In the past decade, high-profile golf courses aligned with casino hotels have been popping up faster than complimentary cocktails at the roulette wheel. From coast to coast, highly respected course architects such as Tom Fazio, Hale Irwin, and Rees Jones have fashioned layouts with exotic rock and water features, roller-coaster mounding and sculpting, creative bunkering, lush natural areas, and state-of-the-art turf grasses. Not far from the 18th hole are casino hotels with gaming, top-notch dining, live entertainment, and meeting facilities.

Here are 10 that you need to know about:

1. Atlantic City Country Club Atlantic City, N.J.

   A legendary golf club that has hosted six USGA championships, the Atlantic City Country Club, built in 1897, is known for its fast, firm greens and more than 100 bunkers peppering the course. A public course owned by Harrah's, the beauty of the layout is in its lush coastal setting, surrounded by tidal marshes and offering views of the Atlantic City skyline. In 1999, the facility received a major renovation and modernization under the guidance of golf course architect Tom Doak.

   MEETING FACTS: Harrah's Atlantic City properties include Caesars Atlantic City, with 1,146 guest rooms and 38,000 square feet of meeting space.

   GOLF FACTS: 6,577 yards, par 70

   GAMING FACTS: 124,720-square-foot casino

   CONTACT: www.harrahs.com

2. Barona Creek Golf Club, San Diego

   If you stay at the Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino, 30 minutes from downtown San Diego, a special treat is the Barona Creek Golf Club. The golf course has more than 170 native oak trees and 100 multifingered bunkers, with a series of lakes and ponds that are connected to the area's naturally fed streams. The subtly undulating terrain is accented by prominent rock outcroppings. Each hole has five tee settings to accommodate golfers of all skill levels.

   MEETING FACTS: 364 rooms; 47,000 square feet of meeting space

   GOLF FACTS: 7,448 yards, par 72

   GAMING FACTS: 2,000 slot machines, 70 gaming tables

   CONTACT: www.barona.com

3. Circling Raven, Worley, Idaho

   Situated in a reservation covering 345,000 acres of mountains, lakes, forests, and farmland on the western edge of the northern Rocky Mountains, Circling Raven at the Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort & Hotel is a links-style golf experience designed by Gene Bates. Wetlands come into play on 13 holes on the course, which is dotted with a mix of Ponderosa pines, aspens, cottonwoods, and birch. Wildlife is abundant, including elk, deer, moose, and black bear.

   MEETING FACTS: 202 guest rooms; 30,000-square-foot events center

   GOLF FACTS: 7,189 yards, par-72 course; 25-acre practice facility

   GAMING FACTS: 1,800 slot and video blackjack machines, bingo, off-track betting

   CONTACT: www.cdcasino.com

4. Dancing Rabbit Golf Club, Philadelphia, Miss.

   The expansive Pearl River Resort complex, located a 1.5-hour drive northwest of Jackson, Miss., encompasses two casinos, three hotels, and two golf courses at the Dancing Rabbit Golf Club: the Azaleas, designed by Tom Fazio; and the Oaks, by Jerry Pate. Large greens; verdant, tightly mown fairways; colorful flower beds; and waterfalls dominate the Azaleas. The Oaks has large white birch trees and two exciting, drivable par-4 holes: the 327-yard eighth and 322-yard 10th.

   MEETING FACTS: 1,200 guest rooms; 39,000 square feet of meeting space

   GOLF FACTS: Azaleas Course: 7,128 yards, par 72; Oaks Course: 7,026 yards, par 72

   GAMING FACTS: 175,000-square-foot casino with 4,700 slot machines, 100 table games, and 11 poker tables

   CONTACT: www.pearlriverresort.com

5. Fallen Oak Golf Club, Biloxi, Miss.

   Rare for a Gulf Coast course, Fallen Oak, located 1.5 miles from Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, has dramatic elevation changes with more than 4,000 oaks, magnolias, pines, and other hardwood trees. The course, which is set on 510 acres at the edge of the DeSoto National Forest, weaves around pecan orchards and wetlands. Designed by Tom Fazio exclusively for guests of Beau Rivage, Fallen Oak debuted in 2006 to much fanfare.

