Worldgolfer's Golf Course Reviews

Designer: Tom Fazio (1990)

Location: North Las Vegas, Nevada

History: Originally opened in 1990 as casino mogul Steve Wynn’s private course, Tom Fazio was essentially given a blank check to build Shadow Creek and reportedly spent about $60 million. Shadow Creek immediately became one of the most talked about courses in the world and shot up the rankings soon after opening. In 2000, Steve Wynn sold the course to MGM and since then it has been public – on certain days of the week to MGM guests who have sufficient expendable income. A well-known hangout for athletes and celebrities, Shadow Creek has hosted numerous events in recent years including The Match: Tiger vs. Phil, the 2020 CJ Cup, and the LPGA Tour Match Play. Accolades for Shadow Creek include:

• #24 Best Course in America – Golf Digest (2025)
• #80 Best Course in America – Golf Magazine (2024)
• #59 Best Course in America – Top100golfcourses.com (2024)
• #13 Best Modern Course in America – Golfweek (2025)
• #3 Best Public Course in America – Golf Digest (2025)
• #14 Best Public Course in America – Golf Magazine (2024)
• #9 Best Public Course in America – Golfweek (2025)
• #8 Best Resort Course in America – Golfweek (2025)
• #1 Best Casino Course in America – Golfweek (2025)
• #1 Best Course in Nevada – Golf Digest (2025)
• #1 Best Course in Nevada – Golf Magazine (2024)
• #1 Best Course in Nevada – Top100golfcourses.com (2024)
• #1 Best Public Course in Nevada – Golfweek (2025)

Conditions: 10/10, Although it didn’t quite meet my expectation of having no blade of grass out of place, Shadow Creek is in spectacular condition with lush, firm fairways and beautifully manicured surroundings. It is certainly one of the best conditioned public courses in America.

Value: 1/10, While there are certainly worse ways to spend money in Vegas, Shadow Creek is far from a bargain and is currently the most expensive public course in America at $1500 a round! It is only open to MGM guests and closed for high-rollers Thursday-Sunday. If you want to play Shadow Creek, you might want to get here soon as the price seemingly rises every year.

Scorecard:

Tee                            Par         Yardage         Rating          Slope

Championship     72           7560               N/A                N/A

Back                          72           7102               N/A                N/A

Regular                   72            6626             N/A                N/A

Hole Descriptions: Much of the current day architecture is minimalist in nature, but in the 1990s, maximalism was en vogue and there are few courses as maximalist as Shadow Creek. What once was a dead flat piece of desert outside Las Vegas became a lush green oasis full of hills, imported trees, and beautiful streams and ponds. While this type of design is less popular these days, what Fazio did at Shadow Creek and many of his other courses is simply amazing and deserves praise. A quick look at an early aerial shot of Shadow Creek soon after it opened shows how drastically different it is than the surrounding terrain and is one of my favorite aerials in golf.

Much is made about Shadow’s Creek’s exorbitant price and high roller clientele, but how does the golf course itself stack up? Well, the answer is it’s very, very good. Like many Fazio courses, Shadow Creek is aesthetically beautiful with rolling topography, mountains in the distance, and gorgeous bunkering. It is also extremely well-conditioned and offers strong variety and strategy. While it can be very challenging from the 7500+ yard Championship Tees, it is more than fair but no pushover from the Regular Tees. One thing I really appreciate about Shadow Creek is that unlike many other high-end public courses that pack teesheets like sardines, the customer service is impeccable here and in many ways it feels like a private course in this regard. When I played, I had the course to myself and this is one big plus of a having a pricetag so high. Another thing about Shadow Creek which I didn’t expect is how serene it is. Although Vegas is known for its glitz and glamor, once you enter Shadow Creek’s gates, you are transported to a lush, green paradise with amazing wildlife and imported flora. It really doesn’t feel like a desert course at all and you could mistakenly think you’re in Northern California or even maybe North Carolina when playing here. While Shadow Creek’s public designation is debatable, there are really no courses like it the general public can play in America. It is clearly one of the top 10-15 public courses in America and easily the best I’ve seen in Nevada.

Shadow Creek’s opening hole is one of the shorter par fours on the course as a 344 yard dogleg left. With a creek running down the left all the way to the green, this gentle opener turns left and narrows at only about 190 yards with a large bunker down the left and a right-to-left sloping fairway. It might make sense to hit less than driver here. This narrow, kidney-shaped green overall slopes back-to-front defended tightly by the creek on the left and a bunker right.

Shadow Creek includes excellent land movement for a flat desert course and this is quite evident when you reach the 381 yard par 4 2nd. A slight dogleg right, this hole features an exhilarating 100 yard forced carry over a barranca-like valley to a generous fairway. This slab of fairway ends at about 250 yards with another large valley of rough. This approach plays uphill towards an undulating, back-to-front sloped green defended by a severe false front short and beautiful waste-bunker at the bottom of the valley.

At 449 yards, the 3rd is the longest par 4 at Shadow Creek and among its toughest holes. This strong hole begins with a slightly uphill teeshot to a narrow fairway defended by a bunker down the left at 220 yards and a pond. This severely back-to-front sloped shallow green is tucked uphill and to the right, making for a very difficult approach. Pars are a great score here.

The scoring opportunities at Shadow Creek come on the par fives with your first being the 512 yard risk/reward 4th. A big, sweeping dogleg left, this hole features a narrow fairway lined by water down the left the entire way and numerous bunkers down either side for much of the landing area. This second shot provides the golfer intriguing options with the fairway remaining very narrow on the lay-up but the green sitting just beyond the water’s edge. This green is on the smaller side and features a central ridge with bunkers short on either side.

