The Buck Club

[PCCraig]

If Zac is smart enough to let the King Collins guys do their thing, I'm sure it'll be a fun place to play golf.


Of course, building and running a (new) golf course costs a lot of money, Salt Lake City isn't exactly a hotbed for golf, and Twitter followers don't necessarily equal green fees. 

[Zac Blair]

Just to touch on some interesting points on this thread....



The things I would like to note... TBC will be extremely walkable, it will have as much variety as you'd ever want, and I think you will walk off a large amount of holes saying "wow that was an unbelievable golf hole"
this place is 40 minutes from an international airport that travel is super easy. and I'm trying to get the best individuals I can to make this place as awesome as I could imagine. If you create an awesome golf course and couple that with creating an awesome experience what would stop you from wanting to be involved?


For the haters...


Im extremely confident I can make a world class golf club and an amazing golf course even if some people on this site don't think its possible.


I believe if you make an extremely fun golf course that is based on golden age philosophies with more modern yardages you can create something very special.


What I want out of a membership is something someone on this thread pointed out... I want to have a great group of people who truly love golf! If you can get guys that understand that and you deliver an awesome golf course that is enjoyable I think they'll be in for a treat.


Enough with all you guys complaining about trying to compare this place to PV and NGLA... you never know till its done and like I said earlier I'm extremely confident I can deliver a world class course. I really believe it will be in the discussions of greatest modern tracks... and if I do that I think its fair to say eventually down the road it can be in the discussions with some of the courses I've mentioned.


It would be nice to get some people excited about this project instead of the mass majority of people on here always complaining and shooting people down.
You'd think if you were on this site you'd want to help make this project better instead of bringing it down and saying "this isn't going to work" or "its never going to be like that place" and all that noise.


Im very excited to be making this thing happen so Utah can have a place where groups of people that love golf and gca can come and have a blast.


Im excited for those who want to help to reach out and make this better... Im also extremely pleased with the routing and the holes that have been laid out. TBC is going to leave a lot of you very surprised, hopefully the haters can leave and think to themselves "wow that was a lot of fun and a lot better than I thought"


Its funny that so many of you are so negative towards this project... its almost as if you'd rather see it fail than see another world beater created... those are the exact people you won't see at TBC...


also here is look at the redan going in at TBC... hope the fans enjoy and hopefully I can can change the opinions of some of the haters..
https://twitter.com/TheBuckClub/status/921555041730703360




zb

[noonan]

Just to touch on some interesting points on this thread....



The things I would like to note... TBC will be extremely walkable, it will have as much variety as you'd ever want, and I think you will walk off a large amount of holes saying "wow that was an unbelievable golf hole"
this place is 40 minutes from an international airport that travel is super easy. and I'm trying to get the best individuals I can to make this place as awesome as I could imagine. If you create an awesome golf course and couple that with creating an awesome experience what would stop you from wanting to be involved?


For the haters...


Im extremely confident I can make a world class golf club and an amazing golf course even if some people on this site don't think its possible.


I believe if you make an extremely fun golf course that is based on golden age philosophies with more modern yardages you can create something very special.


What I want out of a membership is something someone on this thread pointed out... I want to have a great group of people who truly love golf! If you can get guys that understand that and you deliver an awesome golf course that is enjoyable I think they'll be in for a treat.


Enough with all you guys complaining about trying to compare this place to PV and NGLA... you never know till its done and like I said earlier I'm extremely confident I can deliver a world class course. I really believe it will be in the discussions of greatest modern tracks... and if I do that I think its fair to say eventually down the road it can be in the discussions with some of the courses I've mentioned.


It would be nice to get some people excited about this project instead of the mass majority of people on here always complaining and shooting people down.
You'd think if you were on this site you'd want to help make this project better instead of bringing it down and saying "this isn't going to work" or "its never going to be like that place" and all that noise.


Im very excited to be making this thing happen so Utah can have a place where groups of people that love golf and gca can come and have a blast.


