There’s an interesting story in a magazine called Fairways and Greens about Tom Fazio’s new Las Vegas design called “Wynn Golf Club,” after the ego-maniac who developed the course and funded the earlier creation of Shadow Creek.
The result is a course on a tight piece of property (130 acres), that is big on flash, including a huge waterfall on the 18th, and comes with a big green fee (US$500).
The writer of the piece makes a slightly ridiculous comment part way through the story. Referring to the features Fazio created, the writer says this: “While some call such design statements �contrived� (as they also do with the grand gestures of another Fazio collaborator, Donald Trump), the special touches, both big and small, fit perfectly into a manmade golfing landscape that both tickles your senses and challenges your game.”
I’m not sure what a ridiculous looking waterfall has to do with good golf, but apparently this writer thinks it fits.
The most bothersome part of the story is Fazio’s reaction to questions about the $500 green fee. With golf participation numbers declining, justifying a $500 fee, especially for a course that is light years from being comparable to Pebble Beach, is hard to imagine.
But Fazio, who has never missed the opportunity to use hyperbole, says the course may be under-valued.
�I can see it being worth more,� he says.
Ok, Tom, whatever.
If you’ve got $500 that’s burning a hole in your pocket, you might want to read the full story here.
About Robert Thompson
A bestselling author and award-winning columnist, Robert Thompson has been writing about business and sports, and particularly golf, for almost two decades. His reporting and commentary on golf has appeared in Golf Magazine, the Globe and Mail, T&L Golf and many other media outlets. Currently a columnist with Sympatico.ca and Ontario Golf, and a contributing writer to ScoreGolf, his blog, Going for the Green, was launched in 2004. 
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Interesting that you mentioned this course. I was just going through my brain and thinking about doing a farewell post about the Desert Inn golf course (which is where the new wynn one now resides).
The DI was a wonderful course.
clearly you havent experience the wynn course for yourself. set on prime real estate just off the strip, it combines the views of las vegas with an unforgetable golf experience. It truly is a challange for the golfer and a tribute to the genius of Tom Fazio.
I recently ponied up the 5 bills it takes to play Wynn Golf Club and it was worth every penny. From the moment you step into the clubhouse, you are treated like royalty. I played The Desert Inn course and was amazed that this was on the same plot of land. The elevation changes are breathtaking. It is easy to lose $500 in 4 hours sitting at the tables in the casino…why not make the sure bet and go play this great Fazio design?
Very interesting.
Sometimes up can be down, damn flying squirels!
To the moon!