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Promontory - The Ranch Club is a 10-square mile second
home residential mountain community emerging from the roseate
ridges and valleys between the Wasatch and Uinta ranges overlooking
Deer Valley and Park City, Utah. The Promontory Club offers 6,500
acres of relaxation and recreation for the whole family to suit
the lifestyles of today and tomorrow.
A Cowboy poet once said: "Heaven is playing golf on the
4th of July without breaking a sweat." Sid Trujillo, The
Promontory Club's resident cowboy and head Jammer driver, echoes
the same sentiments.
For the history buffs, on May 10, 1869, Promontory Point was
the site of a grand celebration, as the Union Pacific's No. 119
and the Central Pacific's Jupiter touched cowcatchers to complete
the transcontinental railroad. By 1903, however, a cutoff had
rendered this historic stretch of track obsolete.
More than 80 percent of the ranch's 10-square miles will remain
as open space under the watchful eye of the Promontory Conservancy.
The Conservancy will preserve, protect and enhance The Promontory
Club 's natural resources and perform traditional homeowners association
functions. The Promontory Club is ideal for the nature lover.
The Conservancy will also administer The Promontory Club 's design
guidelines for custom homes and  provide
"Jammer" shuttle service from the Club to various venues
in the Park City area, including the club's exclusive Mountain
Lodge at Upper Deer Valley. The Promontory Club's Jammers (photo)
are renovated 1939 National Park Service Touring Coaches. Their
name is derived from the noise they make as their gears were shifted
while traveling early mountain roads.
The Promontory Club is located just a short 30-minute drive from
Salt Lake City to the east and just three miles from Park City
(www.parkcity2002.org),
best known for its champagne powder and three internationally
acclaimed ski resorts - Deer Valley (www.deervalley.com),
Park City Mountain Resort and The Canyons. The driving time from
The Promontory Club to each of these ski resorts is under 20 minutes.
Park City hosted many of the Alpine events associated with the
Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic Winter Games in February, 2002, and
is also the site of the Sundance Film Festival each January. From
June through September, one can expect high temperatures from
70 to 80 degrees with limited rainfall and cool crisp nights.
The Promontory Club is being developed by the Pivotal Group of
Arizona, a real estate investment and development company that
owns several other world-class properties including The Century
Plaza Hotel & Spa in Los Angeles, a premier high-rise in San
Francisco's financial district, 650 California Street and award-winning
Red Mountain Spa in St. George, Utah. The Promontory Club will
allow for 1600 home sites and up to five golf courses and an equestrian
center. Pivotal is well known for their attention to detail and
quality. More importantly, their Promontory Club management team
is highly educated (Ivy League alums), dedicated to personal and
attentive service and committed to nothing but the best for their
owners.
Each and every company involved with The Promontory Club and
Pivotal is the best in their field, from the golf pro (Michael
Marion formerly of Medinah Country Club,) to Barry Berkus of Berkus
Design, to Jack Nicklaus and Pete Dye.
The "Jack Nicklaus Valley Golf Course" will offer members
a wonderful contrast to the Pete Dye course. The course will feature
a 708-yard par-5 opening hole with a total yardage for the course
of 8,136 yards! This much-anticipated course is scheduled for
completion in summer 2006.
Winter at The Promontory Club? You bet, Park City is one of the
US's best ski resorts. Promontory's members can enjoy their own
Mountain Lodge at the Deer Valley ski resort at Silver Lake Village,
a wonderful retreat for members between ski runs in the winter
and hiking or mountain biking in the summer. Amenities include
Concierge service, ski boots and summer mountain bike storage,
a lounge, a guest office and a Kids Cove for the youngsters.
An example of the aesthetic ambience and quality of construction
is the Turf Care Center. Most golf course clubhouses do not reach
the standard of this structure both in architectural excellence
and quality.
The 5,734 square foot Outfitters Cabin overlooking the Uinta
Mountains and Rockport Reservoir is understated elegance, fully
stocked and serves as the headquarters for hiking, mountain biking,
horse back riding and fishing in the summer to snowshoeing, sleigh
rides and cross-country skiing in the winter. Fly-fishing is available
for the beginner to the avid fisherman. Rod Bradshaw, The Promontory
Club's Outfitter, with years of outdoor experience, provides expert
guides and advice for all activities including river rafting.
