STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Lyndsay Lyle and her husband Christopher moved to Sun Valley from the San Francisco Bay area four years ago after comparing the attributes of eight mountain towns on a spreadsheet.

They wanted to raise their kids in a tight-knit community where they would learn confidence, resilience and other values, and Sun Valley beat out other communities that had less of a year-round presence.

Lyle immediately got involved in several non-profit organizations serving the Wood River Valley. And she began volunteering at her three children’s high school, middle school and elementary schools. But she missed the day-to-day life as YouTube’s director of User Operations where she oversaw global operations for YouTube’s viewers.

So, in April of this year she became the proud owner of Bigwood Golf Course in Ketchum, after purchasing it from Bill Weidner.

“I’ve been in business my whole life and I missed that. I wanted something that combines family community and recreation. We came back after spring break on April 1 and saw the ‘For Sale’ sign up. We closed in two weeks—it was fast and furious,” said Lyle, who also is a managing partner at Skyline Capital, a family office that invests in high growth businesses.

Lyle’s vision is to establish an affordable nine-hole golf course coupled with fun family activities. But to do that she had to shut down the course this week to replace an irrigation system that was designed to last 20 years and is now 53 years old and to redo the 50-year-old greens and turf. She also is remodeling the restaurant, which she plans to reopen as a year-round, rather than seasonal, restaurant.

“The loyalty to this place is amazing, but it needs love. It was getting worn for sure,” she said. “I want to reestablish it as a community gathering place where people can enjoy great food while their kids putt or play cornhole. And we’re going to redo the holes so you finish in front of the grill. I hope to make it Galena Lodge meets Sun Valley Club.”

Bigwood, designed by the late golf course architect Robert Muir Graves, was established in 1971 as a nine-hole course with a driving range and putting green. It was built on a site that formerly served as an airport and a sheepherding camp in the vicinity of a now-long-gone Holiday Inn.

In spring golfers play against the backdrop of a snow-capped Bald Mountain. Come fall, the reflection of yellowing willows in the ponds are offset by the azure skies above.

It’s considered the more affordable of the valley’s golf options with holes that are approachable for all skill levels.

Crews have drained the ponds and are currently overhauling the irrigation system, which failed after 53 years. The course closed on Monday to allow crews to redo the greens and bunkers, removing a lot of the rocks on the bunkers. When finished, they’ll plant underused portions of the course with native grasses.

The new driving range remodeled this summer will remain open this fall from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily with added programming until snow gets too deep.

The Bigwood Bar will close for a full remodel on Thursday, Sept. 12, with the goal of opening as a year-round restaurant and bar in Summer 2025. The beverage cart will troll the driving range for the remainder of the season.

The renovation will allow the pond to remain filled throughout the year and the new irrigation system will also save water.

The work is being overseen by the course’s new superintendent Chris Gray, who has a degree in turf management from Penn State. The course remodel is being overseen by golf architect David Druziky.

Chef Taite Pearson is consulting with Lyle on the restaurant. Nothing is concrete yet, but Lyle envisions a menu that will have the all-important hamburger along with fine dining dishes like salmon to keep diners coming up back a couple times a week.

Bigwood Golf Course will offer a lower-priced pass for Blaine County residents when it reopens in 2025. Current passholders will receive discounts on 2025 passes.

“We want to keep it affordable,” said Lyle. “We want to make it a value-based family fun center.”