Sun Valley Resort Golf Course, Sun Valley, Idaho - A Grand Old Resort Golf Course

At one point, Golf Digest rated the 18-hole Trail Creek Golf Course at Sun Valley Resort as the No. 1 course in Idaho, and continues to rate it among the 100 Best Golf Courses in the United States. New Idaho courses, such as Circling Raven and Osprey Meadows provide competition for that state title, but the Trail Creek Golf Course is still a grand old resort course, and a graceful, rugged and stunning place to play.

Golf-course designer Robert Trent Jones, Jr. updated the original Sun Valley course in the late 1970s, making use of the beautiful creek-side land at the bottom of the ski slopes. Jones then completed his redesign in 1980, incorporating a full complement of carries over Trail Creek - seven times on the front nine alone - and intimidating bunkers to the mix.

The result is the Trail Creek Course, a par-72 layout that plays to 6,892 yards from the tips, and features narrow fairways, lakes and mature pine trees. The course is said to have "18 signature holes,'' which is a tribute to its beauty and challenge. The course has a USGA rating is 72.5 with a slope rating of 141 at its longest.

In 2008, Sun Valley Resort added nine new holes called the White Clouds Course, and plans are in the works for another nine. The White Clouds Course is a links-style design that reaches dramatically into the mountains, from one plateau to another. There are few trees, but numerous bunkers to add to the challenge.

The White Clouds nine plays to 3,600 yards from the longest tees, and has been given a USGA rating of 76.6 and a slope rating of 143. For women, the ratings are even tougher at 80.6 and 146 respectively.

Practice facilities at Sun Valley Resort include a 12-acre driving range with 52,000 square feet of teeing area and four green and bunker target areas. There's also a 20,000-square-foot pitching, chipping and bunker practice area, a 6,300-square-foot putting green, as well as the Sawtooths Putting Course - an 18-hole practice putting course. Lessons are also available from the Sun Valley Resort staff of PGA teaching professionals.

Along with the new nine-hole White Clouds Course, the resort unveiled a new, 58,000-square-foot clubhouse in 2008 that serves both golf courses and doubles as a Nordic ski center in the winter. The clubhouse features a number of amenities, including a pro shop, indoor driving range and restaurant.

As a bit of history, Sun Valley was the first ski resort in America, opening in 1936, and is said to be where the chairlift was invented. One still remains near the back nine of the Trail Creek Golf Course as a monument to the resort's history.

In addition to golf, the resort offers a tennis center with 17 courts, three swimming pools, two fitness centers, along with activities such hiking and biking on 28 miles of trails, fishing and rafting. There's also an ice rink that's open year-round, and the resort ranks as one of the best for winter skiing.