Inside the course: Willow Creek Country Club

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Sep. 3, 2008

The Nationwide Tour heads to Sandy, Utah for the Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank. Here's all you need to know about the course:

Fast facts

Original architect	Henry Hughes (1958)
Course remodel	Damien Pascuzzo (2005)
Course superintendent	Troy J. VanDenBerghe
Number of Nationwide Tour events as host venue	9 (including 2008)
Course ranking	Ranked 31 (out of 34) in difficulty on the Nationwide Tour in 2007
Yardage history	7,104 yards (1999-2004)
	7,096 yards (2005)
	7,101 (2006)
	6,953 (2007; switched from par 72 to par 71)
Grass	Perennial ryegrass (tees, fairways); Bentgrass (greens); Kentucky bluegrass; perennial ryegrass (rough)
Tournament Stimpmeter	11 ft
Sand bunkers	72
Water hazards	7
Course tour	Click here

Course record

Player
Mark Hensby
Joe Daley
David Sutherland
Scott Gump
Franklin Langham
Craig Lile
Matt Weibring

Year
2000
2001
2001
2003
2007
2007
2007

Round
1st
1st
1st
2nd
1st
1st
3rd

Finish
T22
T61
WON
T6
WON
T12
T12

Holes-in-one

There have been 14 aces recorded during the Utah Championship.

Player	Hole	Year
Chad Ginn	2	1999
Robin Byrd	11	1999
Donnie Hammond	15	1999
Rich Barcelo	7	1999
Rob McMillan	5	2001
Jeff Freeman	15	2001
Sung Man Lee	7	2003
D.J. Trahan	5	2004
Scott Gump	5	2005
Mike Perez	5	2006
John Merrick	11	2006
Tyler Leon	2	2007
Tag Ridings	7	2007
Justin Hicks	11	2007

Most Difficult Hole

The par-4, 469-yard fourth hole Golfers will have their first encounter with a demanding tee shot on this hole. Large pines define the left side and a huge oak tree and bunker block the inside corner of this dogleg-right par 4. A well-placed tee shot leaves a player with a mid- to short-iron approach to a very extreme green with two tiers. Pro Tip: Don't ever be long of the green -- everything slopes away from the player and makes getting it up and down nearly impossible.
2007: 0 eagles, 35 birdies, 296 pars, 96 bogeys, 11 double bogeys, 1 other.

The par-5, 547-yard third hole This dogleg-left par 5 starts with an elevated tee shot. The fairway slopes to the left, so all shots will kick toward the fairway bunker. The green is protected by three sand traps; be careful with your second shot. The middle bunker protects the green and can leave a player with a 30-yard sand shot. The putting surface has an interesting ridge that separates the two levels. Pro Tip: Unless you BOOM a drive, lay-up short of the middle bunker on the second shot. The third shot will be no more than a wedge.
2007: 11 eagles, 203 birdies, 194 pars, 27 bogeys, 4 double bogey, 0 others.

Willow Creek			2007 rankings		Last 9 years
Hole	Par	Yards	Avg. Score	Rank	Avg. Score	Rank
1	5	544	17	4.638	15	4.692
2	3	214	7	3.048	4	3.180
3	5	547	18	4.567	16	4.656
4	4	469	1	4.196	1	4.196
5	3	189	11	2.929	8	3.057
6	4	436	2	4.166	3	4.185
7	3	213	4	3.089	6	3.071
8	4	421	3	4.128	2	4.195
9	4	404	5	4.087	9	4.043
10	5	591	16	4.679	14	4.801
11	3	242	8	3.021	7	3.070
12	5	575	15	4.688	17	4.648
13	4	382	5	4.087	5	4.101
14	4	387	12	3.897	12	3.982
15	3	172	10	2.954	10	3.014
16	4	388	13	3.834	13	3.932
17	5	581	14	4.708	18	4.599
18	3	198	9	3	11	3.000

Course origins

Willow Creek Country Club is is built on cobblestone soil, which is a round rock the size of a football or smaller. The rock facilitates rapid drainage. The history of Willow Creek would not be complete without the "Rock Story."

There were so many rocks in the ground where the course was built that it was almost unbelievable, so the club organized four "rock parties." The first two consisted of all-male members who gathered together with picks, shovels, trucks and any other equipment they could find. They dug up and hauled away as many of the rocks as they could. Then the female members of the club decided they would like to help too. So the other two rock parties were comprised not only of the men, but of women and children. Rocks still remained, so members voted for an assessment of $30 each and workmen were hired to finish the job.

The club began in 1958, when a group of University of Utah students decided to invest in a number of projects with a view toward making some money. They called themselves the "Twenty-five Associates," and they were all members of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. One of their projects was the Willow Creek C.C. They sold memberships in the club and were also the Board of Directors until the club could handle its own affairs.

In 2005, the golf course was renovated with the assistance of architect Damian Pascuzzo. Several new tees were added, all of the bunkers were rebuilt, and 15 new ones were added.

In addition, new lakes and streams were built along the 9, 17 and 18. The final touch was the installation of a state-of-the-art irrigation system. -- Source: Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

Tournament course history