Red Ledges Selected to Host CBS Sports Million Dollar Invitational

CBS Sports, the leading edge of media companies providing sports programming, has selected Red Ledges as one of only eight sites in the world to host its Million Dollar Invitational in 2013.

The Million Dollar Invitational at Red Ledges will tee off on the 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course the week of June 2, 2013, with a field of 144 amateur golfers competing for a total purse of $1,660,000. The winner will receive $1 million of the total purse. CBS Sports will televise the Million Dollar Invitational at Red Ledges nationally.

“It is truly an honor for Red Ledges to host this prestigious event that makes championship-level golf accessible to all types of players — teachers, plumbers, CEOs, students, retirees — anyone can play and have a chance to win the $1 million purse,” said Mitchel Burns, Red Ledges COO. “Hosting the Million Dollar Invitational gives Red Ledges an opportunity to showcase our world-class Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, as well as the luxurious lifestyle and diverse recreational opportunities that Red Ledges owners enjoy.”

Red Ledges was recently named Best Golf Course in Utah by Best of State Awards for a third consecutive year. Red Ledges was also named the “Best New Private Golf Course” by Golf Magazine in its first year and received recognition by GolfWeek magazine as one of 2012’s “Best Residential Courses.”

The Million Dollar Invitational is an innovation for the sport, creating a life-changing experience for great undiscovered talent in the game of golf. For more information, visit www.thegolfchampionships.com.

Mission Hills Fantasy Golf Hole Contest Launches

Amateur Architects to Submit Bold, Daring Designs for
Revolutionary New Course at Mission Hills   Hainan, China

(HAIKOU, China) -- Mission Hills Group -- impetus for China's golf boom and owner and operator of the world's two largest golf properties -- has unveiled the imagination-stoking "Mission Hills Fantasy Golf Hole Contest."

Amateur golf-course architects are invited to submit bold and daring conceptual plans for a Par 3, 4 or 5. Winning submissions will be brought to life on the soon-to-be-constructed Icon Course at the new family resort destination, Mission Hills  Hainan, China.

The radical Icon Course will feature holes as intrepid and extreme as any ever designed. Keeping with this theme, entries will be evaluated largely on creativity. Outside-the-box concepts are highly encouraged -- for instance, inspiration may be drawn from inanimate objects, animals or famous global landmarks. Designs must also accommodate playability, construction-feasibility and other criteria. Mission Hills and Schmidt-Curley Design (architect of all 10 courses at Mission Hills  Hainan) will lead the judging.

The competition commences December 1, 2010 with a deadline of February 28, 2011. For details and entry instructions: www.missionhillschina.com/contest/fantasygolfhole

In addition to creation of their dream holes, Grand Prize winners and three guests will receive four-day, three-night, all-expense-paid trips to Mission Hills  Hainan. Winners will also be awarded with lifetime passes to play unlimited free golf on the Icon Course.

"Mission Hills is excited to present this opportunity to golfers worldwide," says Dr. Ken Chu, Executive Vice Chairman of Mission Hills Group. "Limitless imagination is paramount, as our Icon Course will feature holes inspired by Mission Hills' position at the forefront of golf's global explosion."

"Armchair architects must ingeniously channel their artistic impulses," says Brian Curley of Schmidt-Curley Design. "Submit your dream hole or holes -- wild-and-wacky preferred -- and we'll build it for you."

Located on exotic Hainan Island, the world's hottest spot for luxury development, Mission Hills Hainan, is only 15 minutes from Haikou Meilan International Airport. It features 10 golf courses celebrating design genres from around the globe, 518 tastefully-appointed guest rooms and suites, 12 first-rate restaurants, Hainan's only aquatic theme park, therapeutic volcanic mineral springs, a spa oasis and more.

For more information: www.missionhillschina.com, (86 755) 2802 0888.

About Mission Hills Group

The Mission Hills Group, owner and operator of Mission Hills  Shenzhen and Mission Hills  Hainan, China is the pioneer in the country's fledgling hospitality, sports and leisure industry.

