Laughlin vs Lake Havasu for a golf trip or winter

Laughlin vs Lake Havasu comes down to variety versus setting. Laughlin, with Bullhead City and Fort Mohave, has eight courses open to visitors within 40 minutes, cheap casino rooms and the closest drive from Las Vegas. Lake Havasu has three full-length courses, a lake town, winter memberships and an easier drive from Phoenix.

The two are about 94 minutes apart, so Laughlin vs Lake Havasu is a real choice of base. This guide compares them on courses, fees, travel, weather, lodging and the winter stay. Prices were seen in October 2026 and change.

Quick facts

• Courses within about 40 minutes: Laughlin 8; Lake Havasu 3 in town, plus Emerald Canyon about 40 minutes south (estimate).
• Top round: Laughlin Ranch, $137-$169 with cart in winter and spring.
• Havasu top public rate: $94 (Desert West before noon).
• From Las Vegas: Laughlin 139 min; Havasu 204 min.
• From Phoenix: Havasu 230 min; Laughlin 284 min.
• Clock: Laughlin casinos on Pacific time, most courses on Arizona time; Havasu all Arizona.

Laughlin vs Lake Havasu at a glance

Drive times are conservative router estimates.

Laughlin vs Lake Havasu: the courses

Laughlin side. The headliner is Laughlin Ranch, a hilly Druzisky layout with slope 143 from 7,155 yards. Around it: Mojave Resort, a flat, windy Schmidt-Curley course by the Avi; Huukan, the former Desert Lakes; Los Lagos, a long Ted Robinson desert course; El Rio, 7,143 yards from the back; Rivers Edge, the Needles municipal course; and two short nines, Chaparral and Riverview. That is enough for a week without repeats.

Havasu side. Lake Havasu Golf Club Desert West (6,466 yards, slope 127) and Desert East (6,140, slope 118) share a clubhouse, and Iron Wolf, the former Refuge, is a Palmer and Seay hill course with a Toptracer range. Emerald Canyon in Parker, slope 132 from 6,437 yards, is the scenic day trip. Bridgewater Links, a par-30 nine at London Bridge Resort, has an unclear status, so call first.

The Laughlin Ranch course guide, Lake Havasu Golf Club course guide and Emerald Canyon course guide have the details. Our Laughlin golf courses guide lists every course on the river.

Laughlin vs Lake Havasu green fees

Laughlin has the widest range. Laughlin Ranch runs $137 Mon-Thu to $169 Fri-Sun in winter and spring on its 2027 table, while El Rio was $45 with cart in summer 2026 and Riverview deals ran $10-$13. Mojave Resort and Huukan publish no rates.

Havasu is more consistent. Lake Havasu Golf Club charged $94 / $82 / $50 on the West and $82 / $76 / $48 on the East (before noon, after noon, after 3 PM). Iron Wolf posts no rate; an aggregator puts peak at about $85. Emerald Canyon was $80 with cart in winter 2025-26 if booked within 7 days. See Laughlin golf rates for every course.

Getting there

Most visitors fly into Las Vegas, about 139 minutes from Laughlin and 204 from Lake Havasu City. Phoenix is about 230 minutes from Havasu and 284 from Laughlin. The Laughlin/Bullhead airport (IFP) has casino charter flights only, and Lake Havasu City's airport has no commercial service. So Las Vegas flyers lean Laughlin and Phoenix flyers lean Havasu.

Weather

There is almost nothing in it. NOAA normals put Havasu within about 1F of Laughlin by day, slightly cooler at dawn in winter (about 42-43F in December and January) and drier. Both are about 74-75F in November and 77-78F in March, and both reach about 110F in July. The season is October to April at either end.

Lodging and evenings

Laughlin's casinos are among the cheapest resort-style rooms in the West, priced by day of week: aggregator data put weeknights at about $55 and weekends at about $93, plus resort fees of roughly $18-$27 a night at most casinos. Six of them sell Laughlin Ranch stay-and-play packages. Evenings mean casinos, showrooms and the Riverwalk.

Lake Havasu prices by season, highest in March spring break and late-April Desert Storm week. Stays range from London Bridge Resort suites to chain hotels by the bridge. Evenings mean the London Bridge, the channel and McCulloch Blvd. See where to stay in Laughlin for golf and where to stay in Lake Havasu for golf.

Laughlin vs Lake Havasu for a winter stay

For snowbirds, the choice is pass value against variety.

• Lake Havasu: Lake Havasu Golf Club's seasonal membership is $1,125 for one month, $2,525 for three and $3,425 for six (individual). Havasu Falls RV Resort offered $800 a month plus electric for November and December 2026.
• Laughlin and Bullhead: more courses and parks near them. Vista Del Sol RV Resort charges $1,061 a month for a standard site in January to March 2027, the Avi KOA lists monthly from $786, and the Rivers Edge 3-month pass with cart is $1,200.

Compare the details in golf season passes for Lake Havasu and Laughlin and Laughlin winter golf.

The clock

Laughlin's casinos are on Pacific time, while Laughlin Ranch, Huukan, Los Lagos and El Rio keep Arizona-time tee sheets, an hour ahead from Nov 1, 2026 to Mar 14, 2027. Lake Havasu City is simpler: hotels and courses all run on Arizona time. Only Havasu Landing, across the lake in California, is on Pacific time.

Early-season timing

If you are going in late October or early November, overseed matters more than the base. In Laughlin, Mojave Resort's overseed closure ran to Oct 8, 2026, Riverview's to Oct 12 and El Rio's to Sep 27, but Chaparral is closed until Nov 10. In Havasu, Iron Wolf reopened on Oct 7, 2026, the Desert West showed no public times from Oct 29 to Nov 5, and Emerald Canyon is closed until about Nov 1-2. With only the Desert East and Iron Wolf certain in early November, Laughlin has more choice that week. See Laughlin golf overseed for every course.

Which base for which golfer

You can also do both: base in Laughlin, then spend two nights in Havasu on the way to Phoenix. Mesquite, in Nevada, is a third option; see Laughlin vs Mesquite golf and the Mesquite golf map.

Plan it on the map

Open the Laughlin and Lake Havasu golf map to see both ends of the river, every course and every stay on one board. The $30 plan builds a day-by-day golf trip from either base, or a whole winter stay with a weekly rotation.