Best Public Golf Courses in Salt Lake
While the Salt Lake Valley gets overshadowed by jaw dropping courses found in the southern-most realms of the state, the major metropolitan area has a lot to offer. I started golfing consistently two summers ago after averaging a few rounds a year growing up. When I really started to dive into the game I had trouble determining where my best options to play in the valley would be. To save you the trouble I have compiled a fairly comprehensive list of my favorite tracks in the valley and surrounding areas.
Forestdale
Par 5 7th (red tees)
Pros - proximity to the city, easy walk even in the heat, challenging strategy without punishing distance
Cons - No need for mid irons, slow greens, pace of play
This compact but well executed 9 hole course started as the Salt Lake City Country Club in 1905, allowing it to make a claim as the oldest course in Utah. What this course lacks in distance it more than makes up for in accuracy. It uses a unique layout of three par 3’s, three par 4’s, and three par 5’s to play at a surprisingly challenging 3126 yard par 36.
While at first glance this course will seem easily scorable and straight-forward, a few rounds will soon prove otherwise. To force more strategic shots this track utilizes small greens, large trees, and meandering creeks. The small greens are immediately brought into play on the par 4 first. The short uphill par 4 can be played with anything from a driver to a 7 iron off the tee to get to your ideal yardage. The higher risk driver off the tee gets rewarded with a half wedge into the deep but extremely narrow green guarded on both sides by high lipped sand-traps, find these traps and you will struggle to make par or even bogey.
The small creeks that traverse this course at first seem easily avoidable, but their placement on the par 5 5th and par 5 7th make them seem much wider than they are. An iron off the tee will keep them out of play but all but forces an extremely long second with hazards in play, meanwhile a well hit drive can easily find the streams, resulting in a bogey at best. These simple hazards add a level of strategy that greatly enhances the enjoyment level.
Meanwhile the three par 3’s offer unique challenges and for me, are the highlight of the course. Hole 3 is a comfortable distance at 143 yards but features an often protected pin location and a back to front sloping green that makes an up and down extremely difficult from off the back. Hole 6 on the other hand is long, sometimes as long as 215 from the blues, and protected with a trap and large trees on each side. If you can hit the green and two putt for par you are always happy. Finally the short par 3 8th initially looks like a breeze at 115yards, but a steep bank on the left edge and water around makes this half wedge quite a frustrating one.
Conditions wise this course is best early in the summer while it is green and lush. Unfortunately due to its accessibility and close proximity to the city this course is often crowded with less experienced golfers. This causes pile ups on a few holes and makes what really should be an hour and 30 minute round a 2 hour one.
Stonebridge
Par 5 9th - Sagebrush
Pros - Variety, Pace of play, Players pass pricing
Cons - Pin Variety, Tee Time availability
Stonebridge is located in West Valley City making it easily accessible from high population neighborhoods and the variety of offices west of downtown. This course boasts three 9-hole links-style circuits that weave their way through treeless wetlands. Plenty of water, punishing native grass, and well placed sand traps make this course challenging and extremely fun. Each nine offers a slightly different feel but plays similarly to the other two resulting in a cohesive but fresh feel every time you play.
The water on this course is used to add both fun and difficulty. On some holes you will find it just near the tee-box for a more picturesque drive, on others it will run up the entire fairway to add a little fear to all of your shots, and still on others it cuts par 5’s forcing you to play 3 shots to find the green. For my money this is the finest use of water in Salt Lake and helps this track rank as my favorite in the area.
All 3 9-hole loops play at a tricky but playable 3300ft Par 36 with 2 par 5’s and 2 par 3’s each. Depending on who you ask you could come up with a few signature holes among the 27, but for me a personal favorite is number 1 on Sunrise. Playing at 407 yards from the blues, this hole features a creek guarding the front of the green and a wide inviting fairway. A good drive carries the hill at about 240 yards and runs out short of the water, leaving you with a short wedge into a tiered green guarded by water on the left. However if you fail to hit the fairway, water on the right and a fairway bunker on the left, leave an intimidating mid iron approach. Meanwhile a short fairway finder forces you to hit a semi-blind 200 yard approach shot. Plus its often the first hole of my round and I never get there early enough to warm up, making the first iron shot over water that much scarier.
Stonebridge offers a players pass in conjunction with it’s sister course The Ridge, which gives you $9 greens fees for walking rounds and inexpensive carts for the rest of the year after you purchase a $200 players pass. Pairing this pass with the reliable pace of play and variety that 27 holes offer makes Stonebridge a no-brainer for my top 5 list.
