Golf in Utah?

[Mike Mosely]

WHat's good on the public side?

Also, is Bountiful any good?

Is St. George worth a trip or a tourist trap?

[Kalen Braley]

Mike,

I live in the Salt Lake City area.  What time of year are you planning on coming and to which part of Utah?

There are some good tracks in Southern Utah, but I've only played one course in that area.  Here in the SLC area, I've played pretty much all of the publics and certainly all of the ones worth playing.

[Mike Mosely]

any time really...any place really...either five days in the south or five days in the north.   I would like to mix in spme hiking and camping in the national parks...

[Garland Bayley]

I hiked in the Needles part of Canyonlands NP, and then played The Hideout in nearby Monticello. I loved the hiking in the Needles and there are a couple of great holes at the Hideout.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=26395
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=26276

[Jason Connor]

Winged Pointe borders the SLC airport.  I'm sure it's not the best, but it's  a convenient course if you're flying in or out of SLC.

And it's dear to me since I played my best 9 holes ever there this summer on the back.

Fun track, easy to walk.  They claim to be the least expensive Arthur Hills course in the country.

[Dan Smoot]

WHat's good on the public side?

Also, is Bountiful any good?

Is St. George worth a trip or a tourist trap?

Bountiful Ridge is a nice course sitting on the mountain bench with a great view of the valley and the Salt Lake to the north.  As far as muni's go, I prefer Thanksgiving Point, Valley View in Layton, Hobble Creek in Springville.  Kalen Braley is a good resource of other courses in northern Utah.

In the St. George area,  I enjoy Coral Canyon, Entrada and Sunbrook.  Although I have not played it, a number of people I know enjoy Sky Mountain in Hurricane (near St. George).

If you are traveling through the canyonlands areas, Moab and The Hideout are very nice.

If you go to Zion National Park, taking a hiking trip up the Narrows down the Virgin River is enjoyable.  Steep, narrow canyon walls without a continuous trail requiring some hiking through the river.  My teenage children loved it because there are numerous pools along the way to jump and swim in.

[Matt_Ward]

Mike:

If you fly into Salt Lake City -- be sure to headsouth via I-15 and head to Lehi -- play Thanksgiving Point. In my mind, it's the best available public you can play.

Also worth a look is South Mountain in Draper. Great views but you need a cart to traverse the countryside.

The others have weighed in with points south -- St. George is a good ways from Salt Lake but you can include the parks at Bryce and Zion.

The Park City area is worth a peak but many of the layouts there are private and gated community types. If you can wiggle an invite try Glenwild and the Dye / Nicklaus layoutsat Promontory.

Try to realize that the UT market is an evolving one and still far from being maxed to its potential.

One last thing -- Moab is neat place to visit and hike. The Hideout is just south in Monticello and worthy of a play.

[Kalen Braley]

I'll second Matts recommedations, South Mountain and Thanksgiving Point are the best public tracks in the SLC area.  Bountiful, Valley View, and Mountain Dell are also decent, but not as good as the first two mentioned.

This time of year, you'll be hard pressed to play any of these as they are on the mountain benches and usually close for the winter, TP being the exception.  And I'm pretty sure all the courses in Park City are closed until late spring.

If you are in Moab, the hideout is worth the hour or so drive to play it, but I don't think its worth a special 4-5 hour trip from the SLC or St.George areas to go see it.  In general, you'll have  better luck this time of year down south, but green fees are more pricey.  SLC area has some great prices on thier publics and only Thanksgiving Point is over $50.

As for WingPointe at the airport, it is a fun track. I did a course review on it a few months ago. And at $27 you can't too wrong.  Not sure if its the cheapest Art Hills track out there, but its got to be close.

Kalen

[Mike Mosely]

Matt, please tell me more about thanksgiving pt.  Have you written about it?  Have you written about any other utah courses?  Will you send me links?

Thanks.

The rest of you too, this has been helpful.

[Kalen Braley]

Mike,

I did a course review of the place last winter and posted it here with pics.  These photos show the course in the winter months when the grass has gone dormant.  In the normal months its very green and lush, but it plays better in the winter when its more fast and firm, (and the rates are cheap as well).

Matt also made several comments in this thread as well.

Kalen

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=28224;start=0

[Mike Mosely]

What about entrada at snow canyon?  Any good?

[John Mayhugh]

I wasn't that impressed with Entrada.  A few good holes mixed in with a lot of mediocre ones.  On the second hole there are several interesting holes routed through a black lava field, but you better be driving the ball well or you'll ruin your round there.  I thought Coral Canyon was at least as good a design and definitely more fun to play.

When I played in St. George, we were staying in Mesquite Nevada.  It's not that long a drive and I think Wolf Creek would be worth playing strictly for the eye candy.

[Kalen Braley]

Mike,

I've only played 1 course in that area which was Sky Mountain in Hurricane, Utah.  It has some very nice holes with the 17th and 18th playing right next to the Virgin River with amazing views.

Biggest drawback was most of the holes on the back 9 play thru a housing track.  The 3 some I played with had played Coral Canyon the day before and others in the area, and they claimed SkyMountain is the best bang for your buck in the area.

[Michael Robin]

Has anybody played the new Nicklaus at Promontory? I think it was open this fall, and is the Weiskopf course next or is it Forrest's short course?

