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

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.