Bountiful Ridge
Par 4 7th
Pros- Course conditions, pace of play, green speeds
Cons - Busy on weekends, only four tee choices
Located fifteen minutes outside downtown Salt Lake on the bench above Bountiful, this classic style golf course blends effective elevation change and wide open fairways with incredible views of the Great Salt Lake. Some short par 4’s team up with the best finishing hole in the Area to create a fun, scorable, and interesting par 71. Coming in at 6595 yards this course blends visually tight tee shots with heavily dog legged par 4’s and tricky greens throughout to keep you honest and promote creative thinking.
All of the above variables keep the course fresh from start to finish, with the 9th and 18th holes proving to be the most memorable. The 9th is a 378 yard par 4 that plays flat and straight off the tee with a near 90 degree dogleg to an elevated, 3-tiered green. A long iron or fairway wood off the tee sets you up for a short shot to the mostly blind green. The three tiers are extremely pronounced, so an accurate approach is a must if you want to avoid a three putt, while a small stream and bunker left keep you honest. The 18th is a reasonable par 5 that forces you to drive the ball over the flat fairway and let it come to a rest at the very edge of the downhill section. From there a mid or long iron will let you clear the gully below to a shallow but wide green protected by water behind. Short shots are not punished so swing away and end your round on a birdie or better.
Bountiful Ridge offers the most quality conditions in the area. The greens are always consistent and often fast while the fairways always produce a predictable lie. Thursday night league boasts heavy precipitation and the course is often packed on the weekends because it is that good.
The Ridge
PAr 4 18th - Photo Credit - Jeff Scott
Pros - Conditions, forgiveness, use of elevation
Cons - Tee time availability
Located on the highest hill in West Valley, The Ridge offers a short and fun track that gets twice as hard when the wind is whipping, which is quite often. Renovations in 2013 took out some tall trees and updated the clubhouse and practice facility. This update ensures that the course plays like a links course with just enough elevation change to offer a signature feel. Errant shots will find native grass on steep slopes while strategic bunkering and a few water features ensure you have to maintain your quality for all 18 holes.
This course offers a few exceptional holes with the par 3 7th and par 5 12th playing as my favorites. The 7th plays at a short 143 yards out and about 15 yards straight downhill to a green with a false front. On a still day a light wedge will easily allow you to hit any pin location, but when the wind is whipping it will take some creative aiming and a lot of trust in your shot just to find the seemingly unmissable green. From there large undulations make a two putt par more than acceptable.
As your round rolls to the back 9 the Ridge really starts to shine with the Par 5 12th offering an early make or break for your score. This Par 5 plays longer than the 507 yards it is listed at. The tee shot is blind and uphill with a lake and native grass on the right and native grass on the left. A perfect drive will leave you with the option of a 200+ yard shot over water the whole way to the green or a 180 yard layup over the corner of the lake. While neither of these are perfectly safe the lay up option leaves you with a short half wedge into a predictable green, making it the far smarter choice.
The Ridge is always in good shape with slower but predictable and smooth greens. Pairing that with one of the nicer driving ranges in the area and the players pass it shares with Stonebridge draws me to it on a weekly basis.
Mountain Dell
Par 3 17th
Pros: Cooler temperatures, views, creative shots
Cons: Heavily punishing, poor tee boxes, long walk
Mountain Dell is located just off I-80 half way between Salt Lake and Park City. This higher elevation offers a slight reprieve from the hottest summer days in the Valley and provides a blueprint for a fun and challenging round of golf. Canyon and Lake courses combine to provide 36 holes of golf. Both courses offer a mix of flat, elevated, tight, and wide open shots. For my money the Lake course steals the show both in enjoyment and difficulty.
The best holes on the Lake course are the par 4 4th and par 3 17th. The par 4 4th stays true to the course name by featuring a drive over the corner of a large lake from an elevated tee box. Approaching the fairway at a near 90 degree angle makes this shot extremely intimidating. Too far right and you are through the fairway, too far left and you are in the lake. A good drive is rewarded with a sub-100 yard wedge into the green that slopes from back to front. Par is to be expected on this hole for solid golfers, but that doesn’t make it any less fun.
The par 3 17th offers a similarly intimidating tee shot into a heavily forested gully. A light 9 iron at most is all you need to cover the extremely downhill 167 yards to a shallow and wide green protected by a bunker short. This shot really forces you to trust your distance, landing your tee shot on the green will make a par easy, while missing the green could ruin your score late in the round.
This course does a good job of including wide open scorable holes with extremely tight and punishing holes to always give your round hope and the rip it away. Shooting a good score here is possible but if you are off your game you are going to have a long day.
