Fifteen miles south of town, the Snake River Sporting Club is
going for an even broader outdoors experience, following the model its
founders
developed at West Virginia’s Greenbrier Sporting Club. The
family-oriented
facilities include an equestrian center and
archery/rifle ranges, and access to
hiking trails in the adjacent
Bridger-Teton National Forest. The club offers a
heli-skiing operation
in the winter.
SRSC sits in a deep, narrow canyon, and its Tom Weiskopf-designed
golf course is built partially along the canyon floor and partially on
a ledge
carved from one of the valley walls. It’s an isolated setting
with a primordial
feel. Weiskopf used tributaries of the Snake River to
front greens and bisect
fairways, and as with many of his designs, he
designed a drivable par 4, the
320-yard 2nd.
Snake River Associates is responsible for Jackson Hole’s next
major development, a 510-acre community called Shooting Star. Located
next to
Teton Village, just south of the entrance to Grand Teton
National Park, Shooting
Star will feature a Tom Fazio course and
approximately 100 golf residences.
Resor hopes to break ground this
summer, with a projected 2008 opening.
If 3 Creek, Snake River Sporting Club and Shooting Star represent
the future of golf in the valley, Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis Club
and Teton
Pines Resort and Country Club are its past and present.
Bordering Grand Teton
National Park, the Jackson Hole course debuted in
1963 and was redesigned by
Robert Trent Jones Jr. a decade later. In
fall 2004 Jones began a full
renovation; he completed 10 holes last
summer and plans to finish the remainder
this spring. Vail Resorts,
which owns the Snake River Lodge in Teton Village,
recently purchased
Jackson Hole and has poured millions into the property,
including 35
new cabins that sold out in hours.
Traditionally, Teton Pines has been Jackson’s power-broker
community—in addition to several Fortune 500 CEOs, Vice President Dick
Cheney is
a resident. His spread is part of an enclave of homes just
off the 18th green.
No matter how long you stay, it will not have been long enough.
Which means it may be time to look into making a home in Jackson Hole.
