South Mountain Golf Course
South Mountain golf course is the jewel in the crown of the Salt Lake County golf courses. South Mountain was built with the plan to make it a private club. As such, South Mountain has all the bells and whistles of a private club but is accessible to the public. The clubhouse is perched high above the course on the east bench of Draper. From the clubhouse, golfers can enjoy terrific views of the entire southern valley of Salt Lake.
The practice facility is also great. The course has two large putting greens. One is next to the club house where you can putt while waiting to be called to the first tee. The second is down by the driving range. The driving range is quite a ways a way from the clubhouse and you have to take a golf cart to get there. Sandwiched between the putting green and the driving range is a chipping green.
The golf course is a wonderful design of power and finesse. There are many holes where the smart play is to lay up. Many holes one should leave their driver in the bag and try to place the ball in the fairway about 200 yards out. Those holes are: 1 (par 4), 4 (par 4), 7 (par 4), 12 (par4), 14 (par 4), 17 (par 4). Some of the above mentioned holes can be reached with a great drive but is a very risky shot, holes 7 and 12 come to mind. While many of the par fours one must hold back a bit, the par fives are very long. Hole 6 is a great example of South Mountain’s par 5s. The hole plays a lot longer than it is marked, and the second shot, like most of the par 5’s is to an elevated green. The two par fives on the back, 13 & 15, are both reachable in two and are great scoring holes for those long off the tee. A great tee shot on either of the holes could leave a 5 iron in your hands to get home. The hardest hole on the course is by far the par four 14th. It is a sever dog leg right which forces a driver out of your hands(DON’T TRY IT!!). The smart play is a 200 yard shot in the fairway, which leaves you a little over 150 to the green. The par 3’s are all quite easy since 3 of the 4 are under 150 yards. The final hole is a long finishing par 4 that has an elevated green. One must put together two great shots to have a birdie putt.
Do not be fooled by my review of the course. This is a hard course. The course meanders through the foothills of Draper and as such, any errant shot is lost in the foothills of Draper. There is out-of-bounds on every hole. The layout is such that most fairways are generously sized but quickly move from fairway to ruff to out-of bounds. If you visit South Mountain on a day where you are not able to hit where you are aiming, it is going to be an expensive golf ball day.