APRIL 2015

Go Tech Yourself! Our Annual Gear Guide

Elevating the Game.

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Gridiron giant Alfred Williams brings his competitive fire to the golf course

Thinking of Clubbing Up?

A statewide selection of private clubs and communities

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Antler Creek, Falcon

$28

$35

$28

Mon-Thur anytime, Fri-Sun after 11am

Yes

3

Broadlands, Broomfield

$38

$38

$38

Mon-Thurs after 12pm

No

3

Broken Tee, Englewood EXCLUSIVE

$30

$30

$30

Mon-Thurs after 12pm

No

9

Buffalo Run, Commerce City

$39

$39

$39

Mon-Friday anytime, Sat-Sun after 2pm

Yes

3

Colorado National, Erie EXCLUSIVE

$42

$49

$42

Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri-Sun after 12pm; (season 3 Fri-Sun after 11am)

Yes

3

CommonGround, Aurora* EXCLUSIVE

$45

$45

$45

Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri-Sun after 12pm

Yes

3

Eagle Trace, Broomfield

$30

$30

$30

Mon-Thurs after 11am, Fri-Sun after 12pm

Yes

3

Family Sports Center, Centennial*

$19

$21

$19

Mon-Thurs before 4pm, Fri-Sun after 12pm

Yes

Unlimited

Fitzsimons, Aurora EXCLUSIVE

$26/$30

$26/$30

$26/$30

Mon-Fri after 11am, Sat-Sun after 1pm; Season 3 Saturday-Sunday after 12pm.

Yes

3

Foothills, Denver

$34/$47

$34/$47

$34/$47

Anyday after 1pm

Yes

4

Four Mile Ranch, Cañon City

$30

$30

$30

Mon-Fri after 11am

No

4

Fox Hollow, Lakewood

$46

$46

$46

Mon-Thurs After 1pm, Fri-Sun After 2pm

Yes

Unlimited

Green Valley Ranch, Denver EXCLUSIVE

$35

$40

$35

Shoulders: Mon-Thur before 9am, after 12pm, FriSun after 2pm Peak: Mon-Thur before 9am, after 1pm, Fri-Sun after 2pm

Yes

3

Heritage at Westmoor, Westminster

$45

$45

$45

Monday-Friday anytime, Sat-Sun after 1pm

Yes

Unlimited

Heritage Eagle Bend, Aurora

$34/$40

$49$55

$34/$40

Mon-Thur anytime, Fri-Sun after 12pm

Yes

2

Highland Meadows, Windsor

$34

$44

$34

Mon-Thurs after 12pm, Fri-Sun after 1pm

Yes

3

Highlands Ranch Golf Club,

$47/$58

$57/$68

$47/$58

Mon-Thur anytime, Fri-Sun after 1pm

Yes

5

The Homestead Golf Course, Lakewood

$36

$36

$36

Mon-Thurs after 1pm, Fri-Sun after 2 pm

Yes

Unlimited

The Greg Mastriona Golf Course at Hyland Hills (Gold Course), Westminster EXCLUSIVE

$39

$39

$39

Mon-Thurs after 11am, Fri-Sun after 1pm

Yes

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The Greg Mastriona Golf Course at Hyland Hills (Blue Course), Westminster EXCLUSIVE

$20

$22

$20

Any day, anytime

Yes

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The Greg Mastriona Golf Course at Hyland Hills (Par 3), Westminster EXCLUSIVE

$12

$12

$12

Any day, anytime

Yes

Unlimited

Indian Tree, Arvada EXCLUSIVE

$35

$35

$35

First 2 seasons any day after 12pm, 3rd season any day, anytime

Yes

3

The Inverness, Englewood * EXCLUSIVE

$65

$85

$65

Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri-Sun after 12pm

Yes

3

Kings Deer, Monument EXCLUSIVE

$25

$40

$30

Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri-Sun after 11am

Yes

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Legacy Ridge, Westminster

$45

$45

$45

Monday-Friday anytime, Sat-Sun after 1pm

Yes

Unlimited

The Links, Highlands Ranch

$31/$36

$35/$40

$31/$36

Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri-Sun after 12pm

Yes

3

Littleton Golf and Tennis Club, Littleton

$29/$31

$29/$31

$29/$31

Mon-Thurs after 11am, Fri-Sun after 1pm

Yes

3

Lone Tree Golf Club, Lone Tree

$51

$62

$50

Mon-Thurs after 11am, Fri- Sun after 1pm

Yes

Shoulders: Unlimited Peak: 2

Meadows, Littleton

$38/$50

$38/$50

$38/$50

Anyday after 1pm

Yes

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Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

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Golf Courses

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1/1–5/31

6/1– 8/31

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Murphy Creek, Aurora EXCLUSIVE

$35.50/ $43

$35.50/ $43

$35.50/ $43

Mon-Fri after 11am, Sat-Sun after 1pm

Yes

3

Omni Interlocken, Broomfield

$55

$65

$60

Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri before 12pm, Sat-Sun after12pm

Yes

3

Pine Creek, Colorado Springs

$39

$44

$39

Mon-Thurs after 12pm, Fri- Sun after 2pm

Yes

9

Quail Dunes, Fort Morgan

$23

$23

$23

Any day, anytime

Yes

3

Raccoon Creek, Littleton

$37/$44

$37/$44

$37/$44

Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri-Sun after 12pm

Yes

4

The Ridge at Castle Pines, Castle Rock* EXCLUSIVE

$50

$60/$75

$50

Sun-Thurs anytime, Fri- Sat after 1pm

Yes

3

Saddle Rock, Aurora EXCLUSIVE

$37.50/ $45

$37.50/ $45

$37.50/ $45

Mon-Fri after 11am, Sat-Sun after 1pm

Yes

3

South Suburban Par 3, Centennial*

$9

$9

$9

Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri-Sun after 12pm

Yes

Unlimited

Sumo Golf Village, Florence

$22

$27

$22

Any day after 12pm

Yes

2

Thorncreek, Thornton

$40

$40

$40

Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri-Sun after 3pm

Yes

Unlimited

Todd Creek, Thornton

$40

$45

$40

Mon-Fri after 10am, Sat -Sun after 1pm

Yes

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Walking Stick, Pueblo

$32

$32

$32

Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri-Sun after 12pm

Yes

Unlimited

Mountain Courses

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6/1– 8/31

9/1– 12/31

Available Tee Times

Breckenridge Golf Club, Breckenridge*

$75

$99

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Shoulder Seasons: Any day, anytime. Peak Season: Sun-Thurs after 12pm.

Yes

3

The Bridges, Montrose EXCLUSIVE

$30

$53

$30

Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri-Sun after 9am

Yes

2

Cedaredge Golf Club, Cedaredge

$35

$40

$35

Any day, anytime

Yes

Unlimited

Eagle Ranch, Eagle EXCLUSIVE

$35

$55

$35

Any day after 11am

Yes

2

Eagle Vail, Avon

$55

$99

$55

Mon-Thurs after 11am, Fri-Sun after 12pm

Yes

3

Golf Granby Ranch, Granby

$54

$54

$54

Anyday after 11am

Yes

Unlimited

Grand Elk, Granby

$32/$39

$45/$54

$39/$45

Mon-Thurs after 11am, Fri-Sun after 12pm

Yes

3

Grand Lake, Grand Lake

$40

$50

$40

Any day after 11am

Yes

3

Haymaker, Steamboat

$45

$56

$45

Any day after 11am

Yes

3

Keystone Ranch, Keystone

$69

$90

$69

Any day, anytime

Yes

Unlimited

Lakota Canyon, New Castle

$59

$70

$59

Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri-Sun after 11am

Yes

3

Pole Creek, Tabernash

$50

$50

$50

Mon-Thurs after 11am, Fri-Sun after 12pm

Yes

Unlimited

The Raven at Three Peaks, Silverthorne

$55

$89

$55

Any day after 12pm

Yes

Unlimited

Redlands Mesa, Grand Junction

$70

$70

$70

Any day, anytime

Yes

3

The River Course at Keystone, Keystone

$75

$105

$75

Any day after 11am

Yes

Unlimited

Tiara Rado, Grand Junction

$35

$35

$35

Mon-Thur anytime, Fri-Sun after 12pm

Yes

3

Vail Golf Club, Vail

$50

$89

$50

Sun-Thurs after 1pm

Yes

3

* * * *

Weekend Play

Total Rounds

Total Rounds

CommonGround offer: Must be CGA, CWGA or Golf Passport Plus member to get rate Family Sports: 9 Hole Executive Course South Suburban: Par 3- Cart not included Some seasons may vary

Go to coloradoavidgolfer.com for complete details.

2015 Member Privileges. All rates include a cart. Visit coloradoavidgolfer.com for complete details regarding rates, available tee times, number of rounds and reservation policy. Tee time requests are on a space available basis to Golf Passport members and participating courses’ rain check policies will apply. The golf offers are good from January 1, 2015–December, 31 2015, excluding holidays, special events, tournaments or closure to environmental or economic conditions. Mountain seasons may vary slightly. The Golf Passport is limited to one per person and is non-transferable. Prices do not include sales tax. Some courses may require a credit card to secure a tee time prior to play. If a tee time is cancelled, the golf course may charge for its discounted fee. Colorado AvidGolfer reserves the right to make reasonable modifications to the Golf Passport, effective upon notice by e-mail or first class mail to the Golf Passport member. A Golf Passport member may reject any such modification by responding in writing to Colorado AvidGolfer and returning the Golf Passport within ten (10) days. The Golf Passport member will receive a prorated refund. The Golf Passport member agrees that he or she is not entitled to any additional compensation. Colorado AvidGolfer disclaims all liability for damage or loss or property or injury to any person occurring while using the Golf Passport. The subscription expires with the Winter 2015 issue. One subscription per household. If ordered online, please allow up to 10 days for delivery of your Golf Passport.

co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m

April 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

5

2015

Contents

In Every Issue 10 Forethoughts

Features 35 Play Away

Mastering the Month. Pacific Northwest

By Jon Rizzi Passage. By Taska Campbell

April

12 ’Net Score

The CAGGYs and 38 Lesson other hot topics.

14 Century Links

Can you meet the Century of Golf Challenge?

17 The Gallery

Flying Horse’s new lodging, Adam’s Mountain sells, TGA Golf and more.

102 The Games

of Golf

April Fools?

Player’s Corner

22 Go Tech Yourself From drivers to gadgets, technology rules in this year’s buyer’s guide. By Ted Johnson

Become a P.G.A. Pro.

By Dennis Murray

88

Big Al’s Big Passion

A champion on the Buffs and Broncos, Alfred Williams loves golf far more than he loves football. By Sam Adams

41 Fareways

92

44 Tapping In

A multigenerational family membership is just one of the ways this Vail Valley institution has become the “club of the future.” By Jon Rizzi

Sidebets

The Post in Lafayette.

By Gary James

Drinking Durango.

By Cody Gabbard

48 Nice Drives

The 2015 Corvette Stingray & Ford Mustang GT.

By Isaac Bouchard

Sonnenalp’s Vertical Feats

94

The Anchor Weighs In

On the eve of the 2015 Masters, Colorado State grad Steve Sands of NBC/Golf Channel broadcasts his opinion on Tiger, Rory, and more.

By Denny Dressman

51

2015 Clubs & Communities

Our annual guide to Colorado’s private clubs and the neighborhoods that surround them. Plus: Initiations, dues and more from every club.

On The Cover

Alfred Williams at Blackstone Country Club in Aurora.

Photograph by Stephen Nowland/Clarkson Creative.

6

Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

Blackstone Country Club

coloradoav i dgo lf e r.c o m

L i v i n g On

April 2015 Volume 14, Number 1

The Green C A S T L E

P I N E S

V I L L A G E

publisher

Allen J. Walters editor

Jon Rizzi SALES, MARKET ING & ADV E RT IS ING associate publisher

Chris Phillips account manager

Nicklaus Signature Course Makes Castle Pines Village Stand Out

Vivian Keesling digital and social media manager

Kate Stromberg office and operations manager

Cindy P. Nold projects and special events manager

Members of the Country Club at why the main road serv- Castle Pines can tee up on the Jack ing the gated community Nicklaus Signature Course and relax of Castle Pines Village is in the lodge-style clubhouse, whose named Happy Canyon—simply outdoor terrace showcases incredidriving in under ble Front the canopy of “There isn’t a place around Rv iae nwgs e. mature pines puts a smile on Denver with these views, this With over your face.

40% of reslevel of golf and range What appeals idents havto homebuyers ing young of home choices.” is the serenity of children, forested surroundings, the range of the community is family oriented, residential options and prices, and but there are also terrific enclaves the ease of getting to Castle Rock, for empty nesters looking to downthe Tech Center, Park Meadows size. Allow us to assist you in finding and Light Rail. your home by calling today. here’s good reason

Ryan McLean ART & EDIT ORIA L art director

Jeremy Cantalamessa editor-at-large

Tom Ferrell

automotive editor

Isaac Bouchard contributors

Sam Adams, E.J. Carr, Tony Dear, Denny Dressman, Sue Drinker, Dick Durrance II, Chris Duthie, Gary James, Ted Johnson, Kaye W. Kessler, Todd Langley, Kim D. McHugh, Jerry Walters p r i n c i pa l s

Ray L. Baker, C. Don Baker, Dick B. Baker Advertising Inquiries: cindy@coloradoavidgolfer.com Editorial Inquiries and letters: jon@coloradoavidgolfer.com Customer Service and Subscriptions: 720-493-1729 Mailing address: 7200 S. Alton Way #A-180, Centennial, CO 80112 FAX: 720-482-0784 Newsstand Information: 720-493-1729

Engage Online:

facebook.com/coloradoavidgolfer @coloavidgolfer youtube.com/user/coloradoavidgolfer instagram.com/coloradoavidgolfer c o l o r a d oav i d g o l f e r . c o m Colorado AvidGolfer (ISSN 1548-4335) is published eight times a year by BakerColorado Publishing, LLC, and printed by American Web, Inc. Volume 13, Number Eight.

7200 S. Alton Way #A-180, Centennial, CO 80112. Colorado AvidGolfer is available at more than 250 locations, or you can order your personal subscription by calling 720-493-1729. Subscriptions are available at the rate of $17.95 per year. Copyright © 2015 by Baker-Colorado Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Postmaster: Send address changes to Colorado AvidGolfer, 7200 S. Alton Way #A-180 Centennial, CO 80112.The magazine welcomes editorial submissions but assumes no responsibility for the safekeeping or return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, artwork or other material.

m a g a z i n e pa r t n e r o f c h o i c e :

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The Denver 100 303-880-8561 Den100.com

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Forethoughts

Mastering the Month

A

10

Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m

P H O T O BY T e d M c I n ty r e

pril arrives bearing gifts. The warmer weather brings the crack of the bat, the thwack of the club, the trill of the robin and the drumbeat of showers that bring May flowers. While courses across Colorado green up, a new Masters champion will slide a jacket of similar hue over his shoulders at Augusta.

April also signals the annual beginning of our monthly publishing cycle.

From now until September, you’ll see a new magazine every 30 days. In between, you’ll get the latest news from our website and through social media.

This month’s issue covers Colorado football legend Alfred Williams (page 88), who fills sports-radio airwaves with his cheerful laugh and his offhours with golf and more golf. “Big Al” belongs to Blackstone Country Club, where we photographed him in February shortly before he headed to Scottsdale for four 36-hole days.

Blackstone is one of the clubs featured in our annual “Clubbing Up” section (page 51). This year’s edition delivers facts on initiations, dues, amenities and communities. We also look at the new multi-club membership programs through Columbia Hospitality, ClubCorp and Troon, as well as the novel multigenerational “vertical” membership approach at Sonnenalp Club (92).

Whether you’re interested in joining a new a club or in adding a new club to your bag, you’ll find useful information. Nine pages of drivers, irons, putters and more start on page 22.

But as T.S. Eliot famously wrote, April is also the “cruellest month.” In a year already marked by the deaths of golf giants Billy Casper, Charlie Sifford and Jay Morrish, I sadly add the name of Denise McGuire, who passed as the April issue went to press.

A licensed psychologist and performance coach, “Dr. Denise” counseled countless Colorado golfers—including many juniors—through her company, Get in the Zone. She utilized biofeedback technology and integrative mindbody techniques to help with the muscle tension, breathing and emotional responses related to performance. Over the years, she contributed numerous articles—often with instructor Elena King—about the mind-body connection.

Among her memorable pieces was one called “Slow Play Sucks.” The title pretty much set the tone but her tips on coping with the scourge were anything but flip. As funny as she was smart, Denise was anything but the dispassionate clinician suggested by her academic credentials. She loved Stranahan’s and Ohio State football and basketball (unless they were playing the Akron Zips).

She became a dear friend. We threatened to play golf together but never did. However, we did put in a few good showings during Tuesday Night Trivia at The Tavern in Lowry.

Less than a year ago, my future wife and I attended a party for her 50th birthday. In January, the names of many of those guests were organizing online prayer circles. Two months after her cancer diagnosis, Denise was gone.

April celebrates the renewal of life—and Denise led a full one, albeit one cut much too short. I mourn her passing but celebrate her spirit, which endures in the feats of her clients and in the hearts of her friends. — JON RIZZI

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DIALOG

Score

Our Annual CAGGY Awards generated no shortage of online discussion.

On Best Private Courses…

pjevans: Nice list—but it’s not true and complete. Until you include the Eisenhower Golf Courses on the AF Academy, this isn’t a “true” representation of the quality of Colorado golf courses. Yes, it’s a military course—but civilians can play there if sponsored on. Which is no different than a private course. The Eisenhower Blue’ Course is ranked the #1 course in the Department of Defense—yet absolutely no mention, or even option to choose it for awards. Without Eisenhower on the list for consideration, it’s just a good list—but certainly not an accurate and complete list.

INFO

|

BLOGS

|

’net

CAGGY Cogitating

jonrizzi (coloradoavidgolfer): Thanks for writing. I’ve played the Blue course a number of times. I assure you, readers most definitely had the opportunity to vote for the Eisenhower Courses.

They were part of the survey. Eisenhower finished fifth in the Best Southern ClubPrivate category, receiving 6.8% of the votes.

On Best Nationwide Destinations…

Rickieleepotts: I still haven’t played The Boulders. I need to make that a reality. Also, Conestoga looks sick! Guess I need to plan a vacation!

On Best Public Courses:

dan: You need to enlarge the sample (or widen the sample). Colorado National is a decent course, but come on! To be rated in the top three for all these categories, someone is stuffing the ballot box! jonrizzi (coloradoavidgolfer): Thanks for the comment.

How exactly would you propose enlarging or widening the sample? To prevent ballot-stuffing, we do not allow more than one vote per email or IP address. We give everyone in our database the same opportunity to vote, and every club has the same opportunity to “get out the vote” to its database. Some do; some don’t.

TPC Sawgrass

Psssst…Is a TPC coming?

Andy K: I hear a TPC Course is coming to Northern Colorado!! WOW!! Truly excited!!!!!

AP Witherspoon: I doubt a TPC course comes to Colorado. We just aren’t big enough.

I’ve played in Scottsdale, Sawgrass, Valencia, Sugarloaf, and Las Colinas. I don’t think we have a big enough golf market. I could be wrong and I will be the first to play if it opens.

