Perhaps the worst thing about playing golf at Murray Parkway Golf Course is making it to the tee on time. Although it is situated right in the middle of the Salt Lake Valley, right off the new I-215 beltway, it can be frustrating to find the clubhouse if you haven't been there a few times.
Just remember, the least complicated way to approach it is from the south. The key is to get on 64th South, go to Riverside Dr. (approximately 1200 West), head a block north and you're there (6345 Riverside Drive).Once you make it, you'll be in for a pleasant experience. Murray Parkway isn't at all pretentious. There's none of those extra-fancy holes that only the profesionals and scratch golfers can handle. Yet it's a good test for the average golfer (nearly 6400 yards from the whites) with some interesting, but not overbearing, holes.
Ever since it was built in 1985 on some farmland acquired by Murray City, it has been successful in nearly every way. The course is one of the busiest in the valley, with 110,000 9-hole rounds played last year. According to assistant pro Chris Jones, there are several reasons for that.
"It's a good location, people enjoy playing the course and they get around faster," said Jones.
According to Jones, the average nine-hole round during the week takes about two hours, even with constant tee times and foursomes in every group. One of my partners the day I recently played claimed it was more like two and a half hours per nine. But even though we waited on nearly every hole, I was surprised to see it took us just two hours and five minutes to complete nine holes.
Murray is still in its infant stages, as evidenced by all the small trees dotting the course. Because the trees are so small, sometimes it's difficult to get a good definition of where to hit, if you've never played there before. Also, without big trees to catch errant shots, you have to be careful on certain holes of the traffic coming the other way. You're liable to get a Titleist in your face if you're not on your toes.
The course features a good variety of holes, but not really a lot of standout holes. No. 1 is a nice starter, doglegging right, around one of three large lakes on the course. At No. 8, the green has water on three sides, but at 387 yards, it's short enough you should be able to avoid going in the drink.
The last three holes might be the best trio on the course. No. 16 is a short dogleg left that tempts the golfer to cut the corner over three large bunkers. If you avoid those, it's not difficult. No. 17 is a tough par-3, measuring 204 yards from the whites. If there's a north wind, lots of luck in hitting the green. No. 18 parallels the Jordan River and has a hidden (from the tee) creek running across the fairway. The creek keeps a lot of drivers in the bags, but if you can get your drive past the creek, it becomes birdie material.
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Murray Parkway Golf Course
Location: 6345 Riverside Drive, Murray
Head Professional: Gary Healy
Designer/Yr. Opened: Robert Muir Graves, 1985
Cost: $6/$12, $7/$14 carts, $1/$2/$3 Range
Reservations: 262-4653, Mon for Tue-Wed, Wed for Thu-Fri, Thu for Sat-Sun-Mon
Easiest time to get on: Monday or Tuesday, Early afternoons
Course record: Lynn Landgren 61,1987