Golf Today

While most people consider the Park City, Utah area “the” place to go in the winter for snow skiing, few realize the spectacular opportunities to play golf in spring, summer and fall.

In nearby Heber City, Utah, there is what could quite possibly be the most challenging golf layout, surrounded by some of the most picturesque area you will ever see. Red Ledges, a private community that is just beginning to blossom into a master planned community with homes, cottages and championship golf.

The golf course at Red Ledges (www.redledges.com) has eighteen; Jack Nicklaus designed championship holes that will create memories that will stay with you for a lifetime.

This is evident on hole number one where the tee box is high upon the Utah red rock and the rest of the 427 yard par-4 hole stretches deep into the valley floor below. Even though you can only see a small portion of the fairway from the tee box, the landing area is quite generous and is entirely downhill for your first shot. Coupled with the 10 to 12% additional flight of the golf ball in the Utah altitude and the extreme downhill of your drive, it can make 300-yard drives commonplace on the first hole. Once you make your way down the 400-foot vertical drop, to your ball in the fairway, you will be left with a fairly simple shot to a generous green. Sound easy? It’s not. The key to playing Red Ledges is mastering the speed and contour of the Red Ledges greens.

As inviting as hole number one is with its beautiful vistas and sailing drives, hole number two takes it all back. This par-4 is a whopping 486 yards, straight up hill to a split fairway. It will take you two, very long shots to make the green in regulation but once you are there, you are visually rewarded with another fabulous mountain range vista just beyond the green.

That same Utah mountain range is your backdrop for the next few holes including the seemingly docile 180 yard par-3 fourth hole. This hole is all downhill but protected by water in front. The problem occurs when you try to avoid the water and over shoot the green. You then are faced with a tricky downhill shot, onto a very quick green that runs straight toward the water.

Just about every hole on Red Ledges is memorable and some of the memories are even good ones. Nicklaus has the “give and take” approach to golf design. If one hole seems difficult, the next one will likely be much more forgiving. This is apparent on hole number seven, a fairly flat and benign par-5 that doesn’t play all that long. It is still a three shot hole at 614 yards, but with the altitude advantaged ball flight and wide fairways, it doesn’t play nearly that long.

Hole number 8 is one of the “take-back” holes where you are so awed by the amazing spectacle of the red rock landscape behind the green, the 457 yard uphill par-4 is can reek havoc on your scorecard if you are not careful. A wayward drive can rattle along the red rock or you may find yourself taking four shots just to get up the hill and reach the green. Once on the green, the undulations and high speed of the short grass will make you long for the number-nine tee box.

As you get to number nine you will look down over red rock to a 203 par-3 hole that is nestled in the shadow of the towering Red Ledges rock formation that the community is named for. Infuriately, two twelve foot Juniper trees guard the green and even keep you from seeing the pin placement. Your goal is to hit to the left side and let the ball work its way down to the hole. When you get up to the hole, only then will you find out how well you did on your first shot.

When you get to the back nine, you will find another nine holes to test your mettle and offer up some breathtaking views.

While number 10 is a “relatively” simple par-4 reaching only 434 yards. The landing area of your tee shot is pretty wide and it is a pretty fun hole to play. Number 12 on the other hand is about a diabolical as they come.

From the back tees number 12 is only 416 yards and you can move up as close as 315 yards. Your goal is to hit your tee shot over a canyon to a steep uphill fairway, lined with a few well-placed bunkers. However, your second shot is the tough one in that you may be anywhere from 130 yards to 180 yards depending on your drive but facing a straight up hill shot. Since the hill is so steep, your second shot plays 190 to 230 yards. The green slopes from back to front is such a way that a shot hit on the front portion of the green will likely roll back to your feet before you walk away. However, a shot hit too long will leave you with an “almost” impossible third shot. I had to write “almost” because you could hit the stick and have it bounce down in the hole but aside from that little miracle your third shot will probably be about 60 yards down the fairway.

When you finally do get your ball to stop on the putting surface you are still not out of the woods. We witnessed two balls that were putted just slightly too powerful from above the hole. Both of them rolled off the green and down the fairway. To prove my point of this difficulty, one of those putts was from the blade of the Red Ledges teaching pro who currently holds the course record. This fate could happen to anyone, so be careful when you are playing number 12 on Red Ledges.

As difficult as number 12 sounds, it creates an amazing feeling when you par it or bogey the hole, because it feels like the satisfaction of an eagle.

Number 15 is a simple little 263 yard par-3. It is somewhat downhill and a bit hard to stop a ball on the green but again, a par feels like a grand accomplishment.

The course at Red Ledges is rated at 77.2/153 slope to give you an idea about its challenges. There are however four tee boxes for men and two for ladies to choose from and the front men’s tees are rated at 123 slope, so you do have options for your level of golf. Regardless of the tee box or the score on your card, the setting is unparalleled in grandeur.

The Red Ledges community has not only the championship Jack Nicklaus Signature course in place but they also have planned a nine-hole Nicklaus short course, Cliff Drysdale Tennis Academy, a Jim McLean Golf School surrounding a vibrant village center.

Already in place is the equestrian center run by Kirsten Ferron and Brenda Metzger of KB Horses (www.kbhorses.com) With the extravagant views to take in while on the trails, KB Horses can bring you a year round experience unlike any other. There are overnight excursions on horseback, chuck wagon cookout rides, wagon rides as well as sleigh rides through the snow in the middle of winter. The sleigh ride chariots are pulled by none other than two magnificent Clydesdale Horses that will wind you around the Red Ledges property with scenic views of the Heber Valley. After your sleigh ride, you can sit and enjoy authentic Texas BBQ and listen to Western songs and cowboy poetry. All of these services along with boarding and training are offered at KB Horses.

The Heber Valley has many options for vacations and retirement living. Not only are the Park City Mountain resorts only a few minutes away for skiers but the Provo River rolls through Heber City providing excellent fly fishing opportunities.

For a place to stay in the Heber Valley, check out Homestead (www.homesteadresort.com). This unique country resort has just about everything you are looking for in a family vacation get-away.

In the late 1800’s the Homestead land was considered unfarmable so the owners at the time weren’t sure what to do with it. One day while working in the field, the owner at the time, Simon Schneitter, discovered mineral water flowing from a large rock. It was the warm mineral water and his wife’s down home cooking that drew exhausted miners from nearby Park City. The resort has now grown in size and services including the Aveda Concept Spa where you can get a fantastic massage and a full 18 hole golf course located right on the same property.

That little trickle of warm mineral water that Schneitter found way back when, turned out to be a huge attraction. The water was coming from a huge crater that turns out to be a 40 foot diameter covered hole in the ground that has a clear hot springs feeding it daily. Now the Homestead folks offer a full array of SCUBA certification in 92° to 95° water everyday along with other warm water activities. IN the middle of winter you can literally ski the mountaintop in the morning and be getting SCUBA certified in warm clear water in the afternoon, all at the same location, Homestead Resort.

Also at the resort is Fannys’ Grill. There is a large deck that extends into a pond and you can enjoy breakfast outside as you watch the golfers tee off. If you go, you have to try the cinnamon roll. It could be the largest cinnamon roll in America, so bring someone to help you eat it.

Terry VanderHeiden can be reached for comments, questions or suggestions via e-mail: terryvh@gmail.com.