Love the TPC Brand!

JonRizzi: Plum Creek in Castle Rock was actually one of the original TPC courses.

It hosted a couple of Senior (Champions) events soon after it opened but succumbed to the ‘80s real estate/oil and gas bust and has had a number of iterations and owners since.

While I would love to see a TPC course here, I think it’s a long shot, given this history and the expense of building in an already supplyheavy market. We can dream, though. gobruins: A TPC Course is probably happening. I will be in touch soon.

Do you have suggestions on how to widen the sample?

Let us know! /coloradoavidgolfer

12

Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

@coloavidgolfer

@coloradoavidgolfer

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P H O T O G R A P H BY A A R O N K E L L O U G H

DOUBLE-BAGGER: CGA Executive Director Ed Mate will loop 100 holes this summer.

Counting on 100

Can you rise to the Century of Golf Challenge? By Jon Rizzi 14

Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

O

ne hundred is not a number to which many golfers aspire. That is, unless you’re participating in the Colorado Golf Foundation’s Century of Golf Challenge.

Which you should.

This year marks the centenary of the Colorado Golf Association. But rather than just celebrate its past, the CGA has joined forces with the state’s allied golf associations (Colorado PGA Section, etc.) to ensure the game’s future by raising funds through the non-profit Colorado

Golf Foundation, which benefits dozens of Colorado-based youth golf initiatives, including the Solich Golf and Leadership Academy, PGA REACH, Golf in Schools and LPGA Girls Golf.

Instead of traditional fundraising approaches, the CGF will use crowdsourcing to generate not only revenue but also awareness and participation.

The Foundation has made it simple to get involved. Go to coloradogives.org and create a personal fundraising page where you set fundraising goals and ask friends,

coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m

family, colleagues to sponsor your efforts to raise money for future generations of golfers around the state. The person who raises the most money will win two tickets to the “Century of Golf Gala” and a meet-and-greet with Jack and Barbara Nicklaus.

To participate, you have a choice of three 100-related activities: Playing 100 Holes in a single day (the “Hundred Hole Hike”); caddying 100 holes for friends or colleagues; or contributing $100 in honor of “A Century of Golf ” in Colorado. You can promote your efforts using social media and links to articles and promotion appearing on ColoradoGolf.org and coloradoavidgolfer.com.

As Colorado Golf Association Executive Director Ed Mate explains, “We are inviting golfers across the state to give back to the game they love—to have their friends and family donate as they caddie or play golf with a purpose.”

Leading by example, Mate will caddie 100 holes between May and September. “Not 100 rounds,” he jokes—though his enthusiasm has led him to misdescribe it that way.

Going back to his roots as a Denver Country Club looper, Mate will double-bag five rounds at various courses.

His loops will include two participants in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Golf Buddies program; Colorado PGA President Leslie CoreDrevecky and Past President Barry Milstead on behalf of Golf in Schools; Colorado Open Golf Foundation Board Members Landri Taylor and Eric Kenealy on behalf of The First Tee of Green Valley Ranch; George and Duffy Solich on behalf of the Solich Golf and Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora; Mike Knode and Frank Wilkinson of the Western Colorado Junior Golf Foundation at Lincoln Park in Grand Junction.

“That leaves me with 10 holes,” says Mate, “So I’m going to caddie those for my dad, who’s 82, and my daughter, who’s 17. Golf ’s history and future together, supported by the present—me.” This final part of Mate’s “journey” will result in an unrestricted gift to the Colorado Golf Foundation.

Mate says his goal is to raise at least $10,000 from 100 people, “but the amounts are less important than the participation. We really want to get people involved!”

CAG

For more information, visit coloradogives.org or coloradogolf.org.

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Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

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NAMES

| NOTES

| NEWS

P hotog r aph C O U R T E S Y O F T H E C L U B AT F LY I N G H O R S E

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RENDERED PERFECTLY: The Lodge and Villas at Flying Horse will accommodate 48 guests.

Staying the Horse

C

ommanding 1,500 acres in the northeast corner of Colorado Springs, The Club at Flying Horse routinely blows away visitors with its Tuscan splendor. Its turreted clubhouse evokes the magnificence of Lorenzo de’ Medici.

Its extensive Athletic Club and Spa suggest an élite European retreat. And an abundance of water, riskreward holes and mountain views place its 7,301-yard golf course in the pantheon of Tom Weiskopf ’s finest architectural efforts.

The private club feels like a top-tier resort—and next month it will start becoming one. On May 1, the four two-bedroom Villas of The Lodge at Flying Horse will welcome their first guests. Situated along the 16th and 18th greens, the 1,650-squarefoot structures reflect the development’s signature architecture and feature a sumptuous parlor room and bedrooms that can be locked off and rented separately. The Villas also boast the kind of of high-

co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m

end appointments—hardwood floors, knotty alder cabinetry, crown molding, private terraces, 60-inch HDTVs, granite countertops, oversized bathrooms and showers—found in homes, not hotels.

“These residential appointments make you feel at home,” emphasizes The Club at Flying Horse’s General Manager Fredo Killing, who first masterminded the lodging component nearly seven years ago. The club originally planned to do 10 of these villas and had laid the foundations and utility infrastructure. “But that was in ’08,” Killing says, with no explanation necessary. “So we filled the foundations with sand and grew grass over them.”

Killing later revived the lodging component, but with a new model. He reduced the number of Villas to four and complemented them with a 40-room guest lodge that could serve as a fabulous, boutique meeting space. “It penciled out really well,” he remembers. “We took the plan to the owner, Classic Homes, commissioned an independent feasibility study that showed the high-end groups wanted to go to smaller places. The numbers turned out even better than what we thought.”

The Lodge will open in October along the ninth fairway. Its 40 rooms will have the same homey and upscale appointments as the Villas, each with its own private balcony. The spacious meeting rooms feature fireplaces, covered terraces and large windows with April 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

17

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Colorado National and Fox Hill provide exceptional views and panoramic scenery. Not to mention, awardwinning golf, tennis, swimming, fitness, food and more.

Located just north of Denver, imagine a perfect place in a perfect setting - whether it’s a corporate or charity golf tournament, business meeting, wedding, or a fundraiser, we can make your dream a reality.

Our experienced event professionals will share in the enthusiasm for your special day. Our Executive Chefs have extensive experience in the hospitality industry and will work with you to create a customized menu that will delight you and your guests. Let us create a unique affair by delivering picturesque views, secluded space, awardwinning food, impeccable service, and memories that will last a lifetime. It’s definitely the perfect venue.

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theGallery

stunning mountain views. An ample outdoor reception area adjoins the building. Free WiFi, executive conference tables and ergonomic meeting chairs come standard, as will access to the Athletic Club and pool.

“We won’t nickel-and-dime you like an airline or hotel,” Killing promises. “The price we give will include everything; all you have to pay is the tax.”

Flying Horse also plans to transform its main dining area, La Fortezza, to cater to Lodge guests and conference attendees.

The Tack Room and Rotunda will continue only to serve members—the majority of whom are excited about the The Lodge.

“If they have guests coming into town for the holidays or member-guest tournaments, then they have a place to stay,” Killing says. “A lot of our members work for corporations, and they would love to have their meetings here.”

Killing says the lodging impact on the member experience is going to be “minimal. They see that with The Lodge, the club will be on firm footing for years.” thelodgeatflyinghorse.com; 719-487-2662

Franchise Players TGA may sound very similar to a golf organization with which we’re all familiar. In this case, the clever initials stand for Teach, Grow, Achieve—the objectives of a franchised junior golf program that has introduced the game to 300,000 youngsters between the ages of three and 13 across the country.

“We can do anywhere from Kindergarten to 8th grade,” says Kevin Carlson, a PGA Professional at Aurora’s Fitzsimons Golf Course, who recently acquired the TGA franchise in Arapahoe County. “At that age they’re learning geniuses; it’s about getting a club in their hand and getting out of the way.

We keep it fun and interesting by rotating activities.”

He brings the game to juniors by offering physical education and after-school enrich-

co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m

Know It from Adam’s

Kevin Carlson

Adam’s Mountain Country Club’s alphabetical advantage over every Colorado golf facility hasn’t helped the eightyear-old club in Eagle County’s Brush Creek Valley. Opening on the eve of the recession in 2007, the private golf development has struggled to attract members and homebuyers, despite sitting on 2,655 stunning acres with a brilliant Tom Weiskopf-designed golf course and a fully outfitted 40,400-square-foot clubhouse.

Five spec homes, five member cottages and 91 residential lots pepper the property, which also features an operational 1,553-acre ranch with the potential for up to 114 additional residential units.

But after investing upward of $100 million to create all this—and millions more to operate it—owner Fred Kummer’s HBE Corporation “decided to liquidate the entire assemblage,” according to documentation provided by Denver-based Brue Capital Partners.

As this issue went to press, Brue was orchestrating an acquisition by equity investors in the $20 million to $30 million range.

Plans do not call for the sale of the golf course, which operates at a substantial loss but is critical to the sale of the lots. Plans do call for an increase in membership, which will likely mean a drop in the initiation ($60,000 nonrefundable; $150,000 refundable) and monthly dues. For updates, visit coloradoavidgolfer.com.

ment programs at elementary and middle schools, childcare centers and community centers in the Cherry Creek, Littleton, and Aurora school districts. The program also incorporates academic lessons in math, science, social studies and language.

“The program is extremely flexible,” he explains.

Each TGA session comprises weekly one-hour classes for six weeks. The six-class session costs $100 to $120 depending on the school. “No matter what we’re doing, we start and end every class with a handshake,” says Carlson. Kids advance similar to the way they do in martial arts, with different color “belts.”

Carlson has already secured a 15-person van to take his charges to Fitzsimons for on-course sessions. He has also partnered with The First Tee Denver and wants to expose the game to underserved communities.

“It’s great that one of our PGA members is getting involved in something that grows the game,” says Colorado PGA Kevin Carlson Section Executive Director Eddie Ainsworth.

“The TGA program has been very successful in other parts of the country, and I think it will be an excellent complement to our Golf In Schools program.” playtga.

Adam’s Mountain com/arapahoe; ADAM’S: Tk 720-515-5373

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Excitement is swirling around every corner at Cool River.

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April 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

19

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GOLF by NUMBERS 180

core caddies looped at Cherry Hills Country Club in 2014. That’s more than six times the average of 29 caddies used at the 21 Colorado clubs surveyed by the Colorado Golf Association and 3.6 times the number at Ballyneal, which used the second-most with 50. Significantly, only 20 of Cherry Hills’ caddies were professionals; the remainder were mainly boys and girls between the ages of 14 and 21. All told, Cherry Hills caddies logged 10,000 rounds in 2014. The club’s commitment to its caddie program and the Western Golf Association’s Evans Scholarship helped Cherry Hills land the 2014 BMW Championship, for which the Evans Scholarship was sole beneficiary. Among other Metro Denver clubs, Denver Country Club had the highest number of core caddies with 45, while Castle Pines Golf Club’s 35 professional caddies looped 8,000 rounds. coloradogolf.org

IN THE LOOP: John Elway, Zach Johnson and John Lynch pose with Evans Scholar caddies at the BMW.

3

Colorado Women’s Golf Association Experience events will take place this April and May. The events, which cost $65 for CWGA members and $85 for nonmembers, provide women

experience Colorado Work, play and build your team today!

Located just south of Denver and considered one of the best golf experiences that Colorado has to offer, The Ridge invites golfers to enjoy a high country adventure at the foot of Colorado’s infamous Front Range.

Allow us to host your team in a fun and unique setting. Call today!

golfers with high-quality group golf instruction from LPGA and/or PGA golf professionals in a relaxed environment. All participants receive a welcome gift, outstanding instruction, lunch and a chance to win prizes. Hyland Hills Golf Course in Westminster (April 25), Common-

2015 Corporate Golf Opportunities

> networking Events > meet, Eat & play Golf > Group clinics for your Team

> V.I.p. packages > fun & creative Team building options

14 14 C A s T L e P i n e s P A R k w Ay, C A s T L e R o C k , C o 8 0 1 0 8 | 3 0 3 . 6 8 8 . 0 1 0 0 | P L Ay T h e R i D g e . C o m

Looking to host a large golf event? The Ridge has you covered.

Call 303.688.4301 to solidify your date today! Limited days are remaining.

T H E R I D G E I S m a n a G E D b y T R o o n G o l f, ® T H E l E a D E R I n u p S c a l E G o l f c o u R S E m a n a G E m E n T

R@CPN_COAG_7x5.indd 1

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Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

2/25/15 10:38 AM

coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m

MULLIGANS Ground Golf Course in Aurora (May 9) and Overland Golf Course in Denver (May 30) will host the Experiences. coloradowomensgolf.org.

As golfers, we’re all about calling fouls on ourselves…

215

PAGE 53: Photograph by Suzy TBo Photography.

individuals and representatives of 89 clubs around the state attended the March 7 Colorado Women’s Golf Association’s Annual Meeting at the Inverness Hotel & Conference Center. The association, which will turn 100 next year, revealed its new logo and website (coloradowomensgolf.org), while acknowledging last year’s CWGA Player and Junior Player of the Year Jennifer Kupcho; Senior Player of Year Christie Austin; Volunteer of the Year Karla Harding of Collindale Golf Course; and Colorado Golf Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award recipient D'Ann Kimbrel. Rhett Evans, the CEO of the Golf Course Superintendents Association, delivered the keynote address to an audience that included Colorado Sports Hall of Fame inductees Judy Bell, Barbara McIntire, Tish Preuss and Joanie Birkland.

The Spring issue omitted two photo credits: PAGES 92-95: Photographs by E. J. Carr

Also…

PAGE 21: Colorado Golf Association board member Bill Pierson’s name was incorrectly spelled in the photo caption.

p.53

PAGE 32: The pricing on the Wilson golf balls should be DUO ($20), DUO Spin ($27) and FG Tour ($45).

PAGE 56: CAGGY Fitness Winner Dillon Johnson (right) is a Level 3 Titleist Performance Institute Certified Fitness Professional.

CAG

p. 92

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April 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

21

GO TECH Yourself HYBRIDS/ Fairway METALS

DRIVERS

IRONS

WEDGES

PUTTERS

BALLS & SHOES

ACCESSORIES

2 015

Buyer’s Guide

By Ted Johnson

P

hysics can only be stretched so far.

Which is why, when it comes to staying within the Rules of Golf, club designers are starting to bump their heads against the laws of the universe. So last year’s trend—self-fitting—continues in this year’s Colorado AvidGolfer Buyer’s Guide.

Data is the force behind this ongoing movement. Golfers now have access to more information on their personal game, and they don’t have to go to a fitting center to get it. It’s one thing to find the optimum interior weighting of the latest drivers; it’s quite another to employ software programs or GPS devices linked to motion detectors to track swing tempo, clubhead speed, face angle, launch angle and more.

Technology is providing us with more insight into the game. But don’t be put off. Like titanium drivers of old, it is a trend meant to make the game more enjoyable.

22

Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

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BUYER’S GUIDE | drivers

Ping | G30

[+] Slots in sole for faster speed [+] "Turbulators" reduce drag, thin face and optimum sweetspot= long [–] Some put off by matte black look

$350

TaylorMade | R15

[+] Ultimate fit and distance [+] Two highly adjustable weights, higher launch & less spin [–] Countless fitting options; confusing?

$400

Callaway | XR

[+] Multi-material head [+] Lightweight, areodynamic head for zoom-bang fast swings [–] Opfit Technology can be tricky

$350

Tour Edge | Hot Launch [+] Ultra strong titanium head [+] Easily adjustable head for deep drives for 1/2 the price [–] Not much, really

$200

Cobra | FlyZ+

[+] Movable inner weighting [+] Highly adjustable with forward weighting=optimum shots [–] Cobra's color options can be a bit much

$400

co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m

Titleist | D2

[+] 460cc in traditional pear look [+] Hot but forgiving, big reason why Jimmy Walker is No. 1 [–] Performance is at speed of 105+

$500

April 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

23

BUYER’S GUIDE | HYBRIDS & FAIRWAY METALS Tour Edge Exotics | E8 fairway

[+] Tour-level performance [+] Adjustable from 12 to 15 degrees, traditional look, hot face [–] Some disagree on its value

$350

Nike | Vapor Speed hybrid

[+] Channel slot and sole cavity duo [+] Slot makes face bend for distance; cavity-back weighting for stability [–] Clubhead branding gets a little strong

$230

Adams | Red hybrid

[+] 25-gram weight for fitting [+] Company that started it all lets midhandicappers custom fit = trust [–] Some may want higher performance

$230

Callaway | 815 fairway

[+] Highly adjustable=efficiency [+] 2 weights=better launch angles; welded steel face=more flex [–] Best for shot-shapers

$300

TaylorMade | R15 TP fairway [+] Sliding weights, sole channel [+] Almost mandatory for better players; long, high flight [–] Adjustability is the key

$280

TaylorMade | R15 hybrid

[+] Sole slot gives more distance [+] This is a club for the confident golfer; small head, playability [–] Can intimidate high-handicappers

$220

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Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

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BUYER’S GUIDE | IRONS

Srixon | Z545

Nike | Vapor Pro Combo

[+] Steel insert face thru 7-iron [+] Heavier toe moves Cg to middle of face, increasing sweetspot [+] Blending forgiveness & performance

$1,100

[+] Steel face 10% more solid [+] A game improvement iron that will fool all those blade lovers [–] Traditional look can be intimidating

$1,000

Tour Edge | Hot Launch

[+] Easier to hit high and straight [+] Iron-wood set perfect for slow-swinging seniors, beginners [–] Hollow heads ping like aluminum bats

$500

Hogan | Fort Worth 15 Wilson Staff | FG Tour

[+] Drips with tradition [+] A fine addition that harks to the Staff glory days of lore [–] Better hit it pure

$800

[+] Echos of Apex days of old [+] Lofts instead of numbers designate irons; fitting determines lofts [–] Do you know how far 44 degrees goes?

$1,200

Bridgestone | JD15

[+] Forged face, sleek soles [+] Another iteration of forgiving player irons w/forgiveness [–] Don't be scared; easier to hit than looks

$879

26

Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

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BUYER’S GUIDE | WEDGES

Titleist | Vokey SM5

[+] Grind, loft & bounce options [+] Better players who want ultimate fitting have most options here [—] S, M, K, F, L & T grinds=overload

$130

Callaway | Mack Daddy2

[+] Deeper, sharper grooves [+] Ultimate spin machine now has more loft-bounce options [–] Tour grind costs $10 more

$120

Bettinardi | H2

[+] Famed putter designer expands [+] Bettinardi putters renowned for feel; same for wedges [–] Super soft Helix face might nick easily

$195

TourSpecgolf.com | Modart

[+] Super soft, like buttah [+] Famed forger Mitsuru Soda cuts heads from block steel [–] Gotta know your specs, swing

$499

Ping | Glide Bridgestone | J15

[+] Unique grind for consistency [+] Lower grind near heel sets face tight on turf for better contact [–] Can be a little diggy on steep swings

[+] Better control of spin [+] Higher lofts from rough have wider grooves for more spin [–] 48 & 52 need full swing & tight lies

$120

$120

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Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

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BUYER’S GUIDE | PUTTERS

Nike | Method Matter

[+] Resin polymer insert [+] Insert similar to cover of ball for ultimate feel & with true aim [–] Too soft of feel with urethane balls?

