Rating:*
- Layout: 10
- Conditions: 10
- Staff: 10
- Value: 6
TCS™: 9.00
— Not counted in TCS™, but just as important (imo):
- Pace of Play: the front was PAINFULLY slow, the back was lighting quick!
*All ratings are out of 10 possible points.
Commentary:
I almost didn’t play this round, for about 10-minutes, an hour before I went out I didn’t think it was going to happen.
I was in the SLC area the week before this round of golf. We returned home to St. George. Then the weekend of this round I drove back up, specifically to play this course. I had been wanting to play Dye Canyon for years (testify Dad!). Pete is a Purdue alum, and my golf story really began while I was in graduate school at Purdue. So, a Dye of this caliber back where I grew up was highly desireable to my golfing palate.
My Dad couldn’t make this round, other obligations kept him away from a truly divine experience So, I called a friend. He was excited to go, but then the moment that gave me pause happened. The person helping me get on Dye Canyon called and told me our tee time was pushed. I wouldn’t get off until around 5PM. I called my playing partner, that was too late for him; he had to tap-out.
Too, I had been planning to drive home to St. George after the round. That meant I’d be driving after a round of golf into the wee-hours of the morning. Not ideal, possibly dangerous. As I sat in the Trader Joe’s parking lot on 4th South in SLC, I contemplated my options. I decided to go top off the tank of gas in my rental car. While pumping gas I got a call from the clubhouse, “How quickly can you get up here, do you want to join another staff member, a single that is going off, if so you will go off at 3:30PM?” I said, “Yes, here I come, I’ll be a bit late, but book it!” They said, “great, catch them on 2 or 3 and then play the holes you miss after 18.” I broke the speed limit all the way up the canyon, not crazy fast, but certainly above the legal limit.
I caught my playing partner on the tee-box on 3. And thus was my journey to play Dye Canyon made a reality. The person setting this up, the one who called me when that slot opened as I was pumping gas into my rental, you know who you are: thank you, thank you, thank you! You rock!!
I played good. Crazy good, at least for me, especially since my wrist is still recovering from an injury. We played the whites because I was worried that if I was too far back I’d strain my wrist trying to hit it and prolong/exaggerate my injuries. I think the psychology worked. I laid off from my tendency to try to kill it, wrist, forward tees, whatever it was it worked, and as a result I was crushing the ball. For instance, on 15, an elevated par 4, with my roll out I hit the ball about 390-yards. I know this sounds like a whale story, but you can try to contact Stephen (didn’t get his last name) in marketing to confirm. I was glad I had a witness, because no one I know who plays with me would believe the round I had. It was truly a zen/transcendent round. On the map where I was recording my ball placements my score totaled 74, but I didn’t hit every shot perfectly. I had one mulligan on the front and two on the back. So, I likely shot about a legit 77 or 78. Which for me was a great round, and with only three “let me try that agains/reloads” a 74! One of my best rounds for sure, giving me hope that I still haven’t peaked yet.
So, design, conditions, staff (there was no “wiff” with the people that I dealt with during this round, if that comment doesn’t make sense see my review of Painted Valley) were all an easy 10. The course deserves the accolades of being on of the best in the region. However, value is still a: 6. A bit higher than “The Nick” because there are some public tee-times, but they come in at nearly $300 for a round of golf. It’s a great round of golf, but $300 is also a lot of money for most of us! Again, see my comments about accessibility on the Painted Valley review.
Golf, even golf of this caliber, should not be exclusively available to a private few. But, that is the world we live in. Admittedly, my view might be naive. True. I love and honor this game, and it is possibly true that not everyone who walks a golf course with a stick in their hand has this same reverence for the experience, other golfers, and the course they are playing, which might hamper the experience at a place like this. I get that. You may have a point; however, the optimist in me says: give people a chance ($300 is a chance, but not a realistic one for most folks). Golf shrinks under such attitudes.