Shadow Creek Golf Course

Shadow Creek is the product of casino magnate Steve Wynn's determination to conjure a lush golf sanctuary out of flat, featureless desert north of Las Vegas. Wynn handed architect Tom Fazio a near-limitless budget, and the pair transformed roughly 350 acres of barren land into a manufactured oasis, moving millions of cubic yards of earth to build hills, creeks and lakes and planting more than 20,000 mature trees to wall off each hole in its own private corridor. The course opened in 1990 as Wynn's ultra-exclusive private retreat, and its extravagant cost became golf-world legend. MGM took ownership when it acquired Wynn's Mirage Resorts in 2000, later opening limited tee times to high-end hotel guests. Long ranked among America's finest, Shadow Creek has since hosted professional events, its transformation of the desert remaining one of the most audacious construction feats in golf.