$130

Wilson | 8802

[+] Classic returns, updated [+] Double milled face offers great feel; for the retro man in foursome [–] Hit it just inside center for best roll

$175

Bettinardi | Studio Classic

Odyssey | Tank

[+] Ultimate feel and looks [+] These might look too good for play; mount them on the den wall [–] Does four bills bring lower scores?

[+] Mallet with 20 gram weights [+] Soggy greens in spring, fast in summer; change weights to match [–] Might be other mallets for less

$400

$350

Odyssey | X Milled

[+] Counterbalanced by big grip [+] Counterbalancing is the latest trend; weight options help match stroke to stimp [–] Model is meant to sway holdouts

$250

Ping | TR Anser

[+] Variable groove depth [+] Middle are deeper, outer shallower for uniform roll on all putts [–] Just a classic Ping design

$150

co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m

April 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

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BUYER’S GUIDE | BALLS & SHOES

Callaway | Chrome Soft

Bridgestone | E6

Wilson Staff | Duo

$38

$22

$27

Snell | My Tour Ball

TaylorMade | Noodle

MG Golf | C4

$32

$10

$20

[+] Super soft but high tech [+] High launch gives slow swingers more yards [–] Fast swing speeds will lose distance

[+] ProV1 specs for a lot less money [+] Former TaylorMade R&D head’s new company [+] Said to ship to stores in April.

[+] Improved cover design [+] Longer+straighter+multi-layered cover=high value [–] 10-15 handicappers might look down

[+] The ball for slow swingers [+] It hasn’t changed much, but doesn’t have to [+] $10 a dozen is hard to argue

Ecco | BIOM Hybrid 2

[+] 800 contact points = great grip [+] The original non-golf golf shoe now has better sole, grip [–] Still wonder in rain, but oh so comfy

$195

[+] Another supersoft ball with bang [+] Low spin off driver, high off wedge [–] Again, 100+ swingspeeds lose distance

[+] Three-layer urethane ball [+] Another challenge to Titleist at half price [–] You have to order online

True Linkswear | Scottsdale

[+] Ultra comfort women's shoe [+] Full rubber outsole, casual but comfort look for on and off course [–] Might want more on-course grip

$70

Justin Cowboy Skechers | Matt Kuchar Pro

[+] Resalyte midsole for comfort [+] Skateboard tech gets into golf; waterproof full grain leather uppers [+] Indeed, this is Matt Kuchar's shoe

$140

[+] Ultimate boot with spikes [+] Caiman leather for ultimate C&W profile with soft spikes [+] From pasture to the course & back

$850

Aerogreen Italy

[+] High fashion women's shoe [+] More than eye-catching, a high mark for women oncourse wear [ –] Does your game match your style?

$220

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Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

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BUYER’S GUIDE | ACCESSORIES SunMountain | Three 5 Zero G [+] Ultimate high-use carry bag [+] Strap system makes bag lightweight & easy on lower back [+] Important for walkers/purists

$220

Leupold | GX®-1i2

[+] Ultimate range finder [+] High-tech laser finds the stick and locks on, works in fog [–] Check with pro shop for tourney use

$375

Birdieball | Practice tool G/Fore Gloves

[+] Scarlet, olive & Pacific blue [+] Spicy, rich colors to add a little more color to your game [–] Twice the price of tour-quality glove

[+] Logo customizable indoor putting green [+] Local product comes in stimps of 9-13 with "grain-like" effect [–] Most effective size is 40 sq ft, plus shims

$130

PitchfixUsa.com | Twister

[+] Three-pronged divot tool [+] Actually repairs green; easy to use & better than 2-pronged models [–] You might have to repair others' marks too

$35

$15

Drizzlestick | Bag Umbrella

[+] Easier than hard-to-fit hood [+] Covers the hood, long stem fits in bag to keep from blowing out [–] Purists might cringe

$19

Stable 26 | Socks

[+] Silicone pads in rear foot [+] Medial & lateral Silicone Pads customize fit to improve comfort [+] Standing, walking all day? Take a look

$26 California-based CAG Contributor Ted Johnson writes our annual Buyer’s Guide. For the latest on golf equipment, subscribe to our free weekly newsletter at coloradoavidgolfer.com.

CAG

co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m

April 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

31

Yo u’r e

Invi t e d

10 t h a n n i v e r s a r y

June 5-6 see other side for tournament details

T

his year marks the 10th Anniversary of the Audi Corporate Cup, the premier golf event presented by Colorado AvidGolfer, which will take place at the exclusive Red Sky Golf Club on Friday and Saturday, June 5th & 6th, 2015. The tournament features:

• • • • • • •

Two days of golf at Red Sky Golf Club An Après-Golf and Dinner Party on Friday evening Luxury accommodations at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa Great prizes including two chances to win a two-year Audi A6 lease Team Challenges, Closest-to-the-Pin Betting Contests and many other contests Spouse/guest activities Kickoff Party

This annual event provides a great way to entertain your key customers, business partners as well as a great opportunity to fill a team with a friend or associate.

We are proud to support The Colorado Section PGA Golf in Schools Program—a 501(c)(3) organization—as our Charity Partner.

For more information go to: coloradopga.com/playgolfcolorado.

Golf Tournament Format:

• Two-person Best Ball, USGA handicap required

–Players are allowed 90% of their course handicap and maximum of 10 strokes between players • Limited to the first 50 teams • Traveling TIFFANY & CO. Sterling Silver Cup awarded to winning company

Team Entry Includes: • • • • • •

Tournament registration Two rounds of tournament play golf at the prestigious Red Sky Golf Courses (Norman & Fazio) Luxury accommodations at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa Exclusive events and activities including Kickoff/Pairings Party, Après-Dinner Party and Awards Luncheon Meals & beverages Gifts/awards

$3,250 per two person team and a spouse/guest For more information or to reserve your spot, please contact: Ryan McLean at 720-493-1729 ext. 15, ryan@coloradoavidgolfer.com or Allen Walters at 720-493-1729 ext. 17, allen@coloradoavidgolfer.com.

| LESSONS PROFILES

| T R AV E L

P h o t o g r a p h BY B r i a n Oa r

playersCorner

playAway

Pacific Northwest Passage

A FIR-LINED POKE: The 15th at Salish Cliffs

Heading to Chambers Bay for the U.S. Open?

Salish Cliffs will double your fun. By Taska Campbell

S

alish Cliffs Golf Club opened in 2011 to rousing applause as Seattle native Fred Couples cut the ribbon and teed off on freshly manicured bent grass just steps from Little Creek Casino Resort.

A half-decade later, not much has changed.

The Gene Bates design still looks as good as new thanks to some of the finest conditioning you’ll see on a public course, establishing it as the youngest course ever to crack the Top 10 of Golfweek’s “Best Casino Courses.”

Nestled inside the type of sky-scraping timbers that are synonymous with the Pacific Northwest, the course—located just outside Olympia and about 80 miles from Seattle—provides a level of seclusion you wouldn’t expect with the flashing lights and slot machine sounds of an award-winning casino next door.

The intimacy allows golfers to appreciate the uniqueness of each hole and strategize their approach. This isn’t a course for ripping drives, but for engineering and executing shots down a chute of evergreens or through the wind.

The opening stretch of holes welcomes you to the party with a downhill par-5, a drivable, uphill par-4 and a long, sharp-dropping par-3 in that order. Just as a seasoned gambler inside the

co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m

resort would weigh risk and reward scenarios, a smart player will be able to navigate these first three tees with a strong score, building confidence for what comes later.

The biggest challenge actually comes on holes 14-16. Each par-4 is different, but this stretch encapsulates Bates’ naturalistic design and the course’s 600 feet of elevation change. As Head PGA Golf Professional David Kass says, “Those three can make or break your round. If you score well there, chances are you played a solid overall game that day.”

But even if you don’t score well, you’ll enjoy your day at Salish Cliffs. Dotting the course are totem poles and other nods to the Squaxin Island Tribe that owns and operates the course, which is of a piece with its surrounding wetlands, Douglas firs and the beauty of Kamilche Valley. It’s Northwest golf at its finest, but just one of many remarkable amenities at the resort.

LITTLE CREEK Also owned and operated by the tribe, Little Creek Casino Resort greets guests with stunning pieces of artwork and artifacts in its lobby. Its 200 lodging options range from well-appointed standard rooms to ultra-luxurious spa and presidential suites. There’s

April 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

35

Chambers BAY Chambers Bay is just 45 minutes around the southern tip of Puget Sound from Salish Cliffs, but nearly the complete opposite in terms of design.

Where Little Creek’s golf amenity is thick with forestry and tight around the edges, Chambers Bay cascades across wide-open space as if the breeze swept it right out of the water. It has exactly one tree: a lone Douglas fir on the 15th hole.

That might be the only reminder that you’re still in the northwest United States. This is true links golf, more in line with what you’d find at the British Open rather than a domestic muni. Built on top of the sandy shores of a former gravel mine, Robert Trent Jones II successfully mimics the undulating style of those classic Scottish seaside courses.

Little Creek’s proximity to the event site, in conjunction with housing another one of the Northwest’s best golf courses, makes it a popular pick for the fans to set up base camp.

The resort is offering an exclusive stayand-play package that includes deluxe

accommodations, 18 holes at Salish Cliffs Golf Club and vouchers for discounted pro-shop items, meals and future reservations.

INFO TO GO::: Where to Play Salish Cliffs Golf Club salish-cliffs.com; 360.462.3673 Chambers Bay Golf Club chambersbaygolf.com; 877.295.4657

Where to STAY Little Creek Casino Resort little-creek.com; 800.667.7711

Worth a Drive (and a Putt) The Golf Club at Newcastle An hour north of Chambers Bay, the 36-hole facility comes with views of Lake Washington, the Seattle skyline and the Olympic and Cascade ranges. newcastlegolf.com; 425-793-5566 Gamble Sands Golf Club David McLay Kidd’s dramatic new work along the Columbia River is a four-hour drive east of Chambers Bay in Brewster. gamblesands.com; 509-436-8323 Wine Valley Golf Club Ranked among Golfweek’s top 100 modern courses, this Dan Hixson layout is in Walla Walla, four hours southeast of Chambers Bay. winevalleygolfclub.com; 877-333-9842 CAG

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Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

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coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m

P h o t o g r a p h BY M ARTIN M I L L E R

OPEN SITE: Chambers Bay

has become the region’s boxing mecca, hosting fight nights for both Showtime and ESPN. Don’t expect the typical heat lamp-lit buffets. The resort’s prime location near the South Puget Sound and famous fish markets of Seattle gains them access to some of the freshest catch you’ll find. Hit the Squaxin Island Seafood Bar for the resort’s famous seafood chowder and other mouth-watering fare.

© 2015

player’sCorner

even a new RV park.

Once your day of golf is complete, an array of relaxation and entertainment options awaits. Maybe your muscles could use a treatment at the resort’s aqua-themed Seven Inlets Spa. Or try a Eucalyptus Steam Room retreat or back and shoulder massage.

You’ll find a different type of relaxation at the Skookum Spirit Cigar & Wine Bar—a refined space reserved for two pleasures on par with the outstanding golf. An expert tobacconist will point you to one of about a hundred premium cigars. Or unwind with a fine single malt or locally produced wine.

Voted by the state’s residents as the “Best Casino in Western Washington,” Little Creek boasts Vegasstyle slots, table games and a high-stakes poker room—many of which are found on a smoke-free floor, one of the largest of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. The spacious Skookum Creek Event Center regularly hosts music and comedy acts and

player’sCorner

lesson

Become a PGA Pro Mastering Posture, Grip and Alignment will set you up for success.

By Dennis Murray

M

any have played winning golf with a bad swing because of their good mind. A few have played winning golf with good swings in spite of a bad mind. But no one has played winning golf with a bad setup.

The setup refers to how a golfer addresses the ball and prepares to play a shot. We call it the PGA of golf instruction: Posture, Grip, Alignment. If you want to play better golf, shoot lower scores and eliminate those “stinkers” that destroy your confidence, pay more attention to your PGA.

Posture:

p h o t o g r a p h s by E . J . C ARR

Your height at address should stay the same from takeaway to the top of the backswing and down to impact. Staying level makes it easier to return the clubhead to the ball as intended. Shortly after impact your golf swing will pull your head upward and toward the target making you several inches taller in the follow-through position.

Grip:

Ben Hogan called it “the heartbeat of the golf swing,” and Sam Snead quipped, “If golfers held a fork and a knife like they hold a golf club, most would starve to death.” Your grip doesn’t have to be perfect, it just needs to allow you to control the clubface angle, feel where the club head is during your swing and return it to the ball. The most important aspect of the grip is “grip pressure.” Whether your preference is to hold the club lightly, firmly or somewhere in between, maintaining the same grip pressure from takeaway to impact is a necessity for consistent ball striking.

Alignment:

Golfers at every level often overlook getting properly aligned to the ball and target. Yet your alignment has more to do with where the ball goes than your swing does. Start by aiming your clubface down the target line and then align your feet, knees, hips and shoulders on a line parallel to your target line. Think railroad tracks with parallel rails: Your body is on the inside rail left of target, the golf ball outside rail on the target line.

When playing shots off the ground, position the ball near center of your stance, slightly closer to the left foot (for a right-handed player). When hitting driver, position the ball just inside your left heel or off big toe. Stance should be shoulder width or less for most shots, wider for the driver and narrower for short irons.

Dennis Murray PGA is a former PGA Tour player, Colorado Section PGA Player of the Year and Rocky Mountain PGA Section Champion. His Colorado students have been recognized as Junior, Men’s, Women’s, and Senior Players of the Year. He is founder and head coach of the Uncomplicated Golf School at Valley Country Club in Centennial. Reach him at golfinmurphy@aol.com or 720-940-5007 CAG

38

Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

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P HOTOGRA P H C o u rt e s y o f Va i L V e t e r a n s p r o g r a m P HOTOGRA P H C OURT E S Y OF TH E P OST

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BROAST OF THE TOWN: The Post’s succulent pressure-fried chicken.

When Soldiers Turn Chicken Lafayette’s former VFW post has become a colorful commissary of succulent fowl, cold draughts and enough comfort food to feed an army. By Gary James THE POST

S

alty, crunchy, greasy, juicy—fried chicken is the touchstone for deliciousness. Like barbecue, there are plenty of variations: from Southern fried chicken to buttermilk fried chicken to Louisiana battered fried chicken.

And, also like barbecue, individual preference is mostly based on what you grew up eating. As a child of the ‘60s, my model was the historic Denver Drumstick, where the takeout came in big boxes that looked like boxcars and a model train circumnavigated the restaurant. In my adult years, the standard has been the bird served by a Baptist church

co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m

at the New Orleans Jazz Fest, where I was enlightened thusly: “I eated six pieces of chicken.” “You mean ‘ate.’” “You’re right, I eated ‘ate’ pieces of chicken…”

When I heard that Dave Query had the idea for a “hot chicken and cold beer” joint in mind, I salivated on my keyboard. He’s the brainbox behind the Big Red F restaurant group, a Boulderbased company that owns and operates numerous restaurants throughout the state, including Lola, Jax and Zolo Grill. I knew he wouldn’t fire up the fryer without doing his homework.

The result is the Post, housed in a building converted from the former VFW Post 1771 in Lafayette; it stays true

to the local-watering-hole atmosphere.

Bret “Smitty” Smith, the chef-partner, headed up the research team, making trips to Texas and South Carolina and hitting places in Denver to try out equipment and cooking techniques. Winding up in test kitchens, they tackled the assignment of frying chicken better than the rest.

“We not only had to come up with a tasty recipe, but we had to mass-produce it,” Smith explained after a recent lunch hour rush. “We’re selling 1,300 pounds of fried chicken a week. We have to do an appetizing fried chicken over and over, and be consistent.”

Well, there went my fantasy of hunApril 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

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sideBets

BIRDMAN: Chef Brett Smith

SKILLET SIDE: The Green Chile Mac & Cheese

more expensive, but we found that it absorbs 25 percent less oil, so the chicken is less greasy than the typical recipe. Also, the crust doesn’t brown up as quickly, so we can cook the chicken at a lower temperature for a longer period of time.”

Ah, the cooking. The Post uses state-of-the-art pressure fryers, “broasters” that cook large batches at one time. The key to any fried chicken is heating the oil or fat to the right temperature and keeping it there. The pressure fryers control the heat uniformly, a method that seals in flavor. “I had never worked with one,” Smith admitted. “You drop the chicken in, lock the lid, set the digital control, hit the button, cook for 16 minutes—and it’s the same

CAG

Gary James is a Boulder-based food and music writer. Read more of his reviews at coloradoavidgolfer.com.

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Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

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P HOTOGRA P HS C OURT E S Y OF TH E P OST

dreds of individual cast-iron-skillet-and-Crisco stations. Smith was gracious enough to share his knowledge. His crew starts with all-natural birds that are raised in chicken coops with two doors, because if they had four doors, they’d be chicken sedans (okay, I made that last part up). The parts are brined for a day and then given a soak in buttermilk and dredged in…gluten-free flour?

Elimination diets are popular, but these foodies wouldn’t use gluten-free flour just to mimic the taste and texture and look of wheat flour. It would have to be as good or better—and it is.

“We tried every kind of flour, and our favorite was a gluten-free blend,” Smith explained. “It’s

every time.” The chicken rests for a few minutes to let the flavors meld, and then it’s served. And it’s absolutely delectable, done to perfection—tender and moist and with a crispy, golden crust that doesn’t come off the skin.

The Post’s menu also features Rotisserie Chicken with brown gravy (the Fried Chicken comes with country sausage gravy)—moist and savory, it falls off the bone. For larger groups, you can get fried, rotisserie or a combination in The Bucket. The Chicken & Waffles platter exhibits sophistication with maple pumpkin seed butter. If you don’t engage in fowl play, consider the Wood-Fired Pork Shoulder with caramelized onion marmalade or the Hand Carved Roast Beef with horseradish sauce and brown gravy.

The Post also turns out a multitude of impressive comfort food sides that are intended to be sharable.

The Collard Greens had a smoky cooked-all-day flavor, with slivers of slow-cooked pork shoulder.

The Creamy Grits were sensational—most traditional recipes don’t call for cream, but the Post uses it with milk and water, then finishes with butter, salt, pepper and the rich flavor of Mexican cotija cheese. The Green Chile Mac & Cheese, topped with crispy breadcrumbs, is the ultimate downhome guilty pleasure; the creaminess goes perfectly with chicken, and we Colorado folks love us some fire-roasted peppers. I sampled bites of other sides, and they were all fresh and simple with a creative twist—the Broccoli & Pepper Slaw, the Creamed Cabbage with crispy pork cheeks and the Black Eyed Peas with citrus marinade. Complimentary rosemary cheddar biscuits filled the remaining crevices in my stomach.

And the house-brewed beers! Lead brewer Bryan Selders made his reputation at Delaware-based Dogfish Head, crafting unique beers. At the Post, paired with the meals, his 20 or so offerings are memorable as opposed to extreme. My favorites during my visit were Big Rosie, a robust porter with a dry hop aroma, and Howdy Beer, a balanced, restrained pilsner. Server Matt adroitly steered my table to recommendations for both victuals and brews.

