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 Sun Valley's White Clouds Course opened last year. Newton was right. What goes up must come down, no matter how daunting the trail. I decided to test the old guy’s theory while standing on a mountain overlooking the spectacular scenery of Sun Valley, Idaho — 9,100 feet above sea level. Perhaps it was the thin air making me lightheaded, but I eschewed the option of returning to the lift that brought me to the top and began my journey down the mountain on foot. Long story short, I made it, but not before getting lost, scratched up and wet because I had to wade through a creek to find flat ground. It was only through sheer luck that I ended up in a neighborhood — in Ketchum, far from my intended destination — where a woman took pity on me and gave me a ride. I was never so happy to see the Sun Valley Lodge, which is a gorgeous sight no matter the circumstances. The rustic lodge, which has 148 rooms and opened in 1936, and the adjacent Sun Valley Inn, with 109 rooms, is a recreational and relaxing haven for guests to the area known for being the first ski resort in North America but also a great place to explore during the warmer months as well. “We’re just as busy in the spring and summer as we are in the winter, as far as visitors,” said Jack Sibbach, director of sales, marketing and public relations for the Sun Valley Company. “We’re definitely a four-season spot.” Part of the attraction is golf, which grew by nine holes in the past year with the White Clouds Course, just across the road from the 18-hole Trail Creek Course. Both layouts, which are less than a mile from the lodge, blend in with the scenery and were enhanced by the addition of a 59,000-square-foot clubhouse in August 2008. White Clouds is a roller-coaster ride of a layout that could have been used as a ski trail if golf wasn’t the primary focus. The tee boxes on Nos. 5 and 6 offer a 360-degree view of the area, and if you’re with someone versed in local lore, he or she can point out the house where reclusive novelist Ernest Hemingway took his life in the summer of 1961. “The scenic beauty is a real draw. It’s a great mix of mountain golf and a fun layout,” director of golf Jeff Petersen said about the 3,600-yard White Clouds, which has plans for a back nine in the near future. Trail Creek is more traditional but just as challenging. The 6,892-yard course redesigned by Robert Trent Jones in 1980 crosses creeks and trails on numerous occasions, and the rolling fairways offer gorgeous views of majestic trees and rugged hills nearly every step of the way. Other recreational options for visitors in the non-ski months include tennis, hiking, biking, swimming, horseback riding, trap and skeet shooting and taking the aforementioned chair lift to what seemingly looks like the top of the world. The lodge area also has multiple dining options, shops, fitness areas, a spa and the Sun Valley Pavilion, a structural phenomenon that can seat 1,500 under the luminous tensile roof and a few thousand more on the adjacent lawn for concerts. For more information or to make reservations, call (800) 786-8259 or visit sunvalley.com. ALSO SEE: Pacific Northwest Golf Directory |
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