129
SUN VALLEY
White Clouds Nine
PAR 5 637 YARDS
Sun Valley, ID
208.622.2251
www.sunvalley.com/golf
When standing atop the White Clouds Nine at Sun Valley, your eye captures a stunning
360-degree view of the Wood River Valley, encompassing Bald Mountain, Dollar
Mountain, the Pioneer Mountains, Angel's Perch, Devil's Bedstead, and the home of
Ernest Hemingway. Approaching the fifth tee box, golfers first notice the words of the
Sun Valley Resort owner inscribed on a stone marker: "This is not all about golf."
White Clouds—a nine-hole addition to the Sun Valley Resort golf scene that opened in
2008—reaches dramatically from one plateau to another; nine holes with breathtaking
views and memorable shots. It is links-style golf because it has few trees and lots of
bunkers, and is as fun as it is difficult, as fascinating as it is frustrating.
The course begins its ascent on the second hole with a par 3 hanging over the gorge,
and then a short par 4 that has as much risk as there is reward. Then comes the first
of back-to-back par 5s, climaxed with the fiendish fifth that is generally best managed
rather than conquered. First of all, it can play more than 600 yards. At this point and
at that altitude, you might think you need a sherpa rather than a golf cart. The tee shot
should avoid anything left, as should the second shot; if hit right and long enough it
will funnel down toward a green that is a reverse tier and slopes from front to back.
As memorable as the hole is, the location and especially the views are what you really
remember—just as the owner, the late R. Earl Holding, hoped you would when he
added that plaque.
5
Photographs courtesy of Sun Valley
