The Ridges vs. The Summit Club: Which Summerlin Luxury Community Fits Your Lifestyle?

The Ridges vs. The Summit Club: What's the Difference?

The Ridges and The Summit Club are two of the most recognized luxury communities in Summerlin, Las Vegas. Both offer controlled access, exceptional custom homes and proximity to Red Rock Canyon, but they serve different priorities.

The Ridges is an established luxury estate community with architectural variety, multiple enclaves and resident amenities. The Summit Club is a highly exclusive private club community built around championship golf, hospitality and personalized services.

My take is simple: if your priorities are ultra-luxury living, tight security, fine dining and the ultimate golf experience, you belong in The Summit Club, no doubt. If you want more choice, more flexibility and an established neighborhood, The Ridges is usually the better fit.

The Ridges vs. The Summit Club at a Glance

Lifestyle: Established Luxury vs. Private Club Living

Living in The Ridges

The Ridges is known for custom estates, distinctive architecture and an established setting near Red Rock Canyon. Its enclaves each have their own homesites, architecture and price points.

Residents have Club Ridges for fitness, swimming and tennis, and Summerlin's restaurants, shopping, private schools and parks are minutes away.

The Ridges' greatest strength is flexibility: guard-gated luxury without making a private golf club the center of your life. For an established primary residence with real architectural choice, that independence is an advantage.

Living in The Summit Club

The Summit Club is a private club community where custom estates come with championship golf, dining, wellness, recreation and personalized services. Its Tom Fazio-designed course is central to its identity.

For buyers accustomed to exclusive clubs, luxury resorts and multiple residences, it delivers privacy and convenience in one place. The Summit Club isn't a neighborhood with amenities. The private club experience is the community.

Golf: The Summit Club vs. Amara

The Summit Club: An Established Private Golf Experience

The Summit Club's private 18-hole Tom Fazio course is woven into a club life of dining, wellness and programming. For dedicated golfers, it's the most complete private golf lifestyle in Las Vegas today.

The Ridges: The Transformation of Bear's Best Into Amara

The former Bear's Best golf course in The Ridges is being redeveloped as Amara, a private, members-only golf and social club with dining, wellness and recreation. It brings private golf inside an already established luxury community.

Amara is a separate club: buying a home in The Ridges doesn't include membership. As of late October 2026, an opening date had not been publicly confirmed.

My perspective: The Summit Club offers an established private golf experience today. Amara is a strong lifestyle upside for The Ridges, but I advise clients to buy a home for what it is now, not for Amara's future impact on values.

Architecture and Homes: Which Community Offers More Variety?

Luxury Estates in The Ridges

The Ridges offers the broader collection: contemporary architectural estates, Mediterranean-inspired homes, transitional residences and custom builds. Some emphasize mountain scenery, others golf frontage, city views and large outdoor entertaining spaces. Values vary considerably between enclaves and homesites.

Luxury Residences in The Summit Club

The Summit Club offers a limited collection of custom estates, club residences and homesites, mostly contemporary, with expansive indoor-outdoor living set into the desert landscape. Limited inventory is part of the appeal, and it means fewer homes to choose from at any time.

Privacy and Security: How Do the Communities Compare?

Both communities have controlled access and real separation from surrounding neighborhoods. The Ridges adds gated enclaves inside the community. The Summit Club builds privacy and residential services into its club environment.

Within either community, a home's elevation, landscaping, neighbors, outdoor spaces and distance from club facilities decide how private it actually feels. For buyers who prioritize discretion, the homesite matters as much as the front gate.

The Ridges vs. The Summit Club: Prices and Property Value

The Summit Club sits in a higher pricing tier than most of The Ridges, reflecting its private club identity, limited inventory and positioning. The Ridges offers a broader range of homes and price points.

