Nicklaus shows off new Utah course, Red Ledges

HEBER CITY — Jack was back Friday morning to show off his latest golf course in Utah, the spectacular Red Ledges Golf Course.

Jack Nicklaus, considered the greatest golfer of all time and who spends most of his time as a golf course designer these days, flew in on his private jet Thursday evening, met with the press Friday morning before giving a clinic on the driving range to a couple hundred property owners and potential owners. After that he took a five-hole walking tour of his latest creation, pointing out some of the subtleties of the course.

For Nicklaus, who has designed or redesigned 274 courses around the world, it's the third golf course he has designed in Utah, 27 years after his first course, Park Meadows, opened in Park City. He also designed the new Nicklaus course at Promontory near Park City, which has yet to officially open.

After touring all 18 holes with Tony Burns, the managing owner of Red Ledges, Nicklaus proclaimed the course to his liking and made just one change, eliminating a tee that he found too long for the hole.

"Jack has done a magnificent job," exclaimed Burns. "I think the golf course is fabulous and plays well."

Nicklaus got involved with the project because of the long friendship he's had with Burns, the owner of the 2,000-acre property where Red Ledges sits. Burns, a native Utahn, is a former CEO of Ryder Systems and developed a close friendship with Nicklaus more than 25 years ago when Ryder sponsored the Doral Open in Florida.

Red Ledges will be a private course and part of an ambitious development two miles east of Heber City. Burns estimates that more than $100 million has been invested into the project.

Along with the golf course, which stretches to 7,653 yards from the tips, there will be a Jim McLean Golf Academy, featuring the world-renowned golf instructor, the Cliff Drysdale Tennis Academy, and an Equestrian Center with indoor and outdoor horse-riding facilities.

The golf course features elevation changes on most holes, numerous bunkers and large, undulating greens. The fairways and greens are bent grass, and the roughs are bluegrass with native grasses around the edges.

"We tried to move as little dirt as we could to enhance the beauty of the property without destroying it," said Nicklaus.

To some, the course with a 77.2 rating and 153 slope from the "Nicklaus" tees and a 73.0, 149 slope from the member tees, might seem overly difficult.

However, Nicklaus said he hadn't heard any negative comments from members who have played the course, and he believes it is playable as long as golfers hit from the correct tees.

One of the more unusual holes is the par-3 No. 9 hole, which Nicklaus calls a "semi-blind par-3."