The Post will have you believing that you’re having a leisurely Sunday supper with family and friends, but you’ll love it any day of the week, even the one chickens hate most—Fry-day!

105 West Emma St., 303-593-2066, postbrewing.com

Visit

AND SEE WHY...

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HOPPY GUYS: Ska founders Matt Vincent, Dave Thibodeau and Bill Graham

Drinking in Durango Colorado’s colorful corner has an equally vibrant beer scene.

By Cody Gabbard

44

Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

with its gorgeous scenery, all the while swallowing any errant or slightly mediocre shot. The word confident doesn’t come to mind on the initial tee shot for the first-timer. The course itself is not particularly long, ranging from 5,900 to 6,900 yards between the silver and black tees, but what respite you may gain in shorter yardage can easily be snatched away due to inaccuracy, especially on the back nine where water runs the length of many holes.

Dalton Ranch is truly a long-iron player’s dream and poor driver’s nightmare. The idiosyncrasies of the course, along with the mental challenge of shot-making, leave one wanting to race to the driving range for a tune-up and a second shot at this welterweight, who hits you with quick jabs and wears you down for the entirety of a round.

Bruised, but beaming following a 18th-hole birdie, I eagerly set out for a drink. Durango boasts four breweries, but my informal poll of locals brought a unanimous suggestion of Carver Brewing.

Carver has the cozy and warm atmosphere one would expect at a neighborhood brewpub. The restaurant contains two bars and a spacious din-

ing area, with a friendly and welcoming staff. Although it sounds trite, the resounding theme here is flavor is key. You likely won’t come across any experimental beers or unfamiliar styles, however the beers are crafted with uncompromising precision and just enough of a twist to make them exceptional.

The perfect example of this was the Tiny Trike Session IPA. The typical bitterness and hop flavors of an IPA shine through despite the low volume of alcohol. West Coast-style hop flavors of resin and spice meld with a juicy burst of citrus. A creamy mouthfeel provides the drinker with a much more satisfying full-bodied sip than the slightly thin body of most sessionable ales.

Perfect after a long, hot day on the golf course, the Lightner Creek Lager offers a keenly refreshing respite with honey crispness, balanced with a touch of bitterness and none of the wateriness found in typical American lagers.

For those looking for a heartier beer to go with one of the many savory dishes, classic Belgianstyle brews are typically available, including a Belgian Dubbel, containing a slight nuttiness, and the coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m

P h o t o g r a p h c o u rt e s y o f S K A B R E W E R Y

D

urango. The name itself evokes the feeling of the Wild West. Although a regional airport satisfies those with an inclination towards expediency, a drive from any point in Colorado provides a treat. To the north lie the towns of Telluride and Ouray within the San Juan National Forest; to the east bubble the soothing thermal waters of Pagosa Springs; and west of town stands the archaeological majesty of Mesa Verde National Park. The southbound descent into Durango on US 550 is unmistakable, with painted mountains surrounding your approach.

Wanting to stow away as much protein and carbohydrates for a long and chilly round of golf, I head to CJ’s Diner, where most of the customers are greeted by first name, and the walls brimming with Dallas Cowboys football paraphernalia validate Durango’s status in the Texas Alps.

Armed with a full belly and an earful of local gossip, I head to Dalton Ranch Golf Club, a parkland layout embraced by mountain walls the color of autumn leaves.

The course mimics this severe yet welcoming landscape, lulling the golfer into a copacetic charm

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characteristic spicy, fruity flavors derived from the specialized yeast. The Belgo Juice IPA brings the continents together with an abundance of sticky, resinous, American hop flavor, combined with a full-bodied and mouth-coating texture rife with clove and additional spice as it warms.

Following a dish of Mu Shu Pork, which went perfectly with a flight of beer with its varied flavors of ginger spice, sweet glaze and meaty umami, I set off for the vibrant and rock-n-roll inspired Ska Brewing.

Ska embraces the carefree and rebel spirit of the craft beer world both in its explosive beers and raucous taproom. The brewery and taproom

are lined with gleaming metal, which reverberates with upbeat modern rock and ska music.

Keeping with the beat of the fast-paced tunes is Ska’s range of heavily hopped pale ales and seasonal stouts. The two must-try hoppy ales are Modus Hoperandi, a highly bitter IPA with flavors of pine and grapefruit, and Decadent Imperial IPA, another hop bomb, but with an added backbone of caramel sweetness.

Depending on the season, several unique brews are available, but the highlights are definitely the stouts. Flavorful additions include mint, malbec grapes, and mole spices. I was lucky enough to try the Autumnal Mole (pronounced mo-lay) Stout,

a deeply rich, dark ale with flavors of cumin, pepper, chocolate, and cinnamon.

Durango boasts one of the highest numbers of eating establishments per capita in the nation. But it was its drinking establishments that filled my belly on this trip. But like the golfer who endlessly feels as though he has just breached the surface of his potential, I left knowing that I had gotten a small taste of all that Durango had to offer.

CAG

Home-brewer and freelance beer writer Cody Gabbard contributes regularly to the Boulder Weekly and to Colorado AvidGolfer.

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P h o t o g r a p h S c o u rt e s y o f S K A ( t o p le f t ) a n d c a rve r b r ew i n g

BEER, HERE: Pizza complements a sampler flight at Ska; Carver’s pints come with tasty alfresco fare.

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P h o t o g r a p h c o u rt e s y o f C H E V RO L E T

You Can’t Beat the Classics Updated editions earn the Corvette and Mustang renewed respect.

A SURE ’VETTE: The new Stingray

By Isaac Bouchard

2015 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray EPA ratings: 16/29mpg; 20mpg combined Price as tested: $71,255

T

he Corvette, America’s longest-serving production sports car has reached its seventh generation and—at last—true parity with the best from the rest of the world. The C7, which Chevrolet dubs Stingray, is an astonishing, amazing machine, and puts every other performance car near its price point to shame in the value stakes.

Outside it is all chamfered edges and updated Corvette style cues. The most radical departure is the tail, which evokes not only past plastic-fantastic machines from Chevrolet, but also the Firebird Trans Am. The Stingray certainly looks better on the street—and in metallic colors—than under klieg lights at an auto show.

Chevy saves the biggest improvements for the

48

Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

Stingray’s interior, which almost completely banishes memories of the Cavalier-grade plastics of generations past. The test car’s midgrade 2LT trim was so nice that it makes the full leather option almost redundant. Seating is comfortable, the driving position proper and the configurable gauges and head up display terrific. The Chevrolet infotainment system is slightly behind the best for speed though, and the optional eight-speed tranny’s paddle shifters are a plasticky blight on the otherwise superb steering wheel.

The helm controlled by that wheel is stunning in precision, weighting and accuracy, with more feel than that from the likes of the venerable Porsche 911. Turn-in isn’t exaggerated, but is nonetheless fast yet predictable.

The Corvette’s incredibly low center of gravity and concentrated masses (the engine basically sits over the front wheels and the compact 8L90 transmission is just ahead of the rears) mean it handles with a neutral poise and precision that hot-rodded sedans and coupes can’t match. Yet it rides with real polish, amplified by the use of the world’s best

shocks; their magnetically charged fluid adjusts itself from firm yet compliant to racetrack-ready in milliseconds.

The optional Z51 package that was also spec’d on the test vehicle denotes big, powerful brakes with great feel and stopping power, along with better cooling, dry sump lubrication for the engine, a baffled performance exhaust system (which can be configured from Stealth mode to full-on bellowing rocker) and more. Because the Stingray’s structure is so light and stiff—even in open-top form it only weighs 3,500 pounds—its 6.2-liter, LT1’s 460 ponies and 465lb-ft of twist make it feel supercar fast almost all the time. It hits 60 mph in only 3.7 seconds and covers a quarter mile in 12 seconds at 119 mph.

Minor gripes are that the Corvette’s paint quality and the panel gaps of the composite body panels aren’t great. Nor does the eight-speed auto shift quite as well as the twin-clutchers in some German cars. And performance tails off dramatically at higher elevations—as it does in all normally aspirated cars.

But for daily use that tranny is great, allowing the coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m

Stingray to get insane fuel economy. Other great “real world” things about this iconic sports car are the comparatively large trunk, a soft top that goes up and down at speeds up to 30mph and an isolation from wind and road roar when cruising to match the best in the world.

The Corvette has always provided great value; that it now has a really high quality interior and true refinement to match its staggering performance reinforces the Stingray’s status as one of the greats.

HOLD ON: The Z51’s cockpit

PONYING UP: The Mustang GT

2015 Ford Mustang GT

P h o t o g r a p h c o u rt e s y o f C H E V RO L E T ( t o p ) a n d f o r d

EPA ratings: 15/25mpg; 19mpg combined Price as tested: $42,165 America’s longest-running pony car is updated too, with an all-new chassis, body and interior. In GT form it looks good: the voluptuous fenders are filled with a prodigious amount of tire, and while the internationalized nose—designed to meet overseas pedestrian protection laws—neuters a bit of Mustang menace, overall this modernized classic works visually.

The cockpit is long on style, but somewhat short on execution. High marks go to the aluminum “wing” that runs across the dash and the slimmed down passenger airbag. But the vacuumformed faux stitching across the face of the dash, the low-grade leather on the wheel and the cheap plastics on many surfaces would be out of place on a $25,000 vehicle, let alone Ford’s $40,000 performance statement. The stock front seat headrests are small and hard enough to create permanent divots in your cranium; and even the optional Recaros are set too high. The backseat is useless, but at least the trunk is of good size and offers a pass-through for longer loads.

Things get better when you drive the Mustang 5.0, especially if equipped with the GT Performance Pack. Despite stiffened springs and dampers, it rides superbly, with a polish that has henceforth eluded this muscle car. While certainly tied down, it never becomes harsh, and the new, independent rear axle and uprated front suspension give the ’stang a honed precision matched by the linear, fast steering. co lo r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m

Predictable yet playful, it is (outside the limited edition GT supercar) the best handling Ford ever. It is also very accomplished at suppressing road and wind noise. The Brembo brakes that come in the package match up well, with stout stopping power and great progression, also noticeable in the clutch takeup and gearbox feel from the manual transmission.

The only thing that undermines driver satisfaction is a horrid pedal placement that almost eliminates the ability to heel-toe downshifts—probably a sop to legal, for when some idiot accuses a Mustang of sudden and unintended acceleration.

While the GT’s DOHC 5-liter V8 hasn’t undergone as much surgery as the rest of the car, it does produce more power—435hp—thanks to a revised intake, heads and valvetrain. Free-revving and sharp in throttle response, it allows this heavier new Mustang to still hit 60 in 4.5 seconds and make the quarter mile in 13 flat. While you can tell there’s a sweet sounding eight beneath that long hood, it seems Ford is saving the best muffler music for future Mustangs.

Here we have the classic pony car formula: lots of performance for a medium amount of cash.

The problem is that for slightly more lucre there are now other cars that can clobber the GT in a straight line, or offer AWD and possibly four doors along with similar stats for both practicality and fun. As long as Ford persists in letting the bean counters and attorneys undermine the designers and engineers, true greatness will continue to elude the Mustang.

However, as the basis for later iterations of the original pony, this new model shows real promise.

CAG

Read more of Automotive Editor Isaac Bouchard’s writing at nicedrivz.com and coloradoavidgolfer.com.

April 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

49

What is PGA Junior League Golf?

PGA Junior League Golf (PGA JLG) is designed to bring a “Little League” atmosphere to the game of golf. With teams of boys and girls, age 13 & under, PGA JLG provides a structured league environment for young golfers to compete and have fun! This is a great way to get, and keep, kids involved in the game!

PGA JLG Participants Receive

• Team Jerseys, golf balls and PGA JLG bag tags • 5-6 regular season competitions plus practices and/or clinics • Opportunity for advancement to post-season via League All-Star Teams • Access to customized website home page for our PGA JLG team featuring schedules, standings and stats

Program Structure

• Fun team scramble format for players of every skill level • All participants get to play in every competition Visit www.coloradopgajuniorgolf.com for more information and the latest on PGA Junior League Golf!

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The Pinery Country Club April 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

51

TheValue of

Membership

C

olorado’s private club landscape remains optimistic—both for clubs and for prospective members.

While the post-recession upturn continues with initiations up 2.5 percent and monthly dues up 10 percent, most clubs are offering more discounts (and no-interest initiation financing) for younger members as well as lower-priced nonrefundable, non-equity memberships.

Value is the operative word. On the programming side, clubs are offering more for the money than ever before. Monthly calendars brim with classes ranging from aerobics to tennis to Zumba. There are chef ’s tables, wine tastings, themed dinners, kids’ enrichment programs, Sunday brunches and Wednesday family dinners.

Most clubs now emphasize their fitness centers, spa services, on-site childcare and family-centric, non-golf programming. Although golf courses remain a major amenity, “it’s now golf with a small ‘g’ instead of a capital ‘G,’ ” ClubCorp CEO Eric Affeldt told The New York Times last summer.

Around the same time, Affeldt’s publicly traded company purchased Sequoia Golf, which owned Colorado’s Blackstone Country Club and Black Bear Golf Club. Overnight, members of those clubs received, among other perks, premium access and benefits across a network of hundreds of clubs around the country (including Aspen Glen Golf Club in Carbondale). A similar transformation occurred in 2013, when Arizona-based Troon

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Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

Golf took over management of the The Club at Cordillera in Edwards, making it part of its worldwide Troon Privé network.

That same year, major changes also transpired in Parker at The Pinery Country Club and The Club at Pradera, when Dallas-based Arcis Equity Partners purchased the clubs from BrightStar Golf Group. It contracted Columbia Hospitality to manage them.

Thanks to an infusion of capital, over the last year and a half, both Parker courses have significantly upgraded operations and invested heavily in infrastructure, facilities and programming. “We’ve changed the culture of both clubs,” says Chris Johnson, PGA General Manager at The Pinery, who came over from Valley Country Club in Centennial. “For the first time in a long time, the members here are having their expectations exceeded.”

Better yet, many are elevating their experience by signing up for the Summit Membership, which gives them privileges at both The Pinery and Pradera. For an additional $60 per month, existing golf members at either club can play the other course for a cart fee, have access to 11 tennis courts (eight outdoor and three indoor), three swimming pools, two fitness centers and double their dining options, family programming and social events.

To sign up for the Summit Membership, new members first need to designate which of the two will serve as their home club. The Summit Memberships also come in Golf and Sports (limited golf ) versions.

Situated less than five miles apart, The Pinery and Pradera “both have unique strengths

that work together,” says Mark Lewicki, who serves as membership director of both clubs.

The 10-year-old Pradera’s majestic clubhouse and mindboggling Jim Engh-designed “Irish links” course give it a “wow factor,” while the Pinery’s cozier clubhouse, built in 2006, mirrors the intimacy, maturity and diversity of its three appropriately named nines—Lake, Mountain and Valley.

Both clubs feature expansive practice facilities and robust golf programs. The Pinery’s strong tennis—130 kids are in the winter program alone—and swim programs appeal to families, as do Pradera’s myriad family night activities, and summer outdoor events like concerts and drive-in movies.

The food and ambience rock at both clubs. Each offers a fine dining menu on specified nights (Pradera on Thursdays and Fridays; The Pinery Fridays and Saturdays), and members at both clubs can join a Wine Club, which features tastings, discounted purchases and the ability to locker up to 12 wines in climate-controlled lockers at each club’s dining rooms.

Summit members receive complimentary clinics in both golf and tennis, as well as a 20 percent discount at both clubs for à la carte dining and complimentary quarterly signature events at both facilities.

The Summit membership doubles the fun for members at The Pinery and Pradera for a modest charge. It’s just one of the many examples of how Colorado’s private club landscape—which had been bleak for a while— finds itself reinvigorated. colorado avidgo lf e r.c o m

A TR U E VODKA D I SCOVE RY TAKE THE FINLANDIA CHALLENGE

VODK A O F F I N LA N D

finlandia.com

THE WELL TRAVELED DRINK RESPONSIBLY. ©2012 Finlandia Vodka Worldwide Ltd., Helsinki, Finland. Finlandia Vodka, 40% Alc./Vol. Imported by Brown-Forman Beverages, Louisville, Kentucky USA. 450-1172

SUMMIT Elevate Your Experience

ONE MEMBERSHIP • TWO PRIVATE CLUBS When you join as a Golf Member at one of our two clubs, upgrade to a Summit Membership and experience double the fun for the whole family!

Discover 45 holes of spectacular private golf in Parker, Colorado. The Club at Pradera and The Pinery Country Club now offer a dynamic membership with access to two clubs. The Summit Golf Membership gives your family access to impressive and distinctive golf, two private restaurants, three swimming pools, 11 tennis courts, two fitness centers, exclusive private events, and so much more.

Contact our Membership Director Mark Lewicki today to receive further information about elevating your experience.

THE PINERY COUNTRY CLUB 303.353.1676 membership@thepinerycc.com

PARKERSUMMIT.COM

THE CLUB AT PRADERA 303.214.5062 membership@theclubatpradera.com

THE CLUB AT PRADERA • THE PINERY COUNTRY CLUB 45 HOLES OF SPECTACULAR PRIVATE GOLF

ACCESS EXCLUSIVE BENEFITS INCLUDING: • • • • • • • •

Reciprocal Golf and Tennis Privileges Pool and Tennis Guest Passes Complimentary Golf and Tennis Clinics Two Complete Practice Facilities Reduced Guest Green Fees Tuesday through Thursday Quarterly Guest Golf Day 20% A La Carte Food Discount Plus Much More

presented by presented by

DENVER REGION DENVER REGION

The pinery country club

The Pinery Country Club | Parker | 303-841-5157 | thepinerycc.com INITIATION: $12,000 (nonrefundable)/$20,000 (50% refundable) DUES: $447/mo.

CONTACT: Mark Lewicki (mlewicki@thepinerycc.com)

The Club • 27 holes of golf split into three distinct nines (Lake, Mountain and Valley).

• Competitive and recreational golf leagues for men, women, juniors and seniors.

• Six outdoor and three indoor courts cater to a extremely popular tennis program.

• Three swimming pools: family, lap, and toddler.

• Highly regarded food service, including the exclusive food-and-wine-pairing “Vintage Table” every Friday and Saturday night.

• A Wine Club for members to explore new wines, attend exclusive events, locker up to 12 bottles and purchase wine at a discount.

• Fully equipped fitness center with classes such as Balletone, Zumba, Pre-Teen and Teen Conditioning, and Pilates.

• Year-round programming, including multisport summer camps for kids.

• Cart-fee-only access to the four private courses in the Columbia Hospitality Collection and 30% off the Best Available Rate at Columbia’s six posh resorts and inns.

The community • 11,000 people live in the 10-square-mile development.

• Access to three community parks—North, Lakeshore and Pinery Nature—as well as multiple trails, the nearby Parker Arts Center and 100,000-square-foot Parker Fieldhouse.

Separated by only three miles, The Pinery and Pradera offer a Summit Membership that affords reciprocal privileges at both clubs for an extra $60 per month.

The Club at Pradera | Parker | 303-607-5672 | theclubatpradera.com INITIATION: $15,000 (nonrefundable)/$31,000 (refundable) DUES: $452/mo.

CONTACT: Mark Lewicki (mlewicki@thepinerycc.com)

The Club • 18 eye-popping Jim Engh-designed golf holes.

