Mid-Year Golf Course Wrap-Up

Unfortunately I have to start this week's blog with some very sad news. A local park city skier, "Speedy" Jaret Peterson tragically took his life on Monday. Speedy grew up in Park City, won a silver medal at the Vancouver Olympics in freestyle and like so many others, lost his battle with alcoholism and depression. Speedy will be missed by all and hopefully there is a lesson to be learned here.

On a much brighter note, the town is absolutely bustling with activity. Walking around Main Street, the shops are full, the restaurants are full and everyone seems to be in a good mood. Could there be a correlation between the oppressive heat wave the rest of the country is seeing and our beautiful mountain weather? IF you're reading this while living anywhere in the Midwest or Eastern US, my full intent is to make you jealous by telling you our daytime temps are in the high 70s to low 80s, with nighttime temps in the 50s and 60s. Visitors might think that we live here for the winters and skiing, but it's really the summers. They are so beautiful!

4th of July and Golf

This past weekend was the 4th of July here in Park City (and everywhere else). Park City has the quintessential small town 4th of July parade. Entries this year included the Park City junior kid’s hockey team, who periodically broke into fights on main street. The People’s Health Clinic with people walking down main street on crutches and hospital gown’s open in the back. The junior luge team with kids coming down main street on luges. Several local breweries with beer taps on the back of the float. And the girls gymnastic team performing handsprings down the road. The parade was followed by a town party in the City Park with music, children’s games and the annual rugby tournament. As expected, this was capped off with a fireworks display at 10pm (sundown in this part of the world). Parade’s in small town America are a must see and Park City’s is one of the most enjoyable I have seen.

The rains of June have ended and summer has definitely arrived. The sunshine and heat have brought the wildflowers out in such a dazzling display of colors that it is breathtaking just driving around town. The mountains the greenest I have ever seen and the golf courses are plush and in superb condition. This past weekend a new golf course just outside of Park City, called Red ledges opened for play. This is a Jack Nicklaus “signature” course and is one of the prettiest courses I have seen. It is set amongst the red rocks, just southeast of park city in the town of Heber. Typical of a Jack Nicklaus course, it also very difficult with narrow fairways and long 2nd shots to small greens. However the setting and the scenery keep the experience extremely enjoyable.

Several other private golf courses in town are Tuhaye, Promontory, Glenwild, Jeremy Ranch and Park Meadows. Both Jeremy Ranch and Park Meadows are older courses that have been around since the early 80’s. While these are private courses, membership is open to anyone, not just homeowners in the neighborhood. Of the two, I find Jeremy Ranch more scenic and interesting. Winding through a broad valley the course has a lot of elevation changes and beautiful views of the Wasatch Mountains.

Glenwild, which was the first true golf course community in Park City and designed by Tom Fazio, is the course for serious golfers. While the clubhouse is beautiful, and the fitness and spa rooms are excellent, Glenwild is really all about the golf. This is where Michael Jordan has a home and plays golf.

Promontory, the second golf course community in Park City, has two 18 hole golf courses. The first course which has been open for several years was designed by Pete Dye. Their second course, which is going into its second season, is a Jack Nicklaus designed course. While Promontory certainly has a strong golf presence, I consider it more of a family oriented community. Promontory features the best children’s center in the area, a beautiful pool and spa, small lakes where children can fish and sail, and an outfitters cabin for hiking and biking in the summer, snowshoeing and cross country skiing in the winter. Promontory also has an excellent tennis facility with a beautiful stadium center court. For someone looking for golf, and activities for the entire family, Promontory is the best in the area.

