Many of the new golf courses opening in the West this year are as notable for the people backing the projects as they are for the illustrious architects designing them. And that's making for some tremendous golf opportunities for local and traveling golfers alike.

Two of the developers are known as much for their extravagance and egos as they are for the sizes of their wallets. Donald Trump, the New York business tycoon and protagonist/antagonist of the popular TV show The Apprentice, is making his first golf-development foray west of the Mississippi River with a new course in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. And Steve Wynn, the self-styled baron of Las Vegas, will be unveiling his own high-end public layout this spring.

What's more, Trump, Wynn and a number of other course developers are promising exceptional layouts as they work with some of the top names in course design. Even the casual golfer will recognize the names of Arnold Palmer, Pete Dye, Robert Trent Jones II, Jack Nicklaus, Bill Coore and Ren Crenshaw.

Let's take a look at some of the top new golf courses in the West for 2005.

British Columbia: Garibaldi Springs Golf Resort-Squamish
Garibaldi Springs is a new golf course in Squamish, a growing burg located along the Sea to Sky Corridor, equidistant between metropolitan Vancouver and the Whistler ski- and surnmer-resort area. Designed by illustrious Canadian golf architect Les Furber, the par-64, 4,700-yard resort track features tree-lined fairways, water on 14 holes, several elevated and bunker-guarded greens, and ridge-perched tees offering incredible panoramas of the Coast Mountains and Howe Sound.

Though on the short side, owing to its tipped topography, the course sprawls - across a rather expansive i6o-acre site that is home to an abundance of wildlife. The course features many elevated tees, excel- lent traps and greens set atop a ridge that dominates the property. Water enters play as ponds and creeks that twist and Wind throughout the course.

Garibaldi Springs has 10 Par-4s that this is one of the finest golf properties on the West Coast," says Rick Brandt, the course's head pro. "Especially considering it's only 20 minutes from downtown Los Angeles."

George Fuller, author of the book California Golf and frequent contributor to Cybergolf.com, seconds that opinion, adding, "Trump National provides a very good day at the golf course."

Green fees are $195 Monday-Thursday; $3oo Friday-Sunday. For a tee time, call 310-265-5000; wwwtrumpgolf com.

Idaho: Tamarack Resort - Donnelly, Idaho
There's a lot of excitement brewing over a new $1.2 billion golf-ski-and-lake development located about 25 minutes from McCall, Idaho.

In December, the ski portion of the four-season resort debuted; this summer or fall, Tamarack Resort plans to open an i8-hole layout designed by Robert Trent )ones II. Jones' design sought to minimize earth moving and follow the natural contours of the land. The maintained turf is only 100 acres, though Tamarack's course stretches across an expansive 400 acres. Wetlands, forests and other rugged areas skirt 7,340 yards of fairways, tees and greens-not to mention go bunkers. According to course superintendent Torn Altmann, Tamarack will provide not only a challenging golf experience but also a delightful interaction with Mother Nature.

The ultimate goal for the course's environmentally conscious developers is for Tamarack to be accepted into Audubon International's Sanctuary Program. Besides its natural attributes-magnificent alpine vistas and regular visitations by elk, deer, foxes, black bears, coyotes, eagles, ospreys and owls-the layout boasts four sets of tees. Only three fairways will be bordered by homesites.

Also setting the course apart is its configuration of five par-5s, five par-3s and eight par-4s, an unusual arrangement for a par-72 track. Altmann previously worked at Greywolf Golf Course in aptly named Panorama, British Columbia, and he prefers Tamarack for its "natural golf environment." Plans include a second i8-hole course as well as a par-3 layout adjacent to a golf academy.

For more details, call 208-325-1000, or visit www.tarnarackidaho.com.

Nevada: Wynn Las Vegas Resort and Country Club Las Vegas.
Designed by Tom Fazio and developer Steve Wynn, this course is slated for an April 28 debut. The layout is a replacement for the Desert Inn Golf Club, the host course of the Tournament of Champions in the ig5os. Now called the Invenys Classic, the PGA Tour event may return to its original site in the future.

In typical Las Vegas fashion, Wynn (developer of The Mirage, Bellagio and other hotel casinos) will imbue this 217-acre golf course and adjoining resort with considerable extravagance. Besides a layout designed by an architect with fees among the highest in the business, the $2.7 billion Wynn Las Vegas Resort and Country Club will boast a spa and salon, 18 restaurants, an array of retail boutiques, 200,000 square feet of meeting space, pools, gardens, two huge ballrooms, an art gallery and outdoor patios.