Ground broken on 12-hole Jack Nicklaus Golf Park at Red Ledges
Ground has been broken on a new 12-hole Golf Park at the Red Ledges mountain community near Heber City, Utah.
Jack Nicklaus’ firm is developing the new course, which once complete will comprise 12 par-3 holes, a yardage of between 1,310 and 1,717 yards, and have an overall par of 36.
Operating under the ‘Jack Nicklaus Signature 12-hole Golf Park’ name, the course has been designed to appeal to both seasoned players and families
“The team at Red Ledges had originally envisioned and discussed a nine-hole course that had a mix of par three holes and par four holes, so we originally started to design such a layout,” said Nicklaus. “But the more we toured the property and really started to get into the routing and strategy, it was apparent we needed to go another direction.”
Nicklaus’ firm was also hired to design the community’s Jack Nicklaus Signature Course, which opened for play back in 2009.
“The general concept with a short course is to give members an alternative to the larger golf course,” Nicklaus said. “Whether they are short on time or are just beginning the game or they simply want something different, a short course or a golf park should accomplish many things. To have a member go to the course and perhaps take a full golf bag, so they can play a couple of par fours did not necessarily meet the goals of the short course. What we want is a layout that can be played by juniors, women, seniors and beginners. Or it is simply a fun diversion for the core golfer and member.”
Nicklaus believes that with the 12-hole course, players will be able to use a small bag or just a handful of clubs.
“While it sounds simple, the course being 12 holes gives them the option of playing something a little longer than nine and shorter than 18 holes,” Nicklaus concluded. “You can also break it up in a way where the golfer can divide the layout in several ways to accomplish what they want — from playing as few as six holes to playing 18.”
“We are excited about the addition of this Golf Park to our community,” said Mitchel Burns, Red Ledges COO. “We wanted to do something innovative and Jack has done a beautiful design for us. We wanted to bring fun back to the game of golf and we believe this course will open up the game to more players, whether they are beginnings, family groups, or the scratch player getting in a fast round after work.”