Victory Ranch - Park City, UT - Pics

[Bill Satterfield]

I played Victory Ranch outside of Park City this past Saturday prior to witnessing my BYU Cougars getting slaughtered at home versus TCU.  I was really impressed with the course especially since I'm not a huge Rees Jones guy.  Holes 5 and 6 were really good and then the entire back nine was a real treat.  The recent openings of Victory Ranch and Sand Hollow in Utah combine for a pair of the best back nines around.  Rather than posting a ton of pictures on this post, you can just click on this link to my website and pull up my pics.  In the bottom right hand corner of the viewer it gives you an option to take the pics to full-screen size if you so desire.  Here is the link:  http://www.golfcoursegurus.com/photos/utah/victoryranch/

Hole #5 plays across a ravine from the back two tee boxes (straight down the fairway from the shorter boxes) and down along a ridge with fall offs to both side and great surrounding scenary. 

Hole #6 is a classic do-or-die hole that I like playing.  There is some room right to miss to, otherwise it is a big forced carry over a ravine to the green below.

Hole #16 is a tight par five that winds uphill and finishes at a green set in near some natural rock formations.  I hung my driver out to the right and found my ball in 15 fairway.  I guessed on my yardage and proceeded to hit my 4 iron through the green and only managed par at the well undulated green site.

Hole #17 is a nice downhill par three with at least 12 different tee boxes.  A U-shaped bunker protects the front of this green and fantastic views are found in the distance, including a view of the Jordanelle Reservoir.

Hole #18 (520 yards) looks like a beast on the card but if you can bust your drive well enough you can catch a downhill slope that will really shorten up the yardage.  From the tips I went driver-8 iron and flew the green (never found my ball) so you can see it doesn't play as long as the yardage indicates.

Anyway, I'm curious to get people's thoughts that have played the course and/or hear comments based on the photos.

[Andy Troeger]

Are the fairways as narrow as they look? Can you find a ball in the off-color stuff?

[Morgan Clawson]

Very dramatic!

Some of the holes look fairly penal with long carries and long fescue fairly close to the fairway.

[Anthony_Nysse]

The current superintendent was the Assistant at  Long Cove when I first got there. It's my understanding that there is A LOT of big game wildlife around the course as well. Pics look good!

Tony Nysse
Pine Tree GC
Boynton Beach, FL

[Bill Satterfield]

The current superintendent was the Assistant at  Long Cove when I first got there. It's my understanding that there is A LOT of big game wildlife around the course as well. Pics look good!

Tony Nysse
Pine Tree GC
Boynton Beach, FL

There is a lot of big game (elk in particular) in the area.  Every single green and many of the fairways had electric fences surrounding them.  I don't know if they leave them up all year and turn on the electricity at night or if that was something they did in preparation of winter but it is clear that it is a challenge they deal with up there.

[Kalen Braley]

Bill,

Based on the comments we heard from the Director of golf when playing Promontory, which isn't too far away...its the off-season when the greens are most at risk.  He said something to the effect that they install 10 foot fences around every green because the Elk will tear them to shreds if not.

[Bill Satterfield]

Are the fairways as narrow as they look? Can you find a ball in the off-color stuff?

The fairways don't feel very narrow - I think it is my new camera and the extra wide angle it produces.  My driver can get pretty wild at times and I don't ever remember thinking that the fairways were too narrow to hit to.  Most of the fairways were built up on the sides to help keep balls in play which helps on a course of this type of terrain.  

In regards to the fescue, I hit one tee shot into the thick fescue and never found it.  There were patches that would have been receptive but my ball must have found one of the thick spots.  Some of the fesuce was cut down and it was easy to find balls there, but the full fescue is pretty penalizing.

[Bill Satterfield]

Bill,

Based on the comments we heard from the Director of golf when playing Promontory, which isn't too far away...its the off-season when the greens are most at risk.  He said something to the effect that they install 10 foot fences around every green because the Elk will tear them to shreds if not.

OK, so it is a winter thing.  We wondered that while playing.  It was amazing though that they had some fairways fully lined as well.  Whoever had the job of installing all of the fences was busy for quite a while! 

[Matt_Ward]

The issue with the elk is a real one. What many people don't realize is that Victory Ranch is outside the close proximity to Park City -- it's a solid 30 minute ride from Promontory.

In regards to fairway width -- holes on the front nine can be a bit tight -- the plunging par-5 5th is a good example. Miss too far to either side and it's a donation to the VR ball account. Once you reach the par-4 7th things aren't as narrow and you get more area for recovery play should one miss.

Unfortunately, VR contains too much of the formulaic Rees Jones patterns I have seen from past plays. This is especially so on the front nine with the overkill tee pads that are cookie-cuttered to the nth degree and stacked like dominos one following the other.

Fortunately --

There are a few holes of note on the front side -- like Bill S I liked the par-3 6th and especiall the uphill par-4 9th. The 7th and 8th -- both long par-4 -- are vintage Rees Jones stuff that many here might be put off with -- just big bunkers that spread out along with putting surfaces that are equally big and often times lacking any character / real definition.

The inner half of the golf course is what elevates VR in my mind. The topography is even better than the front -- you also have very few, if any, really boring or predictable type holes. As Bill mention -- the last three holes at VR bring you home in superb fashion. Too bad for me the late summer fires in California obscured the views when playng the par-3 17th and the home hole.

