Utah Golf & Travel Magazine | October 2021 by Northwest Golf and Travel

ISSUE #7 - OCTOBER 2021

VISIT COSTA RICA

PUBLISHING

Co-Publisher Cody Law Co-Publisher Jason Baum

Art & Editorial

Editor Cody Law Editorial Jason Baum Creative Art Director Josh Miller

Sales, Marketing, and Advertising Seasons Marketing Citywide Golf Inc.

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PUBLISHERS’ PEN

It feels a little bitter sweet with today’s issue being the last for 2021. This past month we have been reflecting on what an incredible experience we have had working on the magazine over the past year. We are very grateful for the support from our sponsor’s and advertisers. We have thoroughly enjoyed researching new destinations, working on articles and golfing alongside some of our loyal subscribers at their favorite courses. Hands down the best part of the magazine has been the overwhelming positive response from you, our reader. From the incredible response we received when we asked you to nominate your favorite Utah Hidden Gem Courses in Issue 3, to the awesome support you have shown each month, to our advertisers. We would like to thank all of you. We are already working on great new ideas for the 2022 Issues of the Utah Golf & Travel Magazine and are looking forward to another great year of newsworthy articles, information and deals on everything golf and travel!

Cody Law Co-Publisher

Jason Baum Co-Publisher

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Costa Rica is Open For Business By Cody Law

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Our staff was recently invited to participate in a golf trip to Costa Rica. With some apprehension, we made travel arrangements to visit this new relatively unknown golf destination during the middle of the current pandemic. Travel requirements for foreigners to visit Costa Rica are relatively simple. As with most other countries accepting tourists, you must show proof of Covid vaccination when you land at the airport before you even step outside. The only other difference in travel arrangements had to do with our return flight to the U.S. Before boarding the airplane to come back home we had to show proof of a negative Covid test within 72 hours before our flight departed. Other than that, the travel was pretty smooth sailing. Rather than fly to San Jose, Costa Rica and then rent a car and drive the five to six hours to the Pacific side of the country, we elected to pay a little more for flights into Liberia Airport. The resorts and courses we visited

were all within an hour’s drive from that airport. The majority of our nights were spent at the beautiful RIU Palace Resort. It is an allinclusive resort that sits right in the middle of a majestic cove of the Pacific Ocean. During our time at the resort, we felt like we had the place to ourselves. We learned many of the staff’s names and even found other locals and foreigners who were vacationing there to be very friendly as we bumped into them very frequently. Our experience at the RIU resort was very comparable to that of vacationing on your favorite cruise line. There was always a restaurant open with a variety of food selections, and every corner we turned around we found a bar that was open and ready to serve us. It got to the point that the bartenders quickly learned what our favorite drinks were and they were already making them as we walked up. Try the virgin Mojito and also the virgin Copa Cabana. You won’t leave disappointed.

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Now to the golf. Our first experience playing golf felt like we were playing on a different planet. We visited the Vista Ridge Golf & Country Club. We only had enough time to play the front nine, but it was one to remember.

Dany was very upfront with us as he admitted that the course conditions were subpar. However, he understands very clearly that not every course can be tour conditions and attract the one-percenters of the world. He spoke of how most people who come to play his course usually end up shooting their handicap. In our case, he was spot on.

The front nine plays around and on the side of a tree-covered hill. Each hole has different directional and elevation changes to challenge even the most experienced golfer. Choosing the right set of tee boxes and knowing what clubs to play will make finding each fairway a breeze. However, the most challenging part of this entire golf club is hitting the greens. Each green, on average, is only about 30 feet wide by 30 feet deep. On top of that, they are all elevated and closely protected by bunkers that like to swallow golf balls. The only saving grace is that the grounds crew keeps the greens slow enough so if you do hit the green you have a chance at scoring well. After our round we sat down with the Director of Golf, Dany Angulo, to talk about the golf club, its history, and future plans.

