TalonsCove bursts onto golf scene

That a course in just its second year of operation is playing host to one of the state's biggest golf tournaments is nothing short of amazing.

But that's what the new Gene Bates-designed TalonsCove Golf Course will be doing next week when the 80-year-old Utah Open golf tournament is played there.

The scenic golf course is situated on the western side of Utah Lake in Saratoga Springs and features breathtaking views of the large lake framed by the Wasatch Mountains.

"The course is a lot of fun and very playable," said head professional Brent Baldwin. "There has been a good buzz about the golf course, and people who have played it have been impressed."

TalonsCove just opened its front nine for play in May 2004 and the back nine a couple of months later. Course operators were smart to make sure the course was mature

enough for play instead of rushing its opening to get more business.

The strategy paid off because the TalonsCove course is in lush condition with green fairways that rival courses that have been around for decades.

That should make it a great venue for the Siegfried and Jensen Utah Open, which was played at Alpine Country Club the past three years but was looking for a new home. But even though the course is brand new, the Utah Section PGA, which runs the Utah Open, deemed it worthy to host the annual tournament July 29-31.

With a field of 160 mostly-Utah pros and amateurs playing next week along with a few hundred golfers in pro-ams, it's a great way to showcase the TalonsCove course.

The project was begun five years ago by a group of five investors.

During the building of the course, one of the original investors, Provo-based Horne's Lodging, took over ownership.

The designer was Gene Bates, a Florida-based golf architect, who has designed several layouts in Utah, including Green Spring, Riverbend, Stonebridge and Soldier Hollow in Midway, which opened for play last year.

Bates is known for his links courses, and the terrain for the new course fits perfectly, with just a handful of trees, a rolling landscape and a large body of water less than a good driver away.

More than 60 bunkers are scattered throughout TalonsCove, and the greens are fair with just a couple of double-tiered greens. The greens generally break toward the lake, but some of the putting surfaces have subtle breaks that make them a challenge.