Wynn Las Vegas Golf Course Reopens This Week, Tract Designed With High Roller in Mind

Posted on: October 7, 2019, 01:03h. 

Last updated on: October 7, 2019, 01:38h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More

Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

The Wynn Las Vegas golf course reopens this week after a nearly two-year closure, with the Tom Fazio-designed tract tailored to the highest of spenders in Sin City.

In December of 2017, then-CEO Steve Wynn closed his iconic Wynn Golf Club – which he co-designed with Fazio in 2005 – saying at the time that the course had run its usefulness.

New CEO Matt Maddox scrapped plans to transform the Wynn golf course into a 38-acre lagoon featuring a massive pool surrounded by sandy beaches. Instead, Maddox and the new Wynn Resorts leadership opted to redesign the golf course, and brought back Fazio for the job.

High Rollers Welcome

The Wynn Las Vegas golf course opens for play on October 11. While the company recently restored free valet and self-parking for all guests – regardless of whether they’re even staying at one of the resorts – the cost to play a round a golf won’t come cheap.

According to Wynn President Marilyn Spiegel, the greens fee will be $550 a person.

The next-closest good golf course is 45 minutes away,” Spiegel told the Los Angeles Times. That’s not necessarily true, as nearby public tracks include Las Vegas National and Bali Hai Golf Club.

“We know there’s a strong relationship between golf and gambling, and a lot of gambling goes on between players on the golf course,” she added.

CEO Maddox explained to investors last year on the decision to bring back golf, “Not only did we notice we lost 16,000 rounds of golf out there, 70 percent of which were cash, but we lost probably $10 million to $15 million worth of domestic casino business.”

He continued, “We weren’t really interested in building a large public swimming pool for the Las Vegas Strip. Now we can put our golf course back in as an amenity.”

Guests staying at Wynn Las Vegas or Encore can book tee times as far as 90 days in advance. Non-hotel guests can book tee times within a 30-day window.

Costly Round

At $550 per round, the Wynn Golf Club will be one of the costliest greens fee in the US. Pebble Beach has long been considered the costliest round of golf, the current rate running $550 for non-resort guests, plus a mandatory $45 per person cart fee or $95 caddie fee.

Guests staying at an MGM Strip property can access Shadow Creek, but at a hefty price. The going rate is also $550, which includes a private limousine to the club and personal caddie.