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The golf course was originally developed in the early 2000s with the goal to develop a golf course and sell real estate surrounding the property. One thing that was most impressive is that the original developer bought the raw land and decided to design and build the golf holes based on the contours of the natural setting. Because of this, there are massive rainforest trees that drape the sides of each hole.

smaller events throughout the year. On top of that, just a little over a year ago Troon Golf took over management of the golf facility. The experience you have as you drive up to the course is true to the Troon Golf experience. There were people waiting to take our clubs

Due to the economic downturn in 2008, and now the worldwide pandemic, all development on the property has come to a screeching halt. However, we were most impressed with the vision and ambition that the owner had to take on such a project. The day that we played there, we were two of just a handful of guests who played the course. Dan explained that most of Costa Rica’s economy is supported by tourism. Due to the fear of traveling, the average day of golf on the course is between 10-20 guests. We weren’t complaining as that gave us plenty of time to play and take photos of the course. The busy season in Costa Rica is between January and May when most traveling golf tourists will visit the country to stay and play. The average round of golf at the Vista Ridge Golf & Country club will only set you back around $70-80. During the rainy season, when we were there, the rates are about half of that. Playing Vista Ridge as our first round of golf was a great way to ease into golf in the jungle. Our next round of golf took us further south to the Reserva Conchal Golf Club. This course is part of the luxurious Westin Resort that also sits right on the Pacific Ocean. The Reserva Conchal is a very well manicured course that weaves back and forth through the jungle. The course played home to the PGA TOUR Latinoamerica Essential Costa Rica Classic tournament and also hosts other

and offer us help with directions to the pro shop. Check-in was seamless and we were on the first tee box within 10 minutes of our arrival. It was hard to concentrate on our golf game as we stopped to take photos between each shot of the amazing wildlife and fascinating trees. We were never able to get used to all the different sounds coming from the thick jungle just a few yards from each fairway. As far as playability for this course, it was a much different story than the course from our first day. Tee boxes and greens were very

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well-manicured, and most fairways were wide enough that even amateur golfers could find them. The challenge for this day was the more traditional challenges of golf. Club selection and putting became the focus for our rounds. The average round of golf at this course is between $135-$160 depending on the time of year. However, they do offer special rates for guests who stay at the resort. Following our round, we met the director of golf, Carlos Rojas Soto. He shared with us a rather inspiring story of how Reserva Conchal came to be. In the early 1900s, two brothers started a business with just one cooler on the beach selling ice to tourists. They eventually grew that business into Costa Rica’s largest beverage company. The international brand name of the company is FIFCO. Look them up, they have products all over the world now.

course have been a draw for tourists from all over the globe. The overall experience in Costa Rica was fantastic. If you stay and play at the resorts, there is almost no language barrier. On top of that, the American dollar is accepted anywhere. With more and more travel restrictions being lifted and the cost of travel going down, now is the time to plan a trip to Costa Rica. Before we landed back home, we were already looking at our calendars to see when we could return. For More Information about visiting these properties, visit: Riu Costa Rica Vista Ridge Golf & Country Club

From there, they had the foresight of seeing the future tourism market, so they bought the land necessary to build the resort and golf course. Since then, the upscale resort and

Reserva Conchal

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Playing Golf on The Moon

By Jason Baum Since opening for play in 2010, Conestoga Golf Club in Mesquite, Nevada has continually been a must-play golf course year after year for golfers from around the globe. Nestled in the hills and arroyos on the northwest side of the golf mecca town of Mesquite, the Gary Panks layout was strategically designed to leave golfers wanting for more after just one round. The course opened during the first phase of construction

for the Del Webb master-planned retirement community. True to Del Webb’s model of “if you build it, they will come,” the course was built first and home sales quickly skyrocketed shortly thereafter. Fast forward to 2021, Del Webb no longer owns the golf course but is now in phase five of home sales with no signs of slowing down. In 2018 Del Webb reached its quota of home sales enough to move on to their next phase of development which involves divesting ownership of golf course assets.

