Tamarack Resort in western Idaho has unveiled the Osprey Meadows 18-hole championship course, following a renovation by Robert Trent Jones II Golf Course Architects (RTJ II) and highlighted by a unique 19th Gambler’s Hole.
While the stunning vistas remain, the resort and the original course architects from RTJ II reimagined the layout to enhance the playability for members and resort golfers. The course’s picturesque terrain spans lake, streams, meadows, and wetlands, flanked by aspens and stately ponderosa pines.
The course was originally designed by RTJ II and opened in 2006 to high acclaim, capturing a Golf Digest Best New Affordable Course award. Sports Illustrated wrote, "The mountain meadows of Robert Trent Jones II’s eighteen-hole golf course almost makes you forget you just dumped your ball in the drink."
It closed nine years after opening, however, due to economic setbacks but was purchased by Tamarack Resort in 2021.
"The grand opening of Osprey Meadows is the highlight of our summer, and we couldn’t be more thrilled for players to experience all 19 holes of this beautiful course," said Scott Turlington, president, Tamarack Resort. "It’s extremely rare to get a second chance to make a first impression. In fact, it doesn’t happen very often, and we’ve got that opportunity now."
As part of the renovation, the number and length of forced carries has been reduced while fairways have been widened. Although the course has reopened, refinements will continue to be made.
RELATED: Design Notes archive
The 19th Gambler’s Hole is ideal for players looking to settle friendly wagers. The watery par 3’s tee boxes are adjacent to the 18th green, affording a memorable double finish. Depending on the tee box used, the hole plays anywhere from 78 to 193 yards.
The length of the overall course now ranges from 3,197 yards (Bunny Rabbit tee box) to 7,447 yards (Double Black Diamond). The tee box names parallel the difficulty ratings of ski slopes, reminding players of the world-class downhill runs located in the mountains overlooking this scenic golf course and resort community.
Jones Jr. is the 2024 recipient of the American Society of Golf Course Architects’ Donald Ross Award, to be presented at the ASGCA’s Annual Meeting on Nov. 11 in San Francisco. The honor is given annually to a person who has made significant contributions to the game of golf and to the profession of golf course architecture. Jones joins the likes of Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus as Ross Award recipients and is the third member of his family to earn the honor.
NICKLAUS DESIGN TO RETURN TO ARIZONA DESERT
Scottsdale, Arizona’s Desert Highlands Golf Club has enlisted Nicklaus Design to perform a major refurbishment in 2025. Home to the first two Skins Game competitions in 1983 and 1984, Desert Highlands debuted in 1981 as a Jack Nicklaus Signature Design, the firm’s first target-style layout in the desert.
Nicklaus made recommendations following a site visit in 2021 and they will be put into place during a $10 million renovation that will occur between April and November 2025. The project will include reconstructed greens, tees and bunkers, desert revegetation and thinning and establishing new turf on tees, fairways and roughs.
"The plans Nicklaus Design has for Desert Highlands are nothing short of compelling," said Desi Speh, general manager. "This renovation project will not only further solidify Desert Highlands as one of the state’s most sought-after golf experiences, but also enhance the aesthetic appeal for our community.
"We have every degree of confidence Nicklaus Design will return our golf course to its purest form, while maintaining the quality and status that has been a standard bearer in the North Scottsdale area for over 40 years."
Among the design enhancements that will occur during the renovation:
> A new forward tee on No. 5 will allow players an easier opportunity to cross the water in front of the putting surface in two shots.
> Nicklaus advised changing the eighth green complex to better see the putting surface from the landing area. The green will be rotated more perpendicular to the line of play and sloped more from back to front to open the views. The mounding will be brought closer to the right and back of the green to allow some shots to bounce onto the putting surface.
> New tee boxes will be created on the 10th hole to move players away from the back of the range and to accommodate possible practice area expansion.
> A high ridge blinding the alternate fairway will be eliminated on Number 13, creating a slightly longer carry and riskier drivable par 4. Plans could also include relocating the forward tee or building a new one.
> A few saguaro cacti will be relocated on the finishing hole as they currently set up in front of two tee boxes. An additional back tee also could be built.
"All of the work is in the spirit of the original layout and design intent," Curtis Tyrrell, director of agronomy, said. "We will be looking to return many of the surface areas to the original sizes and dimensions while modernizing and adapting the contours to the modern game and turf conditioning. The design enhancements are not major changes; rather, I would call them appropriate adaptations."
SOCIAL ASPECT
Shots of the day from The Keep. On our last hole! pic.twitter.com/FMadaaeV2q
— Bill Bergin, ASGCA (@bergingolf) August 29, 2024
POPULAR CHICAGO CLUB REOPENS
Winnetka Golf Club, one of the most historic and popular public courses in Chicago’s northern suburbs, reopened on Aug. 12, following an 18-month renovation by architect Rick Jacobson.
A stormwater management project accompanied the course renovation and included the facility’s nine-hole Par-3 course, which will re-open at a later date.
Working in conjunction with Winnetka Park District and KemperSports, Jacobson releveled and resurfaced tees, fairways and greens, reworked fairway and greenside bunkers and enhanced the infrastructure with improved drainage and irrigation. A newly constructed water feature, continuous cart paths and the ability to hold and reuse excess stormwater for irrigation led to conditions whereby the course will be able to remain open following large rain events.
"We are excited for our local community members and golfers across Chicagoland to come and see our modernized golf course," said Shannon Nazzal, executive director of the Winnetka Park District. "For more than 100 years, Winnetka Golf Club has remained a beacon of outstanding public golf on Chicago’s North Shore and this renovation ensures a strong future for the municipal gem."
