The 2002 Olympic Winter Games provided the ultimate showcase
for Park City, as spectators from around the globe saw
firsthand what a spectacular winter playground exists
along the Wasatch Front.
What remains a virtual secret is the burgeoning golf scene
here in town. Some of the world's finest course
designers are now using Summit County as their canvas.
Skiing may have put this town on the map, but in the
years to come, knowledgeable golfers everywhere will
celebrate Park City for the spectacular golf courses.
"Park City has always been considered a biking and hiking
town in summer. That's destined to change pretty
dramatically in the future. World-class golf is coming
to the area. The ski mountains, highways and
infrastructure are in place and really won't change.
What will continue to change and improve is the golf
experience." So begins golf course architect Perry Dye,
whose work at Promontory Ranch Club is scheduled to
debut over the 4th of July. Dye is the 50-year-old son
of golf course architectural icon Pete Dye, and works as
design consultant with his legendary father on all
projects west of the Mississippi River.
Pete Dye has single-handedly produced 10 of the top 50
courses on Golfweek Magazine's "America's Best" list of
modern courses. He leads a veritable "who's who" roster
of golf course designers that are applying their
expertise to the Utah landscape for the first time.
Renowned architects like Tom Fazio and Rees Jones are
joining players-turned-designers such as Jack Nicklaus
and Mark O'Meara. They are in the process of turning
Park City and its environs into what's likely to become
the most desirable golfing address in the Intermountain
West. Here's an overview of what's newly arrived, soon
to debut, and on the horizon for the Park City golf
scene.
Promontory - The Ranch Club
This 6,500-acre parcel is just a few miles east of town,
perhaps a five-minute drive from the high school to the
western entrance. Two hundred and seventy homesites have
been plotted thus far out of a planned 1,600. Seventy
lots have already been sold, and the first homes will be
under construction in the fall of 2002. In addition to
the Pete Dye Canyon Golf Course, Promontory Club members
will enjoy a second course designed by Jack Nicklaus. Up
to three additional courses have been laid out on the
property and will be built as needed to address
Promontory Club's growing membership.
"To me, the Promontory project is more of a foothill site,
and not a true mountain site," exclaims Perry Dye who
has worked on the Promontory course with his father
Pete. His description of a golf course that sits at
about 7,000 feet above sea level might strike some as
curious, but as a 25-year resident of the Denver area,
perhaps he's used to the more dramatic topography found
in Colorado. This isn't to imply that the course will be
as level as Park Meadows, the decades-old Jack Nicklaus
design in town that hosts the Senior Tour's Novell Utah
Showdown every August. "It's a relatively flat site,
considering the location," explains Dye. "But there are
some pronounced elevation changes to be sure."
Promontory's front nine is scheduled to open up first, in
early July, while the back nine will be ready for play
by Labor Day. The course has a dual personality. The
outward nine holes have a southern exposure, and are
routed through sunlit meadows and valleys. These opening
nine holes have expansive views of up to 30 miles in
length, including views of the ski slopes in town. The
back nine is located over a ridge in the property, and
nestled within several contained canyons. The feeling is
more sheltered and less wide-open than the outward nine
but made equally dramatic by rugged volcanic rock
outcroppings.
"The planned housing on the back side of the course will
overlook the canyons, and won't really be part of the
golf experience at all. The housing on the front nine
will be more apparent, but it's also that area that
offers the spectacular distance views," explains Dye. A
number of lakes have been dug to provide irrigation
capabilities and aesthetic value. The most notable
features are the natural rock outcroppings interspersed
throughout the 200-acre golf parcel. The par 3 holes
will be especially memorable. The 4th plays downhill
towards the town of Park City, while the 8th is more of
a level shot, with imposing Promontory Rock as a
backdrop behind the green.
Promontory's architects are planting thousands of saplings
on the perimeter of the playing area, a project that
will be ongoing for several years after the course is
completed. By the time the tree planting is complete,
Jack Nicklaus will have broken ground on the second
course planned at the upscale development.
"This course is going to make a statement out in Utah," says
Pete Dye, whose work at Promontory is his first effort
in the state. "Someone once said that a great golf
course has either the Pacific Ocean on one side, the
Atlantic Ocean on the other, or a true mountain
location. In lieu of that, it helps to have Arnold
Palmer or Ben Hogan win the first tournament contested
there. That won't happen here, but the arid climate is
great for golf, and the tremendously long vistas that
are part of the landscape will make this course stand
out." For more information on Promontory, call
888-458-6600.