• Golf leagues for men, women, couples, juniors and seniors.

• Two tennis courts.

• Golf, sport, corporate and junior executive golf memberships available.

• An ever-changing menu, including the custom fine-dining “Knife and Cork,” which pairs elegant entrees and wines every Thursday and Friday night.

• A Wine Club for members to explore new wines, attend exclusive events, locker up to 12 bottles in the dining room and to purchase wine at a discount.

• State-of-the-art Fitness Center with large windows overlooking the golf course.

• Group fitness classes including PiYo, Bootcamp, HIIT, and more.

• Cart-fee-only access to the four private courses in the Columbia Hospitality Collection and 30% off the Best Available Rate at Columbia’s six posh resorts and inns.

The COMMUNITY

• 3,100-square-foot community center features a competition-size pool, spray play area, sun deck and catering kitchen.

• Huge park and winding trail system throughout the open spaces.

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Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

the club at pradera

T

Coming Spring 2015

he newly expanded and wonderfully refurbished clubhouse, featuring natural stone, unique and innovative textiles and a calming, neutral color palette will accentuate the unmatched natural beauty and the magnificent mountain vistas of the area.

Red Rocks Country Club enhances its welcoming sense of community with a new and beautifully appointed bar and outdoor patio, the ideal place to relax and recharge with friends and family. New dining and event rooms will feature floor–to-ceiling glass, award winning food, and a vast array of events from wine and beer dinners to holiday parties.

www.RedRocksCountryClub.org (303) 352-2030 16235 W. Belleview Avenue Morrison, CO 80465 Red Rocks Country Club is a private club located in Morrison, CO. All applicants are subject to the Club’s membership application and screening process.

presented by presented by

DENVER REGION DENVER REGION

The Club RAVENNA

THE CLUB AT RAVENNA | Littleton | 720-956-1600; RavennaGolf.com INITIATION: $10,000-$30,000 DUES: $500/mo.

CONTACT: Erik “Hack” Haberland (ehaberland@ravennagolf.com) REAL ESTATE: Dale Schossow (dschossow@livsothebysrealty.com)

at

The Club • Jay Morrish-designed golf course, awarded Top 20 in State by Golf Digest (2015-16).

• Residential and non-residential membership opportunities, including Presidential, Full Golf, Junior, Corporate, National and Provisional.

• Casual and fine dining, in addition to a full social calendar of weekly and special events.

• Located south of Chatfield Reservoir, adjacent to Waterton Canyon and the Platte River, with access to fishing, boating, birding and horseback riding, as well as, road and mountain biking in Pike National Forest and winter sports in Roxborough State Park.

• An extensive Vintners’ Club where members enjoy private wine dinners with vintners from the Napa region.

The COMMUNITY

• A gated, 634-acre retreat 30 minutes from downtown Denver and 20 from the DTC. • Custom homesites, starting from the mid-$200,000s, allow you to design and build with an approved builder.

• Completed Tuscan-inspired custom homes start at $1,995,000.

• Remington Homes’ customizable Luxury Golf Villas start in the low $700,000s.

• Thomas Sattler European Estate Collection starts in the mid-$900,000s.

Ravenna’s Old-World Mediterranean architecture blends seamlessly with the property’s dramatic ravines, hogbacks, forest and golf course.

CHERRY CREEK COUNTRY CLUB | Denver | 303-597-0300 | cherrycreekcountryclub.com INITIATION: $40,000-$60,000 DUES: $650/mo.

CONTACT: Karen Hart (KarenHart@cherrycreekcountryclub.com)

The Club • Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course ranging from 4,981 to 7,450 yards, including an officially rated short course stretching from 3,123 to 4,036 yards.

• Award-winning clubhouse with plush locker rooms, sophisticated dining area, men’s grill, outdoor patios and abundant event space.

• Gated enclave 15 minutes from downtown, DTC and Cherry Creek North.

• Busy family-oriented social calendar ranging from kids’ cooking classes to weekly live entertainment to a blowout fireworks display.

• Denver’s only country club to include a full fitness membership in dues: weights, machines, lockers, classes and programs come at no extra charge.

• Full-service spa, with six treatment rooms, steam rooms, Jacuzzi, mani-pedi stations and meditation space.

• Adult and kid pools, two tennis courts.

• Weeklong kids’ camps throughout summer featuring individualized athletic instruction in golf, tennis and other sports.

The COMMUNITY

• Family-oriented, gated, park-like setting surrounded by the High Line Canal.

• Three neighborhoods (the Village, Villas and Custom Estates) with resale prices ranging from $800,000 to $2.6 million.

• HOA fees include landscaping and snow removal.

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Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

CHERRY CREEK COUNTRY CLUB

THE WARMTH OF TUS

THE VIEWS OF CO

When you come home through the private gate at Ravenna, you’re transported into a far-away mountain retreat - yet, only 30 minutes from downtown Denver and 20 minutes from the Denver Tech Center. Your Old-world Mediterranean home blends seamlessly into the landscape, providing stunning views in nearly every direction of Pike National Forest, Waterton Canyon, the Denver Skyline and the vibrant Dakota Hogback.

Custom Homesites from the $200,000s

Remington Homes Golf Villas from the low $700,000s Thomas Sattler Homes European Estate Collection from the mid-$900,000s

Custom Homes from $1,995,000

For Real Estate, Contact: Dale Schossow | LIV Sotheby’s International Realty | 720.956.1600

SCAN LUXURY.

OLORADO.

LAND ROVER

DENVER

Range Rover Evoque

LAND ROVER

DENVER

1-800-NEW-LAND-ROVER

6160 South Broadway • Littleton, CO 80121

LandRoverDenver.com

Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/LandRoverDenver

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DENVER REGION REGION DENVER

BLACKSTONE

Blackstone Country Club | Aurora | 303-680-0245 | blackstone-club.com INITIATION: $2,000-$5,000 DUES: From $249/mo.

CONTACT: Tiffanie Trenck (ttrenck@canongategolf.com)

The Club

COUNTRY CLUB

• Reinvention underway including clubhouse renovations, private event area makeover, golf course improvements and resort-style pool experience.

• New outdoor patio dining featuring live music Friday nights.

• New dining experience with seasonal menus, Chef’s Table and signature service.

• Membership offerings with 50% off à la carte dining, access to the ClubCorp Network and more.

• 7,313-yard Jay Morrish-designed golf course with full driving range, practice areas.

• Two tennis courts, junior Olympic pool and state-of-the-art fitness center.

• Extensive social calendar including holiday parties, wine dinners, brunches, barbecues and more.

• Chophouse-themed restaurant with casual country club dining and terraces looking out on Colorado’s Front Range.

• Spacious ballroom and private-event room ideal for hosting any type of occasion.

The COMMUNITY

• Fast-growing new community east of E-470 at the end of Smoky Hill Road.

• One- and two-story homes and villas built by Lennar, Richmond American, Century Communities ranging in price between $400,000 and $800,000.

• Social members at Blackstone Country Club have use of all non-golf amenities.

In addition to being part of the 200-club ClubCorp network, both Blackstone and Black Bear offer dual-club access starting at $249 per month.

Black Bear Golf Club | Parker | 720-330-7087 | blackbearclub.com INITIATION: $2,000-$5,000 DUES: From $199/mo.

CONTACT: Tiffanie Trenck (ttrenck@canongategolf.com)

The Club • Reinvention underway, including clubhouse and golf course improvements.

• Enhanced patio and activity space featuring live music Friday nights.

• New dining experience with seasonal menus, Chef’s Table and signature service.

• Membership offerings with 50% off à la carte dining, access to the ClubCorp Network and more.

• 18-hole Jeff Brauer-designed golf course with more than 200 feet in elevation changes and views from Pike’s Peak to Long’s Peak full driving range, practice areas and instruction • Extensive social calendar including holiday parties, wine dinners, brunches, barbecues and more.

• Champions Pub with casual fare and a main dining area with traditional dishes.

• Elegant clubhouse with a romantic courtyard and gazebo.

The COMMUNITY

• The 2,700-home Canterberry Crossing, which bears the former name of the golf course, features a recreation center with an outdoor swimming pool and lessons, a spacious sundeck for parties, top-notch Douglas County schools, tennis courts, basketball courts, playgrounds and parks.

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Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

BLACK BEAR GOLF CLUB

ONE MEMBERSHIP. TWO UNIQUE CLUBS. PHENOMENAL PRIVATE CLUB VALUE. Experience 36 holes of great golf, tennis, swimming, fun events for adults and families and so much more at Blackstone and Black Bear.

Multimillion-dollar reinvention coming this spring!

Your personal oasis!

An upgrade to your golf experience.

Great places for a round after your round.

A great membership value in the Denver area. Join today!

clubcorpcolorado.com

*Capital improvement plan subject to change. See club for details. Š ClubCorp USA, Inc. All rights reserved. 27197 0315 SMJ

presented by by presented

DENVER REGION DENVER REGION

red rocks

Red Rocks Country Club | Morrison | 303-352-2030 | redrockscountryclub.org INITIATION: $12,500-$15,000 DUES: $6,400/yr.

Contact: Ali Canyon (acanyon@redrockscountryclub.org)

country club

The Club • Located within 25 minutes from Downtown Denver in the red sandstone foothills.

• Designed by Phelps-Atikinson Golf Course Design, the 18-hole layout boasts four sets of tees playing from 4,721 yards to nearly 7,000 yards.

• Newly renovated and expanded clubhouse includes a new bar and grill, separate dining room and private event space.

• Expanded outdoor dining with an indoor/outdoor bar and a patio with a cozy fire pit.

• A stunning outdoor pavilion welcomes special parties and events.

• 42 ft. x 82 ft. heated swimming pool and heated baby pool.

• Pool parties every Friday with live entertainment from Memorial Day to Labor Day. • Fishing, gardening, hiking/biking, fitness programs and winter sports.

• Social and full-golf memberships available.

• Member of the Private Club Network, with access to more than 100 Private Clubs.

The COMMUNITY

• The established communities of Red Rocks, Willow Springs and Willow Brook offer rustic mountain luxury and endless outdoor pursuits just minutes from the world-renowned Red Rocks Amphitheatre and less than 20 minutes from the Denver Tech Center.

Red Rocks Country Club embraces its location, featuring an Outdoor pavilion for for special events, and a community garden where members can grow their own vegetables.

The Inverness Golf Club | Englewood | 303-397-7878 | invernesshotel.com INITIATION: $500 DUES: $3,870/yr.

MEMBERSHIPS: Dave Steinmetz (dsteinmetz@destinationhotels.com)

The Club • One of the only semi-private golf courses in the Denver area.

• Individual, Family and Corporate Memberships available.

• Created by J. Press Maxwell, the par-70, 7,057 yard PGA Championship golf course ranked among the finest golf resorts in Colorado.

• Was host to the 2013 PING Junior Solheim Cup, Colorado Open (1994-1998) • The club is open 362 days a year, weather permitting.

• Unlimited range balls and access to the driving range, newly recreated chipping area and putting green, access to The Inverness Hotel fitness center and swimming pools.

• Lodging discounts at The Inverness Hotel, its five restaurants (including the award-winning Garden Terrace), and the on-site full-service resort style spa, fitness center, and an indoor and outdoor pool with hot tub.

• Three lighted tennis courts available for use through the hotel.

The COMMUNITY

• In addition to the hotel, there is Vallagio, a “Live Work Play” Transit-Oriented Development featuring vibrant retail and restaurants, dedicated light rail station with pedestrian bridge, dynamic public art and beautiful open spaces.

• Priced from the $200s to the $800s and offering 743 to 4,000+ square feet of living space, Vallagio includes elegant Golf Villas, City Rowhomes, Flats and Loft Residences.

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Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

INVERNESS GOLF CLUB

where I played in a found an

charity tournament and fell in love with the course

annual membership that works for my family

chipped-in to birdie on the par 4, 17th and discovered my new favorite

“19th hole”— the spa retreat The Inverness is

GOLF

If golf is your world, your world is about to get a lot bigger. not only does an Inverness golf membership mean playing a 7,057-yard, J. Press Maxwell PGa Championship course renowned for challenging water features, sloping fairways and fast greens, it also means unlimited access to two pools; a state-of-the-art fitness center; full-service spa; and five restaurants and bars. at the Inverness, we’re Everything Golf — and so much more.

Call today to hear about our no assessments membership.

InvernessGOLF.COM | 888.669.7449 200 Inverness drIve west | enGLewOOd, COLOradO

presented by by presented

DENVER REGION SOUTHERN REGION

Perry Park Country Club | Larkspur | 303-681-3305 | perryparkcc.com INITIATION: $9,500 DUES: $448/mo.

CONTACT: Herb Miller (Hmiller@perryparkcc.com)

The Club • Picturesque, 6,666-yard golf course crafted by Dick Phelps among the stately pines and towering red rocks of Perry Park Ranch.

• Full Equity, Junior Executive Equity (ages 21-34), Social and Preview memberships available.

PERRY PARK COUNTRY CLUB

• Competitive and recreational men’s and women’s leagues with a full tournament schedule.

• Active Junior Golf Program open to children and grandchildren of members.

• Clubhouse occupies an expanded and extensively remodeled 1891 cottage.

• Formal Dining Room and casual Grille Room, both with scrumptious fare.

• Patio deck overlooking Lake Wauconda, Sentinel Rock and the golf course.

• Member of the Private Club Network, the country’s largest independent reciprocal play program with 197 private clubs.

The COMMUNITY • Perry Park Ranch, set amid the sandstone red rocks adjacent to the Pike National Forest.

• Home to more than 750 families.

• 75-acre facility provides indoor and outdoor horseback riding facilities, boarding, training and time-sharing of the ranch’s horses, as well as lessons.

At 7,300 feet with beautiful views of Pikes Peak, Monument Hill Country Club also welcomes public play on its long, pine-lined fairways and elevated greens.

Monument Hill Country Club | Monument | 719-481-2272 | monumenthillcc.com INITIATION: $500 DUES: $165/mo.

CONTACT: Ashley Olsen (ashley@monumenthillcc.com)

The Club • Formerly known as Woodmoor Pines Golf and Country Club.

• Set in the scenic Black Forest, just minutes from I-25, with views of Pikes Peak.

• Press Maxwell-designed golf course spanning 5,524 to 6,771 yards.

• Multiple membership levels (golf, athletic, swim, tennis, fitness, junior).

• Golf leagues and tennis and aquatic clubs for men, women and seniors.

• Free Kids Club, GHIN handicap, range balls, tennis ball machine, fitness classes.

• Four indoor tennis courts with full-time teaching pros.

• Six-lane, 25-yard indoor pool with retractable roof; large, heated L-shaped outdoor pool.

• Two-story fitness area above tennis center with full locker rooms.

• Two restaurants: one for fine dining, wine tastings, prix fixe dinners and more; one for casual fare, steaks and pizzas.

The COMMUNITY

• 2,000 acres of land with 51 miles of roadway serving approximately 9,000 residents 25 miles north of downtown Colorado Springs.

• Large Community Center known as “the Barn.”

• Ponds stocked with rainbow trout, fathead minnows, and diploid grass carp.

• Miles of hiking, biking and bridle trails.

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Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

MONUMENT HILL COUNTRY CLUB

Perry Park Country Club

Timeless Beauty. Amazing Golf.

Lush, winding fairways set among spectacular red rock formations.

A serene setting, framed by the woodlands of Pike National Forest.

A course that will test your game, whatever your handicap.

This is Perry Park Country Club, a mountain course here on the Front Range.

For over 40 years we have been providing an exceptional golf experience at an exceptional value.

Our initiation fee of $9,500, coupled with reasonable monthly costs make our country club membership very affordable.

Call about our one-year Preview Membership, or our Tuesday through Thursday Get Acquainted Days to experience how great Perry Park golf and your game can be. . For more information on our Preview Memberships or other membership opportunities contact Herb Miller at 303.681.3305, or hmiller@perryparkcc.com. Visit our website at www.perryparkcc.com.

PERRY PARK COUNTRY CLUB 7047 Perry Park Blvd., Larkspur, CO 80118

presented presentedby by

CLUBS & COMMUNITIES DENVER REGION

|

mountains

CHERRY CREEK COUNTRY CLUB

Cherry Creek Keeps Rising

I

n 2002, Cherry Creek Country Club debuted with the newest Jack and Jackie Nicklaus Signature-designed championship-style golf course in the Denver Metro Area. Ranging from 4,981 to 7,450 yards, depending on the tees, and with an officially rated short course spanning 3,123 to 4,036 yards the course quickly established itself as a challenging but fair layout capable of accommodating all levels of players.

Since then, the course has won Colorado AvidGolfer’s coveted CAGGY Award for Best Course Conditions in 2008, as well as for Best Overall Experience of a Private Club in 2012, Most Underrated Club (2013), Best Denver Region Club (2014 and 2015), Best Clubhouse (2015) and Best Locker Room (2013, 2014, 2015).

But while championship-caliber golf and golf experiences remain Cherry Creek Country Club’s heart and soul, the club has evolved into a unique social space with something to offer even the non-golfers in the family.

Golf

At its core, golf is a social activity, and Cherry Creek members enjoy every aspect of it. You can always find a friendly game. The Men’s Grill runs a nine-hole golf outing every

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Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

Thursday evening in the summer, followed by wine and grilled steaks. The club’s season-long match play event enjoys large participation and is as competitive as any club championship, and Cherry Creek hosts one of the premier member-guest events in the state. Autumn brings the fun cross-country style Great Pumpkin Open. And there’s always another member on the range to help with your swing.

Beyond the Course

Not everyone plays golf. Cherry Creek offers social memberships, as well as a full slate of non-golf activities.

The club has marvelous Easter and Mother’s Day Brunches with multiple seatings, as well as Holiday parties during the winter where most of the membership attends. The ample pool area features an outdoor kids’ pool and an adult one with umbrellaed deck chairs. Play tennis on two hard surface tennis courts. Live music fills the dining room every Friday from spring to fall, and the club annually hosts a fireworks display that is as spectacular as any in the state, complete with a BBQ featuring live music, face painting and a jumping castle for kids.

And speaking of kids…Throughout the year the club enriches the lives of its young-

est members with an ambitious calendar of classes in cooking, art and other fun activities.

Cherry Creek Country Club’s wildly popular kid’s camp runs weeklong sessions for eight weeks during the summer featuring individualized athletic instruction in golf, tennis and other sports.

Pumping & Pampering

Cherry Creek’s Spa and Fitness Center rivals any athletic facility in every way—except the price. Members don’t pay a cent extra for the classes or equipment for which most gyms charge exorbitant monthly rates.

Beautifully landscaped and modeled after an 18th century English carriage house, the 14,500-square-foot bucolic stone Spa and Fitness Center evokes a Regency Romance every time you work out. But the enchanting environs belie the seriousness of the work done here.

On the free-weight side, in addition to light dumbbells, the club has Japanese Uesaka dumbbells, which feature revolving handles to put less strain on your wrists, ranging from 30 to 75 pounds, as well as calibrated Elieko barbells and bumpers from Sweden. There are enough Ivanko E-Z lift metal plates to transform you into an Olympia contestant. coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m

The vast,18th-Century-English-Carriage-House Fitness Center

Cherry Creek’s award-winning clubhouse leads to its celebrated golf course, where water defines more than half the holes.