Tuhaye, one of the newer golf communities around Park City, is best suited for golf enthusiasts who are also avid skiers. Tuhaye features a Mark O’Meara designed course and in the works is a Fazio course as well. While Tuhaye has an excellent spa and arguably the best pool in the area, the member’s clubhouse has yet to be built. What is unique about Tuhaye is that club members enjoy the golf facilities and a member’s clubhouse called The Tower Club, located on the mountain at Deer Valley Ski Resort. The Tower Club, which has ski-in/ski-out access, features a lounge where members can get lunch during their ski day avoiding the crowded Deer Valley restaurants or stop in après ski for a snack and favorite beverage. While Promontory has a member’s lounge located in the village at Silver Lake at Deer Valley and Red Ledges plans to build a clubhouse at the bottom of the gondola in Deer Crest, Tuhaye is the only club that offers a true ski in facility, on the mountain, where members can dine.

Victory Ranch is a golf and fishing community with the golf course scheduled to open later this summer. This is a spectacular course set high on a bluff overlooking the Jordanelle reservoir and the Wasatch range. I have driven this course and from the looks of it the views are going to be stunning and the course extremely enjoyable. What victory ranch offers that is unique is the Provo river running through it with world class trout fishing. No other course or community in the area can offer this amenity.

For the golf enthusiast Park City offers a total of 14 public and private courses each with their own unique characteristic. Whether you are a serious golfer, a golf/skier, golfer/fly fisher, or golfer/spa person, there is something for every taste. Come enjoy Park City in the summer, see how much father your ball flies in our thin mountain air and take advantage of the activities we have to offer.

Jazz Fest

This weekend is the annual Jazz Festival at Deer Valley. (http://www.parkcityjazz.org/) The headline acts for this year’s festival are Blues Traveler, Big Bad Vodoo Daddy and the Rippingtons. This three day event runs Friday through Sunday at the amphitheatre in Deer Valley. Also performing at the festival will be the Park City High School Jazz Band. The Park City High School Jazz Band is quite well know and has won numerous awards throughout the state and the country. The outdoor amphitheatre in Deer Valley is a terrific venue for concerts, located at the base of the resort with excellent views of the local mountains. As you can see from the headline acts, the festival is not a pure jazz festival, but a combination of jazz and blues. If you are an aficionado of jazz or blues, this annual event should be on your calendar of must “to dos”.

The various golf course communities around the Park City area continue to flourish. Last weekend I was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to play at the Glenwild Golf Course, designed by Tom Fazio. The Glenwild course is an 18-hole championship course, set in a beautiful valley just to the north of Park City, with spectacular views of the Wasatch Range. The clubhouse at Glenwild is arguably the most beautiful of all the clubhouses around the area, with outdoor dining overlooking the golf course with views of all three Park City ski resorts. While Glenwild does offer a pool and tennis courts, the emphasis is certainly on the golf. Our Glenwild is a small community which is just about completely sold out, offering only re-sale lots and custom homes.

Last week I was at the Promontory Golf Course showing homes to a prospective buyer. Promontory has two golf courses, a Pete Dye Championship Course and the newly completed Jack Nicklaus Signature Course. I have not had the opportunity to play the Nicklaus Course yet, but word has it that is probably the best course in the state. Promontory differs from Glenwild in that, while golf is certainly the major attraction, it is not their only focus. Promontory has a wonderful spa/clubhouse with an indoor/outdoor pool adjoining a Children’s Center and a Members Clubhouse. Promontory also features an equestrian center, tennis courts and many miles of hiking/biking trails. Come winter the center court of the tennis facility converts to an ice skating rink and the hiking/biking trails convert to cross country ski trails. Promontory has made a conscious effort to offer recreational activities for the entire family. Promontory expects to start its third course this next summer which will be an Executive Course.

Tuhaye, one of the newest courses in town, features a Mark O’Meara Signature Course and is situated just to the east of Park City. Along with the golf pro shop, Tuhaye has completed it spa and fitness center with an outdoor pool and poolside café. This past Sunday I was fortunate enough to spend the afternoon at the Tuhaye pool overlooking the golf course with views up to Deer Valley. We decided that the views from the Tuhaye pool are the best of the three resort spas. Next in works for Tuhaye will be the Members Clubhouse and a 9-hole Executive Course. Tuhaye also has plans for an 18-hole Fazio Championship Course.