Im excited for those who want to help to reach out and make this better... Im also extremely pleased with the routing and the holes that have been laid out. TBC is going to leave a lot of you very surprised, hopefully the haters can leave and think to themselves "wow that was a lot of fun and a lot better than I thought"


Its funny that so many of you are so negative towards this project... its almost as if you'd rather see it fail than see another world beater created... those are the exact people you won't see at TBC...


also here is look at the redan going in at TBC... hope the fans enjoy and hopefully I can can change the opinions of some of the haters..
https://twitter.com/TheBuckClub/status/921555041730703360




zb

Ignore the haters. If you have them you are doing something right.


I think it looks awesome.


SLC is a great place too. Plenty of other things to explore while in the area.

[Brian Finn]

I don't know how anyone that really loves golf and golf architecture could do anything but root for Zac and his project. I haven't followed extremely closely, but I love Zac's enthusiasm and passion and appreciate his desire to incorporate classic design principles into his course. When it's ready for play, I'm guessing virtually everyone on this site will want to visit, and I'll be as close to the front of the line as I can get. Zac is basically executing on what so many of us would love to do, but few will ever have the resources to do.  I'll be following the progress as closely as I can from now on.  I'd even buy a hat if they weren't all flat brims.     Let me know when TBC bucket hats are available!

[Mike Sweeney]

Zac,


TBC looks great. At what elevation does the course sit? I am asking from a perspective of it would be cool to catch your place in the Spring when Alta is still open


And don't worry, not every Irish guy on GCA is a mean grumpy old hack that wishes they could play at your level !!

[Zac Blair]

Zac,


TBC looks great. At what elevation does the course sit? I am asking from a perspective of it would be cool to catch your place in the Spring when Alta is still open


And don't worry, not every Irish guy on GCA is a mean grumpy old hack that wishes they could play at your level !!

TBC is around 5,000 ft elevation.
My plan is to build an awesome golf course, get an awesome group of guys that will make it a world class club.
And my hopes are that it will be a 12 month facility...
Amazing Golf in the spring, summer, and fall. Unbelievable fishing on the property and nearby basically all year. And World class skiing less than 45 minutes away in the winter.


Should be pretty amazing, get some nice cabins member can stay in year round and have access to all TBC has to offer!


thanks for the support

[John Kavanaugh]

Apologies from a "hater". Just be sure to build one of those millennial crying rooms where your players can post detailed descriptions of every bad break even world class members get on a bad day. I'm honestly excited to follow the progress of your club. It truly represents the future of golf.

[Marty Bonnar]

Zac,
First of all, welcome to the madhouse!
Serious question. Have you played much over here in Scotland/UK/Ireland?
Secondly, have you had any thoughts to emulating some of your predecessors and doing any kind of homage to the great golf holes over this side at your new venture?
Cheers,
F.

[Mike Sweeney]

Secondly, have you had any thoughts to emulating some of your predecessors and doing any kind of homage to the great golf holes over this side at your new venture?
Cheers,
F.

Fat,


Here is TBC Redan:

[Mike Sweeney]

It truly represents the future of golf.

You are such a bad boy. You belong to a club built on a Strip Mine, and you freaking love it.


The difference is Zac has his own dream for Utah, and he is doing it. Give him a break. And you are not as good of a player as you think you are I will give you 9 shots against Zac on opening day at TBC and take Zac !!

[Zac Blair]

Zac,
First of all, welcome to the madhouse!
Serious question. Have you played much over here in Scotland/UK/Ireland?
Secondly, have you had any thoughts to emulating some of your predecessors and doing any kind of homage to the great golf holes over this side at your new venture?
Cheers,
F.

I’ve played a little bit in Scotland... I’ve had my share of rounds at the Old course and some other great ones!


And TBC will absolutely emulate some of the best holes in the world. I’m a huge fan of C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor so you will see a lot of template holes with a modern twist in them.