Live entertainment every Friday night throughout the season

Daily exercise classes included in monthly dues

co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m

The Easter Bunny Express heads to the egg hunt

On the machine side, the club’s myriad Life Fitness selectorized weight machines target each major body part. The club has Life Fitness rowers, treadmills, ellipticals, and recumbent and incumbent stationary bikes, as well as a Stairmaster on the gym floor.

Fitness classes include spin, yoga and boot camp, and in summer a staffed juice bar lets you grab a quick post-workout protein shake.

The club has available certified personal trainers to design programs for you and your family—whether you seek a golf-specific program from our Titleist Performance Institute trainer or simply a wellness routine to make you look and feel better.

Let’s not forget the other half of the Spa and Fitness Center equation. The Spa at Cherry Creek can compete for services with any spa in Denver. But this one is only open to Cherry Creek Country Club members. It boasts six treatment/massage rooms, three mani-pedi stations, a sun deck and meditation courtyard and shelves stocked with specially formulated cosmetics and skin care products. Several expertly trained specialists wait to pamper with classic or progressive massage, therapeutic and fashionable nail service, or advanced facial treatments. Finish with a relaxing shower, steam, or dip in the Jacuzzi, available in the men’s and women’s in-house locker rooms.

After working up an appetite, head over to the clubhouse dining room to sample some of Executive Chef Clark Church’s awardwinning Clam Chowder, or try out one of his seasonal menu changes while sitting under an umbrella on the patio listening to live music overlooking the 18th green.

For membership information, contact CEO/Proprietor Karen Hart at karenhart@cherrycreekcountryclub.com or 303-908-8822.

April 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

71

presentedby by presented

DENVER REGION SOUTHERN REGION

the club at FLYING HORSE

The Club at Flying Horse | Colorado Springs INITIATION: $25,000-$39,000 DUES: $530/mo.

CLUB: 719-494-1222 | flyinghorseclub.com CoMMUNITY: 719-886-4800 | flyinghorsecolorado.com LODGING: 719-487-2662 | lodgeatflyinghorse.com Contact: Wendy McHenry (membership@flyinghorseclub.com)

The Club • The 10-year-old Tom Weiskopf Signature Golf Course, located in northeast Colorado Springs, continues to be one of the most celebrated private layouts in Colorado.

• Membership Opportunities include Golf Membership, Junior Golf Membership, Corporate Membership, Social Fitness Membership, Social Dining Membership • Year-round Golf Instruction and Learning Center.

• European-style Athletic Club and Clubhouse with Spa Services, state-of-the-art athletic equipment, group fitness, personal training, weight training, heated 25-yard lap pool • Sport Activity and Splash Pools, Summer, Youth Programs, Indoor Basketball & Volleyball Courts, Indoor Red Clay Tennis Courts, Outdoor Tennis Courts & Stadium

The COMMUNITY

• Ten Neighborhood Villages with homes built by the area’s most respected homebuilders: from cozy patio homes (from the high $200s), to traditional ranch-style and 2-story homes ($300s), to custom homes ($1 million).

• Accommodations at The Lodge and Villas at Flying Horse, a luxurious resort and meeting facility, complements the club’s services and amenities. Four 2-bedroom Luxury Guest Villas open this spring, and the 40-guestroom Luxury Lodge opens this fall.

Major infusions of capital have recently transformed both the Club at Flying Horse and the Country Club of Colorado into DESINATIONS UNTO THEMSELVES. Country Club of Colorado | Colorado Springs | 719-538-4084; ccofcolorado.com Initiation: $12,000 Dues: $450/mo.

Contact: Jessica Woehle (jwoehle@cheyennemountain.com)

The Club

COUNTRY CLUB OF COLORADO

• Located at the renowned Cheyenne Mountain Resort, the privately owned club has benefited from more than $10 million in capital improvements since 2012.

• The recently renovated Pete Dye-designed course measures 7,056 yards with water factoring into five of the back nine holes.

• A 9,000+ sq. ft. state-of-the-art fitness center opened in late February with cardio, spin, CCX, TRX, yoga, spin, Zumba and other classes offered.

• Full-service 5,000-s.f. spa with 6 treatment rooms and meditation suite opens in May. • Comprehensive golf, fitness, aquatics and racquet club now includes a juice bar, retail space, private outdoor lounging patio and full-service locker rooms.

• 35-acre beachfront lake welcomes watersports and sailing. Swimming options include indoor pool, kiddie pool and 4 outdoor pools including an Olympic-sized lap pool.

• Access to 5 indoor and 12 outdoor tennis courts for both tennis and pickleball.

• Members enjoy exclusive privileges and pricing for all of the Cheyenne Mountain Resort amenities including deluxe guest rooms, meeting and event space, three resort restaurants, as well as at the club’s three restaurants.

The COMMUNITY

• Established Southwest Colorado Springs community nestled at the foot of Cheyenne Mountain in the Broadmoor neighborhood, with easy access to hiking trails, outdoor attractions and downtown Colorado Springs.

• Heart of School District 12 (Cheyenne Mountain)

72

Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m

Come play in our backyard

Memberships at The Country Club of Colorado Memberships at CCOC offer a way to enjoy the great outdoors, meet new people and form bonds that last a lifetime. With everything from tennis and championship golf to an extensive aquatics center and private lake, memberships grant you access to the Authentic Colorado Lifestyle.

Authentic. Colorado. Experience.

Now featuring our new 9,000 sq. ft. fitness center and rejuvinating spa opening in May 2015!

3225 Broadmoor Valley Road | Colorado Springs, CO 80906 | p 800.428.8886 | CheyenneM ountain.com Authentic. Colorado. Experience.

Discover the Unbridled Majesty

Meet Southern Colorado’s Newest Hospitality Icon.

It’s a resort, an event venue, and the most dazzling retreat in the most talked-about luxury community in Southern Colorado.

Luxuriously appointed rooms. Sumptuous cuisine.

Versatile event space. Pulse-racing views of the 18-hole Tom Weiskopf championship golf course, Pikes Peak, and the entire Front Range. We have them all.

The Lodge and Villas at Flying Horse, is now accepting reservations in advance of its grand opening.

• 4 Luxury Guest Villas Opening Spring 2015 • 40 Luxury Guest Rooms Opening Fall 2015 • 10,000 Sq. Ft. of Indoor Conference & Meeting Space with additional Outdoor Event Space

In Life, As In Golf, Club Selection Is Everything.

While Flying Horse is renowned for its golf, our award-winning club has been said to rival the finest resorts of Europe. If your soul yearns for offerings and services so handsome, so complete, so luxurious they defy comparison, The Club at Flying Horse is your choicest of choices.

of Flying Horse.

Born of legend, bred for pleasure, Flying Horse is a place of extraordinary possibilities.

With breathtaking views, beguiling recreational amenities, magnificent custom-crafted homes by the area’s most celebrated builders, luxury guest accommodations, and yes—a pulse-fluttering 18-hole championship golf course designed by the legendary master, Tom Weiskopf—this storybook community reflects the absolute finest in luxury.

Map not to scale

Hwy 83

Monument

North Gate Blvd.

www.FlyingHorseColorado.com

1880 Weiskopf Point, Colorado Springs, CO 80921

er

Flying Horse Club Drive

P

The Club

Interquest Parkway

N Po we r

83 Hwy

lvd. sB

Real Estate Opportunities: 719-886-4800 Club Membership Opportunities: 719-494-1222 Luxury Guest Accommodations: 719-487-2662

yag

way ark

Bold. Beautiful. Wildly Original.

Vo

presented by

NORTHERN REGION

The Fox Hill Club | Longmont | 303-651-7600 | thefoxhillclub.com INITIATION: $3,000 DUES: $390/mo.

CONTACT: Scott Stevenson (sstevenson@thefoxhillclub.com) The

fox hill club

The Club • Tree- and water-lined par-70 parkland golf course stretching between 5,445 and 7,123 yards.

• Competitive and recreational men’s and women’s golf leagues.

• Pool with competitive junior swimming program.

• Four tennis courts with competitive junior tennis program.

• Fitness Center featuring new equipment.

• Recently opened Members’ Pub. • Casual and fine dining in The Grille and on the adjacent deck.

• Playing privileges at Greeley Country Club, Fort Collins Country Club, Colorado National, Heritage Eagle Bend and more than 50 courses nationwide.

• Indoor practice facilities at Colorado National Golf Club.

The COMMUNITY

• Established Longmont community close to downtown Longmont and I-25.

• Fishing, swimming, wakeless boating, camping, windsurfing and picnicking at Union Reservoir.

Members at Fort Collins and Fox Hill country clubs enjoy PLAYING PRIVILEGES at each others’ clubs, as well as at Greeley Country Club.

Fort Collins Country Club | Fort Collins | 970-482-1336 | fortcollinscc.com INITIATION: $5,000-$9,000; DUES: $440/mo.

CONTACT: Heidi Elser (heidi@fcgolf.org)

The Club • Four levels of Golf Membership as well as Social/Tennis and Dining Memberships.

• Tree-lined Henry Hughes-designed golf course stretching from 5,329 to 7,062 yards.

• Competitive and recreational men’s and women’s golf and tennis leagues, junior tennis and golf clinics, swim team.

• Expansive Dining Room and Grill Room with nightly specials and themed dinners.

• Three recently constructed indoor tennis courts with high-tech lighting and below-court padding. Six outdoor tennis courts (two of which are lit).

• New state-of-the-art fitness facility overlooking indoor tennis courts.

• Four-lane lap pool and recreational pool with slide.

• Spa featuring all forms of massage, facials, mani/pedi and hair styling.

• Programmed social calendar, including cooking classes, bridge clubs, wine tasting, live music evenings and kids’ movie nights.

The COMMUNITY

• Established, highly coveted neighborhood with mix of architectural styles.

• Idyllic environment with lush mature vegetation, mountain views and the waters of Long Pond, Lindenmeier, Richard and Terry Lakes.

• Minutes from Old Town Fort Collins.

76

Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

FORT COLLINS COUNTRY CLUB

JOIN THE FOX HILL CLUB!

WHERE FUN JOINS THE FAMILY...

GOLF • SWIMMING • TENNIS • NEW FITNESS CENTER CLUBHOUSE • NEW MEMBER PUB • MEETING CENTER • SOCIAL EVENTS

70 OFF

% Join now and save of the $3,000 Initiation Fee Refer a New Member and you’re entered to win

6 MONTHS FREE DUES

MEMBERS ENJOY PLAYING PRIVILEDGES AT 3 COURSES LOCALLY AND OVER 50 COURSES NATIONWIDE

THE FOX HILL CLUB membership@thefoxhillclub.com thefoxhillclub.com • 303.651.3777 ext. 10

presented by

MOUNTAIN REGION

The Club at Cordillera | Edwards | 970-569-6460 | cordillera-vail.com Initiation: $35,000-$50,000 Dues: $12,500/yr.

Memberships: Suzanne Morgan (smorgan@TroonGolf.com)

The Club at Cordillera

The Club Under the management of Troon Privé since early 2013, membership has jumped to more than 450, making it the largest and most extensive club within the 13-course golf mecca of Eagle Valley.

•

Exclusive access, through the Troon Privé Privilege program, to more than 56 worldclass private clubs, as well as preferred rates at more than 85 Troon Golf properties.

• •

Membership is now open to golfers outside the Cordillera community.

The club’s three golf courses (Valley, Mountain, and Summit) range in altitude from 7,290 feet to 9,200 feet, embracing the terrain of three distinct microclimates and the visions of three architects (Fazio, Irwin and Nicklaus).

•

•

Each clubhouse features a top-tier restaurant (Chaparral, TimberHearth and Summit).

A club for all seasons, it offers swimming, tennis, fishing, fitness classes, instructional clinics, weekly wine mixers and cooking classes, as well as cross-country and skate skiing, sledding, snowshoeing, hiking and tubing.

•

The COMMUNITY

One of the largest exclusive golf communities in North America, covering 12 square miles in the heart of the Vail Valley.

•

The five gated neighborhoods of some 1,100 homeowners spread over the north and south sides of the main interstate in a valley of only 50,000 residents.

•

Cordillera’s private four-season playground feeds a lifestyle invigorated by crisp mountain air, aspen tree lines, fresh alpine snow and summer blossoms.

Golf Club at Fox Acres | Red Feather Lakes | 970-881-2574 | golfclubatfoxacres.com INITIATION: $3,375-$10,975 DUES: none for remainder of 2015 Contact: Matt Reinick (matt@golfclubatfoxacres.com)

The Club • Set at 8,300 feet, the John Cochran-designed course ranges between 4,776 and 6,500 yards and features more than 100 bunkers, 15 lakes and outcroppings and pines aplenty.

• Full, Associate and Social memberships available.

• Discounts on overnight lodging packages (which also include green fee, 24-hour private cart use, range balls).

• Fly-fishing on 15 mountain lakes teeming with rainbow, brown and cutthroat trout.

• State-of-the-art fitness center.

• Fine dining in the Arapahoe Dining Room; casual in the Grille Room.

• 20% off Meals and Golf Shop Merchandise (including special orders and sales items).

• Unlimited use of the Fox Den recreation and conference facility.

• Complimentary trail fees and cart usage.

The COMMUNITY • Guarded, gated community set on 459 pristine acres with access to hiking and biking trails, fishing, horseback riding, cross-country-skiing and abundant wildlife viewing.

• Rustically elegant and secluded homes and homesites served by Fox Acres Community Services Corporation.

78

Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

The Golf Club at Fox acres

GOLF RED FEATHER! ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS AVAILABLE

PUBLIC WELCOME Championship Mountain Golf

[

Voted 17th “Most Fun Course” to play in the country in 2012.

– Golf Digest

[

Restaurant and Banquet Facility World Class Fly Fishing Guest Rooms Stay and Play Ultimate Retreat for family and friends Easy to get to…

But hard to leave!

BOOK TODAY!

3350 Fox Acres Drive E. | Red Feather Lakes, CO | 80545 Call or visit our website for booking.

970-881-2574 | golfclubatfoxacres.com

presented by

MOUNTAIN REGION

RED SKY GOLF CLUB

Red Sky Golf Club | Wolcott | 970-754-8400 | redskygolfclub.com INITIATION: $140,000 DUES: $9,455/yr.

MEMBERSHIPS: Todd James (tjames@vailresorts.com)

The Club • Members-only access to two of Colorado’s finest courses, designed by Tom Fazio (5,265-7,113 yards) and Greg Norman (5,269-7,580 yards).

• Lavishly appointed 24,000-square-foot clubhouse at the Norman Course.

• Full and social memberships available.

• Complimentary concierge and club breakfast buffet daily.

• Private Member dining daily at Silver Sage.

• Outdoor pool, two clay tennis courts, fitness center.

• Stocked fishing pond, weekly external excursions (biking, rafting, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing) and winter destination golf trips to elite resorts.

• Dual sided practice facility and preferred member rate for professional instruction at Red Sky Golf Academy.

The COMMUNITY

• Gated enclave, with homesites ranging from one to 13 acres, ranked by major publications among America’s Top 100 Private Golf Communities.

• Predominately single-story residences crafted of log, timber and stone featuring simple, low-lying rooflines that harmonize with the rolling ranchland.

• Exclusive opportunity to join the Bachelor Gulch Club.

Red Sky’s option to join the Bachelor gulch club comes with season ski passes, slopeside valet, private on-mountain dining and spa and fitness access at The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch.

The Glacier Club | Durango | 970-382-7809 | theglacierclub.com INITIATION: $30,000-$70,000 DUES: $680/mo.

MEMBERSHIP: Mark Hanson (mhanson@theglacierclub.com) REAL ESTATE: Glacier Realty (970-382-7800)

The Club • 27 holes of spectacular golf, complemented by nine more in 2017.

• 20,000-square-foot clubhouse contains one of Durango’s foremost restaurants.

• Heated pool and hot tub, located above the Animas Valley, overlooking the famous Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Train Station.

• Glacier Activities Concierge Services arrange and recommend trips to ride horses, flyfish, ATV, Jeep, backcountry ski, snowmobile, raft or kayak, mountain bike and more.

• Membership in ClubCorp network of clubs around the world.

• Tennis on three post tension courts covered in durable Plexipave.

• Fully equipped fitness/wellness center as well as a private gym with personalized fitness and nutrition programs.

• Kids programs in golf, tennis and activities through the Glacier Kids Club.

The COMMUNITY

• Gated, 1,000-acre community 18 miles from downtown Durango and just south of Durango Mountain Resort (aka Purgatory).

• Homes range from Cottages (1,200-2,000 square feet) to Cabins (2,150-3,000 sf) to Villas (2,170-5,180 sf) to Custom Homes set on .39 to 2.6 acres.

• White Glove Concierge Service handles property management and much more.

82

Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

The

Glacier Club

spend your time

there comes a time when wealth management is all about how you

An Audubon Certified Golf Community

DURANGO COLORADO

Just north of historic downtown Durango, the San Juan Mountains embrace one of the most scenic private golf communities in the Rockies. To those who know its secrets, Glacier Club takes mountain living to new heights. Residents, members and guests are treated to magnificent golf venues enveloped in stunning rock formations and are part of an active community where you simply know you belong.

Deep friendships across generations are forged on the course, in the clubhouse, on the courts, on the slopes, and in the company of nature that is as intimate as it is vast.

And while we can’t create more time, life at Glacier Club provides for more time together, enjoying family, friends and neighbors in one of the most amazing places in all of Colorado.

Experience Glacier Club by contacting Lindsay Lubrant at 888.382.7888 or emailing glacierrealty@theglacierclub.com

Real MOUNTAINS. Real PEOPLE. Real VALUE. theglacierclub.com

O’S ONLY PRIVATE GOLF COMMUNITY

::

REAL ESTATE OPPORTUNITIES Custom Homes, Townhomes, Homesites

::

MEMBERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Equity, Non-Resident and Social Memberships

presented by

PRIVATE CLUB DIRECTORY

CLUB

ADDRESS

PHONE

INITIATION

DUES

WAITING LIST

Adam's Mountain Country Club

1094 Frost Creek Dr., Eagle

866-490-2622

$60,000-$150,000

$750/mo.

No

MEMBER CAP

Aspen Glen Club

0545 Bald Eagle Way, Carbondale

970-704-1905

$100,000

$920/mo.

No

535

Ballyneal

1 Ballyneal Lane, Holyoke

970-854-5900

$18,000

$4,500/yr.

No

250

Bear Creek Golf Club

12201 Morrison Rd., Denver

303-980-8700

$40,000

$675/mo.

No

350

Black Bear Golf Club

11300 Canterberry Pkwy., Parker

720-330-7087

$2,000-$5,000

starting at $199/mo.

No

N/A

Blackstone Country Club

7777 Country Club Dr., Aurora

720-330-7087

$2,000-$5,000

starting at $249/mo.

No

N/A

Bookcliff Country Club

2730 G Rd., Grand Junction

970-243-3323

$2500-$3500

$295-$350/mo.

No

520

Boulder Country Club

350 Clubhouse Rd., Boulder

303-530-4600

$30,000

$527/mo.

Yes

485

Broadmoor Golf Club

1 Lake Circle, Colorado Springs

719-577-5790

$70,000

$615/mo.

Yes

N/A

Castle Pines Golf Club

1000 Hummingbird Dr., Castle Rock

303-688-6000

$135,000

$17,000/yr.

