Under the Big Sky
Idaho/Montana border worth crossing for great golfing
Compiled by Jennifer Liebrum

Fisherman, hiker, skier, stargazer, adventurer, nature
lover and, yes, even those more "civilized" sportsmen
who favor golf as their outdoor activity—there is room for
all of your personalities in the tamed wilderness of the
Teton Valley in southeast Idaho.

And, if you come for a visit and decide you want to
stay, communities are sprouting up throughout the area
that are integrated with the landscape to preserve the
integrity of the surroundings while addressing the primal
desire so many share to get back to the simple pleasures
that nature provides.

This area is active throughout the year, but when winter’s
snows give way to the fairways, your biggest challenge
will be deciding which course to try first.

Moonlight Basin
Big Sky Montana

Moonlight Basin is described as southwest Montana’s
premier four-season resort, but if you are reading this,
you want to know about the golf. And the golf provided
here is not only spectacular, but Moonlight Basin has
the longest private course season in the Big Sky area,
meaning you can play early and stay long after the other
courses are covered in leaves.

“The Moonlight Basin course site is beautiful and dramatic.
Between the natural terrain contours and the incredible
views . . . it has the potential to be among the finest
courses in the Northwest United States,” says famed golfer
Jack Nicklaus.

At 7,500 feet of elevation and 7,800 playable yards, this
par-72 course impresses experts and embraces beginners.
Located in the heart of Moonlight Basin, the course
perfectly integrates the spectacular beauty of the area with
the natural contours and challenging alpine terrain of this
revitalized landscape.

Low-density real estate development means the views you
love will stay that way. Elegant facilities include a luxurious
clubhouse and state-of-the-art fitness and wellness center.

Ski Town or Golf Town?
Sun Valley is Both.

Another reason to ski Sun Valley is to book your trip to
come back and golf in the spring.

And if you investigate The Residences at Thunder Spring,
an exceptional fractional ownership opportunity, you will
find the benefits are boundless.

Integral to the appeal of successful fractional residences
is the quality of the amenity package included with
purchase, and this is one of The Residences at Thunder
Spring’s great strengths.

The Residences at Thunder Spring represents the final piece
of Thunder Spring, Sun Valley's premier amenitized residential community. In addition to its remarkable views and intown location minutes from skiing, downtown Ketchum, and
Sun Valley Village, ownership here includes membership to
both Zenergy, a 43,000-square-foot, full-service health club
and spa-including indoor tennis-and the well-regarded
Bigwood at Thunder Spring, an acclaimed Robert Muir
Graves-designed nine-hole golf course with famous Bald
Mountain framing your tee shots.

Both Zenergy and Bigwood are on-property and just steps
from RTS. The Bigwood Grill is a seasonal restaurant with full
bar, serving lunch and dinner and featuring both the finest
views and sun in the Valley and the convenience of preordered in-home food delivery. In addition, The Residences offers full five-star personal and cutting edge e-concierge service to facilitate every aspect of your stay in Sun Valley. Construction on The Residences at Thunder Spring will begin in 2008, with completion expected by early summer
2010. Pre-sale pricing opportunities currently exist. For
information, visit www.rtssunvalley.com.

Teton Reserve, Victor, Idaho

GolfWeek Magazine says “Teton Reserve is home to perhaps the most unique golf course in this country.”

And now you should be asking yourself, why? The whys are plenty.

Designed by Hale Irwin, it’s North America’s first reversible-routing, 18-hole championship golf course, with two distinct directional tee box settings for 16 of 18 holes on the course, giving golfers two courses in one.

There’s also a world-class, 500-yard, double-ended practice facility.

Designed as part of a 448-acre boutique golf community, you can come and play for a day, or get in for the long term with various forms of housing available.

Western craftsman homes, cabins and paired homes complement the golf offerings at the foot of the towering Teton Mountains in Idaho’s Teton Valley. The golf club’s 8.5-acre, four-season recreation campus will include a swimming pool, tennis and croquet courts, complete health and fitness center and relaxing health spa.

And, finally, Teton Reserve is only five minutes south of Driggs, Idaho, which was voted No. 1 “Best All Around” or “The Best 50 Places to Live” by Men’s Journal Magazine. That means only an hour from many of the nation’s most incredible spaces like Yellowstone National Park, 35 minutes to Jackson Hole Ski Resort, 30 minutes to Grand Teton National Park and four hours from Salt Lake City.

Spanish Peaks, Big Sky, Montana

This club 18 miles from Yellowstone National Park features a Tom Weiskopf Signature Golf Course.

And, it is likely one of the few, if not only, private communities where you can ski to your back door and golf out the front while basking in pristine wilderness.

Declared by Travel + Leisure Golf as one of America’s Top 100 Golf Communities, this course has been at the forefront of the larger design to bring high-quality golf to the area. “Located on 3,500 acres in the secluded Gallatin Valley on the edge of Yellowstone National Park, the outdoor sports hamlet of Spanish Peaks will require you to take a deep breath,” said a writer for Stratos. CNNMOney.com ranked The Club at Spanish Peaks as No. 8 among 25 Dream Vacation Homes.

By design and by virtue of the gently rolling alpine meadows, the course is destined to become one of the best in the Rocky Mountains. Fairways transition beautifully to flowering alpine meadows. If you can take your eyes off the view and concentrate on your game, you’ll find a par-72, 7,102-yard course that is both challenging and infinitely enjoyable for players of all abilities.

The Yellowstone Club, Big Sky, Montana

Another club located in the center of year-round play, this Tom Weiskopf-designed course is 18-hole championship and a perfect 10 in beauty.

Flagsticks are set against snow-capped mountain peaks, and tee boxes are tucked among fragrant lodgepole pines and signature jackrail fences. Weiskopf has designed a course for The Yellowstone Club that’s sure to become one of the most celebrated mountain golf courses in the world.

Steve Satterstrom, senior director of golf operations at The Yellowstone Club, says the appealing aspects that come to mind when describing the experience start with a first tee at 8,000 feet that wanders down the mountain and back up for the last nine. Guests of members are free for golf and skiing. There is a full caddy program, member valet service to and from the club and the Titleist Pro V 1 for a practice facility.

Each of The Yellowstone Club’s 18 holes offers multiple tee placements, ensuring maximum playability within a course that’s sure to become one of the most celebrated mountain golf experiences in the world.

And, coming soon:
Huntsman Springs, Driggs, Idaho

Resting at the foot of the Grand Tetons, Huntsman Springs, designed by David McLay Kidd, will be an inland golf course fitting the natural terrain and landscape of the native habitat. The spectacular setting is ideal for a golf course, and the design relies heavily on the existing wetlands habitat. In an effort to produce a cohesive relationship between residential, recreational, and natural components throughout, an additional 50 acres of wetlands will be constructed to meander through the golf course.

McLay Kidd, a young Scottish course designer with global roots and recognition, is best known for his classic links-style courses of St. Andrews, Scotland, and Bandon Dunes, Oregon. The Huntsman Springs course will feature a private clubhouse with practice facilities, a restaurant and a full-service retail shop and is well ahead of schedule with a late 2009 opening possible.