Some templates or similar features TBC has in its routing...
Double Plateau
Short
Punchbowl
A softer version of the famous Sitwell green
Biarritz
Redan
Great hazard
Leven
Postage stamp
Raynors prized Dogleg
Eden
Road
Knoll
Lionsmouth




Should be awesome. Tons of golden age principles will be incorporated and it will have a very cool feel.


Zb

[Ben Stephens]

Hi Zac,

Welcome to GCA

Ignore the negative comments and vibes. Just do what you think is right for The Buck Club.

Can see that you already made inroads with King Collins which sounds exciting having seen their work at Sweetens Cove. I am both an architect and golf course designer so can see the more time spent on site the better quality the building/golf course will be.

Looking forward to see The Buck Club golf course design and construction evolve on GCA or twitter.

Wondering who is doing the clubhouse? hope you have picked a good architect to do the work. Rick Joy is a good one that understands the North American landscape very well and blends the building with the site context or surrounding landscape - www.rickjoy.com

I am sure there are other architects or style you would prefer. The combination of the clubhouse and the golf course is very important like you have seen at NGLA, Pine Valley etc etc

Cheers
Ben

Just to touch on some interesting points on this thread....



The things I would like to note... TBC will be extremely walkable, it will have as much variety as you'd ever want, and I think you will walk off a large amount of holes saying "wow that was an unbelievable golf hole"
this place is 40 minutes from an international airport that travel is super easy. and I'm trying to get the best individuals I can to make this place as awesome as I could imagine. If you create an awesome golf course and couple that with creating an awesome experience what would stop you from wanting to be involved?


For the haters...


Im extremely confident I can make a world class golf club and an amazing golf course even if some people on this site don't think its possible.


I believe if you make an extremely fun golf course that is based on golden age philosophies with more modern yardages you can create something very special.


What I want out of a membership is something someone on this thread pointed out... I want to have a great group of people who truly love golf! If you can get guys that understand that and you deliver an awesome golf course that is enjoyable I think they'll be in for a treat.


Enough with all you guys complaining about trying to compare this place to PV and NGLA... you never know till its done and like I said earlier I'm extremely confident I can deliver a world class course. I really believe it will be in the discussions of greatest modern tracks... and if I do that I think its fair to say eventually down the road it can be in the discussions with some of the courses I've mentioned.


It would be nice to get some people excited about this project instead of the mass majority of people on here always complaining and shooting people down.
You'd think if you were on this site you'd want to help make this project better instead of bringing it down and saying "this isn't going to work" or "its never going to be like that place" and all that noise.


Im very excited to be making this thing happen so Utah can have a place where groups of people that love golf and gca can come and have a blast.


Im excited for those who want to help to reach out and make this better... Im also extremely pleased with the routing and the holes that have been laid out. TBC is going to leave a lot of you very surprised, hopefully the haters can leave and think to themselves "wow that was a lot of fun and a lot better than I thought"


Its funny that so many of you are so negative towards this project... its almost as if you'd rather see it fail than see another world beater created... those are the exact people you won't see at TBC...


also here is look at the redan going in at TBC... hope the fans enjoy and hopefully I can can change the opinions of some of the haters..
https://twitter.com/TheBuckClub/status/921555041730703360




zb

[Kalen Braley]

So I took a drive out to Round Valley yesterday afternoon, given it was a beautiful fall day. Taking the quicker way via freeway isn't as fun or scenic, so I took the back way which adds 15 minutes to the drive, but is well worth it.  The colors were all brown as I missed peak time about 2-3 weeks ago


It starts by going up Emigration canyon, the path that Brigham Young and his wagon parties used to get to the Salt Lake valley.





The view from the top of the first lower pass.




[/size]Here is the view from the top of the highest pass, looking back towards Salt Lake Valley[size=78%]

[/size][size=78%]

[/size]After working down the other side of the pass, you come across East Canyon Reservoir, a nice spot for camping and boating/swimming only 1/2 hour from Salt Lake City[size=78%]

[/size][size=78%]

[/size][size=78%]

[/size]After driving around the reservoir, you're only 15 minutes to the course.  Here's a look at the damn on the northwest side.[size=78%]

[/size][size=78%]

[Zac Blair]

What were your thoughts?

