The old and venerable Rose Park Golf Course is a staple for early spring golf in Salt Lake City. It is a favorite of senior citizens and other people who like to walk the course because it is so flat.... Continue »

The old and venerable Rose Park Golf Course is a staple for early spring golf in Salt Lake City. It is a favorite of senior citizens and other people who like to walk the course because it is so flat. If ever there was an opportunity to use the phrase plain vanilla to describe a golf track, this would be the time. Rose Park reminds me of just about every muni course I have ever played. Sort of like Balboa and Encino in the San Fernando Valley, only with about a quarter of the number of trees! The course is wide open and easy, which is why it is so popular as the snow has melted and the new golf season has opened in Utah! the greens were the best part of the course! They were firm and quite fast! The fairways were a little thin in places, and overall the turf grass was spotty at best. But this is to be expected, because it's just the middle of April, and not too long ago, this little golf course was covered in snow! This made for some very tight lies, and there were certain shots I would rather have hit from the not too long rough! most every hole is straight with wide fairways, with a few doglegs which give the course some flavor. The back nine goes up into the hills just a bit, so the terrain varies more there than on the very flat front side. I remember looking at the Salt Lake City Golf Course website and checking out photographs of Rose Park. I kept shaking my head and wondering where the beautiful pictures on the website were taken. The website photos show many large mature trees lining verdant fairways and it looks like a very mature golf course. When you actually play it, the trees are sparse and really don't come into play unless you hit a particularly lousy shot! The prices outstanding for Utah residents! The little cafe inside is wonderful and serves great breakfast! The pro shop is staffed with really nice guys and they have a lot of equipment and other goodies. But it is easy to get put off by the bars on the windows and doors, which remind you that this part of Salt Lake City is not exactly Beverly Hills! All that said, I give it the Cheeseburger thumbs up, and I will be back, probably next week!