[Matt_Ward]

Mike Mosley:

You asked about Entrada at Snow Canyon in the immediate St. George area. I liked the course but I would not be making a special trip (say from outside 200 miles) to play it. The lava holes at the end of the round get plenty of ink but keep in mind they are truly "either or" type holes. Either you hit the ball properly there or you will head up with a lost ball / unplayable lie scenario.

The routing of the front nine I like better since the holes on that side are more natural and provide a bit more elasticity.

Thanksgiving Point in Lehi is the best public course I have played in the Beehive State. The Miller / Bates design has sufficient length (7,700 yds+ from the tips) but it's more than simple a course with length. There's enough turn in the drive zone areas which forces players to fit their drives into areas to secure the best angles.

There's little doubt that major earthmoving was done to shape the course you'll play. I have nothing against that but likely some of the more die-hard types here on GCA who prefer natural sites that allow for minimal earthmoving but that's more of the wish than the reality.

One of the other strengths of TP is that although many of the greens are indeed large -- there's enough differentiation in terms of overall contours and sectioning to mandate top quality approach shots when playing.

No doubt the winter time frame makes playing in the Park City area impossible. Well worth exploring when the better weather arrives - just realize that many of them are likely private and will need the proper intros to play.

   

[Ryan Farrow]

Sand Hollow in Hurricane UT, should be opening up within the year. It's in the St. George area I think. 27 holes with some pretty breathtaking cliff side holes. Its an 18 hole course along with a really neat 9 hole course from what I saw. These pictures are from their website:










Here is the website  http://www.sandhollowresort.com/index.php

[Matt_Ward]

Ryan:

Great pictures.

Are the holes you posted representative of what you find there or simply the result of a few holes that play within the canyon land pictured?

Thanks ...

p.s. The name of the designer is who ?

Be curious to know since the course is in Hurricane -- how far it is from Keith Foster's layout which is also in town.

[Mike Mosely]

Now what do people know about the new forrest fezler and friends" course being built in utah (is this one with john fought?).

[Bill Satterfield]

Ryan:

Great pictures.

Are the holes you posted representative of what you find there or simply the result of a few holes that play within the canyon land pictured?

Thanks ...

p.s. The name of the designer is who ?

Be curious to know since the course is in Hurricane -- how far it is from Keith Foster's layout which is also in town.

I believe those photos are of two holes only (15 and 18).  In fact, I saw an article a year and a half ago talking about that par 3 (15th).  The developers were trying to say it had all the drama, strategy, etc. of Cypress Point's 16th.  Honestly, I get a little tired of comparisons like that.  But anyway, the course designer is John Fought.  He's done quite a bit of his work in Oregon.

[Ryan Farrow]

Matt, Bill answered most of your questions, the course was in the final stages of construction when I started working for John so I have just seen the routing on the wall and a bunch of pictures. I believe there are at least 5-6 holes that play along the canyon edge. The rest are on some fairly gentle terrain and play around a large rock outcropping. It was also built on pure sand.

The 9 hole course has some pretty rugged looking bunkers and some wilder greens. It looks like it will be a very nice compliment to the 18 hole course. And I think Bill is right as far as the pictures go.  

[Tim Rooney]

M.Robin,played the awesome Dye,which provided a lengthy/playable course w/wonderful elevation variation.The Nicklaus was unfinished,however the recent pictorials,quite impressive.

[Andy Troeger]

Has anybody played the new Nicklaus at Promontory? I think it was open this fall, and is the Weiskopf course next or is it Forrest's short course?

Michael,
A little late responding, but I did play both existing courses at Promontory over the weekend. The short course is next on the schedule, with the Weiskopf down the road a little bit.

Both courses are good, with my personal preference being the Dye Canyon course. The Nicklaus is solid, but really dang hard. Its 8100 yards from the tips with a rating of 78.7/155. Lots of good holes, but its hard hole one after another. Only weakness is probably somewhat because of the lay of the land. The first five holes go down a canyon, then the next 8 go back up, and the last few somewhat back down to the clubhouse again. Those uphill holes are also into the prevailing wind, so its a loooong stretch of holes. I do recommend playing the course if in the area, but be prepared to bring your A game! It was probably a little too hard to be really enjoyable for me, but still a well thought out course with some good greens. I played it from 7300 yards, which even at elevation was a tough challenge.

The back nine at the Dye course is the gem of the facility IMO. It fits the name well (Dye Canyon) as it winds through a canyon going in a loop that allows the holes to gradually change direction moreso than the Nicklaus course. #12, 14, 15, 17, and 18 are all really solid holes. I'd make a case this should be a top 100 modern quality layout.

I can't compare these courses to the others in the area as those two and Willow Creek in Sandy are the extent of my experience of Utah golf. I look forward to seeing some of the other courses in the area on another trip, its a beautiful place.

[mike_beene]

I noticed the WingedPointe course last week.Had a lot closer look from the plane than any blimp shot.There were a lot of players out there for a midweek afternoon.Pretty good way to use airport land.Is the lake lower than it used to be?

[Jason McNamara]

The Park City area is worth a peak

Freudian pun?   


What about the old-school CC right in SLC?

[Kalen Braley]

I noticed the WingedPointe course last week.Had a lot closer look from the plane than any blimp shot.There were a lot of players out there for a midweek afternoon.Pretty good way to use airport land.Is the lake lower than it used to be?

Mike,

They had to drain two of the big ponds on the back 9 because too many geese were taking up residence there.  The ultimate fear being that they would intefer with the landings and takeoffs.

WingPointe is a fun course and the price is right at sub-$30.