[Kalen Braley]

The current course, Round Valley, is situated in a small valley tucked in between mountains on nearly all sides.


On the road in, you drive by most of the holes on the front 9 before reaching the clubhouse.











You'll see a few older structures left over from the pioneer days....





The clubhouse looks like it was build in the 70s and perhaps could be repurposed for the new club, but it would need a overhaul to say the least.


As a bonus, a sizeable fleet of carts await the masses! 





This is the view from the back deck of the clubhouse, which didn't look to be getting much use....





A couple more pics of some holes on the back 9.








The entire area only has one road in or out, but the main highway runs about 1/2 mile to the north of it.  Here's a panoramic of the property which is mostly obscured from the view as it sits on the other side of those large trees.





After stopping off for a bite at an excellent local spot, Taggarts Grill, it was back home to Salt Lake City.

[Kalen Braley]

Zac,


I've never evaluated a location prior to a new course being built so its hard to know what to look for.... but the spot was better than I recalled from the last time I drove thru several years ago.  While there are a few locals living right on the course, it seems fairly secluded from the town of Morgan, and even from the highway with the trees acting as a sound barrier.


Its certainly a nice big piece of property with plenty of room for everything, as even the current course is pretty well spread out across it.  It seems like most of the property was relatively flat, which would certainly act as a blank canvas for creating the template holes.


If the soil is typical for northern Utah, it'll be fairly rocky (small rocks), but you certainly don't have to go too far to find sand...


I was a bit surprised at how empty it was for such a nice autumn day, but I suspect given its relatively remote location, there aren't many locals making the drive over the from the main valleys.

P.S.  If KingCollins is the one to do this, given what they did with the flat site at Sweetens Cove, I wouldn't have any reason to think they couldn't do something special with this site as well.

[Kalen Braley]

Heres a better view of that panoramic I took....

[Zac Blair]

Zac,


I've never evaluated a location prior to a new course being built so its hard to know what to look for.... but the spot was better than I recalled from the last time I drove thru several years ago.  While there are a few locals living right on the course, it seems fairly secluded from the town of Morgan, and even from the highway with the trees acting as a sound barrier.


Its certainly a nice big piece of property with plenty of room for everything, as even the current course is pretty well spread out across it.  It seems like most of the property was relatively flat, which would certainly act as a blank canvas for creating the template holes.


If the soil is typical for northern Utah, it'll be fairly rocky (small rocks), but you certainly don't have to go too far to find sand...


I was a bit surprised at how empty it was for such a nice autumn day, but I suspect given its relatively remote location, there aren't many locals making the drive over the from the main valleys.

P.S.  If KingCollins is the one to do this, given what they did with the flat site at Sweetens Cove, I wouldn't have any reason to think they couldn't do something special with this site as well.




I definitely think we are going to surprise a lot of people. King Collins are going to kill it with TBC.
We have a great routing with as much variety as anyone could ever want, and like you pointed out the site is BIG. the scale out there is going to much different than most courses people play.


The location is something I worked really hard on the past several years. I wanted to find a place that felt like you were going somewhere different, yet at the same time be close enough you can get back home in a decent amount of time.


The fact that its 40 minutes from an international airport is a huge bonus as well.
there is great fishing on site, world class skiing 20 minutes away. I really feel it will be a 12 month facility for members and guests.


We need to find a handful more founding members to make sure we can do this thing right from the get go, but I'm definitely looking forward to the day this place is up and running.


Thanks for the pics hopefully we can spread awareness and get some more of the right people involved. Like crump did with PV in New Jersey... I hope to raise the standard of golf course architecture here Utah!


zb

[Mike Sweeney]

What I am seeing reminds me of Marine Memorial Golf Course at Camp Pendelton (CA). That is a good thing, as I have often thought "what could be" when I was there. There is a really nice Billy Bell routing, but it stops there. The Pacific is miles away, so it has a similar "desert mountain" look.


