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Golfweek’s Best 2023: Top 50 casino golf courses in the U.S.

Up for a great mix of casino fun and golf?

Welcome to Golfweek’s Best 2023 Casino Courses in the United States. This list focuses on courses owned and/or operated by or in conjunction with casinos, with data pulled from Golfweek‘s massive database of course rankings.

The hundreds of members of Golfweek‘s course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them based on our 10 criteria. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings on each course are averaged to produce a final rating for each that is then used to compile the Golfweek’s Best course rankings.

Listed with each course below is its average rating, location, designer(s) and whether the course is modern (m, built in or after 1960) or classic (c, built before 1960).

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My year in golf travel: Big resorts, short munis and a competitive dream that lives on for 2023

Our travel writer has played 79 golf courses so far in 2022. Here’s what stood out.

I have one of the best jobs in the world, but don’t tell my boss that I acknowledged such. Truth is, plenty of people would line up to do this travel job for free. Play golf around the world and write about it – just about a perfect gig.

There are some downsides. The 3 a.m. wakeup calls, the flight delays, the time away from family, the late nights staring at the keyboard, not to mention all the bogeys. But these are niggles, easily dismissed.

I played 79 golf courses so far in 2022, and I am likely to add at least one or two more before the calendar flips. There were affordable munis, high-end private clubs and plenty of top-dollar resorts. I see the full spectrum of golf in my travels, from dirt fairways to perfect putting surfaces. They all were among the 250-plus stories I filed in 2022, and I remember just about every shot from each round – my wife calls this ability to recall and fret about shots I struck months ago a major character flaw.

The author hits a tee shot on the Castle Stuart Course at Cabot Highlands on his trip around Scotland in October. (Courtesy of Cabot Highlands)

With the year wrapping up soon, it’s time to take a look back at several of my favorite experiences of 2022. I played from California to Scotland, and some days, courses and golf holes just stood out.

Golfweek’s Best 2022: Top public and private courses in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is full of highly ranked private clubs, while Pete Dye left his imprint at the top of the state’s public-access golf scene.

Want to play the best public-access golf courses in Pennsylvania? The legacy of legendary architect Pete Dye has you covered. Want to play the best private courses in the Keystone State? You have some of the top classic layouts in the country from which to choose, but for most of us, good luck getting a tee time at those ageless beauties.

Dye designed Mystic Rock at Nemacolin, a sprawling resort 90 minutes southeast of the Pittsburgh airport. Mystic Rock opened in 1995 and underwent an expansive renovation in 2021 by longtime Dye associate Tim Liddy. Built on beautifully rolling terrain, Mystic Rock is No. 1 in the state on Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play list for public-access layouts. It also ties for No. 10 among all courses owned or operated in conjunction with casinos in the U.S.

Nemacolin is also home to Shepherd’s Rock designed by Dye and the No. 5 public-access course in the state.

On the private side, Oakmont Country Club and Merion Golf Club steal much of the limelight, each having hosted multiple national championships. But they are hardly alone as outstanding private clubs in Pennsylvania. Each of the top 20 private courses in the state ranks among the top 150 on either Golfweek’s Best Modern or Classic course lists, with 1960 being the year that splits those two prestigious lists.

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 Pennsylvania’s prestigious 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.

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Nemacolin’s Mystic Rock ranks No. 1 in Pennsylvania

At Nemacolin, everything is possible. Guests of this Allegheny Mountains retreat can start their day on the top resort course in Pennsylvania, choose from afternoon activities ranging from a Zen-inspired spa to ziplining, enjoy nationally acclaimed …

Whether it’s a golf trip, a family vacation or a romantic getaway, this 2,200-acre, four-season resort has you covered. Nemacolin ranks among the nation’s most-decorated destinations.

Elegantly appointed, The Chateau, with 124 rooms, has long held Forbes Four-Star and AAA Four-Diamond status. Nemacolin also has the rare distinction of offering a Five-Star and Five-Diamond restaurant and hotel —Lautrec, under the innovative direction of Chef Kristin Butterworth, and Falling Rock, which has 43 luxurious rooms.

Nemacolin’s two rugged Pete Dye designs, Mystic Rock and Shepherd’s Rock, are a fitting legacy to the Hall of Fame architect, ranking No. 1 and No. 5 in Pennsylvania. The resort’s private homes and estates are ideal for families and large golf groups.

Invariably, one visit to Nemacolin is never enough. The sheer breadth of activities – including fly fishing, clay shooting, rock climbing, 4-wheel driving, even a wildlife center with exotic species – guarantees your next visit will be better than your last.

Location

Nemacolin is located 70 miles southeast of Pittsburgh in the Laurel Highlands. Guests also can arrive via the resort’s private airstrip.

Farmington, Pennsylvania • 866.344.6957 • Nemacolin.com