Teton Pines Golf Course

The verdict

Teton Pines is the polished resort foil to the wide-open scenery elsewhere in Jackson Hole, an Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay design that opened in 1987 and has anchored the upscale Wilson side of the valley ever since. Where the valley's original course leans on space, Teton Pines leans on water: streams, ponds and wetlands run through the property, so the round is a constant negotiation with hazards, all of it framed by the Tetons rising to the north.

It plays to a par 72 of about 7,412 yards at roughly 6,200 feet, a genuinely strong test from the back tees that softens nicely from the forward sets. Operating as a resort and country club, it welcomes visiting golfers in season, which makes it an easy and rewarding pairing with the rest of a Jackson Hole golf trip. For a player who enjoys shot-making around water with a mountain backdrop, it is one of the most satisfying rounds in Wyoming.

The holes worth the trip

Palmer and Seay used the natural water table of the valley to give Teton Pines its identity. The course was shaped with a Scottish, links-influenced feel: low-profile mounding, fescue-framed corridors and water everywhere, on most holes either crossing the line of play or hugging a fairway edge. The strategy is constant, asking a player to choose lines and commit, with the penalty for a loose shot usually wet.

At altitude the ball carries, but the water and the firm greens demand precise distance control rather than raw length, so a thoughtful round beats a long one. The par 3s are particularly well drawn, several of them all-carry over water, and the closing stretch tightens the screw when a card is on the line. It is a course that rewards course management and punishes the careless.

Conditioning is to a high resort standard through the short mountain summer, the practice range and clubhouse are excellent, and the setting at Wilson, tucked under the Tetons on the quieter west side of the valley, is as pretty as golf in the region gets. In winter the fairways become a Nordic ski track, a fitting touch for a course that already plays like a slice of Scotland dropped into the Rockies.

Where to stay nearby

Teton Village, with its ski-resort hotels, lodges and rentals running all summer, sits just up the road from Teton Pines and makes a natural base, close to the course and the gondola for the non-golf days. The town of Jackson, a short drive east, adds boutique hotels, dining and easy access to Grand Teton and Yellowstone.

For a Jackson Hole golf trip, Teton Pines pairs naturally with the valley's original course at Jackson Hole Golf and Tennis Club, the two giving very different rounds within a few miles of each other. It suits a group that enjoys strategic, water-driven golf and wants a refined resort base under the Tetons.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Teton Village and Jackson.