Pin itBear's Best Las Vegas
Closed to public play since June 2025. A Jack Nicklaus tribute course converting to a private luxury club.
- Par
- 72
- Yardage
- 7,194
- Designer
- Jack Nicklaus (2002)
- Type
- Private
- Green fee
- USD 89–USD 179
- What stands out
- Closed to public play since June 2025. A Jack Nicklaus tribute course converting to a private luxury club.
Green fees shown are typical ranges and vary by season, day of week, and tee time. Check the booking link for current pricing.
Current status
Bear's Best Las Vegas closed to public play on June 28, 2025. Mulligan Holdings, led by Andrew Pascal and Mike Mixer, acquired the property for $30.5 million and is investing up to $300 million to convert it into a private, members-only luxury club. Redevelopment began in September 2025. The projected reopening as a private facility is October 2026, with fifteen boutique villas expected by December 2027. The course will not return to public play.
What it was
For the years it operated as a daily-fee course, Bear's Best offered an unusual proposition: 18 holes, each modelled after a specific Jack Nicklaus design from his global portfolio, assembled into a single routing in northwest Las Vegas. Nicklaus opened the course in 2002 as a greatest-hits collection, and the execution was polished enough to draw golfers curious about Nicklaus designs they might never visit in their original locations. The par-72 layout played 7,194 yards from the tips with a slope of 137.
Where to play instead
If Bear's Best was on your itinerary, the closest substitute is Reflection Bay, the only remaining Jack Nicklaus design open to public play in the Las Vegas area. The three Paiute courses (Wolf, Sun Mountain, Snow Mountain) sit at comparable price points and offer a different style of desert golf. TPC Las Vegas and Cascata are the other premium options worth considering. Book through the relevant link on each course's page; no public tee times are available at Bear's Best.
Where to Stay
Accommodations near Bear's Best Las Vegas
Hotel
Bellagio
Las Vegas, Nevada
AAA Five Diamond resort at the center of the Strip, where the fountain choreography is more famous than most golf courses in this guide.
From $250/nightWynn Golf Club ~3 mi; Paiute Golf Resort ~35 mi
ExpediaCheck availability
Hotel
Excalibur Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada
The lowest-cost option directly on the Las Vegas Strip, where rooms starting at $40 per night redirect the budget toward green fees.
From $40/nightTPC Las Vegas ~15 mi; Serket ~17 mi
ExpediaCheck availability
Hotel
Hampton Inn Tropicana
Las Vegas, Nevada
Reliable chain hotel south of the Strip with free breakfast and the lowest mid-range rate in the Las Vegas inventory.
From $90/nightTPC Las Vegas ~12 mi; Serket ~17 mi
ExpediaCheck availability
Resort
Hilton Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa
Las Vegas, Nevada
Smaller-scale lakeside resort sharing the Lake Las Vegas corridor with the Westin, offering the same Reflection Bay access at a lower nightly rate.
From $150/nightReflection Bay Golf Club ~2 mi
ExpediaCheck availability
Other Courses Nearby
Premium
Cascata Golf Club
Las Vegas, Nevada
A Rees Jones design in Boulder City with a 418-foot waterfall cascading through the clubhouse. Nevada's 8th-ranked course.
$295–$415PublicRees Jones (2000)
PartnerBook tee time
Premium
Reflection Bay Golf Club
Las Vegas, Nevada
The only Jack Nicklaus Signature Design in Nevada, with multiple holes along the Lake Las Vegas shoreline. Former host of the Wendy's 3 Tour Challenge.
$140–$225PublicJack Nicklaus (Signature Design, 1998)
PartnerBook tee time
Premium
Serket Golf Club
Las Vegas, Nevada
Formerly Rio Secco. A Rees Jones desert-canyon layout in Henderson with dramatic elevation changes and the Butch Harmon School of Golf on site.
$79–$259PublicRees Jones (1997; $2M renovation 2017)
PartnerBook tee time
Bucket List
Shadow Creek Golf Course
Las Vegas, Nevada
A $60 million Tom Fazio creation carved from flat desert, ranked among the top 25 courses in America. The limousine ride is included.
From $1250ResortTom Fazio (1989)
PartnerBook tee time
Hidden Value
Snow Mountain Course at Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort
Las Vegas, Nevada
The original Pete Dye course at Paiute and the most forgiving of the three layouts, with a 126 slope that welcomes mid-handicappers.
$99–$289PublicPete Dye (1995)
PartnerBook tee time
Mid-Range
Sun Mountain Course at Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort
Las Vegas, Nevada
The most playable of Pete Dye's three Paiute courses, with railroad-tie bunkers and undulating greens on open desert terrain.
$99–$289PublicPete Dye (1996)
PartnerBook tee time
Mid-Range
TPC Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
A PGA TOUR-managed facility in the desert canyons northwest of the Strip, with six sets of tees and tournament-standard conditioning.
$175–$395PublicBobby Weed & Raymond Floyd (1996)
PartnerBook tee time
Mid-Range
Wolf Course at Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort
Las Vegas, Nevada
The longest course in Las Vegas at 7,604 yards and the most demanding of Pete Dye's three Paiute layouts. Desert links on tribal land.
$99–$289PublicPete Dye (2001)
PartnerBook tee time
Premium
Wynn Golf Club
Las Vegas, Nevada
The only golf course on the Las Vegas Strip. Six par 3s, a finishing hole beneath a waterfall, and a flat rate that covers everything.
From $550ResortTom Fazio (2005); Tom Fazio & Logan Fazio (2019 renovation)
PartnerBook tee time