Wolf Creek Golf Resort

Tucked away in a small mountain valley on the eastern side of Ogden's Wasatch Mountains is one of the best courses in the state. It is scenic, challenging, well maintained and isn't as busy as most courses in Northern Utah.

The reason that the course is not as busy is that it is a little more than an hour away from Salt Lake City and there isn't an Interstate running to it. But with the highway construction happening now in the city you can probably drive to Wolf Creek faster than you can across town.

Wolf Creek is located in the rolling hills just below the canyon that leads to the Powder Mountain Ski Resort. The high mountains surround everything in sight and the area is very scenic. In addition to the golf course Wolf Creek includes condos and time share units for summer and winter vacationers.

The course is a mountain style course with elevated tees, sloped terrain and lots of wild areas in which to lose your ball. Wildlife is often seen on the course including deer, moose and fox. A more common critter on the course is the garter snake. They are harmless but can give you a scare if you disturb one hiding hiding in the long grass.

Wolf Creek is probably one of the top five toughest courses in Utah. It's tough because of it's playing length, not it's actual length. On the card, the tee lengths of 6845 (gold) and 6465 (blue) don't seem to be outrageous, but the way the holes use the yardage will make you think a 300 yard drive is required to score well.

Several of the toughest par 4 holes in Utah are on Wolf Creek. Numbers 3, 7 and 18 are well over 400 yards long and each has an up sloping fairway to an elevated green. Long uphill second shots put fairway woods into the hands of all but the longest players. And once you reach the greens in regulation you still have to putt out on fast greens that break severely toward the valley bottom.

Other long holes include the par 3s. All but one of them is in the 180+ range and two of them have long carries over water. The par 5s are the most manageable holes but even they have elevated greens making the holes play longer.

The fairways are generally wider on the holes that require long tee shots, but all holes have plenty of places that provide lost and unplayable lies. The front 9 seems to be wide open as there are very few trees, but the long meadow grasses off the fairways will hide a ball as well as the thick woods on the back 9.

Be cautious when driving from the elevated tees. Since the ball flies further after being hit from high above the landing area, the distance a miss-hit shot draws or fades will be exaggerated and you could end up missing the fairway. This is especially true on holes 1 and 10.

Wolf Creek Golf Course is a tough challenge for the best golfers without being overly penal for mid handicap golfers. Beginners may find it over powering. Although the green fees are about $5 more than the average public course, Wolf Creek Golf resort offers a great value for the experienced golfer.