PARK CITY, Utah — New golf courses are usually a big deal for the communities they’re built in, especially when a new course features the most recognized person in the sport.

“Tiger Woods, as you know, is one of the biggest names in golf, and we felt really lucky he chose Utah,” Cody Winterton said.

Winterton is the president of Raintree Investment Corporation, which has plans to include the new golf course in its Marcella Club near Heber City and Park City.

The course will be the first mountain course designed by Woods, as well as the first in Utah with his name on it.

“He was excited to come to Utah for two reasons,” Winterton said. “First of all, the mountain setting, the opportunity to design a mountain course, but the views that are going to be part of this course are spectacular.”

A new golf course was announced this morning near Park City that will be designed by Tiger Woods. Lots of people who heard the news are wondering about the water. 99% of Utah is in severe drought. We're doing a story on this for @KSL5TV in our 10:00 newscast tonight. #ksltv pic.twitter.com/zasSIQ72PR

— Alex Cabrero (@KSL_AlexCabrero) February 8, 2023

It’s just a snow-filled mountain ridge now near the Mayflower area. Plans are for the Tiger Woods course to open in 2025 and a second golf course not tied to Woods in 2027.

Of course, golf courses require a lot of water. More than 99% of Utah is in extreme drought.

“The drought is real. In the west, we all have to be focused on it,” Winterton said. “We’re very focused on it, and I think it’s just thinking about how we do it differently, using technology and being more responsible.”

Even with water-efficient technology, Winterton said it is still too early in the planning stages to know how much water the new course will require.

Rep. Douglas Welton, a Payson Republican, introduced a bill this legislative session trying to make all golf courses in the state disclose how much water they use. He said it’s an attempt to get golf courses to be even more water efficient.

“We can’t improve what we don’t measure,” Welton said. “If they don’t have information and they don’t have data, we can’t improve and save water when we’re asking our residents to save water and our higher education to save water.”

Welton said he has heard from his constituents asking why golf courses are green when their lawns are brown and yellow.

“Some golf courses are using purple water from their sewer treatment plants. Some have their own lakes that they’re using. Some of it is culinary water,” he said. “So there is a lot of information we don’t have and it is complex, but we have to start by having data.”

HB188 was written to provide more transparency and accountability due to Utah’s drought conditions. The bill was motioned to be adjourned, but Welton said he and other legislators are working on new language that could allow for a similar bill to pass.

“We are reworking the bill. The committee didn’t like the bill, so we are going to re-examine it,” Welton said. “What we’re going to try and do is have Utah State University do a three-year study. We’re going to have them look at the water and look at the data, look at surrounding states and area, and then we’ll make some suggestions for water optimization.”

In an effort to save water, Winterton noted homesites will be required to have smaller lawns.

“Rather than have big, expansive yards like you see in a lot of developments, for us having smaller yards, what we do is we focus on the recreational opportunities and big park and golf courses and people can come there to utilize the grass and the space,” Winterton said. “They don’t need to have it in their backyards.”