Canyons Golf Course - hole 5
0 of 15
Canyons Golf Course - hole 5
The new Canyons Course in Park City, Utah, is like a roller-coaster ride with lots of highs and lows. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Canyons Golf Course - hole 1
1 of 15
Canyons Golf Course - hole 1
Canyons Golf Course doesn't start out easy with this opening par 4 and gets progressively harder through the first four holes. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Canyons Golf Course - hole 2
2 of 15
Canyons Golf Course - hole 2
There's not much target on the short par-3 second hole at Canyons Golf Course in Park City, Utah. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Canyons Golf Course - hole 3
3 of 15
Canyons Golf Course - hole 3
The third hole at Canyons Golf Course is a short, downhill par 5, but its severe dogleg left makes it difficult. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Canyons G.C. - 4th
4 of 15
Canyons G.C. - 4th
The fourth tee at Canyons Golf Course is a couple hundred feet above the fairway, which looks like a narrow ribbon of green from above. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Canyons Golf Course - hole 5
5 of 15
Canyons Golf Course - hole 5
The tee shot on the short par-4 fifth hole leads to one of the highest points at Canyons Golf Course in Park City Utah. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Canyons G.C. - 6th hole
6 of 15
Canyons G.C. - 6th hole
You don't want to miss right on the par-3 sixth hole at Canyons Golf Course in Park City Utah. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Canyons Golf Course - hole 7
7 of 15
Canyons Golf Course - hole 7
The seventh, at 594 yards, is the longest hole at Canyons Golf Course, but it can be reached in two with a perfectly placed second shot (blind) over the corner. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Canyons Golf Course - hole 9
8 of 15
Canyons Golf Course - hole 9
There's a wall behind the green of the uphill par-4 ninth at Canyons Golf Course, an amenity of Canyons Resort in Park City, Utah. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Canyons Golf Course - hole 10
9 of 15
Canyons Golf Course - hole 10
Yet another dramatic tee shot at Canyons Golf Course, this one on the par-5 10th hole, which is just 503 yards long. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Canyons Golf Course - hole 10 green
10 of 15
Canyons Golf Course - hole 10 green
The green on the par-5 10th at Canyons Golf Course in Park City, Utah. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Canyons Golf Course - hole 13
11 of 15
Canyons Golf Course - hole 13
Architects Bates' signature bunkers are apparent on the par-4 13th hole at Canyons Golf Course, an amenity of Canyons Resort in Park City, Utah. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Canyons Golf Course - hole 16
12 of 15
Canyons Golf Course - hole 16
Another seemingly tame hole on the back nine: the par-3 16th at Canyons Golf Course in Park City, Utah. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Canyons Golf Course - hole 18
13 of 15
Canyons Golf Course - hole 18
You can see the greens from the par-5 17th and par-3 18th here at Canyons Golf Course. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Red Tail Grill
14 of 15
Red Tail Grill
After golf you can recover at the Red Tail Grill, which serves "Mountainside Gastropub" cuisine. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
15 Images

New Canyons Golf Course in Park City, Utah: Beautiful and tricky

PARK CITY, Utah -- Some 17 years in the making, the new Canyons Golf Course at Canyons Resort in Park City, Utah, has opened up to somewhat mixed reviews. What everyone can agree on is that the course has dramatic elevation changes with stunning views.

All the holes are memorable and it's in great shape for a new course, which is operated out of a golf shop in the Grand Summit Hotel in Resort Village.

Controversial, perhaps, are the first four holes, which are very difficult for every level of golfer, so bring lots of golf balls.

The third and fourth holes, in particular, are tough. The third is a short downhill par 5, but it's such a severe dogleg that any attempt to cut the corner on a blind tee shot will most likely result in a lost ball. The fourth tee is several hundred feet above the green and the fairway is very narrow for such a demanding tee shot. Additionally, the firm greens have lots of movement and a few false fronts, meaning approaches have to be very precise and usually short of the hole.

No doubt, architects Gene Bates and Casey Bates were working with a dramatic, but difficult piece of land (just 97 acres) and were limited in their routing of the holes.

The course goes through the heart of the Canyons Resort footprint, featuring more than 550 feet of elevation change with spectacular views of the Wasatch and Uinta mountains and surrounding valleys. It begins near the Orange Bubble Express lift and heads up the Willow Draw area before winding its way around the Waldorf Astoria Hotel and down by highway 224 and back up toward the Orange Bubble Express. So if you throw out scoring expectations, especially the first time you play the course, it's a thrill ride from start to finish.

Mike Bailey is a former Golf Advisor senior staff writer based in Houston. Focusing primarily on golf in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America with an occasional trip to Europe and beyond, he contributes course reviews, travel stories and features as well as the occasional equipment review. An award-winning writer and past president of Texas Golf Writers Association, he has more than 25 years in the golf industry. He has also been on staff at PGA Magazine, The Golfweek Group and AvidGolfer Magazine. Follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeBaileyGA and Instagram at @MikeStefanBailey.
Now Reading
New Canyons Golf Course in Park City, Utah: Beautiful and tricky