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Enter, Mark Whetzel of Vanguard Golf Management. As Director of Golf and CEO of Vanguard Golf, Mark Whetzel has been involved with numerous golf course projects all over the state of Utah and Nevada. Originally based out of Lehi, Utah at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, Vanguard Golf was highly sought after by many notable golf course properties throughout the southwestern United States. During his tenure at Thanksgiving Point, Whetzel was able to solidify his golf course as the corporate tournament capital in all of northern Utah. For many years Mark was able to keep Thanksgiving Point Golf Club as the place to hold corporate outings by averaging two tournaments per day during the summer months and also average about 60,000 rounds of golf per year. Those are pretty impressive numbers for a property that has to close down during the winter months. During the early to late 2000’s, Mark was hired to help launch quite a few other properties in southern Utah and Nevada all while the rest of the nation was going through the great recession. Those courses he either owned, managed, or consulted for came out of the recession with record breaking revenues and rounds. It must have been during his time down south that he got the taste of what managing and owning a high end tourist driven golf course was all about. When Conestoga Golf Club went on the market in 2018, he didn’t hesitate to put together the right partnerships to purchase the golf course. Now, flying under the banner of the company’s new name of Par 3 LLC, Whetzel continues to experience success at a higher level in the game of golf. Since taking the helm at Conestoga, the number of rounds have continued to increase year after year. One of the first management decisions that was made after taking ownership was to figure out how to cater to the local golfer. “We have a very unique property here at Conestoga Golf Club. It was designed and built with the high paying tourist golfer in mind who would possibly play the course once or twice a year,” says Whetzel. “In order to not only break even, but to succeed, with this type of golf course, I needed to figure out how to appeal to local golfers in Mesquite and the surrounding communities because they are the lifeblood of this golf course during the off and shoulder seasons.” Because of Mark’s many years of experience working in the different markets, he quickly aligned and joined partnerships with co-ops and associations that would not only help sustain the golf course, but make it very profitable. And the efforts have not gone unnoticed. Conestoga has received many accolades from local and national organizations year after year.

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Awards and AccoladeS #1 - Best Golf Course in Mesquite 2019 Chamber of Commerce #5 - Golfweek Top 5 in Nevada, 2013 #7 - Best Public Golf Course in Nevada, Golf Magazine, 2014 #9 - Best Course You Can Play in Nevada, Golfweek, 2016 “It’s like playing golf on the moon, but with full gravity.” - Gary Van Sickle, Sports Illustrated “For solid value and spectacular scenery, you’ll definitely want to ride this wagon.” - Travelin’ Joe Passov, Golf Magazine

As Covid continues to fade and more people are feeling safe to begin traveling again for golf, Conestoga will quench the golfer’s itch to get out and play. As the quote states above, many other people have stated that they truly feel like playing Conestoga must be what it feels like to play golf on the moon. The beauty of green fairways winding through desert hills and valleys will have you reach for every club in your bag. That’s all before you even get to hole six. As the weather in Utah begins to cool down and the courses slowly start to go dormant, just remember that Conestoga Golf Club with its lush fairways and pure greens is just a short drive away. To learn more about Conestoga Golf Club or to book a tee time visit: ConestogaGolf.com

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Making Golf Accessible For All By Heather Law If you were to ask this question to Ben Hulin, who is our primary resource for this next story, his answer would depend on the equipment necessary for everyone to be able to golf.

Christian School. These past 8 years, Ben has taught PE to students K-12, taught Health to 8th and 10th-grade students, and coached middle school and high school basketball.

Ben is a transplant to Utah. Eleven years ago, Ben moved to Utah when he took a job at the National Ability Center in Park City, UT. The National Ability Center specializes in working with individuals with different types of disabilities. While at the National Ability Center, Ben worked as an adaptive ski instructor, adaptive bike instructor, and community outreach coordinator.

Not surprisingly, Ben says his most memorable lessons have been when he has taught his students wheelchair basketball, and adaptive hockey, and skiing through a program he helped implement with another teacher. Ben gives his students opportunities to learn new sports as they engage in hands-on learning where they try different sports in his Physical Education classroom. Given the proximity to local slopes, he even gets the opportunity to ski with his students on half-day Fridays.

After working at the National Ability Center for four years, Ben transitioned into classroom teaching when he took a job teaching Physical Education and Health at Intermountain

Until now you may have a mental picture of Ben as a normal teacher who uses his legs,

Ben playing his first round of golf since being hurt 15 years ago.

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—Ben has not let his injury slow him down

runs around, and participates in everything his students do. You would be partially right because Ben does participate in everything his students do, but he sits down and uses specialized adaptive equipment to participate.

spent the next couple of months in inpatient and outpatient therapy settings where he learned to accomplish everyday activities in a new way, learned how to drive again, and how to continue participating in sports.

As we talk, Ben sits in his everyday wheelchair and shares about the accident that now requires him to use a wheelchair. Ben was injured in the fall of 2006 in a nofault motorcycle accident. He says his story is simple. He was riding his motorcycle in Indiana with his then-girlfriend who he was visiting for the weekend. They went around an unfamiliar turn and instead of following the curve, Ben went straight, and they crashed the motorcycle into a cornfield. At that moment, Ben sustained a chest level spinal cord injury and lost his ability to walk. Ben

Before the accident, Ben was very involved in soccer, basketball, and golf. After the accident, opportunities were presented for him to learn about adaptive sports! This gave Ben a new drive and determination to get back to the sports he enjoyed before his accident. Five months after getting hurt, Ben was back to work and training for his first halfmarathon in his racing chair. As we talk about different adaptive equipment, it becomes clear that Ben has not let his injury slow him down. Ben uses his everyday wheelchair to do everything he needs to do throughout

Ben uses the Paragolfer to find his next shot.