VR is indeed a step beyond what Rees has done but from the ones I have played it's still a clear runner-up to the likes of a Olde Kinderhook in the greater Albany, NY area.

[Jed Rammell]

Matt and I have already disagreed about this course.  Other than a couple of quibbles, I thought it was a fantastic golf course. Tee boxes mean nothing to me. I thought it had a nice routing and flow, with a stunning climax on the 17th tee. I felt like a player could make a ton of birdies, but challenging some of the danger brought bogeys into play. I was very surprised at how well I liked it. Really nice par 5s and par 3s, with some cool strategic par 4s. One concern a player partner had was that the golf course was too easy, but that is a nice departure from some of the recent stuff in Utah. It will be interesting to see how the development does, as Matt says it is off the beaten path, with no 4 lane highway access.

[Matt_Ward]

Jed:

Can appreciate your take -- but if you had the opportunity to play Olde Kinderhook and size it up against VR I believe you would better understand my take on the situation.

The first few holes are anywhere USA design from Rees. In regards to the course being e-z it depends upon what tees were played and if the wind was down and not blowing.

VR has some clear issues regarding location and getting people to leave the immediate Park City area for the sheer isolation there.

[Jed Rammell]

There are a few holes of note on the front side -- like Bill S I liked the par-3 6th and especiall the uphill par-4 9th. The 7th and 8th -- both long par-4 -- are vintage Rees Jones stuff that many here might be put off with -- just big bunkers that spread out along with putting surfaces that are equally big and often times lacking any character / real definition.

I pretty much disagree with everything above. 6 is a nice par 3, but 9 is one of the missteps in my mind. The well designed green is built to accept shots from the right side of the fairway, but all the bunkers on the hole line the left side of the fairway. If the bunkers were reversed, the player could play close to them to have the ideal angle . . . as it is, everyone blasts it way right with no concern regarding the bunkers.

I really liked 7 and 8. Driver brings the bunkers into play, but you are rewarded with a shorter iron in. One player in the group hit hybrid off the tee on #8, and then 5 wood into a really cool collection area right of the green, and made his par that way. As I said in the past, if a player mind numbingly hits driver on every hole with little regard, then they will make some bogeys . . . but these holes give you the option to hit something else off the tee.  

[Jed Rammell]

Jed:

Can appreciate your take -- but if you had the opportunity to play Olde Kinderhook and size it up against VR I believe you would better understand my take on the situation.

The first few holes are anywhere USA design from Rees. In regards to the course being e-z it depends upon what tees were played and if the wind was down and not blowing.

VR has some clear issues regarding location and getting people to leave the immediate Park City area for the sheer isolation there.

I'll have to take your word on Olde Kinderhook; I will lose every time in a resume contest. We played back tees with a light breeze, maybe you played when it was howling.

[Matt_Ward]

Jed:

With no wind and elevated tees on a few of the holes VR can be ripe for the taking.

Even in 25 mph wind -- I played #1, as just one example, and hit diver to the 60-yd plates.

The issue Jed is what Rees creates from a presentation perspective -- I don't know how many other Rees layouts you have played but frankly plenty of the ones I have played presentes the same look and often times the same strategic elements. I didn't say VR was not worthy of playing and I belive the inner half of holes is what saves the day there in a big time way.

[Kalen Braley]

Jed:

Can appreciate your take -- but if you had the opportunity to play Olde Kinderhook and size it up against VR I believe you would better understand my take on the situation.

The first few holes are anywhere USA design from Rees. In regards to the course being e-z it depends upon what tees were played and if the wind was down and not blowing.

VR has some clear issues regarding location and getting people to leave the immediate Park City area for the sheer isolation there.

Matt,

When you live in the wide open spaces of the west, a drive of 20-25 miles is not that long!!   

While I agree that its not in the Park City vicinity, I wouldn't exactly call it remote...its only an hr drive to the Salt Lake Airport and 1/2 hr to Park City.

[Matt_Ward]

Kalen:

beg to differ partner ... i spoke to a few real estate people and they see VR as REMOTE. Promontory benefits from being where it's located -- ditto Glenwild. VR needs to have the inner area courses like Red Ledges do well -- then folks may consider lviing that further away. As the crow flies it's not far away -- but for speed and easy of convenience to all other amenities it is in my book.

[Kalen Braley]

Kalen:

beg to differ partner ... i spoke to a few real estate people and they see VR as REMOTE. Promontory benefits from being where it's located -- ditto Glenwild. VR needs to have the inner area courses like Red Ledges do well -- then folks may consider lviing that further away. As the crow flies it's not far away -- but for speed and easy of convenience to all other amenities it is in my book.

Matt,

For real estate folks who don't have a piece of the action at VR, thats exactly what I would expect them to say as well.     I've been out that way many times as its only an hour from where I live in Sandy, and the driving distances aren't that bad. 

[Matt_Ward]

Kalen:

We can go round and round in circles -- the people who said what they said I understand fully.

Here's what your missing ...

There's plenty enough top tier places closer to Park City -- VR is isolated -- no, it's not Sand Hills isolated but relatively speaking there's little in terms of amenities nearby to the place. It's minimum 30 minutes to get there and with other equal or greater courses closer to the action I just think it will have an impact. Clearly, that seems to be the case now.