While there are many excellent holes at Shadow Creek, the par threes in particular stand out and are one of the best collections anywhere. The 5th hole is the first par 3 on the course and is a gorgeous 140 yard one-shotter playing uphill over a tree-filled wasteland. Any misses here are greatly penalized with a significant false front and deep bunker just short of a severely back-to-front sloped green.

At 442 yards, the number 1 handicap 6th hole is a difficult dogleg right par 4 playing uphill the entire way. This dogleg occurs at about 240 yards with a large bunker down the right at this point. Likely faced with a sidehill lie, you’ll have an uphill approach to a difficult, back-to-front sloped green tucked in the right corner. The apron of the false front short is gorgeous and a back right plateau pin is deadly with very little green to work with and a bunker short.

The 7th hole is another relatively simple par 5 as a 490 yard dogleg left. After a brief forced carry over a barranca, this fairway bends to the left around 245 yards with a bunker right. From here, many golfers will be able to go for this multi-plateaued green in two with numerous bunkers just short.

I believe owner Steve Wynn himself played a role in the design of 8, another wonderful par 3 playing downhill at 162 yards. Featuring a large, undulating green lined by a bunker short left, this beautiful one-shotter kind of sits by itself on the property and is incredibly tranquil.

The 9th hole is one of the most memorable on the course as a 391 yard par 4. With incredible mountain views in the distance and a creek running down the left the entire way, this gorgeous hole plays straight and slightly downhill to a tight fairway lined by large bunkers on either side. This triangular green is notable for a large swale on its front left and is defended by a bunker short and creek left.

The 10th hole is a solid 394 yard dogleg right par 4 with a generous fairway that slides right beginning at about 230 yards. A large bunker hugs the inside corner of the dogleg and is to be avoided. This green features two distinct portions with a difficult-to-access and flatter right plateau and narrow, back-to-front sloped front plateau. A large bunker defends the green short while a pesky tree obscures part of the right green.

At just 284 yards, the 11th hole is an interesting short par 4 with a narrow fairway containing numerous swales. While longer hitters may be able to reach this green, holding it is a different story, as it is extremely shallow and slopes back-to-front. Coming up short in a deep bunker is a tough spot but going long into a hill of rough might be an even tougher up-and-down.

The 12th hole is another shorter par 4 at 355 yards but plays longer uphill. With Steve Wynn’s mansion on your right, this hole runs uphill with a brief forced carry to a fairway lined by a bunker right at 200 yards and trees on either side. This green is defended by a large false front short and runs severely back-to-front.

The toughest and arguably best of Shadow Creek’s excellent par threes, the 13th is a gorgeous hole playing 203 yard downhill. This intimidating one-shotter features a large, left-to-right sloped green defended by a pond, rocks, and bunker short right.

The 14th hole is a strong 442 yard dogleg right par 4 that plays to a left-to-right sloped fairway lined by a right bunker at 250 yards. The difficulty on this beefy par 4 comes on the approach to a small, left-to-right sloped green lined by a pond on the right. With likely an unfavorable lie in the fairway and small tree just short left of the green, this can be a very challenging shot.

The 15th is the final par 4 at Shadow Creek and is another excellent and challenging hole. Like the 9th, a creek runs down the left side of a narrow right-to-left sloping fairway the entire way also lined by a large bunker down the right at 255 yards. Your approach must carry this hazard, as a diagonal green sits just left of the creek and slopes severely back-to-front. Pars are well-earned here.

At 561 yards, the 16th is the longest and my personal favorite of the par fives at Shadow Creek. A true three-shot hole, this is a large sweeping dogleg right with an immediate 130 yard forced carry to a fairway that turns right immediately. Trees line the fairway on both sides and two bunkers run down the right between 195 and 260 yards. This fairway is quite undulating and bottlenecks about 160 yards short of the green with a crossbunker left. This approach then runs slightly uphill towards a wide, back-to-front sloped green defended by a bunker short.

The 17th is somewhat of a signature hole at Shadow Creek as an 140 yard, all-or-nothing par 3. Undeniably gorgeous, this hole plays slightly downhill over water the entire way to a shallow green defended by bunkers short, right, and long. This green features two distinct sections (right and left), each sloping towards the center. Supposedly meant to look and feel like the famous 12th at Augusta National, this hole added a pair of waterfalls down the left and feels a tad bit gimmicky.

Shadow Creek closes in fittingly grand fashion with a majestic 503 yard dogleg right par 5. With mountains in the distance, this beautiful hole features an exhilarating forced carry over water to a fairway that turns right. This water runs down the right side for the first 315 yards with numerous deep bunkers also down the right between 175 and 230 yards. A risk/reward hole, another large pond runs down the right for the final 100 yards, leaving a very small slab of fairway on its left for a lay-up. Going at this back-to-front sloped green in two requires a heroic shot over this hazard.

General Comments: Your day at Shadow Creek begins with a compulsory limousine ride from your MGM hotel and this is included in the greens fee. Although a modern course, the clubhouse at Shadow Creek is quiet and tasteful with beautiful green and white colors and a locker room adorned by famous athletes such as Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan. The practice facilities here are fantastic and include a large grass range with targets and practice green near the 1st hole. Although I had a teetime, I was free to warm up and start whenever I pleased as the teesheet was pretty open that day. Forecaddies with carts are required and were excellent. Pace of play is pretty much whatever you want it to be and I played far too fast.

Verdict: A relaxing lush green oasis in the Las Vegas Desert, Shadow Creek is the most expensive public course in America but backs it up with immaculate conditioning, beautiful scenery, and a challenging yet fun layout containing many strong holes. With a compulsory MGM hotel stay and limo ride to the course, this is one of the most unique rounds you can have and one that is well-worth it if you can afford it.