This fall’s reincarnation of The Wynn Golf Club is set to bring high-end golf back to the Las Vegas Strip.
The new 6,722-yard, par-70 routing by original architect Tom Fazio with an assist from his son, Logan, will reopen Oct. 11. That’s shorter than the original 7,042-yard course that closed in December of 2017, but much of the character that made the Wynn such a unique property returns – the 35-foot-high, 100-foot-wide waterfall behind the 18th green; the lush conditions; top caddies (many of them PGA of America members); the premier service; and of course, the fat green fee: $550 in peak season and $300-$375 in the summer offseason. The new routing makes room for a new convention center, a part of the $1.5-billion development that was scaled back last fall.
Wynn’s Executive Director of Golf Operations Brian Hawthorne, who was originally hired in 2005 six months after the course opened, says that eight holes are completely new, while the other 10 holes follow similar corridors. Every green has been reshaped and covered with a new strain of Dominator Bentgrass.
“The Fazio team has done a great job in keeping the same dynamic as before,” Hawthorne said of the new routing. “The single-digit handicap will face a great test, and the foursome of casino customers who have never held a club can still enjoy themselves.”
The new routing
Each nine sports two par 5s and three par 3s. Water comes into play on 12 holes. It's not overly bunkered (only 37, an average of two a hole). The changes, though, are noticeable from the start. The first hole goes in the opposite direction of the original and doglegs right instead of left. Four of the first five holes are new.
Perhaps the biggest decision came at the end of the round. Fazio transformed a really tough finishing par 4 into a gut-busting par 3 of 249 from the tips and around 200 yards from the 6,272-yard tees most golfers will play. “It will be a real crescendo,” Hawthorne said. “It’s typical Vegas. All will be on the line at the end in one swing.”
The rebirth brings golf back to a site that has been green with fairways for more than six decades. The old Desert Inn Golf Club opened in 1952. The mostly flat, featureless course hosted more than 35 professional tournaments before it was blown up in 2001 to make way for Steve Wynn's twin hotel towers, Wynn and Encore, and the course. When asked if he missed the old routing or loved the new one, Hawthorne said he’s seen “the best of both worlds.”
“The feel and overall tradition of the layout is still consistent in the reworked holes,” he added. “They (the Fazio team) took a lot of time. They didn’t want it to be ‘these are the old holes’ and ‘these are the new holes.’ They wanted it to feel like one continuous layout.”
The greens fee
There is a segment of golfers who will always criticize the Wynn for charging one of the highest green fees in public golf outside of Pebble Beach Golf Links (which recently raised its greens fees to $550) and Shadow Creek which charges $600, plus a required stay at an MGM hotel. The Wynn greens fee includes a forecaddie, cart and the convenience of playing right on the Strip. Golfers with confirmed hotel reservations can make tee times starting July 13. All others can reserve tee times 30 days in advance, or as of September 14. Hawthorne defends the price because of what the Wynn delivers. Legendary chef Thomas Keller will add another luxurious amenity to the whole experience, opening a new restaurant in the fall of 2020 to replace The Country Club near the golf shop.
“I don’t like to look at it as just a golf course,” he said. “I like to look at it as an experience. The moment you walk in, you are catered to at a high level that is consistent with what we employ at our entire property. Everything is five star. Those experiences come at a cost.”
Do you plan to play the new Wynn Las Vegas? Let us know in the comments below.
Anyone know of any decently priced golf courses near the strip?
Been to Vegas 4 times and never played once.
I'm visiting in November and would love to get a game in!
WE answered your question here: https://www.golfadvisor.com/articles/ask-golf-advisor-is-there-affordable-golf-near-the-las-vegas-strip
Great News, was so disappointed when they closed the course with no warning
Very pleased that they tossed out that foolish idea of replacing the course with a boardwalk and waterpark Lagoon
Loved the Country Club Restaurant, why replace it, it was the best venue on property with some very solid food
Great to see this course coming back - totally agree with those who say it's not $500 worth - except that it is. You get the whole luxurious round / country club experience with the convenience of being right on the strip. Yes - I love traveling to Mesquite / Summerlin / and love Cascata but having this experience back in LV will be a blessing to many.
Remember - a good (not fantastic) steak dinner and decent (not great) bottle of wine will set you back close to $500 in this town so let's keep things in perspective.
Just one word...."GREAT"
Don't know when I'll get to Vegas but it is certainly a possibility sounds like a wonderful experience
yes I plan to play the course, I think it will be lot's of
fun.
I've just got to get my foursome to come along.
It's a golf experience like no other. The ability to wake up, walk through this incredibly beautiful hotel and have your clubs waiting for you with a caddy to guide you to the first hole. The caddies are some of the best in the country and the cart seats feel like your sitting in a Bentley. Escape from the desert and enter a landscape that feels like tobacco road in NC. At the turn enjoy a chipotle chicken panini, end the round at the waterfall hole and have your shoes cleaned by some of the nicest and attentive clubhouse staff around. You get what you pay for... if you can't afford it, go to the other courses. Is this the best course? Probably not. Is this the best experience? Yes. Cascata is more fun and just as luxurious and the caddies are just as good but you can't walk to the course and it's $395. At Wynn you're paying for convenience and pampering.
I'm all in for "experiences", but you've got to be kidding me at $550. This is not the only Strip course - see Bali Hai at the south end for less than half the price (and service, forecaddies, and golf are excellent). There are too many good courses in Vegas that are an Uber drive away that you can play three times for the same price to pay that much. It's a pretty course for sure - I've stayed at the Wynn many times and looked out over the fairways - but $550? I'd play if the price included a night stay and three square meals at the Wynn/Encore. Otherwise, Steve Wynn will need to find someone else to pay for that bottle of top shelf champagne on his private jet while I fly basic economy. I agree that experiences like TPC Sawgrass are better and cost way less.
Agree Beautiful course but not at that price.Has to offer more then 18 holes at 550.00
45 minutes to the east is Mesquite and Wolf Creek golf course. You can play it twice for under $200 and I guarantee you will be very impressed with not only the golf course but the natural beauty of the area.
It is like playing on Mars.