Jug Mountain Ranch Golf Course

Jug Mountain Ranch is not really one of those courses you're going to decide to go play at the last minute. Nestled in the mountain foothills and plains between Boise and McCall Idaho it's a bit of a drive from anywhere (although, vacationing in McCall, it's only about a 20 minute drive).

Jug starts you out with one of their best holes, at least from the tee box. Nearly 100 feet of elevation drop from the tee box to the fairway below really offers a beautiful way to start the day. Do be careful, that elevation change matters and my 3w off the tee went 260 yards to the front edge of the fairway. Beyond that is a creek, so maybe hold off on the driver if you're a big hitter (no worries... there are plenty of opportunities to use it here).

The course was in terrific condition, especially for late Summer, with good clean tee boxes and fairways and smooth, relatively fast greens.

Speaking of those greens, if you do not put your shot within about 15 feet of the hole, you should expect to contend with a ridge of some kind on your lag putt. Thinking back I don't think I had a single straight, flat putt of 15 feet or more. These greens simply have a lot of contour to them and, while not overly punitive, will test your green reading skills if you want to be close for your second putt.

I think this course plays to it's rating and is a good test of your all around golf game. I found the back nine a little tougher than the front, but that may have more to do with my driver being a little more erratic back there. The course protects itself well with distance, elevation changes and a few strategically placed bunkers. I didn't find any of the traps, but was close enough to several to recognize they are well placed and in play.

My favorite part of this course were the par 5's. Two of which feature relatively straight forward, but uphill tee shots while the other two test you with somewhat blind and doglegged first shots. On number 7, for example, it's entirely possible to overshoot the fairway (I did it) before it jogs off to parts unseen to the right. The biggest of hitters could play it straight, but you'd need to get all of the ball (see pic). sixteen also dog legs to the right, but is a great place to dust off your fade. If you can carry the bunker (225ish) and get it to run to the right you can get some extra yards going downhill and make the green accessible (I didn't succeed at this). Your second shot on 16 can be tricky depending on the lie as much of the fairway is a relatively steep downhill... I paid the price for this on my second shot.

I think the one thing I wasn't thrilled with were the par 3's. They weren't terrible by any stretch, but I only used two clubs on the full set of them and I do tend to like a little more variety in these holes.

On a positive note, however, the par four's gave me a real opportunity to use more of those mid-range clubs than most courses do, so they didn't get dusty in the bag. The 443 (from the blue tees) 6th is a fun example. With Split blue tees, you can either take on a 200ish carry over wetlands (and really, you need to carry a good 240 to make the corner and have an approach) through a slot framed by tall trees, or opt for the straight line tee box on the other side of the wetlands. Even a relatively perfect drive is going to leave you 180+ (and in most cases closer to 200 yards) for your second shot.

The pace of play was fine. I teed off mid-day on a holiday weekend in a resort town and got around in 4:14. We waited on a lot of shots, but that was more a function of our speed than anything else. Just over 4 hours is quite reasonable given when and where we were playing.

The staff was great, friendly and welcoming and the "cheat sheet" they gave us (no yardage books here) was quite helpful on some of the blind shots you encounter.

It's probably worth noting that the first restroom is between the 9th and 10th holes (you come by the same facility again between 13 and 14). Between 5 and 6 there is a sign indicating there is a restroom at the practice facility across the street, but I cannot imagine heading over there and thinking you'd hold your place on the course, it's just a little too far away.

My wife and I both left the course saying we'll absolutely make the 2 hour drive from Boise play again (probably soon), and if you get the chance I'd advise giving Jug Mountain a run yourself.

We play this course every time we are up in the area..... never disappoints! It’s challenging but, playable! A MUST play if you are close by!

These greens are dreadful right now. Lots of frost damage, heavily sanded and very uneven. Simply a lottery when trying to make putt and some of the worst greens I have ever seen.
Our golfing group was told that half the greens were in good condition before we played the course. Don't believe it!
Otherwise the course has an excellent layout and is in good condition.

We had an 8 man golf trip at Jug Mountain..rented a nice house on the course for the 4 day trip..Best trip! The golf course was awesome! Perfect shape..greens rolled smooth and fast! Great layout on a beautiful piece of land..we played from middle tees and tips..plays long from tips ..especially when wind picks up in afternoon..if ur into practice go see the Practice Area..beautiful range and short game area..very nice! The bar and grill by 1st tee is perfect place to wind down after golf..great food ..but the golf course itself is a gem!

This is a fabulous course with widely varying tees. You can have as big a challenge as you want. A few blind tee shots, but they give you a hint sheet that is a great help. Tough walking course, best to take a cart. Restaurant/Bar was very good. Good selection of beers on tap. Views are spectacular.