Victory Ranch
"The Deer Valley of golf" is how development spokesman
George Glauser describes Victory Ranch. Further afield
than Promontory, this 6,800-acre property is located
about eight miles off of Highway 40, just east of
Jordanelle Reservoir, perhaps a 20-minute drive from
Park City's Main Street.
The focal point of the acreage is undoubtedly the winding
Provo River, five and a half miles of which run through
the property. This marvelous natural asset will make
Victory Ranch a fly fishing paradise in addition to a
first-rate golfing address. "The natural setting is
beautiful. This is a great opportunity for me," begins
renowned golf course architect Rees Jones, who hopes the
first of three planned courses will be completed in the
fall of 2004. The proposed real estate will include
villas, elegantly rustic homes and ranchette lots. The
38,000-square-foot clubhouse overlooking the Provo River
will be designed with heavy timber and stone.
If everything goes as planned, the three courses will ascend
the property. The least elevated course will be nearest
the river. The second will be further up the property
and located on a plateau, and the final course will be
higher still, in an alpine setting tucked among the
aspens and evergreens. Regardless of the golf and
planned real estate, Victory Ranch will retain its
rustic charm. Sixty-five percent of the property will
remain undeveloped.
The first course to be developed will be the proposed river
course. "This is going to be a pure golf course, golf
for golf's sake," continues Rees Jones. "It's a
wonderful piece of ground, a natural piece of property,
and we'll be building this first course in a low
profile, classic style, the way courses were built in
the pre-Depression era." For all of Jones' success as an
architect of original courses, his reputation as the
"U.S. Open Doctor" is how many would identify him. He's
been selected to revamp half a dozen Open sites in his
career, making sure they could withstand the skill of
the modern professional. He's reworked classic courses
like Pinehurst #2, Congressional, Hazeltine, and this
summer's first-time venue, Bethpage Black outside of New
York City. It's easy to understand his affinity for
classical course architecture, and his plans for a
traditional layout at Victory Ranch.
The 250-acre parcel, in proximity to the Provo River, will
offer numerous scenic overlooks and occasional
opportunities to lose balls in the winding lateral
hazard. "This is going to be a strategic test of golf
with many shot options, not a penal design," states
Jones. "Fairways will be generous, but a drive that
lands in the proper portion of the fairway will provide
the easiest angle towards the green." The course is
being planned as a core golf experience, which means no
housing, roadways or infrastructure of any kind will
breach the perimeter of the routing. The holes will run
in an uninterrupted fashion, providing even more of a
throwback feel.
In a strange coincidence, Jones is planning
a downhill par 3 overlooking Deer Valley Resort at the
4th hole, similar to Dye's plan at Promontory to
overlook the town of Park City. There will also be
several other holes on the front nine that overlook ski
slopes as well. There will be plenty of flexibility
inherent in the layout, as it will stretch from
approximately 5,300 yards to 7,300 yards in length,
depending on the tee box. "This course will be built for
the average golfer to enjoy," concludes Jones. "But it
can accommodate the strongest players as well." For more
information on Victory Ranch, call 435-640-0182.
PARK CITY, UTAH'S GOLF COMMUNITIES ABOVE PAR
Glenwild
While Victory Ranch is still in the planning stages and
Promontory in the gestation period, the 900-acre
Glenwild project exists in the here and now. Over a
quarter of the 195 lots have been sold at this
spectacular- development located in a wildflower-filled
valley just northeast of Kimball Junction. There are
about 15 homes under construction, and a magnificent
37,000-square-foot clubhouse that opened in January.
Among the amenities is an 8-1/2-mile mountain
bike/pedestrian trail that provides superb views of the
Snyderville Basin, ski slopes and Glenwild's chief
attraction, a stellar Tom Fazio golf course.
"This course fits seamlessly into the mountain
environment, and blends beautifully into the landscape,"
claims Dave Johnson, director of sales. With Fazio's
name adorning 20 percent of Golfweek Magazine's current
list of America's Best 100 modern courses, Johnson's
assessment of Fazio's work isn't far from the mark. The
golf course at Glenwild is a secluded, private
experience, as each fairway is an entity unto itself. In
addition to the fields of wildflowers, 9,000 trees were
planted on the property to enhance the feeling of
rusticity.
