GolfPlus - Nov 19 Digital Edition (Nov 19) | Page 59

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brand-new golf course”.
His process included moving 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.
“This course offers distinct lush
landscapes unique to desert golf including
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
when such greats as Ben Hogan and Sam
Snead were regulars,” said Brian Hawthorne,
Wynn’s Executive Director of Golf Operations.
“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.”
And the potential for gambling certainly
continues for those heading out to the course
when they cash in their casino chips for a
chance to leave Las Vegas with a bag of dough
based on their golf skills. With a 35-foot-high,
100-foot-wide waterfall behind the green as
your backdrop, make a hole-in-one on the par-
3 18th at the Wynn, and you’ll walk off with a
cash prize of $10,000 to $20,000, depending
on the tee you play.
The $550-a-round luxury experience
($300-$375 in the summer offseason) includes
lithium battery-powered golf carts, top caddies
(many of them PGA of America members), the
convenience of playing in the heart of the Strip
and even Rolls-Royce cars that can deliver its
high-rolling, off-property guests.
While the green fees are substantial,
many visitors to the casinos will lose a lot
more than that in a far shorter period of time
at the roulette, blackjack, and poker tables. So
comparatively-speaking, when considering
higher-end entertainment options in Las
Vegas, it is a relatively fair trade-off, especially
for such a unique golf experience. One that
designer Fazio explained as “a one-of-a kind,
never-to-be-duplicated environment, playing
right on The Strip”.
GolfPlus
NOVEMBER
2019
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