The only resort golf course on the Las Vegas Strip returned to Wynn Las Vegas on Friday, October 11, with the grand reopening of the Wynn Golf Club. The original 18-hole championship course established in 2005 has been reimagined by legendary golf course architect Tom Fazio to give players a new golf experience from the first drive to the last putt.
“Tom Fazio has outdone himself designing a beautiful and unique new course that is even better than the one before,” said Marilyn Spiegel, president of Wynn Las Vegas and Encore. “We look forward to welcoming players back with a world-class golf experience that captures both the luxury of our resort and the excitement of Las Vegas.”
Fazio, this time joined by his son Logan, took special care to create a course suitable for players of all skill levels. New golfers will find it approachable and fun, while more experienced players will be tested by the movement of the land, locating the proper angles, and getting close to the pins on the large flowing greens.
“We are so excited about the return of the Wynn Golf Club,” said Tom Fazio. “The quality of the Wynn golf experience matches the ultra-high level that everyone expects from a Wynn resort. The playability of the course is second to none and the challenge of play for all golfers is exceptional. We are so pleased with the end result that I believe the players of the Wynn Golf Club will place this course in the category of their favorite places to play, and will agree that the Wynn Golf Club is a fabulous environment to enjoy the game.”
The course sits on 129 acres of the resort’s private backyard, with eight all-new holes and 10 revamped holes. Lush landscapes unique to desert golf include several water features and streams, 100,000 shrubs, and 7,000 mature trees, many of which date back to the 1950s when the land was home to the historic Desert Inn Golf Club.
Par is 70 with three par 3s and two par 5s on each nine, and a total yardage that stretches from 4,810 to 6,722 with a choice of four tees. A new 6,500-square-foot practice putting green sits adjacent to the first tee, along with a netted full swing warm-up area.
Significant changes begin on the first hole, which has been rerouted from its original design to dogleg right instead of left. Highlights include a 486-yard par 4 (no. 16) and a par 5 (no. 11) that tops out at nearly 600 yards. The signature 18th hole has been transformed from a par 4 to a par 3, which can be stretched to 249 yards, culminating on a green framed by a 35-foot-tall by 100-foot-wide waterfall for a truly spectacular finish.
More than 400,000 cubic yards of earth and 300 trees were relocated to accommodate wider landing areas, contours, and elevation changes to fairways throughout, as well as bunker alterations that make for easier access and egress. Each hole received an approximate 300-square-foot green expansion as well as a redesign and recontour to create new hole locations, while green surrounds were made more receptive with the addition of collection areas shaped to feed balls toward putting surfaces.
Completing the experience is a professional caddie program staffed with several PGA members, new on-course culinary program, lithium-powered golf carts, expansive pro shop, and luxury clubhouse. Green fees are $550 in season. Golfers with a room reservation at Wynn Las Vegas or Encore can secure tee times 90 days in advance. Non-resort guests can reserve tee times 30 days in advance.
Wynn Las Vegas www.wynnlasvegas.com
Fazio Golf Design http://www.faziodesign.com/
Pictured top Wynn Las Vegas #18 (photo Brian Oar)