Just under way in the neighboring town of Heber is a new golf course community called Red Ledges. Red Ledges is also featuring a Nicklaus Signature Course and offers incredible views of Mt. Timpanogos. The course is well under way and at least 9 holes should be open by next summer. Currently Red Ledges is selling home sites and will soon be offering patio homes for sale as well.

As with many ski resort towns, Park City is going through a change from strictly a ski town to a Four-Seasons Resort and Golf Mecca. If you are a golf enthusiast, high altitude golf is extremely enjoyable as the thinner air allows us to feel like John Daly. The local courses should be open well into October so make plans to come out and visit us and enjoy the beautiful fall weather.

I’ve moved!

The big news here in Park City this week is that I have left Sotheby’s Real Estate and moved to Prudential Utah. As with any change, there are always a variety of reasons, but one of the most compelling for me is that Prudential has by far and away the largest percentage of the market. This is a move that I feel will benefit both my Sellers and Buyers. I am currently located in the Prudential office on historic Main Street with many of the top agents from Prudential. The energy level and excitement are contagious and I look forward to this next stage in my career.

This past weekend was 4th of July and the Park City parade was as quaint and fabulous as always. Where else but in a western mountain ski town can you have a float featuring a real snowman made from snow still up on the ski resorts? The parade was followed by festivities in City Park, music, games, rugby, volleyball and all that is traditional for a 4th of July celebration. The day’s activities were capped by a spectacular fireworks display shot from the base of the Park City Resort against the mountains.

Here is a link to an interesting article that I found in Travel + Leisure GOLF Digest. It is an article from a writer who has been here in the winter time but came out last summer and played several of our beautiful mountain golf courses. Enjoy the article, and if you are a golfer I hope this will entice you visit Park City in the summer, as we all know how spectacular the winter is. If you are lucky enough to visit Park City this summer, please stop in the Prudential office at the bottom of Main Street and say “hello”.

http://www.travelandleisure.com/tlgolf/articles/golf-the-greening-of-park-city

Golf Course News

With the snow slowly melting the local golf courses are gearing up for summer play. The Park City Golf Course along with the private golf courses of Glenwild, Promontory and Tuhaye are all hoping for a mid-May opening. Even though we continue to get snowstorms each week, the days in between the storms are getting progressively warmer and the courses are beginning to green up.

What will be very interesting this year is to see what happens with Promontory. Promontory is a very large golf course community with two championship courses and many homesites. Promontory is going through some financial struggles and trying to work out an amicable situation with its creditors. Earlier this year, Credit Suisse announced that it had taken over the operation of the community and amenities. Since that time Wells Fargo Bank, the second lien-holder has forced the Pivotal Group (which is the developer of the community) to file for chapter 11 bankruptcy which is allowing them to reorganize while still having capital to operate.

Glenwild Golf Course is in the enviable position of having been the first true golf course community built in the area. As a result, Glenwild has 90+% of its properties sold with the golf course and clubhouse seasoned and functioning smoothly.

Tuhaye, one of the newest courses, seems to be doing well, mostly as a result of its affiliation with Deer Valley Ski Resort. Talisker, the underlying developer, has created a unique club concept combining the golf course amenities with a clubhouse and dining facilities on the mountain at Deer Valley. This gives Talisker Club members a true year-round recreation program in ski country. I expect that this unique program will allow Talisker and the Tuhaye Golf Course to remain strong during these difficult times.

There are three new golf course communities underway in the surrounding areas and I will be very interested to see how they do. If we look at how many available lots there are combined in all the communities that are either built or under construction we have about a 30-year supply of inventory. As a result, I do not expect that all the golf communities will survive. As with all real estate purchases, this emphasizes the importance of using a local and knowledgeable real estate agent to guide you in the right direction.