Mission Hills -- recognized as the leading golf brand in the world and synonymous with high-end, luxurious residences of rare and exquisite design -- has created the ultimate leisure and wellness resorts.

Mission Hills has hosted more than 100 international tournaments, including the 1995 World Cup of Golf and the Tiger Woods China Challenge in 2001. In 2007, Mission Hills began its role as host of an unprecedented 12 editions of the Omega Mission Hills World Cup.

Mission Hills  Shenzhen

Stretching across the lush, rolling hills of southern China, Mission Hills  Shenzhen is the country's premier golf club, and also "World's Largest Golf Club" as accredited by the Guinness World Records. The property is home to 12 signature courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye, Greg Norman, Nick Faldo, Annika Sorenstam, Ernie Els, Jose Maria Olazabal, Vijay Singh, David Leadbetter, David Duval, Jumbo Ozaki and Zhang Lian Wei.

Mission Hills  Shenzhen is a full-service, luxury resort, featuring four clubhouses, three award-winning spas, a five-star hotel, three golf academies (including one from world-renowned female instructor Cindy Reid), Asia's largest tennis facilities with 51 tennis courts and professional tennis academy, and numerous fine dining establishments serving cuisine from around the world.

Mission Hills  Hainan

Mission Hills  Hainan lies in the volcanic region of exotic Hainan Island, China. The resort sets a new standard in leisure, recreation and wellness experiences. Nestled amid lush, green gardens, it caters to golf enthusiasts and comprises specially-designed golf courses, each one incorporating the native lava rock formations. Other state-of-the-art features include 518 elegantly designed guest rooms and suites, a three-story clubhouse, meeting facilities, 12 world-class restaurants, a fully-equipped sports and recreation center, Hainan's only aquatic theme park, therapeutic volcanic mineral springs, a spa oasis, and a shopping arcade.

Mission Hills  Hainan's Blackstone Course hosted the first inaugural Mission Hills Star Trophy in October 2010, a ground-breaking celebrity pro-am golf tournament in Asia. It is also the home of the Omega Mission Hills World Cup in November 2010. A magnificent addition to Hainan's tropical island paradise, Mission Hills  Hainan, is poised to become the island's premier sanctuary, attracting visitors from around the globe.

Getting There:  Mission Hills  Hainan is 15 minutes from Haikou Meilan International Airport (HAK). Flights from major cities throughout Asia -- including Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore -- are available on Air China (Star Alliance member), Asiana (Star Alliance member), China Eastern Airlines (SkyTeam Alliance member), China Southern Airlines (SkyTeam Alliance member), Hainan Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, KLM, Shanghai Airlines (Star Alliance member) and more.

Red Ledges Named Best in Utah by Best of State Awards

Red Ledges, a private golf and four-season recreational community located near Park City, was named Best Golf Course in Utah by Best of State Awards (www.bestofstate.org).

Red Ledges was the only golf course in the state to receive this recognition in 2010 by Best of State Awards. The Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course at Red Ledges features 18 holes, each with a stunning view of the Rocky Mountains. Jack Nicklaus, one of the globe’s preeminent designers and the man Golf Inc. Magazine has named “Most Powerful Person in Golf” for five straight years, designed the 7,653-yard course to incorporate and accentuate the existing landscape.

“Red Ledges should be proud of yet another significant recognition in their first year, and we continue to be proud of our association with them,” said Jack Nicklaus. “Utah has such a growing reputation as a four-season destination, with golf as one of the strong attractions. Because of that, the state has a wonderful collection of golf courses. For Red Ledges to be recognized and honored among all of them says a lot about the quality of the project and product.”

“We are honored to receive this recognition from Utah’s premier recognition and awards program,” said Todd Cates, Red Ledges vice president and project manager. “With our second golf season just open, it is very rewarding to be recognized for the work we’ve put into the course and its design. Red Ledges continues to receive the highest marks both locally, from this outstanding organization, and nationally.”