The Range House features a pro shop, men and women's changing
rooms and a full service grill and patio with amazing views of
the Wasatch Mountains.
The Ranch Clubhouse will provide tennis, swimming, ice-skating
in the winter, a fitness center and a spa facility.
The Pete Dye Canyon Golf Course officially opened in summer of
2002, along with the Range House and the Outfitter's Cabin. This
past July 4th, The Ranch Club's $2-million Kinnikinnick Cabin
and Kid's Adventure Trail opened.
The Cabin is outstanding both in quality and amenities. No expense
was spared. Children will love the white-water sliding stream,
rock climbing, Promontory cave and mine, trapper's cabin, video
games and a host of children's activities offered by the Cabin
and their fully trained staff. The Cabin offers the "camp"
feeling in a wonderful outdoor environment and offers both indoor
and outdoor-programmed activities.
The Promontory Club 's first custom homes are currently under
construction in the Wapiti Canyon and West Hills neighborhoods
with home sites ranging from one-half acre to 10acres and priced
from the mid $200,000's. Currently there are over 105 landowners
including Claude Lemieux and Butch Harmon. Champion's Tour golfer,
Bruce Summerhays will represent The Promontory Club on the Champions
Tour.
The 7,696 yards, PGA rated Canyon Course is a 18-hole championship
golf course, designed by world renowned golf course architect
Pete Dye, features challenging holes in an exquisite setting.
It has dramatic elevation changes, some very tight challenging
holes with rambling sagebrush and meadows on the front nine and
beautiful canyons on the back nine. Evening primrose, penstemon,
aspen and gamble oak trees are in abundance. Elevation ranges
from 6,000 feet in the valleys to 7,000 feet at its highest point.
According to Dye, "Because of the high altitude and the elevation
changes, you can tear up the yardage books."
Dye has created a golf course that pleases the eye and challenges
players of all skill levels. There are six sets of tees, starting
at 4,851 yards for juniors and beginners, and stretching to a
different zip code at 7,696 yards for low-handicappers. "The
temperature and par are both a cool 72."
For example, the par-three eighth hole, which plays downhill
across natural vegetation to a deep, narrow and undulating green,
stretches from 117 yards from the front tee box to a whopping
299 yards from the tips.
"This course can lull you to sleep," said Len Finkel
of San Diego, CA. "It doesn't look that difficult, but the
greens are difficult to read and there are ponds and 50 foot plus
drops to navigate (Hole 2- Par 4) everywhere than can really play
tricks on your depth perception. Some drops to the fairways exceed
100 feet. I brought several friends up here last week with varying
handicaps. After the first round all of them said they surely
would improve their score with a second round, but none of them
did."
Not all downhill putts are as slick as you think. Some of them
are against the grain and you will need to read those or you will
come up short.
"It is very difficult for beginners," said head pro
Michael Marion. "There are lots of out of bounds, elevation
drops and the tight holes are very challenging." For a look
at the course visit the Canyon course at http://promontoryclub.com/golf.html
Bunkers are everywhere and if that isn't enough of a challenge
around the greens, one will find gnarly two-inch rough just off
the green collars. Over the green, chipping out of that rough
downhill, will test anyone's short game.
The key to playing this Dye course or for that matter, any Pete
Dye course, is to study the scorecard graphic before every shot,
especially if you are playing without someone who has played it
before and has the "local" knowledge. Placement of all
shots is imperative; otherwise you will be hitting lots of lay-ups.
The Promontory Club has established a partnership with the celebrated
and luxurious Stein Eriksen Lodge in Upper Deer Valley. Promontory
members are offered special Promontory rates year round at this
prestigious lodge while planning and constructing their residences
and enjoying Park City.
The Promontory Club is an ideal family-friendly development geared
for lovers of the outdoors, either winter or summer or both and
is also an excellent investment for the future. It is one of America's
premier private upscale communities for those who enjoy only the
best of everything especially quality of life.
Promontory--The Ranch Club
6531 North Landmark Drive
Park City, UT 84098
Phone: (435) 649-2582 or (888) 458-6600
www.promontoryclub.com
Barry Lotz, J.D., Ph.D. is the director of the Professional
Golf Teachers Association of America. He is also a member of the
Golf Writers Association of America and the California Golf Writers
Association and a Mediator for the golf industry. He is a contributing
writer to numerous national magazines. He can be reached at drlotz@cbsgolf.net.
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