Park City Golf Club Nordic Season: Passes and Snowmaking
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
"We've treated it as an enterprise fund, but clearly we're giving it now a massive general fund subsidy, so we didn't really operate it as an enterprise fund." Park City Mayor Ryan Dickey said that at the council's September 17 work session. The topic was the city-owned Park City Golf Club off Thaynes Canyon Drive.
On paper it was a golf conversation about irrigation, greens, tee boxes and who pays for them. But the same fairways carry White Pine Touring's Nordic trails from first snow to spring. The council's choices about the pipes underground will help decide whether those trails can stay open through a dry winter. That makes this October's switch from golf to snow different from past years.
The fall switch runs on a few fixed dates:
There's one 84060 detail to know before Oct. 9. Local passes can't be bought online. They have to be bought in person at Bonanza Drive with a valid Utah driver's license or state ID. White Pine has not announced an opening date for the 2026–27 trails, and snow will set it.
Each winter White Pine Touring grooms more than 20 kilometers of Nordic terrain on the golf course and around McPolin Farm. Park City Municipal contracts the work under a concession agreement. That agreement covers hours, plowing and grooming on both the course and the McPolin Barn area.
The 2025–26 season ended early. The Park Record reported in March that warm temperatures closed the Nordic Center after 38 open trail days. The season before had roughly 130. That is about a quarter of a normal-looking season on the same terrain, one year apart. It describes one winter, not a forecast for this one. It still explains why snowmaking came up in a golf meeting.
Around the time the Nordic season ended, Golf Manager Vaughn Robinson told KPCW that the city was looking into whether water lines for snowmaking on part of the course were feasible. White Pine Touring has since asked whether snowmaking infrastructure could go in during golf construction.
The course's irrigation system is more than 30 years old. Replacing it is the top priority in the city's draft long-range plan. Golf course architects Beddo & Boyden helped write the plan. The city calls it a long-range planning tool, not a final design or construction plan.
On September 17, Robinson, Dawn Wagner of the Golf Department and David Boyden of Beddo & Boyden presented the draft. Its scope covered irrigation, greens, tee complexes, bunkers, drainage, cart paths, bigger practice facilities and water-conscious landscaping. Winter Nordic operations would continue.
The costs, as reported:
| Line item | Estimated cost |
|---|---|
| Irrigation replacement alone | About $5.4 million |
| Full improvement package | About $15 million |
| Separate snowmaking water lines for Nordic | About $3 million |
The first two figures come from KPCW's September 21 coverage. Robinson gave the snowmaking estimate when Councilmember Ed Parigian asked about it during the session. The staff report put the full package about $8 million beyond the capital program at the time.
The snowmaking estimate is more than half the cost of the irrigation work. It would also need its own pipe. City Manager Adam Lenhard told KPCW before the meeting that irrigation and snowmaking would need separate systems. He added that some of the trenching and infrastructure might be shared. Shared trenching is the link between the two projects. Snowmaking pipe is cheapest to lay while the fairways are already open for irrigation work, so its fate depends on the golf construction schedule.
The September 17 session was a work session, and the council took no vote. Staff asked two things. Did the council support the improvement scope, and should any of the money come from outside the Golf Enterprise Fund? KPCW reported that the council was hesitant to go ahead with the broader upgrades.
Councilmember Bill Ciraco wants the course to bring in more from pro shop sales and lessons. "It would be helpful if we could point to say, 'Hey, this is going to generate an extra $300,000 a year,' or 350, or 400, or 250, whatever the number is," he said. KPCW reported that the rest of the council agreed. According to the draft minutes, Budget Director Todd Darrington said he could start working on those numbers. Councilmember Molly Miller asked for a plan to self-fund major maintenance and future improvements.
Ciraco also named the tension built into the course. Council wants it to support itself and also stay affordable for residents. Residents pay $72 for 18 holes, and non-residents pay $122. The council is asking golf revenue to justify a bigger project. If that revenue case falls short, the scope gets smaller, and snowmaking is an optional item in a shrinking scope.
Snowmaking does have support. Miller and Councilmember Tana Toly both said they wanted it included among the possible upgrades. Nobody approved it. The 2026 reporting and council record don't name a water source for it.
Staff laid out a sequence that depends on council direction. None of it is adopted.
Staff recommended two construction seasons, with half the course playable each summer. Boyden said the work could be done in one year but preferred the two-season approach. If that schedule held, this winter and next would run on the current setup. The course would be dug up during the summers of 2028 and 2029. Any snowmaking pipe would have to go into the ground in those summers to share the trenching.
The schedule only holds if the council moves ahead in October. KPCW reported that the council will discuss golf course improvements again later this year. The September 17 minutes are still marked draft, so the detailed discussion record could change before the council adopts it. The city's draft master plan document is on the Park City Golf Club page. Wagner is listed there as the contact for questions.
For now, the near-term dates are fixed. Nordic passes go on pickup at Bonanza Drive on Oct. 9, off-season golf rates start after Oct. 15, and pre-season Nordic pricing ends before Nov. 1. Whether this switch looks the same in 2029 depends on the council's budget decision later this year.
If you own near the Park City Golf Club and want to know how a two-summer construction plan or added snowmaking could affect how a Park Meadows home gets used and valued, Sarah Elder is following the council's next session and is glad to go through it with you. Let's Connect.
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