Entrada at Snow Canyon Country Club’s award-winning golf course in Utah is to undergo a $7m renovation project led by golf course designer David McLay Kidd.
On-course work is expected to begin in November 2020 and be completed by September 2021. During the 10-month project, the 7,062-yard golf course, which was originally designed by Johnny Miller and Fred Bliss in 1996, is expected to be closed to member and guest play for approximately five months.
McLay Kidd, whose course designs include Bandon Dunes in Oregon, Gamble Sands in Washington, Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley Golf Resort in Wisconsin, and the Castle Course at St Andrews, will be assisted on the Entranda project by Troon’s Design, Development and Agronomy team.
Renovation enhancements will include the replacement of the course’s irrigation and drainage systems, and renovation of the irrigation lakes and the club’s practice facility. In addition, all greens will be redesigned and resurfaced with bentgrass; fairways will be re-contoured; tees will be relocated and/or renovated; and every bunker on the course will be replaced. The entire course, including tees, fairways and roughs, will be re-grassed with improved cultivars of perennial ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass.
“In the 25 years since the opening of the golf course our membership has enjoyed playing the pristine-conditioned course set against the dramatic red sandstone and black lava rock surroundings that define Entrada at Snow Canyon Country Club,” said David Hall, the club’s general manager. “Entrada is now excited to set our path into the future by investing millions into the golf course. We are thrilled to have landed one of the most sought-after golf course architects in the world in David McLay Kidd, to renovate and modernize our golf course.”
Entrada at Snow Canyon Country Club’s course has been consistently rated as one of the best in Utah by Golf Digest, GOLF and Golfweek.
“When a golf hole offers options on how to play it, the game becomes so much more interesting,” said McLay Kidd of the Entrada renovation. “We want to increase those options at Entrada, allowing players to use their imagination, creativity and skills to play holes and attempt to score. Options might manifest themselves with a strong player trying to hit a high approach with backspin, while another player might use guile to read a slope and play a running shot into the same green. Neither approach is better or worse if the result is the same, but it sure is more fun to have the option.”
Hall added: “Mr Kidd’s vision for Entrada is spot on; to increase the fun factor and excitement of playing our course by injecting more strategy, shot options and recoverability when you hit a poor shot. His design will touch every aspect of the course and the end result will be a totally new golf course that is fun, fun, fun!”