A new twelve-hole course has opened for play at the Red Ledges golf community near Heber Valley, Utah.

The new layout has been designed by Jack Nicklaus’ design firm, and is comprised of 12 par three holes with back tee yardage ranging from 107 to 183 yards.

“We are excited about the addition of this Golf Park to our community,” said Mitchel Burns, COO at Red Ledges. “We wanted to do something innovative and Jack has done a beautiful design for us. We wanted to remove the stuffiness of traditional golf and make the game more approachable and family-friendly. We believe this course will open up the game to more players, whether they are beginners, families, groups, or scratch players getting in a fast round after work.” 

Nicklaus visited Red Ledges to participate in the opening ceremony for the new facility. His firm was behind the design of the club’s 18-hole course, which opened in 2009.

“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.”

“The general concept with a short course is to give members an alternative to the larger golf course,” he added. “Whether they are short on time; they are just beginning the game; or they simply want something different, a short course or a golf park should serve many people. 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. Rather, what the developer wanted is a layout that can be played by juniors, women, seniors and beginners-or one that is simply a fun diversion for the core golfer and member.”

Nicklaus added that with the 12-hole par three course, members can play with a small bag and just a handful of clubs.

“The course being twelve holes gives them the option of playing something a little longer than nine holes and shorter than 18 holes,” he said. “Players can also break up the layout in various ways to customise their experience-from playing as few as six holes to as many as 18.”