By Scott Dunford and Dallin Koecher
Summertime is family time, and family time is vacation time, which can make planning a golf getaway a tough sell. In Heber Valley, however, your family time, vacation time, and golf time can all be enjoyed in one amazing trip.
Heber Valley is an alpine oasis just 15 minutes from Park City and just over 4 hours from St. George. It offers fresh, cool mountain air; ample family-friendly activities; and 90 holes of golf among five of the top mountain golf courses in Utah. This is by far my choice for the best beat-the-heat, guilt-free golf destination this side of Ireland. When it’s well over 100 degrees here in Southern Utah and Mesquite, Nevada, it averages around the 80-degree mark in Heber Valley. In fact, even during the hottest days of summer it rarely gets above 91! It’s the perfect place to escape our summer heat in July, August, and September.
There’s no need to ever feel guilty if you’re in need of a golf fix. Bring the whole family, because there is so much for them to do, too! If your wife doesn’t play golf, she and the kids can be out having the time of their life on a scenic ride onboard the Heber Valley Railroad, enjoying an Old West gunfight with bandits who frequent the railroad. Join up after golf for an ATV ride through the dense pine forests nearby. Or soar across the longest overwater zipline in the United States. Finally, enjoy a nice mineral soak inside a 10,000-year-old geothermal hot spring at the Homestead Crater.
Where to stay
You’ll want to stay at the Zermatt Resort in the Swiss-inspired town of Midway. Many couples enjoy a tranquil massage for two at their spa. The Zermatt has a wonderful Swiss bakery, the Wildfire Smokehaus, and fine dining at Z’s Steak & Chop Haus, all within a few steps from your room. This high-end luxury resort offers single rooms, junior suites, and 1–3-bedroom villas. Relax by their indoor/outdoor heated pool and hot tub, complete with a two-story waterfall. You can even indulge the kids or your inner kid on the hand-crafted carousel, right on the property. 
Work out in their fitness center, focused on a regimen of wellness methodology complemented by a full spa experience. Relax in their warm ponds and co-ed steam and dry sauna rooms. If it’s business mixed with pleasure, Zermatt also has over 65,000 square feet of meeting and conference space, team-building venues, and golf outing packages that will make any conference a huge success.
Where to play golf
With an elevation soaring over 6,000 feet, not only will you be treated to amazing views and vistas but you can feel like a long-drive champion as your ball flies through the mountain air at five amazing golf courses. My favorites are Wasatch Mountain and Soldier Hollow. 
Both have two championship 18-hole golf courses to test your skills as a golfer and photographer! The views are simply incredible! These four golf courses offer the very best of mountain golf. Expect to see deer grazing on the fairways and a wide variety of wildlife, including wild turkeys. Everyone who plays Wasatch and Soldier Hollow can not believe that they are both owned and managed by the State of Utah. They’re more like high-end resort-style courses, thanks to manicured greens and a healthy dose of sensual sights and sounds from nature’s best.
Soldier Hollow received Golf Week’s “Best Courses You Can Play” award shortly after opening in July of 2004.
So get on their websites and plan a guilt-free trip this summer in Heber Valley. Not only will you beat the summer heat but you’ll want to make this a pilgrimage every summer with your golf buddies, family, or romantic partner. For more information, go to GolfHeberValley.com, SoldierHollowGolf.com, WasatchGolfCourse.com, and ZermattResort.com. See ya on the links.
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