What drives value in both:

• Homesite size, elevation and orientation
• Architectural quality and construction
• Strip, mountain and golf course views
• Privacy and surrounding development
• Condition and renovation needs
• Association dues and club costs
• Recent comparable sales and current inventory

My approach is to evaluate the individual property first, then how the community supports the buyer's lifestyle and long-term goals.

Which Is Better for a Primary Residence or Second Home?

Choose The Ridges If You Want:

• An established luxury neighborhood
• A broader selection of architectural styles and homes
• Resident amenities without a required golf membership
• Easy access to Summerlin shopping, dining and private schools
• The option to join Amara separately

Choose The Summit Club If You Want:

• The most exclusive private club environment in Las Vegas
• An established championship golf experience
• Dining, wellness and programming built into the community
• Personalized residential services
• A limited collection of exceptional properties

For a second or third residence, The Summit Club's full-service, lock-and-leave design is hard to beat. For a primary residence with architectural variety and independence, The Ridges usually fits better.

Which Fits a High-Net-Worth Buyer Better?

Both communities attract high-net-worth buyers, and the same factors shape the decision:

• Tax: Nevada has no state income tax and no state estate or inheritance tax. For a buyer leaving California's top bracket, the annual savings can cover a significant share of a luxury home's carrying costs.
• Privacy of ownership: Many owners hold title through a trust or LLC so their name stays out of public property records. Nevada is also known for strong asset-protection trust laws.
• Private aviation: Private terminals at Harry Reid International and North Las Vegas Airport put Los Angeles about an hour away, with the Bay Area and Seattle a short flight away.
• Off-market access: In both communities, many of the finest homes trade privately and never reach the MLS. Access comes through relationships.
• Second-home management: The Summit Club's services make multi-residence ownership simple. In The Ridges, guard-gated security plus professional property management does the same.

Ownership structure and tax planning belong with your attorney and CPA.

Related Reading

• The Ridges: What Buyers Should Know
• The Ridges Enclaves Guide
• Buying at The Summit Club: Membership and Ownership
• Where to Buy a $3 Million Home in Las Vegas

Frequently Asked Questions About The Ridges and The Summit Club

Is The Summit Club more expensive than The Ridges?

Generally, yes. The Summit Club sits at a higher price point, though exceptional custom estates in The Ridges also command substantial prices.

Are The Ridges and The Summit Club both in Summerlin?

Yes. Both are in Summerlin on the western edge of the Las Vegas Valley, near Red Rock Canyon.

Does The Ridges have a private golf course?

The former Bear's Best course is being redeveloped as Amara, a private membership club. Membership is separate from homeownership.

Does The Summit Club have a private golf course?

Yes. The Summit Club has a private 18-hole championship course designed by Tom Fazio.

Is Summit Club membership part of buying a home?

Membership isn't required to own a home, but it's deeded with the property. Homes with a membership are grandfathered in and worth more, because joining otherwise depends on availability. Membership runs about $400,000 as of November 2026.

Which community has more homes to choose from?

The Ridges, with greater architectural variety and a larger established inventory.

Which is better for a second or third home?

The Summit Club, for most buyers. Its full-service club and lock-and-leave design are built for owners splitting time between several residences.

Which is better for full-time living?

The Ridges, for most families: an established neighborhood, flexibility and Summerlin's schools and amenities close by.

Explore The Ridges and The Summit Club With Gianni Sammarco

Choosing between The Ridges and The Summit Club is about how you want to live. Most buyers know within one tour which community fits. I'd be glad to show you both in the same day.

Schedule a confidential tour with Gianni Sammarco.

About Gianni Sammarco

Gianni Sammarco is a Las Vegas luxury real estate advisor with Huntington & Ellis and a member of the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing's CLHMS Guild. In real estate since 2005, he specializes in guard-gated communities including MacDonald Highlands, Ascaya, The Summit Club and The Ridges. He represented the buyer in a $13.4 million sale in MacDonald Highlands, the top home sale in the Las Vegas Valley in October 2025, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Gianni works with luxury buyers and sellers relocating from California and the Pacific Northwest.