Invitation only

350

Castle Pines, The Country Club at Catamount Ranch & Club

6400 Country Club Dr., Castle Rock 33400 B Catamount Dr., Steamboat Springs

303-660-6807 970-871-9300

$26,000 (min.) $55,000

$725/mo. $9,000/yr.

No No

395 395

Cherry Creek Country Club

2405 South Yosemite St., Denver

303-597-0300

$40,000-$60,000

$650/mo.

No

445

Cherry Hills Country Club

4125 S. University Blvd., Cherry Hills Village

303-350-5200

$120,000

$785/mo.

Invitation only

500

Colorado Golf Club

7803 E. Stroh Rd., Parker

303-840-0090

$50,000-$75,000

$750/mo.

Invitation only

375

Colorado Springs Country Club

3333 Templeton Gap Rd., Colorado Springs

719-634-8851

$10,000

$465/mo.

No

425

Columbine Country Club

17 Fairway Ln, Littleton

303-794-2674

$45,000

$545/mo.

No

420

Cordillera, The Club at

655 Clubhouse Dr., Edwards

970-569-6480

$35,000-$50,000

$12,500/yr.

No

1,085

Country Club of Colorado

125 E. Clubhouse Dr., Colorado Springs

719-538-4084

$12,000

$450/mo.

No

450

Country Club of the Rockies

676 Sawatch Dr, Edwards

970-926-3080

$125,000

$9,250/yr.

No

350

Denver Country Club

1700 E. First Ave., Denver

303-733-2441

$105,000

$742/mo.

Invitation only

585

Eagle Springs Golf Club

28521 U.S. Highway 6 & 24, Wolcott

970-926-4400

$60,000

$13,700/yr.

Invitation only

250

Eaton Country Club

37661 Weld Country Rd. 39, Eaton

970-454-2106

$1,000

$190/mo.

No

485

Flying Horse, The Club at

1880 Weiskopf Point., Colorado Springs

719-487-2601

$25,000-$39,000

$530/mo.

No

450

Fort Collins Country Club

1920 Country Club Rd., Fort Collins

970-482-1336

$5,000-$9,000

$440/mo.

No

489

Fox Acres, The Golf Club at

3350 Fox Acres Dr E, Red Feather Lakes

970-881-2574

$10,975

$0

No

TK

Fox Hill Club, The

12389 E. Highway 119, Longmont

303-651-7600

$3,000

$390/mo.

No

450

Garden of the Gods Club

3320 Mesa Rd, Colorado Springs

719-632-5541

$15000-$20,000

$350-$485/mo.

No

N/A

Glacier Club

600 Glacier Club Drive, Durango,

970-382-7809

$30,000-$70,000

$680/mo.

No

675

Glenmoor Country Club

110 Glenmoor Dr., Cherry Hills Village

303-257-1313

$75,000

$515/mo.

Yes

475

Greeley Country Club

4500 W. 10th St., Greeley

970-353-0528

$1,500-$7,500

$250-$499/mo.

No

500

Harmony Club

4176 Club Dr., Timnath

970-224-4622

$6,500-$12,500

$330/mo.

No

350

Hiwan Golf Club

30671 Clubhouse Ln., Evergreen

303-674-3366

$25,000

$530/mo.

No

N/A

Inverness Hotel & Golf Club

200 Inverness Dr., Englewood

303-397-7878

$500

$3,870/yr.

No

400

Lake Valley Golf Club

4400 Lake Valley Dr., Longmont

303-444-2114

$5,000

$326-$379/mo.

No

478

Lakewood Country Club

6800 W. 10th Ave., Lakewood

303-233-4614

$37,500

$585/mo.

Yes

450

Maroon Creek Club

10 Club Circle Rd., Aspen

970-920-1533

$200,000

$23,000/yr.

Invitation only

350

Meridian Golf Club

9742 S. Meridian Blvd., Englewood

303-799-8402

$6,000

$390/mo.

No

475

Monument Hill Country Club

18945 Pebble Beach Way, Monument

719-481-2272

$500

$165/mo.

No

1,300

Perry Park Country Club

7047 Perry Park Blvd., Larkspur

303-681-3305

$9,500

$448/mo.

No

300

Pinehurst Country Club

6255 W. Quincy Ave., Denver

303-985-1551

$32,000

$535/mo.

No

450

Pinery Country Club, The

6900 E Pinery Pkwy., Parker

303-841-5157

$12,000-$20,000

$447/mo.

No

650

Pradera, The Club at

5225 Pradera Pkwy., Parker

303-607-5672

$15,000-$31,000

$452/mo.

No

450

Ptarmigan Country Club

5416 Vardon Way, Fort Collins

970-226-8555

$5,000-$7,500

$375/mo.

No

500

Pueblo Country Club

3200 8th Ave., Pueblo

719-543-4844

$1,000

$335/mo.

No

850

Ranch Country Club, The

11887 Tejon St., Westminster

303-460-9700

$7,000

$470/mo.

No

425

Ravenna, The Golf Club at

11118 Caretaker Road, Littleton

720-956-1600

$10,000-$30,000

$500/mo.

No

395

Red Rocks Country Club

16235 W. Belleview Ave., Morrison

303-352-2030

$12,500-$15,000

$485/mo.

No

425

Red Sky Golf Club

1099 Red Sky Rd., Wolcott

970-754-8400

$140,000

$9,455/yr.

No

425

Roaring Fork Club

100 Arbaney Ranch Rd., Basalt

970-927-9000

$80,000-$175,000

$8,125-16,250/yr.

Invitation only

500

Rolling Hills, The Club at

15707 W. 26th Ave., Golden

303-279-3334

$45,000

$587/mo.

No

425

Snowmass Club

0239 Snowmass Club Cir., Snowmass Village

970-923-5600

$12,500

$660/mo.

No

375

Sonnenalp Club

1265 Berry Creek Rd., Edwards

970- 477-5372

$45,000

$5,800/yr.

No

395

Valley Country Club

14601 Country Club Dr., Aurora

720-630-2463

$15,000

$600/mo.

No

425

300

EDITORS NOTE: This information is accurate to the best of our knowledge. Contact the club directly to confirm. *Initiations reflect full golf memberships. When given, ranges can account for incentives, promotions, refundability (nonrefundable or refundable) or multiple levels (junior executive, individual, family, etc.) **Dues reflect full golf. They do not account for food and beverage minimums, service fees, capital assessments or other surchages.

Ranges reflect levels of membership.

86

Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

colora do avidgo lf e r.c o m

EQUITY

FACILITIES

No

Swimming, tennis, fitness, fishing, spa, equestrian center

No

Swimming, tennis, fitness center, spa, ClubCorp reciprocity

No

Outsourced upland bird hunting, bocce, lodging, dining

No

Dining

COURSE ARCHITECT

CONTACT

Tom Weiskopf (2007)

Joe Cranston

Nicklaus Design (1997)

Jess Westley

Tom Doak (2006)

Dave Hensley

Arnold Palmer/Ed Seay (1985)

Kirk Rider Tiffanie Trenck

No

Privileges at all ClubCorp facilities

Jeff Brauer (1996)

No

Swimming, tennis, fitness, privileges at all ClubCorp facilities

Jay Morrish (2006)

Tiffanie Trenck

No

Swimming, tennis, golf, exercise center, spa & massage, dining

Dick Phelps (1958)

Kari Canaday

No

Swimming, tennis, fitness, dining, wellness center, youth summer camp

No

All resort privileges

No

Fitness center; dining

Jack Nicklaus (1981)

N/A

Yes No

Dining Swimming, tennis, private lake, water sports, fitness, skiing

Jack Nicklaus (1985) Tom Weiskopf (2000)

Alicia Huss Nicole Piret

Jack Nicklaus/Jack Nicklaus II (2002)

Karen Hart

William Flynn (1922); Renaissance Golf (2009)

B.J. Johnson

No

Swimming, tennis, Full Fitness Facility, spa

No

Swimming, tennis,dining, indoor practice, par-3

Available

Par-3 course, trails, fitness; indoor practice; pool complex (June, 2015)

Yes

Swimming, tennis, dining, fitness

No

Swimming, tennis, Par 3

No

Swimming, tennis, Nordic center,dining, hiking, fishing, skiing

No

Swimming, tennis, fitness, sailing,watersports, pickleball

Yes

Facilities through Arrowhead development

No

Swimming, tennis, ice rink,fitness, dining, pickleball

Press Maxwell (1965)

Kate Kippenberger

East: D. Ross (1918); West: R. T. Jones (1964); Mountain: J. Nicklaus (2006)

Sherry Clark

Ben Crenshaw/Bill Coore (2006)

Tom Ferrell

Dick Phelps (1957)

Kevin Sanger

Henry Hughes (1956)

Andy Zodin

Valley: T. Fazio (1997); Mountain: H. Irwin (1994); Summit: J. Nicklaus (2001)

Suzanne Morgan

Pete Dye (1973)

Jessica Woehle

Jack Nicklaus (1984)

Pentii Tofferi

James Foulis/Bill Coore (1902)

Molly Elm

Jay Morrish/Tom Weiskopf (1995)

Mike Steiner

Frank Baumgarner (1968)

Shelly Bowden

Tom Weiskopf (2005)

Wendy McHenry

Henry Hughes (1960); Pete Dye (2001)

Heidi Elser Matt Reinick

No

None

50%

Dining

No

Swimming, tennis, fitness, spa, indoor golf facility,lodging

No

Swimming,indoor and outdoor tennis, spa, fitness, privileges at ClubCorp

No

Fishing, tennis, dining, spa, trail access, horseback riding

John Cochran (1983)

Yes

Swimming, tennis, fitness, dining, privileges at Fort Collins & Greeley CCs

Frank Hummel (1972)

Scott Stevenson

No

Swimming, tennis, fitness,dining, lodging (Wellness Center in 2016)

Press Maxwell (1961)/ Mark Rathert (1997)

Tracey Kalata

No/Yes

Pool, tennis, fitness

Arthur Hills (1974), Todd Schoeder (2004)

Mark Hanson

No

Swimming, tennis, fitness, dining, massage

Yes

Swimming, tennis, racquetball, access to Ft. Collins & Fox Hill CCs, Kemper Sports faciliies

No

Indoor, heated golf facility, pool, tennis, fitness, pickleball court

No

Swimming, tennis, fitness center, fishing, yoga and pilates

No

Pete Dye (1985)

Teri Kubik

Perry Maxwell/Tom Bendelow (1932)

Eric Crawford

Jim Engh (2007)

RenĂŠe Vacek

Press Maxwell (1962)

Daniel Sherman

Swimming, tennis, fitness

Press Maxwell (1974)

Dave Steinmetz

No

Dining, practice facilities, private swim and fishing lake

Press Maxwell (1964)

Rob Mount

No

Swimming, tennis, fitness

Tom Bendelow/Donald Ross (1908)

Carol Kaiser

No

Swimming, tennis, fitness, spa,dining

No

none

No

Swimming, tennis, fitness, dining

Yes

Dining

Tom Fazio (1995)

David Chadbourne

Jack Nicklaus (1984)

Tim Murphy

Press Maxwell (1969)

Ashley Olsen

Dick Phelps (1969)

Herb Miller

No

Swimming, tennis

Press Maxwell (1960)

Jason Murphy

No

Swimming, indoor/outdoor tennis, fitness, dining

David Bingham (1972)

Mark Lewicki

No

Tennis, dining, fitness

Jim Engh (2005)

Mark Lewicki

No

Swimming, tennis, dining

Jack Nicklaus (1988)

Ryan Flack

No

Swimming, tennis, dining,

Henry Hughes (1902)

Stephany Salameno

No

Swimming, tennis,dining, indoor hitting facility

Dick Phelps (1974)

Courtney Wolfe

No

Dining

Jay Morrish (2006)

Hack Haberland

Stanley Harwood (1976)

Ali Canyon

Tom Fazio (2002); Greg Norman (2003)

Todd James

Jack Nicklaus (1999)

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“I love golf

far more than I love

football.’’

LIVING LARGE: The Hall of Fame linebacker kicks back at Blackstone Country Club.

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Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

colorado avidgo lf e r.c o m

The passion of

“Big Al” Williams.

By Sam Adams | PORTRAIT BY STEPHEN nowland

co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m

April 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

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A

Alfred Williams may be the most passionate, fun-loving athlete in the history of Colorado sports.

And that is how he approaches golf, with passion and fun. If you play a round with “Big Al”, he’s going to play with passion and you’re going to have fun. The fun will probably come with lots of trash talk at your expense.

“Golf with me is not conventional, homeboy,” Williams proclaims. His trademark cackle follows, one that listeners of his sports talk show (with Darren “D-Mac” McKee) on Denver’s 104.3FM The Fan have become accustomed to hearing over the years.

“It’s hard for me to believe that I could love something more than I love football,” Williams says. “I love golf far more than I love football. If it were something that I could do for the rest of my life as a professional, I would work really hard at it.’’

For Williams, that’s saying quite a bit considering his list of accomplishments as a football player. He was captain of the University Colorado football team that went 11-1-1 and beat Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl to win a share of the 1990 national championship. In his senior season Williams was voted the Butkus Award winner, given to the nation’s top linebacker.

The two-time All-America selection was voted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

Williams was the 18th player selected overall in the 1991 NFL draft, by the Cincinnati Bengals. He signed with the Denver Broncos as a free agent in 1996, and played an integral role

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Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

DRIVE TIME: Williams has co-hosted a show on The Fan for nearly six years.

on the Broncos’ back-to-back Super Bowl-winning championship teams.

Williams retired from the NFL after the 1999 season. He was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.

Ever since his retirement, Williams has been honing his golf game. His handicap, Williams says, has been as high as 11 and as low as four. He shot a personal best 71 at Raccoon Creek Golf Club in Littleton. Formerly an Inverness member, Williams now holds a membership at Aurora’s Blackstone Country Club.

Fo r m e r CU assistant football coach Bob Simmons urged Williams to take up golf. Williams considers it some of the best advice he’s ever received—especially coming from a man he considers to be a father figure.

Simmons helped coach Williams into becoming an AllAmerica football player. He might be responsible for Williams always looking to have so much fun on a golf course, too.

“Alfred has no ability, still shanks and can’t putt . . . that

whole 4 to 11 handicap thing is a lie,” Simmons says, laughing. “He can’t beat me—I’m still whipping his butt. Really, it’s a lot of fun when we get out there.

He’s my second son, always has been.

“Al’s very competitive and has always wanted to be the best at what he does. It would get under his skin whenever I beat him. See, Al would never take lessons. He started taking lessons, getting some fundamentals down. His swing has gotten a lot

“Golf with me is not conventional, homeboy,” Williams proclaims. smoother, the short game is a lot better. Now he’s shooting in the mid-seventies. He competes, which is good.

“He’s grown beyond that football player I coached to where he’s making a living in radio and broadcasting and people like him. But I still remind him that in golf, there are some people you can’t play. He doesn’t want to hear that. You’ll probably ask

for strokes and they’ll still cut you.”

Williams grew up in Houston’s tough South Park neighborhood. He was a star athlete at Jesse Jones High School during a time when the city was abuzz over the NBA Rockets reaching the NBA Finals, Major League Baseball’s Astros being led by future Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, and the University of Houston’s Phi Slamma Jamma led by Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon.

Williams played basketball too, but football was his primary sport. When it came time to pick a college, he chose Colorado simply because he “wanted different.”

“Everything that I did, all my friends were doing the same things,” Williams says. “My Uncle Ed, he was in the military. He lived in New York, California, Louisiana. He spoke differently.

He rode a motorcycle . . . he was so different than his 15 brothers and sisters.

“I wanted to get out and be like Uncle Ed. I didn’t know athletics would take me there. But it did, and Colorado has been so good to me over the years.”

And like so many Coloradans, Williams has found that changes in altitude will play mind tricks with a golf swing.

“I hit the ball a long ways—in Colorado around 320 to 325 on average,” Williams says. “But I’ve found that, at sea level, it’s more like 295.

“My 9-iron distance in Colorado is 165 yards. When I’m in Texas or Florida, it’s my 150yard club. That’s 15 yards off of one club. It changes your game.

I had to work with some pros to get over that, because in your mind you know how you hit the shot. I play 85-90 percent of my golf in Colorado.

“I was playing golf with (former Broncos linebacker) John Mobley recently in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I had to ask him

coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m

P H O T O C O U RT E S Y O F D e n v er B ro n cos te a m photo g r a phy ( T O P )

for a club, you know, what’s my 185 club? With a little wind, it changes from a seven-iron in Colorado to maybe a five-iron elsewhere.”

Not all of Williams’ friends are impressed with his golf prowess.

“Alfred a golfer? Please. I don’t golf—and he doesn’t either,” Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe says.

“Anybody who’s not on the PGA Tour, or the tour below that, they’re not golfers either.

That’s a hobby.”

Sharpe, who literally has never played golf, and Williams have been trading playful jabs with one another for years. Sharpe slapped the nickname “Plate” on Williams one day before a Broncos’ practice. “He was shooting Pop-a-Shot baskets in locker room one day and said, ‘Look at me—I’m Hot Rod Williams.’ He was making a bunch of shots.

But he had his shirt off with some shorts on, and his stomach was hanging out. I said, ‘It’s more like Hot Plate Williams.’

And it stuck.”

Sharpe eventually dropped the “Hot” and “Plate” has stuck since ‘96. “I guarantee you won’t find five guys who played with him in Denver who will call him by his real name,” he boasts.

Baskets and bellies aside, Sharpe has always had a respect for his former teammate. He always could count on Williams being ready to play every game.

“On game day he was ridiculous,” Sharpe says. “Running around screaming and yelling. I was trying to conserve my energy. He was putting as much energy into getting himself pumped to play as he was using on the football field. How he was able to do that, I don’t know.

“I played with some guys who were really, really passionate.

The thing with Alfred is, you knew he was going to be ready to play. We joked a lot, sure.

co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m

“When it was time play, it was all business.’’

And when it’s time to play golf, the playful Williams is all business. “My game is as good as it needs to be,” Williams says.

“With most of my friends, we have an ‘even-for-life’ bet. If they get up and they’re playing well, you can get your head beat in if you’re not ready. So you have to match their intensity and their willingness to practice because

pany, and he’s become a really good friend of mine. He’s old enough to be my dad, and I look at him like a father figure. He’s been one of my greatest mentors because he makes sure I’m right mentally. It’s not about going out and playing hard-core golf.

He’s always checking on me.

How many friends do you have that check on you, to make sure you’re good?

“Phillip is salt of the earth. We

RINGMASTER: Williams won championships with the Broncos and the Buffs.

the only way you’re going to get better at golf is to practice.

“We have bragging rights among the former Buffs— Kordell Stewart, Marc Walters, Charles Johnson, Blake Anderson, James Hill, Derek West …

about 20 guys. And we all love the game.”

The golf course has been a place for old teammates to connect and have a good time. Two of Williams’ newer friendships were nurtured on the links.

“I meet this guy, Phillip Scott, on a golf course,” Williams says.

“He owns a construction com-

get together during the holidays, Father’s Day, we go out to dinner for his birthday . . . I would play 30, 40, maybe 50 times a year at Green Valley Ranch before I finally got my own membership.

