Wynn Golf Club - first green
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Wynn Golf Club - first green
A look back from the first green might be the best view on the Wynn Golf Club. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass
Wynn Golf Club - aerial view
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Wynn Golf Club - aerial view
An aerial view of the new Wynn Golf Club from the Wynn Tower Suites. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass
Wynn Golf Club - entrance
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Wynn Golf Club - entrance
The entrance to the Wynn Golf Club leads to the pro shop for check in and a host of amenities. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass
Wynn Golf Club - hole 2
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Wynn Golf Club - hole 2
The second hole introduces the first of six par 3s on the new Wynn Golf Club. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass
Wynn Golf Club - hole 3
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Wynn Golf Club - hole 3
Construction near the third hole, a 515-yard par 5, required Tom Fazio to redesign several new holes at the Wynn Golf Club. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass
Wynn Golf Club - hole 4
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Wynn Golf Club - hole 4
Aim just right of the Stratosphere on the par-4 fourth hole at the Wynn Golf Club. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass
Wynn Golf Club - hole 5
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Wynn Golf Club - hole 5
The tiny 147-yard fifth hole was the last hole to be discovered during the rerouting of the Wynn Golf Club. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass
Wynn Golf Club - hole 6
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Wynn Golf Club - hole 6
A golfer putts on the sixth green at the Wynn Golf Club. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass
Wynn Golf Club - hole 7
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Wynn Golf Club - hole 7
Players who saw the old Wynn Golf Club will recognize the seventh hole, a tricky par 3 fronted by a pond that tends to play a club longer than the yardage. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass
Wynn Golf Club - hole 8
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Wynn Golf Club - hole 8
Bunkers are the biggest defense near the raised green at the par-5 8th hole on the Wynn Golf Club. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass
Wynn Golf Club - hole 12
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Wynn Golf Club - hole 12
The 209-yard 12th continues the watery theme on the par 3s at the new Wynn Golf Club. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass
Wynn Golf Club - hole 15
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Wynn Golf Club - hole 15
At 360 yards, the 15th is the shortest par 4 at the Wynn Golf Club. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass
Wynn Golf Club - hole 18
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Wynn Golf Club - hole 18
The new par-3 finishing hole - 249 yards from the tips and 200 yards from this gold tee - is a stunner with the waterfall in back. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass
Wynn Golf Club - hole 18 waterfall
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Wynn Golf Club - hole 18 waterfall
The waterfall is back behind no. 18 at the Wynn Golf Club, but as a par-3 hole, not a par 4. Courtesy of Brian Oar
14 Images

The Wynn Golf Club returns to the Las Vegas Strip in style

The redesigned Tom Fazio course charges $550 per round.

LAS VEGAS — The Wynn Golf Club is back and better than ever.

And I don't write that because I was among the lucky golfers to tee off at the grand reopening Oct. 11.

The Tom Fazio course that closed in 2017 has been tweaked and refreshed into an improved version Executive Director of Golf Operations Brian Hawthorne fondly calls "Wynn 2.0". Not that there were any glaring flaws in the old 7,042-yard routing, but this new version feels like it has more charisma.

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The Wynn Golf Club reopens

I played the old routing twice, and honestly can't remember the opening hole. I'll never forget the new opener, a gentle dogleg right. The views of the Wynn Tower from the tee and green are simply stunning. It is the first of eight new holes artfully squeezed into the 129-acre property where golf has been played since the Desert Inn Golf Club debuted in 1952.

The new 6,722-yard Wynn is roughly 300 yards shorter than the original that opened in 2005, yet still carries the same par 70 on the scorecard. It has one more par 3 (six total) and one more par 5. That switch adds to the fun and the risk-reward elements that really stand out in this gambler's paradise.

Every green surround has been reshaped, and every green expanded on average more than 300 square feet for more pin placements. These green complexes often feature sideboards that funnel shots onto the putting surface or closer to the hole. Fewer bunkers (37, although they're deep and dangerous) allow for more of a ground game.

There are still so many heroic shots. You'll need the steely resolve of a poker player to execute the proper play on 12 holes where water lurks. None are more epic than the new finisher: A 249-yard par 3 at no. 18 that I didn't particularly like as a monster par 4. It's an upgrade - a do-or-die swing over a pond and front bunker indicative of going all-in at the casino. Do you have the guts and skill to risk it all for glory? The 35-foot-tall, 100-foot-wide waterfall behind the green flows once again, a sign of the extravagance of the whole experience.

Don't get bent about the $550 greens fee. It includes Callaway rental clubs, warm-up balls at nine netted hitting bays, a plush cart and forecaddie. Just remember, too, that everything on the Strip costs more. You could easily spend that at the tables for an hour or at a fancy dinner. You also can't beat the service and conditioning. The Wynn Golf Club is the ultimate golf playground in the ultimate fantasyland.

Jason Scott Deegan has reviewed and photographed more than 1,100 courses and written about golf destinations in 25 countries for some of the industry's biggest publications. His work has been honored by the Golf Writer's Association of America and the Michigan Press Association. Follow him on Instagram at @jasondeegangolfpass and Twitter at @WorldGolfer.
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The Wynn Golf Club returns to the Las Vegas Strip in style