Rochelle Ranch

The golf course at Rochelle Ranch in Carbon County is the legacy of local sheep farmers Curt and Marian Rochelle, who commissioned Ken Kavanaugh to fashion the longest course in the state of Wyoming, which can be stretched to an eye-watering 7,925 yards from the tips.

A more manageable 5,706 yards from the forward tees, Rochelle Ranch is certainly not short of yardage, but the course is set at an altitude of 6,800 feet on the Red Desert steppe, which is surrounded by the Sierra Madre, Medicine Bow, Seminoe, Haystack, Shirley and Rattle Snake mountains where the ball flies higher and longer. So fear not.

Elevation changes and dramatic views combine for exciting golf and there’s enough movement here to stir the senses. Only two holes run parallel to each other and there’s little in the way of rough, apart from sand and sagebrush, to slow proceedings.

Two par fives (4th and 14th) measure in excess of 640 yards and for most golfers these are genuine three-shot holes and the par four 3rd stretches to 515 yards, so this is a three shotter for most mortals.

Architect Ken Kavanaugh commented as follows: “Rochelle Ranch sports a rugged, rough-hewn look, with weathered, wind-blown bunkers, tall wavy grasses and expansive sand dunes that blend seamlessly into the surrounding terrain. The strategically-bunkered fairways were designed with extra width to accommodate a wide variety of players on a site that often features strong prairie breezes. The course earned its first tournament before opening, getting the 2007 Wyoming State Senior Men's event.”