This is yet another area golf course with gentle
elevation changes, which makes walking a viable option.
There are five sets of tees for players of varying
abilities. It's more than 7,500 yards from the back
tees, with a daunting course and slope rating of 75.7
and 136 respectively. The far forward tees are more than
2,000 yards closer, but still a challenge in their own
right with a course and slope rating of 70.2 and 134
respectively. A waterfall and stream have been
incorporated for aesthetic value, but players would be
wise to pay strict attention to the task at hand, and be
wary of the shot-making challenges present on every
hole. Stamina is a key component on this course, as two
of the most spectacular holes conclude the round. The
penultimate hole is a massive par 3 that plays 245 yards
from the tips downhill over a lake. The last is a par 4
just a shade under 500 yards, with water down the left
side.
Sound challenging? Hopefully you'll receive wise counsel
from your caddie as to strategy and club selection, as
Glenwild also offers the only caddie program in the
area. For more information on Glenwild, call
877-924-9453 or 435-615-9453.
Tuhaye
Mark O'Meara may be a newcomer to golf course design,
but the 1998 Masters and British Open champion has one
major advantage that the others do not. He actually
calls Park City home for several months a year, both
winter and summer, and for that reason has a greater and
more intuitive feel for the area's landscape and
terrain.
"We've had a home at Deer Valley for about four years
now," explains the 16-time PGA Tour winner. "We've been
coming to the area for longer than that though, starting
eight or nine years ago."
O'Meara's project is located just east of Jordanelle
Reservoir, east of Park City, perhaps 15 minutes from
Main Street. Nestled in the hills of Wasatch County,
this project incorporates the fabulous views and vistas
of the Jordanelle Reservoir and Timpanogos Mountains.
Tuhaye (meaning "the good land") is a 1,500-acre parcel
with plans to develop 200 single family cottages and 450
homesites, each incorporating the harmony created by the
beautiful setting and natural surroundings of Tuhaye.
The golf course is situated above the Jordanelle
Reservoir, and overlooks Heber Valley and Deer Valley.
The golf course is slated to open in time for the 2003
golf season.
"This is my third project as an architect," explains the
45-year-old O'Meara. "The first is called Grandview,
north of Toronto, Canada, and the second is called the
Carton House, and it just opened near Dublin, Ireland."
There are other projects pending in both California and
Florida, but clearly O'Meara is excited about the Tuhaye
course design. "I spend most of my practice time over at
Park Meadows when I'm in town. Obviously I'll be over at
Tuhaye, once it's ready."
O'Meara has super-sized this high desert design. The
golf course is designed to enhance the project's high
elevations and dramatic landscape. The designer
describes an organic golf environment with lots of
natural wildlife. "There is lots of scrub oak that
flanks generally broad fairways with wide landing
areas," he says. Bluegrass fescue defines the rough from
the fairways, and beyond that is desert fauna and
scrubby waste area for shots that are further offline.
The course will cater to a variety of golfing levels,
with tee boxes ranging in numbers from 4 to 5. Skilled
golfers can expect the back tee markers to be at 8,000
yards, or something close to it. The designer refers to
his ball-bashing Tour colleagues when explaining a track
that borders on comically long. "The ball travels so far
at altitude that to make the course competitive for top
players you really need to stretch it to that type of
length. There's at least a 10 percent difference in how
far the ball carries in the Park City area."
Tuhaye has some notable, but not overly dramatic,
elevation changes. "The 3rd hole is a par 5 that heads
down into the valley, but it's not a severe drop; it's
not straight downhill." Given the nature of the
development, O'Meara opted to create four different
holes guarded by ponds.
"My name isn't well known as a designer just yet,"
concludes the future Hall-of-Famer. "I'm taking my time,
and not looking to sign up onto every project that comes
along. We're taking it slowly, and trying to make sure
we work with quality developers. This Tuhaye project is
special to me, though. I consider myself lucky to be
getting the opportunity to create something in a place
that I really love."
In addition to O'Meara's signature golf course, the
world-renowned Robert A.M. Stern, Yale University's dean
of architecture, has been retained to design the
22,000-square-foot golf clubhouse; 12,000-square-foot
Tuhaye recreation center and Tuhaye's single family
cottages.
For more information on Tuhaye, call Steve Chin or Dena
Fleming at Prudential Utah, 435-647-8035.
