Brian Orr
What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas. Words often get out. But here’s a tip you won’t hear in the sportsbooks: Over the next couple of days, Las Vegas will host the 8AM Golf Invitational, a 36-hole celebrity collegiate golf tournament starring the likes of Justin Timberlake, Michael Phelps, Caroline Wozniacki and Travis Kelsey.
The stadium will be divided into two teams of 12, who will play 24 matches in a scramble of two players. We can’t predict exactly What It will happen, but we can tell you exactly where it will happen. The venue is Wynn Golf Club, on the Strip.
You probably know a lot about celebrity contestants, so here are six things you should know about the course.
1. Location, location and location
While there are other courses in Vegas near the Strip, this one is on the Strip, right behind Wynn Las Vegas. You can stroll from the lobby to the first tee.
2. Designed by Fazio. twice
Tom Fazio took the honors the first time around, with a ribbon-cutting in 2005. In late 2019, Fazio returned, this time with his son, Logan, to fix up the course, renovate 10 holes and build a new eight.
3. Tee times command a premium
While it’s not as expensive as Shadow Creek, another Fazio-designed Shangri-La in Vegas, the Wynn isn’t cheap. Greens fee is $750. But that includes the case, and keeps you out of the vents.
4. It has a rich history
Not as much as going back to the old stadium. But by Vegas standards, it runs deep. Long before ownership switched to Wynn, it was home to the Desert Inn, a resort and casino of the same name. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and other members of the Rat Pack were regulars at the ground, which has also hosted PGA, Champions, and LPGA events.
5. Cans are sticks
All rings here are good at carrying clubs. A lot of them can really swing with them, too. If you nail it here, don’t be surprised if the assistant in your bag is a former college golfer or former mini-tour nailer.
6. It’s a watery wonderland
At one point, plans were underway to turn the Wynn Trail into a water park. But that idea went awry about six years ago, after Steve Wynn stepped down as CEO of the company. The course still has plenty of water, though: gurgling streams, crystalline lakes, and most impressively, a giant waterfall behind the par-3 18th green. Make an ace, and you’ll have plenty of money to buy drinks. The course awards a $10,000 prize to anyone who makes a hole-in-one at the end.