“And then Phillip introduced me to Jason Blanchard. Doc Blanchard and I play at least three times a week. We travel all over the country playing golf.

We met through Phillip.”

Williams has five children, and he makes a conscious effort to get them involved with playing golf. If he could turn back the clock, Williams would want to make the game his primary sport of choice.

“If I have one regret in my life, one real regret, it’s that I wish I would have started playing golf when I was five or six years old.

Like, the same time I picked up a football and basketball for the

first time. The landscape and the topography of these different places that you see is just breathtaking. And the people that you meet playing the game of golf, it’s just a different life.

“I wish more people had a chance to really understand the culture of the game. It’s not just going out there and playing the game. There’s a lot of honor in it. We don’t cheat on the golf course.

“In other sports you can cheat a little. In basketball there’s a little bit of traveling. In football it might’ve been a little holding, but . . . there’s gray areas in other sports. In golf, it’s blackand-white. You’re either out of bounds or you’re not.”

As much as Williams has professed to having fallen in love with golf, he still loves football too. He says there are no golf excursions taken during the football season. Football in Colorado is a rite of fall and winter.

Big Al and D-Mac don’t want to miss an opportunity to talk to their listeners.

And Williams doesn’t mind leading the cheers for all the local colleges, as well as the Broncos. He’s hoping Colorado and the Broncos will win championships much sooner than later.

“My legacy has been cemented by winning the first national championship team at Colorado and the first Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos,” Williams says.

“I’ve always said that sometimes it’s good to be the first to do something, but if it’s something good you don’t want to be the last one to do it. So the quicker they can get back to dominance, the better for me.”

Don’t expect Williams to stand around waiting for those returns to dominance—unless it’s on a tee box. CAG CAG Contributor Sam Adams is an award-winning stand-up comedian and journalist.

April 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

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V

Sonnenalp’s ertical Feats

A multigenerational family membership is just one of many reasons why this represents the“club of the future.”By Jon Rizzi

F

rom its down valley

setting in Edwards, the clubhouse at Sonnenalp Club offers some of the best views in Colorado golf. Rugged pine- and aspen-cloaked mountainsides verdantly define an alpine corridor rippling southeast towards New York Range, the ski slopes of Beaver Creek and Vail’s glorious back bowls. You’ll get a simi-

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lar eyeful from the first tee on the Bob Cupp-Jay Morrish layout that started life in 1981 as Singletree Golf Club—and from the floorto-ceiling glass windows of the 14,000-square-foot wellness and fitness facility on which the club will break ground in October.

This latest development comes courtesy of Sonnenalp Owner and Operator Johannes Faessler, who originally bought

the Singletree course in 1987 and renamed it after his family’s luxury hotel 15 miles away in Vail Village. The wellness and fitness facility reflects an expansion not only of the club’s physical footprint but also of what defines its philosophy now and in the future.

And it isn’t golf.

“Back in the 80s,” Faessler explains, “We thought we needed golf as a critical summer ameni-

ty. Vail had four or five courses, and they all were full. Now there are 17 of them. There isn’t much growth in the demand, both from a hotel-guest perspective and from the joining-the-club perspective. Golf is oversupplied.”

A passionate golfer who hosted the Colorado Open at Sonnenalp in 2001 and 2002, Faessler concedes that his course—which draws roughly half its tee times coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m

P H O T O G R A P H S C O U RT E S Y O F S O NN E NA L P

a $45,000 initiation; and sports (formerly “social”), whose $5,000 initiation will increase to $6,250 by midsummer. Both memberships are nonrefundable, which results in higher retention rates than refundable ones, and both enjoy all the same programming and access to the pool, tennis, fitness and dining.

The differences between the memberships are golf course access and annual dues ($5,800 for full and $2,500 for sports). The plan also raises the full member cap from 275 to 395 and the sports cap to 300. In January, the club appropriately dropped “Golf ” from its name.

“But the big thing everyone is talking about is the vertical membership,” says Quayle. As well they should. When you become a member at Sonnenalp, your whole family becomes members too: your spouse, your parents, your adult children and their spouses and children.

Kathy and Ron Iverson couldn’t sign up fast enough. They live in Arrowhead, two miles south

WHAT’S NEXT: Plans call for a glass-enclosed wellness center overlooking the existing pool and golf course.

from members and the other half from his hotel—rarely operates at capacity.

“It is an incredible amenity,” he says, “but our model was not sustainable.”

So, about a year ago, Faessler set out to create a sustainable “club of the future.” He enlisted, among others, longtime friend and Vail resident Brad Quayle, whose extensive résumé in the leisure and hospitality business includes leadership positions at Vail Resorts and KSL Recreation, where co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m

he oversaw operations at Wailea, La Costa and dozens of other facilities.

Quayle relished working with Faessler, a private owner. “The process we went through in a year would take a member-owned equity club three years,” says Quayle.

Their business plan required redrawing all the membership documents and simplifying the resignation process. The plan creates two membership types: full (formerly “golf ”) with

of Sonnenalp, and call The Country Club of the Rockies their home course. But they also have 15 family members—children and grandchildren—living in the Vail Valley. “Sonnenalp gave us the opportunity to join as a family,” Kathy says. “We’ll continue to play golf with our Arrowhead friends at CCR, but now we’ll play golf with our children and grandchildren at Sonnenalp because we never have to pay a guest fee. And the swimming pool at Sonnenalp is fantastic.”

Cathy Thompson, who with her husband Keith were two of the club’s first 100 members, is also thrilled that “those same little boys that we took to swim, golf and tennis lessons at Sonnenalp 20 years ago can now join us to golf on their visits home from college and (Continued on page 101) April 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

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The Anchor 94

Weighs In Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

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P H O T O G R A P H BY D E NN Y D R E S S MAN

ADAM AND STEVE: Scott and Sands share a laugh during last year’s BMW Championship.

On the eve of the 2015 Masters, Colorado State grad Steve Sands of NBC/Golf Channel broadcasts his opinion on Tiger, Rory, and more. By Denny Dressman co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m

April 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

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H

ow’s this for a job description?

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Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

WIRED: Sands stays connected.

agreed to be interviewed. He was frank and entertaining, his insights fascinating. That conversation follows.

Let’s talk about Tiger. Do you think he’ll win another major?

After all of the nonsense that happened in 2009 away from the golf course, I’ve always thought: “He’s gotta win one, doesn’t he?”

He was the best player of his era, and I never thought, up until this year, that there would possibly be a way he wouldn’t win another one. I have more doubt now than I have ever had, and not just because of his game, but because of his physical condition.

I think he’s going to go away and get it right, and come back. But will his game come back? Will his mental approach come back?

His mental strength was so much stronger than every other player’s for so long. It was a way-wider-margin-than-his-game better than the other players’. And that’s not the case now.

It’ll be interesting to see if he gets it back.

But I would be shocked if he never won another major.

It sounds like breaking Jack’s record now is a real long shot.

I definitely think it’s a longer shot now than it was. No question. Think about it: He turned 39 in December. He’s won 14 majors; Jack won 18. For the first time in his career he’s actually behind pace of Jack.

Another thing: Take his absolute biggest competitor out here in the last two decades, Phil Mickelson. He’s one of the top 15, maybe top 12, players in the history of the sport.

He’s won five majors. That’s his career. Tiger would need to match Phil’s career in majors coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m

P H O T O G R A P H BY D E NN Y D R E S S MAN

• Spend a week at each of a few dozen of America’s greatest golf and country clubs, and visit a few in other parts of the world.

• Watch the best golfers in the world demonstrate their skill in tournament after tournament, including the Masters and the Ryder Cup. • Interview the stars of the PGA Tour after their rounds, one on one, at every stop.

Steve Sands has been paid to do just that for Golf Channel and NBC for the last 14 years, and is quick to agree that it can’t get much better.

“It beats working for a living,” he joked when his work brought him to Cherry Hills for the BMW Championship last September.

A Washington, D.C. native, Sands graduated in 1991 from Colorado State University. His road to the PGA Tour began in Fort Collins.

“I realized I was not going to be the next Art Monk and be a wide receiver in the NFL,” said the former high-school football player. “I figured being a sportscaster or being involved in sports would be the best thing possible, because sports is the only thing I ever really cared about.”

Sands initially wanted to be a sportswriter for The Washington Post, “but the journalism professors at Colorado State said, ‘Nah, you’re not a good enough writer for that.’”

So, he explains, “I gave this a shot. I went from Scottsbluff (Nebraska) to Oak Hill and Martinsburg (both in West Virginia) to Utica (NY) to Richmond, then to the local NBC affiliate in Orlando. There I got a break on national TV on Golf Channel, then a few years ago got a break to go over to the network and go to NBC.” Usually, Sands is the one asking the questions. But during the week he was at Cherry Hills to cover the BMW, the interviewer

to beat Jack’s record, beginning at the age of 39, with injuries, with some mental scars.

That’s tough to do.

Don’t you think the group of young players now is also a factor?

There’s no question. This generation is a much deeper pool of talent. So week in and week out, absolutely anybody can win.

I think, though, at the majors it’s a little different. I guess I’m an old-school guy. But I think guys like Greg Norman, Nick Faldo, Nick Price, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson— those were greater players going against Jack. But it wasn’t a deeper pool then.

So I don’t know what school people are in. Can the deeper pool attack each week better than the greatness at the top but not having the depth toward the bottom of the tour? It depends on how you look at it.

I think Rory McIlroy is sitting in a great spot. He has won three of the four majors.

If he gets the Masters out of the way in the next couple of years, look out. I don’t think he’s going to win as many tournaments as Tiger in his career, but he could win more majors than Tiger.

Is Rory a threat to Jack?

No question—if he wins Augusta in the next three or four years. You’ve got to get that one out of the way, because then he has all four and he can put his foot on the pedal and go get them.

Adam Scott is a great player. Justin Rose is a great player. Jason Day is a terrific player. Rickie Fowler is a terrific player. Bubba Watson has won two Masters; he clearly is very comfortable on that golf course. That said, I don’t see Rory having the people in front of him that some of his predecessors had. He just needs to win that Green Jacket before the vultures come after him in the next four to five years.

Rickie Fowler did something really unusual, finishing in the top five in all four majors in 2014.

Do you think it’s remotely possible that one player could win all four majors in the same year?

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I think that would be the absolute greatest achievement in the history of the sport, maybe even all sports.

The way this sport is lined up, the four majors are played on different golf courses, different climates, different grasses, different co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m

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story last August about injuries among Tour players and today’s training. Do you think they’re related to the increased training?

IN THE SANDS: Interviewing McIlroy, whom he thinks will win at Augusta.

of guy whose game translates to all four major championships. But the conditions need to be right.

He is incredible when the conditions are soft.

If it’s going to happen I would put my money on Rory. But, man, that would be really tough to do.

Talking about Tiger’s injuries, The Wall Street Journal ran an interesting

In that story they talked about the stance on the drive, and the pivot and keeping the feet planted.

Do you see that changing? Do you see players saying, “Wait a minute, I can’t do that. I’ve got to be able to move my feet a little bit.” Do you see the fundamental of the swing

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times of the year. Just so many different factors have to fall into place for you to be successful one week, let alone one week at a major. For that to happen four times in a row—from April all the way to August, in the same calendar year—would be an astonishing accomplishment.

But I do think if somebody gets hot, it can be done. I think the only person right now who could do that is Rory. Rory is the kind

I do.

Tiger Woods came out in the mid to late ’90s and made his run through the 2000s, and made the game cooler; made the game hipper; made the game slimmer, more athletic. I think every player out here will tell you the game has become more athletic.

And I think as the game has made an adjustment with its athleticism and its equipment and all the things that go into playing the game, away from the course the training has become different. There are going to be more injuries because the guys are tighter. They don’t look like you and me out there anymore. They’re finely tuned

athletes, a lot of them. I think that’s important.

But I also think that the nature of the game is that, while your core needs to be strong, you need great flexibility. You don’t need to look like you’re a strong safety in the NFL to play golf.

And I think a lot of players are realizing that, and finding out the hard way that you cannot look that great and do this sport for more than a couple decades at the highest level.

changing at all because of the threat of injury?

Just like in every other sport, like coaches in team sports and players in team sports, the players out here and the teachers out here—everybody’s a copycat.

Everybody wants to do what the best players are doing. So when you see Rory McIlroy have a classic golf swing, you want to play like Rory McIlroy.

In the old days, Arnold Palmer with his crazy swing; Raymond Floyd with his action; and Lee Trevino with his action—and all these different guys who were multiple major champions and some of the best players in the history of the game, and all of them in the World Golf Hall of Fame—those days were a little different.

Now with the teacher, and the trainer, and the sports psychologist and everybody involved in this individual sport that seemingly has become a team sport,

everybody wants to swing with the nice beautiful arc and classic swing. So I don’t see a lot of dancing with the feet on tee boxes on the PGA Tour coming soon. These guys—amateur golfers, collegiate golfers, Web.com Tour golfers, and PGA Tour golfers– they all want to have classic swings.

Talk a little more about the culture of the Tour.

One of the things that’s amazing to me about golf—and I’ve been very fortunate to have covered every major-league sport—is the great majority of athletes on the PGA Tour, the European Tour, or wherever they are in the world are just fantastic.

They’re well educated; they’re good guys; they give you time; they’re nice to fans, to the media; they respect the game; they respect their fellow competitors.

So from our standpoint, a pleasure isn’t the right word; it’s just

nice to cover a great sport with good guys who get it.

Don’t you think that’s in part just the nature of golf? If you grow up a serious golfer, you learn etiquette, honor and responsibility that probably carries over.

No question. No matter what you see in team sports, in this sport you always see the hat come off at the end, the shake of the hand, the look in the eye—whether that player shot an 80 or a 62. They might not like it, but they will give you a tap on the shoulder, look you in the eye and say, “well done,” and walk off.

There’s an etiquette to this game that is unlike any other sport’s. I don’t know whether it’s because of the tradition, or because they call rules on themselves. But you’re never going to

see an offensive lineman for the Broncos call holding on himself; I can promise you that. You’re never going to see a defensive back say, “Nah, I touched him.

Give me the 15.” It’s just the way it works in this sport.

It’s one of the things that makes this sport fun to be around and fun to cover.

So who is your pick to win the 2015 Masters?

I think Rory’s going to win it. I think he has become more comfortable in his own skin. He has now played Augusta a few times.

He had that great chance a few years ago when he played so poorly on Sunday. I’m okay with that because Augusta is the one major where they go back to the same course every year, and only a couple guys have ever won it their first time. Fuzzy Zoeller was the last one in 1979.

It’s just so hard to win there.

I think if Rory gets off to a

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99

LONG IN THE BOOTH: Announcing requires watching.

decent start, look out. He’s the best driver of the golf ball. He’s figured out his equipment change when he went over to Nike more than a year ago.

Pretty shaky at first, wasn’t it.

Final question. Do you have a favorite venue, favorite tournament—other than the Masters?

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That’s a hard one. If you’re looking to have a great time, a little bit of craziness and some fun, you want to go to the Waste Management Phoenix Open. If you want tradition and all of the things that golf is about, you want to go to Augusta. I prefer to see great golf during the day and also have a good time when the sun goes down. So somewhere in the middle are Charlotte, Hilton Head, The Memorial and many other places we go to.

But I will say this, and not because I went to school here. There’s nothing like coming to Colorado. It’s the best. The weather’s great. The people are great. The golf courses are great. The PGA Tour belongs here on a regular basis, and hopefully one day it will come back like it was with The International.

CAG

Denny Dressman is a CAG contributor. Visit coloradoavidgolfer.com for more Sands insights. coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m

P H O T O G R A P H BY D E NN Y D R E S S MAN

It was. But I think he knew what he was doing. He needed to make sure that he not just took the money—which all of us would have done, so anybody who criticizes him for that is out of their mind—but he also had to make sure he was comfortable with the equipment. He certainly has done that. The latter part of 2014, clearly, he showed he was comfortable with it.

Going into this year’s Masters, I cannot imagine anybody being a more prohibitive favorite. As long as he’s healthy and driving the ball the way he does, I think Rory McIlroy is going to be a tough customer at Augusta.

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P H O T O G R A P H C O U RT E S Y O F S O NN E NA L P

work. Before, they would have been guests.”

The Iversons, Thompsons and other Sonnenalp members now also profit from a partnership with ClubCorp of America, whose CEO, Eric Affeldt, co-founded KSL in Vail with Quayle in 1998. As of this January, Sonnenalp members received Signature Gold Benefits at hundreds of private clubs (among them Firestone and English Turn), resorts (Pinehurst, Bay Hill) and entertainment venues. Aspen Glen, Black Bear and Blackstone comprise ClubCorp’s Colorado golf cache. “I think it’s a wonderful benefit for our members,” Faessler says, “as well as an opportunity to tell our story to the ClubCorp members.”

And it’s a good one. The ClubCorp connection allows Sonnenalp to compete with the nearby Club at Cordillera’s Troon Privé network without ceding any operational control.

VALLEY HIGH: Sonnenalp’s pool comes with a view.

Sonnenalp’s vertical membership blows away the traditional “family membership” model.

The wellness and fitness facility will generate plenty of attention. And Faessler says he’ll bring the talents of his hotel’s F&B team to bear on the restaurant, which will reopen with a great new concept for the summer season.

“The goal is to offer our members and the entire Vail community a gathering place at a wonderful venue to spend time with family and friends,” says Faessler. Put another way, Sonnenalp needs to generate what he and Quayle both describe as “body heat.”

“Usage is everything,” Faessler says. “We’re creating as many situations and programs as possible for members to interact and participate—new programming and events centered on fitness and wellbeing, as well as culinary, family, educational and alpine activities.

“I’m excited about the vision we’ve created. We’ve found what we’re looking for. It gives us something to energize around.” CAG

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Jon Rizzi is CAG’s editor. For more information, visit sonnenalp.com/golf; 970-477-5375. co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m

April 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

101

Citing emotio nal du receiv ress, a ed a $3 golfer ,000 s course in Cali e ttleme after a fornia nt from severe hole w a mun d hen he finger icipal popped pulled the pin from t he .

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A 56-year-old Welsh “arthritis sufferer” collected more than £ 26,000 in disability benefits from 2007 to 2012, during which time he played golf walking with a pullcart, carried a 7 handicap and won a club championship.

TRIVIA

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Tiger’s tooth. Allenby’s “kidnapping.” Weird golf news happens all the time. Can you determine which of these stories is fact and which is fiction?

FACT the most lost th a friend to find wi ed et mp co he As lf ball hunter South African go balls in a lake, a ocodile when a 13-foot cr became the hunted pulled him under and killed him.

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A Missouri man stole 42,000 balls from one driving range, but confessed after he could not sell them.

 FICTION  FACT

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Jord ael Westinghouse CEO Mich On a bet, a clearly inebriated golf er managed to wedge his FICTION FACT scrotum in a ball washer on a Seattle municipal course. Wit h his playing partners supporting him, the man received emergency medical assistance .

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For the answers and more fun fact items, visit coloradoavidgolfer.com.

Colorado AvidGolfer | April 2015

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Looking to get a new set money, of clubs a Florid with ins a man c stolen h urance laimed s is sticks o m eone ha from th police a d e trunk rrived, t of his ca he man broken r. When said he trunk. T couldn’t he cop o the club open his pened it s. and foun

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CAG

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