Cloud 9

Cloud 9 at Angel Park Golf Club in Las Vegas was designed by Bob Cupp and John Fought and opened in 1993 as a 12-hole par-36 layout measuring 1,290 yards. Cupp and Fought designed the unique night-lit short course to showcase replicas of famous holes from around the world, making it one of Las Vegas's most distinctive golf attractions within the Arnold Palmer-designed Angel Park complex.

Cloud 9 at Angel Park Golf Club in Las Vegas opened in 1993 as a twelve-hole public par-3 course designed by the team of Bob Cupp and John Fought — two of the game's more creative designers of that era. Cupp had built his career as a lead designer for Jack Nicklaus's design firm before striking out independently, while Fought brought a competitive playing background and a precise understanding of strategic shotmaking to their collaborative work. The twelve-hole layout at Cloud 9 was built around a concept that distinguishes it from virtually every other short course in America: each hole was designed to echo a famous hole from one of the world's great golf courses. The collection includes replicas inspired by holes such as the Island Green (TPC Sawgrass's 17th), the Valley of Sin (St. Andrews' 18th), the Postage Stamp (Royal Troon's 8th), and a version of the celebrated Riviera hole complete with a bunker positioned in the center of the green.

The result is a curated tour of golf architecture's greatest par-3 concepts compressed into a single playable experience. The course plays a maximum of 1,290 yards to a par of 36 across its twelve holes — an intimate scale that belies the thoughtfulness Cupp and Fought brought to the design. Nine of the twelve holes are illuminated for evening play, making Cloud 9 one of the few short courses in the country specifically designed for night golf. In a city that operates around the clock, the ability to play a round of golf at midnight — under lights, on a course inspired by the world's greatest holes — aligned the Cloud 9 experience with the entertainment character of Las Vegas in a way that few golf facilities elsewhere could replicate. The course has been recognized by Golf publications as one of the top American par-3 courses, a testament to Cupp and Fought's success in creating maximum strategic interest within the compact dimensions of the twelve-hole layout.

Angel Park, which also includes two full eighteen-hole Arnold Palmer-designed courses on the property, has used Cloud 9 as both a learning environment for beginning golfers and an entertaining destination for experienced players who appreciate the course's architectural references and after-dark availability.