Ben on the putting green. The Paragolfer is designed to not affect the greens.

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—Ben uses different wheelchairs to participate in different adapted sports. the day. He has a basketball chair, a monoski to ski, and other equipment that help him participate in most everyday activities with his students at school and in extracurricular activities. When I asked Ben about his different wheelchairs, he said it is like an ablebodied individual getting different shoes for different sports. You would never use your soccer cleats on the golf course. Instead, you would purchase golf shoes. In the same way, Ben uses different wheelchairs to participate in different adapted sports. Prior to his injury, participation in sports was a big part of Ben’s life. After his injury, he found new ways to play most of these sports, including basketball, distance running, biking, and skiing. But not golf. Golf was one of the first sports that Ben’s dad taught him as a young boy. His paternal grandfather, also an avid golfer, gifted him a set of junior clubs when he was in elementary school so that he would have decent equipment to learn the game. If Ben’s dad couldn’t take him to the local golf course, he would strap his golf bag to his back and ride his bike to the golf course. His dad would meet him there and they would finish the course together. That’s determination.

Ben’s fondness for golf continued into high school where he competed for several summers in a Junior Golf Tour sponsored by the large golf clubs in his hometown. Participants were required to be at the golf course by 6:00 am to get the earliest t-times before the golf courses got busy.

Ben’s competitive spirit with his dad and brothers, Cason and Tanner, was always evident. On many summer nights, as soon as dinner was over, the guys would rush out the door to get nine holes in at a local Par 3 course before it got dark. Yearly church golf tournaments were also a summer highlight. Building memories of golfing with family and friends during college and after graduation was important to Ben. However, in the fifteen years since his injury, Ben has had the desire to golf again but hasn’t had the ability to do so. However, four months ago, Ben’s desire was finally fulfilled during a recent family vacation. A local nonprofit provided a ParaGolfer for Ben’s use during his stay in South Carolina. As a result, Ben, his dad, and brothers were able to golf 18 holes at a regular golf course! The ParaGolfer gave him the freedom to navigate the course effortlessly. After such an extraordinary experience, Ben

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Ben with his wife Christa getting ready to compete in a Grandma’s Marathon in Minnesota

started on a quest to get his own ParaGolfer, not only to use personally but also to use as a teaching tool. A tool that he can use as he instructs others, in addition to sharing with other adaptive athletes so they can reexperience golf after an injury or illness. This equipment would dramatically affect Ben’s lifestyle. Not only would the ParaGolfer allow him to golf at any golf course, but it would also give him the freedom to navigate other places where there is difficult terrain (parks, fairs, gravel parking lots, sandy areas, etc.). The ParaGolfer would also be a gamechanger allowing Ben to stand to teach in the classroom, court, or field. Ben showed me a picture taken this summer when he was using the ParaGolfer as he hit golf balls at targets with his 6-year-old nephew.

They had so much fun together as Ben gave instruction and his nephew experienced a new sport. I know Ben’s desire is to have this equipment so he can once again golf with his dad, brothers, and friends; but I also know that he wants to use it as a teaching tool. He would love more opportunities to teach golf to his nephew, and others, on a regular basis. Would you consider investing in making Ben’s dream a reality? If you would like to contribute to this story of making golf accessible to all, please go to the QR code and contribute to this adaptive equipment that would make golf accessible to Ben again. I told you that Ben was on a quest: in a little over a month, he has raised over $6000! But that’s a long way off from the additional $26,000 needed to purchase a U ta h Go l f & Travel

Ben hits at TopGolf in Salt Lake City, UT. He says he can hit the white markers from the third floor but is looking forward to standing up and hitting the ball again.

ParaGolfer. If you know of individuals, groups, organizations, and businesses that would contribute to this vision, pass along this story of making golf accessible to all. Ben has raised over $6000.00 in a little over a month and is looking for big and

small donations from individuals, groups, organizations, or businesses that have a passion and a desire to see golf grow. His end goal is $32,350. Thank you for your consideration to make this golf equipment a reality.

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