With wide-open par-5s on the front, the back nine is tighter and requires accurate and lengthy tee shots from the tips.

"The front nine plays wide open, is forgiving and that makes it fun and speeds up play," said Wayne LaCourse of Orem. "Players like to find their balls and score and this gives everyone a decent chance. The back nine is a different story. I like courses that give you two different nines, like Spanish Oaks."

Don Morris, who used to own Morris Golf, puts it simply: "It's fun to play. It's a course that is built for all types of players from scratch to high handicappers. The setting is beautiful, so is the design and I like the rock walls. You can score, but you can also get into trouble."

Wayne Pearce, a golfing novice after a lifelong tennis career, doesn't pretend to know all about course design, but he played Sleepy Ridge for the third time in two weeks on Monday.

"It has a beautiful setting, very enjoyable," he said.

Said Merrill Fisher: "Beautiful, well-kept and tough, elevated greens."

Roy Soltz, a regular at WingPointe and Glendale, drove down to Orem for a round on Monday. "It's a good course, if you stay in the fairway. It will draw a lot of play. There are some tough holes out there, especially on the back."

Said Doug Martin of Provo: "Wow, who knew that the Utah Lake wetlands looked so pretty? I always thought the wetlands were supposed to be scruffy-looking. It's just as advertised. The holes had personality, yet they weren't so hard that they penalized you unmercifully. I had a good time, a lot of fun. The course is in great shape for being new. The greens were fabulous. No. 11 was my birdie hole — I hit a seagull!"

Yup. There's more golf in Utah Valley. Courses are battling for players, handing out bargains, rates, deals.

Utah County golf will never be the same after this summer.

And Sleepy Ridge isn't sleepy any more.

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E-mail: dharmon@desnews.com