19th Hole: Mike Valiant

Mike Valiant (Photo: Jack Hammer)

Mike Valiant

CGCS // Glenwild GC & Spa, Park City, Utah

Mike, what can I get you? A lemonade on the rocks. I haven’t had any alcohol in five years. Some of the guys who know me will be surprised by that because it used to be a Sapphire and tonic or a Smithwick’s.

Tell me about Glenwild. It opened in 2001, the only Tom Fazio course in the state of Utah. It’s a high-end club with a quaint clubhouse. We have beautiful views of the mountains and the Park City ski areas. It’s been the No. 1-ranked golf course in Utah for a number of years, and that adds to the pressure.

What are your favorite tools of the trade? I always carry my Pogo, my hose and a square-point shovel. Out here in the West, we’re chasing hot spots more than we chase diseases.

What was the best thing you saw at GIS 2020? I spent a lot of time at the Cub Cadet booth looking at their robotic greens mowers. I think that technology in five to 10 years is going to be common. I was disappointed to hear they took action to shut this down; I think the technology is there.

How did you get into the Tour de France? I started riding road bikes in college, then I started racing in the ’90s. I raced mountain bikes up until five years ago. Greg LeMond and the 7-11 team used to race close to our house. When he won the Tour in ’86, ’89 and ’90, that was cool to see an American competing with the Euros. I also got to play golf with him back in ’94, ’95, when I was working in Vail, Colo.

Have you read any good books lately? I just read, Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans by A.J. Baime. It’s the book that the Ford v Ferrari movie is based on. I saw the movie first, and it was great and made me want to read the book. The book was well written and a quick read.

What’s the best thing about Glenwild, aside from the golf course? The wildlife. We have 120 elk that migrate through the course every year, and we also have 10 giant bulls that hang out. Plus, being so close to Park City — it’s an old mining town, like Telluride or Aspen, Colo. The Sundance Film Festival is here, and the downtown Main Street is full of great pubs and restaurants.

Any relation to Prince Valiant? No, but I get called that a lot. The name is a lot to live up to. I always tell people, I’m more like the Valiant car, and depending on their age, most people say, “the Valiant car?” Yeah, it was a Plymouth, and it was a boxy, normal little car.

As interviewed by Seth Jones, Feb. 14, 2020.