Promontory: A Guide for Visiting Members and Guests
An insider's tour of the club we've called home since opening day — Pete Dye vs Nicklaus, the Outpost, the Beach Club, and the rules nobody tells guests.
Mark and I have been Promontory members since the year they opened. He helped develop a chunk of it, which means I've watched this club grow from dirt roads and survey stakes into the 7,000-acre operation it is today. So when friends ask me to write the "insider's guide" to Promontory, I half want to say no — because part of what makes Promontory work is that it doesn't broadcast. But there's a version of this post that's actually useful for visiting members, reciprocal guests, and the friends-of-members who don't want to walk in cold. So here we go.
This is not a sales brochure. This is what I'd tell my Notre Dame roommate if she called me from the Salt Lake airport.
The Two Courses
Promontory has two championship courses and they are intentionally very different.
The Pete Dye Canyon Course is the one with teeth. Narrow corridors, forced carries, and that classic Pete Dye habit of making you stare at the trouble before you swing. Members refer to it as "the Dye" — never "Pete Dye Canyon" out loud, that's a giveaway you're new. It's the round I take my serious-golfer guests to.
The Jack Nicklaus Painted Valley Course is wider, prettier in a postcard way, and more forgiving. This is the round for mixed groups, for guests who haven't played in a while, for the day after a big dinner. Painted Valley also stays open a little later into October most years.
Where to Eat
The food situation at Promontory is one of the underrated perks.
The Outpost — the original ranch-style clubhouse, lower on the property. Casual, modern Western, the patio with the long view. This is where Mark and I eat 80% of our meals at the club. Burgers are excellent. The wine list is quietly very serious.
The Beach Club — yes, beach, in the mountains. There's a man-made beach with sand, paddleboards, and a kids' program that has saved many summer afternoons in our house. Lunch on the patio is its own occasion.
The Pete Dye Clubhouse — the formal one. Dinner here is special-occasion territory. Reservations through your hosting member; dress code enforced.
The Equestrian Center
Promontory's equestrian center is one of the things that sold me on the club originally — I grew up doing equestrian in Nashville and it felt like home. Boarding, lessons, trail rides through the property. If you have a horse-curious kid, ask your hosting member to arrange a trail ride before lunch. It's a memory machine.
Other Amenities Worth Knowing About
- Tennis and pickleball — newly expanded, both indoor and outdoor courts. I'm there constantly in winter.
- The Shed — the family activity barn, climbing wall, bowling, kids' programming.
- The Spa — small, excellent, never crowded. Book your hot stone the morning of, you'll get in.
- Ski lockers — Promontory has private ski lockers and a shuttle to Deer Valley. Members forget to mention this to guests.
Guest Etiquette
If you're a friend-of-member coming as a guest, here's the unspoken stuff:
- Tip the bag staff and the cart attendant in cash. Always.
- Don't post the gate code or your scorecard with the logo. Members notice.
- Bring a hostess gift. A bottle of something from your home state goes a long way.
- Wear a collar on the courses. Modern Western elsewhere is fine — a Kemo Sabe hat will only get you compliments.
The Reciprocal Question
Promontory has reciprocal relationships with a number of clubs nationally. If you're a member somewhere serious, have your home club's membership director call ahead — that's the version that works. Walking up cold doesn't.
The Year Calendar at Promontory
Membership at Promontory is genuinely four-season — that's the part that surprises new families. Summer is golf and the Beach Club. Fall is the Ranch Club dinners and the equestrian fall foliage rides. Winter is the ski concierge program (members get private ski lockers and a shuttle to Deer Valley) and the indoor courts. Spring is golf opening day and the Easter brunch on the Outpost lawn. If you're considering membership, visit in two seasons before you sign — see the property in summer and again in February. Both versions are real, and they're different clubs.
The Friends-of-Members Workaround
One thing nobody puts on the website: if you're a friend of a member coming for an extended stay, ask about the guest cottages and the ranch cabins. Limited inventory, member-priority booking, but for a long-weekend group of four couples it's the most beautiful version of the Promontory experience and it lets your hosting member spread the courtesies over a few days rather than burning their whole guest allowance on one round.
Promontory is the kind of club where the longer you're a member, the smaller it feels — in the best way. Twenty years in, I still find new corners. If you're visiting, lean into the Western-casual side of it, ask your hosts a lot of questions, and don't try to do every amenity in one trip. The whole point of this place is to slow down.