After spending a few too many moments on GCA, I have learned one thing from Mike Young (in person) and Tom Doak (via his postings here) - grass and playing surface count BIG. Screw the clubhouse, my favorite day at Friars Head was when they had a temp clubhouse and we ate lunch on the vista where the current clubhouse is located. They were really average picnic tables. Pine Valley's clubhouse is average at best, Yale's is goofy in a Yale way, and there is a pretty good list of great courses with average clubhouses.


GRASS and PLAYING SURFACE !!

[Mark Kiely]

I agree about Marine Memorial, but both the redan photo Zac posted and Kalen's photos remind me even more of Rustic Canyon (plus trees, obviously). That's a nice start. Good luck Zac!

[Kalen Braley]

I'll admit, I was pretty skeptical when I heard about this location, much less that it was in Utah.  I've played most of the offerings in Park City, Glenwild being the biggest omission, and I haven't really seen anything compelling from a destination perspective


But after seeing this first hand, this current location is better than initially thought with some advantages:


- Relative short distance to major population areas and airport, (which in all honesty I have to put closer to 45-50 minutes on that drive, but this is a minor quibble!)   
- The location is far more secluded than I originally thought, while still being less than 5 minutes off the main highway.
- It does indeed have a nice river flowing thru the north edge of the property that seemingly could easily be incorporated into a few holes.  Even this time of year when at its lowest levels, it was still pretty nice.
- Climate change has had a significant effect on Utah for golfing.  20 years ago, this location would have been a 6-7 month golfing season, but could easily go 8-9 months now.
- Seeing what KingsCollins did in Tennessee gives me reason to believe there is tremendous upside for this location as its a blank canvas that's all ready to go.


I will remain an interested observer in following the progress on this project.


P.S.  Even the existing clubhouse could be renovated and updated, if understated and low key is the goal.  (It even had lockers and showers, not that I would use them in their current state) 

[Zac Blair]

I'll admit, I was pretty skeptical when I heard about this location, much less that it was in Utah.  I've played most of the offerings in Park City, Glenwild being the biggest omission, and I haven't really seen anything compelling from a destination perspective


But after seeing this first hand, this current location is better than initially thought with some advantages:


- Relative short distance to major population areas and airport, (which in all honesty I have to put closer to 45-50 minutes on that drive, but this is a minor quibble!)   
- The location is far more secluded than I originally thought, while still being less than 5 minutes off the main highway.


- It does indeed have a nice river flowing thru the north edge of the property that seemingly could easily be incorporated into a few holes.  Even this time of year when at its lowest levels, it was still pretty nice.
- Climate change has had a significant effect on Utah for golfing.  20 years ago, this location would have been a 6-7 month golfing season, but could easily go 8-9 months now.
- Seeing what KingsCollins did in Tennessee gives me reason to believe there is tremendous upside for this location as its a blank canvas that's all ready to go.


I will remain an interested observer in following the progress on this project.


P.S.  Even the existing clubhouse could be renovated and updated, if understated and low key is the goal.  (It even had lockers and showers, not that I would use them in their current state) 

Very glad you were pleasantly surprised. I really think you will be even more impressed with the finished product.

[Ryan Hillenbrand]

Zac,

I think the silent majority on this site are very excited for your project and your enthusiasm.

[Josh Tarble]

I didn't mean my earlier comment to be negative at all, I was trying to answer your initial question.  I'm truly excited for what you can do.  You're doing what all of us dream of...building our ideal course.


If you think you have truly something special, the proof will be in the pudding.  It will be easier to get members and word of mouth will start working once people start to see what you have in the ground. 


You've got the hype train going right now, which is awesome, but people will start plunking down their cash when they see it will become something truly special.

[JC Urbina]

I am with Ryan H on this one!


The silent majority are hoping you realize your dream.


Next August when I visit the Salt Lake area If time allows I wouldn't mind stopping in to take a look.


Good Luck.