The Best of State awards were created to recognize excellence in our state and community. Red Ledges was the recipient of the Best of State title based on the outstanding course design by Jack Nicklaus and his phenomenal work integrating a mountain golf course with natural red sandstone landscaping. Other judging criteria included the use of innovative approaches and methods as well as a significant contribution to a better quality of life in Utah.

Red Ledges will introduce other world-class amenities down the road, including a Jim McLean Golf School, opening this summer, a nine-hole Nicklaus Design short course and a premier golf clubhouse.

About Red Ledges
Red Ledges is a premier private recreational mountain community in Heber Valley, Utah, which opened its 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course in July 2009. Golf Magazine named Red Ledges the No. 1 Best New Private Golf Course in 2009. Red Ledges will encompass approximately 1,200 homes across nearly 2,000 acres, and host such amenities as a Nicklaus Design nine-hole short course; a Jim McLean Golf School; a Cliff Drysdale Tennis Academy; a premier spa and fitness facility; an equestrian center with indoor and outdoor facilities; and more. For more information, visit www.redledges.com.

Red Ledges - 3 Courses in One

Traditionally, most golf courses will follow a cohesive, similar thematic look as a whole. The new Jack Nicklaus designed Red Ledges near Park City, Utah does perhaps have similar look to the golf holes individually, but I personally think its like 3 different courses from to to bottom, and here's why.

With red rock outcroppings, rolling grassy meadows, and rugged mountain topography, these 3 different settings for the holes at Red Ledges combine for quite an adventure of a course.

Starting with the first tee, perched atop a red rock cliff-top ledge, the opening hole features a towering tee shot to a well bunkerd fairway some 150 feet below, and opens the course with an thrill. As the front nine unfolds, the holes jump in and out of the rock outcroppings and flow wonderfully through gently rolling meadows and blowing wispy grasses. Perhaps the highlight of the front nine comes at the par 4 eighth, an demanding uphill  hole surrounded by red rock and plays to a large blind green set into the main red ledge at the center of the property.

The ninth hole is a strange but interesting hole from the traditional look of a par 3. First,  the green is blind from the tee and it also runs away from the player, which feels and looks weird. But after a couple plays, it works nicely, and its proves to be a  refreshingly different type of hole which I personally enjoy, a bit of a change from the norm in one shoters.

The back nine starts off in a blowing meadow before heading up into the mountains for a tough 4-hole stretch. These holes make or break the round, and require patience and accuracy just to navigate the playing corridors.This is the mountain portion of the course I am talking a about, and it really has a different look and feel to the holes, since there is no presence of any of the red rocks on the front nine. This stretch of round deciding holes are beautiful, but require patience and skill to complete with a good score.

After coming down off the mountain, the holes go back into rolling meadows, and perhaps the best holes on the course are the closing holes. Number 17 will be a classic match deciding hole, playing on a gently sweeping downhill slope, this hole tempts players to hit a big drive into a pinching, funneling fairway that's difficult to hit, from there a tough approach to another running away green guarded by a deep front bunker will prove who is the best player in your group.

The final hole at Red Ledges is a spectacular finishing hole, and is the defining hole of the entire course. A mid length par 4 playing back into the red rock, was gently placed into the native rolling topography, artfully framed by bright white sand bunkers. Its a beautiful hole, and you can check it out here in a small photo tour of hole #18 at Red Ledges.

Red Ledges Golf Club will be a favorite of Park City and the Heber Valley in the years to come, the location and the top notch golf are superb. Currently they offered a limited stay and play package though a Park City Hotel which included a luxury hotel room and golf. Take advantage in the spring if they still offer the deal!

Park City Golfer Now Blogging

15 courses whtin 30 minutes of each other...nice area for golf. Cool temperatures in the summer, and killer courses all close. Yes, a good portion are private, but there are ways to find yourself on the fairways of a private club. there a few great ones in Park City as well, Glenwild is a superb Tom Fazio layout, and one of my favorite golf courses to play. A wonderful walk, excellent holes and just the right amount of difficulty from the 7000 yard mark. A 8 handicap can have a nice time at that yardage and not get smoked by the difficulty of the course.