Construction has yet to wrap up on the SkyRidge golf facility by the Jordanelle Reservoir, but with a targeted opening season of next summer, the facility promises to be one-of-a-kind. 

The facility will offer the public both a short golf course and a Topgolf-like facility. The course is a regular three-hole course that can also convert into a short play nine-hole one. The facility will include a luxury driving range, food and beverage service and more. 

SkyRidge Park City is spearheading the project, along with support from MIDA. Brandan Albee is the Director of Golf at the facility. He previously served as the assistant golf professional at Park Meadows Country Club in town before taking over this role about a year ago. 

“We are a golf course with a little bit of a twist,” said Albee. “I don’t know if we’ve really settled on what we are yet. … We are kind of a one-of-a-kind golf facility.”

The facility is still in the progress of sodding their greens and building the driving range facility. The course has nine greens, to transform quickly into that short course. Albee plans on using the regular course in the mornings and the short one in the afternoon, looking to target adults and kids interested in the game. 

Albee says the facility will offer all sorts of programming to get more people into the sport. He believes the facility and its course are more accessible than golf elsewhere. 

While the facility hasn’t settled on final prices, the range will use a timed-payment model and the course a per-round model. There will be military discounts with the MIDA partnership, and there may be some small ones also for SkyRidge residents, too. 

“I’ve been at the high-end private clubs in Park City for five years previous to this job, and before that I worked at Pebble Beach,” added Albee. “I’m very familiar with that high-end resort golf experience, and so I’m going to lean on that experience. … The customer service and the fun side of it is going to take priority for me.”

Albee knows, especially in Park City, excellent customer service will help set the facility apart. He knows the golf aspect should be easy to teach and train others to do the same. 

SkyRidge is hoping for a temperate spring snow season so they can continue working on the construction. Other features of the range facility are indoor simulators for the winter, putting and chipping areas and a dedicated instruction and club-fitting area. The past two snow seasons have not been kind to construction. 

“The industry as a whole is looking really bright, and Park City is no different.,” said Albee. “We’ve seen an uptick in golf as unfortunate as COVID was for everyone worldwide. … You saw a lot of facilities, public facilities especially, take advantage of that surge of golfers, and it hasn’t really dropped off all that much in the past couple years.”

Albee says courses around Park City and Salt Lake City are filling up and the demand needs to be matched. This was part of the reason why SkyRidge decided to make the facility public, along with their MIDA ties. Albee believes the amenities will match those of a private club. 

“We’re truly family-friendly,” Albee said. “In theory, you could hit putter around the entire golf course. It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned golfer or someone who’s just thought about trying to pick up a golf club. … Our facility is going to be really welcoming to everyone and inclusive in that sense. Bring the family, bring the kids, come on out and just give us a try, and you might fall in love with the game just like I have.”

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