   MEETING FACTS: 1,740 guest rooms; 50,000 square feet of meeting space

   GOLF FACTS: 7,487 yards, par 72

   GAMING FACTS: 2,100 slots, table games

   CONTACT: www.beaurivage.com

6. Lake of Isles North Course, North Stonington, Conn.

   Set at the Foxwoods Resort & Casino, the Rees Jones-designed Lake of Isles North Course is built around a 90-acre lake and weaves through the forest. Five types of turf are used, with the tees, fairways, and greens all planted with various species of creeping bentgrass. Scheduled to debut at Foxwoods in May is the MGM Grand at Foxwoods, with 825 guest rooms, 115,000 square feet of meeting space, a 4,000-seat performing arts theater, and a 21,000-square-foot spa.

   MEETING FACTS: 1,416 guest rooms; 170,000 square feet of meeting space

   GOLF FACTS: 7,300 yards, par-72 course; indoor and outdoor practice facilities

   GAMING FACTS: 340,000 square feet of gaming space; 7,000 slot machines, 400 tables for 17 different table games

   CONTACT: www.foxwoods.com

7. Links at Cottonwood, Tunica, Miss.

   Located 20 minutes south of Memphis, Tenn., the Grand Resort Casino bills itself as “the largest casino resort between Las Vegas and Atlantic City.” Casino guests tee up at Links at Cottonwood, a Hale Irwin design with a Scottish links feel with gently rolling fairways; three lakes; lush natural areas; and huge, undulating, bentgrass greens averaging 8,500 square feet. More than half the holes border water, and 80 bunkers are strategically situated to demand accurate shots.

   MEETING FACTS: 1,200 guest rooms; 45,000 square feet of meeting space in 12 rooms

   GOLF FACTS: 7,000 yards, par 72

   GAMING FACTS: 140,000 square feet of gaming in four theme areas; 2,000 slot machines, 80 table games, nonsmoking gaming area

   CONTACT: www.harrahs.com

8. Palms Golf Club, Mesquite, Nev.

   Guests at the Oasis Resort Casino Golf & Spa have access to Palms Golf Club, a course in the scenic Virgin River Valley. The front nine is fairly flat with wide fairways and small lakes, while the back nine has mountainous terrain with dramatic elevation changes winding through and around arroyos and canyons. Palms Golf Club might be familiar to viewers who watched the recent Big Break Mesquite on the Golf Channel, which was staged there. Mesquite, located 77 miles northeast of Las Vegas, has six other championship courses, 24-hour casino gambling, and celebrity entertainment.

   MEETING FACTS: 1,000 guest rooms; 13,774 square feet of meeting space

   GOLF FACTS: 7,008 yards, par 72

   GAMING FACTS: 50,000-square-foot casino with blackjack, craps, roulette, poker, keno, and slots

   CONTACT: www.oasisresort.com

9. Shadow Creek, North Las Vegas, Nev.

   Huge pine trees, towering waterfalls, lush gardens, and surrounding mountains are the setting for Shadow Creek Golf Club, a golf course that was one of the world's most expensive to build. The sculpted tee boxes and dramatic greens complexes contribute to the lush, exclusive ambience popular with high rollers and celebrities. From Michael Jordan to Kevin Costner, just about every noted celebrity who plays golf has visited Shadow Creek. Located 20 miles from The Strip, Shadow Creek was built in the early 1980s for more than $40 million. Designer Tom Fazio transformed stark, flat, desert terrain into a traditional Carolina parkland course with wooded forests so thick that no hole can be seen from another. Guests at the following hotels have access to Shadow Creek: Bellagio, MGM Grand Las Vegas, Mandalay Bay, Mirage, Luxor, Excalibur, New York New York, Monte Carlo, Treasure Island, Circus Circus, and Railroad Pass.

   MEETING FACTS: 3,933 guest rooms; 200,000 square feet of meeting space at Bellagio

   GOLF FACTS: 7,239 yards, par 72

   GAMING FACTS: 2,400 slot machines, blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat, poker room at Bellagio

   CONTACT: www.shadowcreek.com

10. Wynn Golf Club, Las Vegas

    A wonderland of waterfalls, streams, forest, and dramatic elevation changes, Wynn Golf Club was designed by Tom Fazio and Steve Wynn. The 18th hole is “all Vegas,” as they say, with a green framed by a 37-foot waterfall. Lush fairways are rimmed by more than 6,000 trees that were brought in from North Carolina. Players have to negotiate water on 11 holes. Built on the site of the former Desert Inn golf course, the Wynn Golf Club, accessible only to Wynn Hotel guests, is the nearest course to The Strip.

    MEETING FACTS: 2,716 guest rooms; 200,000 square feet of meeting space

    GOLF FACTS: 7,042 yards, par 70

    GAMING FACTS: 2,000 slot machines, 130 table games

    CONTACT: www.wynnlasvegas.com