But great cards and lucky slots certainly are at Pearl River Casino.
Last, but certainly so far from least, Marriott’s Royal St. Kitts Golf Club is the bucket list destination you’ve been waiting for. Designed by Thomas McBroom, the sea side links at Royal St. Kitts features endless views of the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, strategically placed white sand bunkers and enough stately coconut palm trees to remind you that where you live is nowhere near as nice as St. Kitts. All this, and there’s a casino too? Yup. It’s pretty much paradise.
Don’t worry, we didn’t forget Cascata, Rio Secco and the casino mecca of Las Vegas…They simply deserve their own page.