For Immediate Release February 6, 2017
Western Golf Alliance releases biennial rankings of western golf resorts
The "Western Stars" honors the top casino/golf resorts in the western United States
LAS VEGAS. The Western Golf Alliance today released the 2017-18 "Western Stars" rankings, a biennial list of the top golf casino resort destinations in the western United States. While a "countdown" of the rankings has been "tweeted" on the club's twitter feed @westerngolf for the several days, the full list was distributed to the media during the Board of Directors' annual winter meeting occurring at the Venetian Las Vegas resort.
"Our mission is to promote the great game of golf in western United States," said Peter McGarry, WGA president. "These biennial rankings of the Western Golf Alliance provide the recognition, promotion, and attention of the best golf resort destinations in this region."
The Western Stars recognize the 12 best golf/casino resorts in the western U.S. Even with the Wynn Resort shutting down their "top 100" golf course, many top golf casino resorts remain in thee Las Vegas area. This includes the top two destinations - Caesars Palace partnered with Cascata and Rio Secco (#2) - and our top destination ... the comprehensive MGM/Mirage collection of resorts and golf partners.
That said, a significant number of the honorees are casino properties owned by tribal nations who have embraced the trend of building or acquiring golf courses in order to turn their resorts into outstanding "buddy trip" destinations, including two newcomers for 2017. The Yocha Dehe Wintun nation took their Cache Creek Resort, leveraged a new partnership with Troon North Golf to manage their excellent golf course, and have produced a true destination for Bay Area CA groups to get away north of Sacramento. Meanwhile, little-known Wildhorse Resort in Pendleton Oregon continues to refine the quality of their resort amenities to make their course and casino a viable weekend trip option for those in eastern Washington or the Portland area.
Other similar tribal destinations like We-Ko-Pa (Fort McDowell AZ), Little Creek Casino (Shelton WA), Talking Stick Resort (Scottsdale AZ), Pechanga Resort (Temecula CA), Barona Resort (just north of San Diego), and Casino Del Sol (Tucson AZ) remain strong locations from our 2015 rankings.
"As always, our goal is to identify those golf destinations where any group would love to go for a long golf weekend," explained Mark Taylor, Western Stars task force chairman. "We want great golf, great gaming, with great resort amenities. We firmly believe the best of the best of these types of destinations reside in the western U.S., and our rankings represent the best of the best of the best."
"The Western Stars serves golfers and the golf community throughout the United States," concluded McGarry. "We hope these rankings will be used to inform and guide golfers to create outstanding memories through outstanding golf trips."
The Western Stars rankings are online at www.westerngolf.org/stars.
#1 = MGM Resorts / Walters Golf, Shadow Creek
#2 = Caesars Palace Las Vegas / Cascata, Rio Secco
#3 = We-Ko-Pa Resort / We-Ko-Pa Golf Club
#4 = Little Creek Casino Resort / Salish Cliffs Golf Course
#5 = Talking Stick Resort / Talking Stick Golf Club
#6 = Harrah's Ak-Chin / Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club
#7 = Pechanga Resort / Journey at Pechanga Golf Course
#8 = Harrah's Lake Tahoe / Edgewood Tahoe
#9 = Cache Creek Resort / Yocha Dehe Golf Club
#10 = Barona Resort and Casino / Barona Creek Golf Course
#11 = Casino Del Sol / Sewailo Golf Club
#12 = Wildhorse Casino Resort / Wildhorse Golf Course
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About the Western Golf Alliance: The Western Golf Alliance is the premier golf organization in the United States. The WGA exists to further the greatness of this grand sport of golf through the improvement of golf play by its members, the promotion of golf rules, etiquette, and tradition, and the ability to gather together from time to time for golf events and tournaments. The regional organization spans five western states, and is organized into nine geographic regions. Further information is available at http://www.westerngolf.org/.
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