One feels it immediately upon entering the property—Sun Valley Resort has a sense of place to it.
It comes from many sources, includ- ing the A-listers who have frolicked or conducted business here since day one, including U.S. presidents, business titans and Hollywood superstars. It emanates from the ice rinks and
mountain slopes where Olympic stars have and do entertain, compete and recreate. It resounds through the village walkways, shops and restaurants, which are immacu- late and fine, yet without pretense. It is palpable through Hemingway, who
hunted, fished and wrote at Sun Valley. One can even see his final home from the elevated and spectacular 5th tee on the White Clouds Course. Hemingway’s words—engraved on a memorial bust of “Papa” overlooking the namesake stream bordering a fairway on Sun Valley’s Trail Creek Course—capture the essence of Sun Valley. “Best of all he loved the fall. The leaves yellow on the cottonwoods. Leaves floating on the trout streams and above the hills. The light blue windless skies. Now, he will be a part of them forever.” And, of course, Hemingway is, after ending his life here. But Sun Valley is not about the past,
or resting on its considerable laurels. It is very much a place of the present, particu- larly as a golf destination. With 45 golf holes—all designed through the Robert Trent Jones Sr. architecture pedigree— it is constantly evolving. Last summer it purchased Elkhorn
Golf Club, an 18-hole joint design from RTJ Sr. and his son, RTJ II. Shortly before that, Sun Valley added a new, elegant clubhouse, a 25-acre practice facility and an 18-hole putting course called Sawtooth (inspired by the sur- rounding Sawtooth Mountains). Adding amenities is one thing; doing it well and maintaining guest satisfaction is another. How is Sun Valley faring in this all-important area? It was recently recognized by Golf Digest as one of the exclusive, top 75 golf resorts in North America.
TRAIL CREEK COURSE Sun Valley’s signature course, Trail
Creek, has beautiful “bones” that date to the 1930s. It’s a lovely, classic-style design
36 /
NCGA.ORG / SUMMER 2012
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