Jack Nicklaus tees up new Red Ledges golf course

Heber City » Jack Nicklaus's company designed the new Red Ledges golf course.

So who better than the Golden Bear himself to sell the course -- and the game of golf -- to existing and prospective members of the exclusive gated community being developed in the picturesque hills east of Heber?

That's precisely what Nicklaus did Friday, delighting a gallery of more than 500 people with golf tips and witty one liners as he hit practice balls and played five holes to mark the grand opening of the 7,653-yard course his firm designed for old friend Tony Burns, managing co-owner of Red Ledges and former chief executive of Ryder Systems.

"It's amazing to me, in this economy, that people are seeing this project, playing the course and buying. I'm not seeing that anywhere else in the country," said Nicklaus, now 69. "That's a tribute to Tony. He'll be turning this into something special as time goes on."

Burns spent 35 years preparing for this day, making 27 separate land purchases to come up with the 2,000 acres needed to accommodate his ambitious private mountain recreation community. Most important was a 900-acre parcel, containing the Red Ledges rock formation that gives the project its name, that he bought from his wife's sister, Phyllis Christensen (who was in attendance). Her late husband's family homesteaded it four generations ago.

Between those acquisitions, the golf course development and other

amenities still in the planning stages, Burns said he is spending more than $100 million on the project.

That kind of commitment brought smiles Friday to the face of Heber City Mayor Dave Phillips, taking pictures aplenty with his digital camera.

"Red Ledges is just a gem for our community. The developers have been very upright to work with," he said, happy that even though it will be a gated community, its extensive system of hiking and biking trails will be open to the public. "We're grateful for people who come to our town and buy homes. We're glad to have them as new neighbors. Even if they're here only a few weeks each year, they bring a lot to your community."

Nicklaus did his best Friday to convince some of the well-heeled guests (including former Brigham Young football coach LaVell Edwards and golfing great Billy Casper) to join the Red Ledges community.

He drove up in a golf cart to a ceremony-starting news conference, having just made his final inspection of the course, the first since it had grass. His only complaint was that the second hole, which goes uphill, was too long and potentially demoralizing for ordinary country club golfers.

Knowing people "feel like second class citizens" if they have to drive past too many tee boxes before reaching one they can play from, he recommended that course crews remove the box farthest back and replace it with one up front, closer to the hole. "We want members here to feel first class," Nicklaus said.

Similarly, he wanted Red Ledges' fairways to be broad enough that average golfers can enjoy the beauty of the native mountain mahogany, tall grasses and sagebrush from their carts -- and not have to hit balls out of it repeatedly.

His greens also combine the challenge of natural undulations with the reward of having contours that funnel balls toward logical pin placements. "That's for your enjoyment. It makes sure your golf course is fair," Nicklaus said.

That's the bottom line, he added, confident the right balance has been struck in this, his firm's 200th golf course.

mikeg@sltrib.com