Colorado AvidGolfer Magazine May 2023

CONTENTS

DEPARTMENTS

08 Forethoughts

Time for the Next Round

By Jon Rizzi

12 The CGA

The association schedule lets every level of player tee it up in events across the state.

15 The Gallery

Glenmoor Country Club finishes course overhaul; Cherry Hills Country Club uses upcoming U.S. Amateur to spur charitable work; Colorado’s only RV State Park golf course; RIP Paul Ransom

64 Blind Shot

A top-flight team puts together a shrine to Colorado golf.

PLAYER’S CORNER

22 Profile

Matt Schalk channeled the advice he’d given his star-pupil daughter into capturing the biggest title of his career.

By Andy Bigford

26 State of Play

A new clubhouse could portend long-range changes at CommonGround Golf Course.

40 15th Club

Ankle strength and mobility can put your game on firmer footing.

By

Katherine Kershisnik-Sieg and Baylor Sieg

56 A Shrine to Colorado Golf

The dazzling new Colorado Golf Hall of Fame Museum at The Broadmoor honors the game’s history—and those who made it.

By Jon Rizzi

56

///ON THE COVER

Jill McGill, Colorado Golf Hall of Fame Inductee and 2022 U.S. Senior Women’s Open champion, attended the opening of the hall’s new installation at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.

Photograph by Jamie Schwaberow/Clarkson Creative

By Jon Rizzi

30 Mother’s Day Gifts

She’ll love hitting the course in new clothes and accessories.

By Suzanne S. Brown

SIDE BETS

47 Fareways

A new wave of good-for-you restaurants is changing the way Coloradans eat their vegetables

By John Lehndorff

52 Nice Drives

Genesis and Honda provide awesome alternatives to the ubiquitous SUV.

By Isaac Bouchard

PHOTO BY BRIAN OAR, COURTESY OF ENTRADA AT SNOW CANYON COUNTRY CLUB

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THE U.S. AMATEUR

is the oldest USGA championship in golf having been created in 1895 and won by the greats: Palmer, Nicklaus, Woods and many others. Many legends of golf credit the U.S. Amateur as a “turning point” or stepping stone in their careers.

PLAYERS UP CLOSE

Unlike other Championships, the U.S. Amateur has no grandstands. Fans get to walk side by side the competitors and see each shot up close as they cheer for their favorite player.

JUNIOR GOLF EXPERIENCE

An added addition at Cherry Hills will be a Junior Golf Experience where youth can come into a pavilion and challenge themselves to a long putt contest, try out a golf simulator and learn about sustainability and golf. There will also be opportunities for youth to be exposed to all that golf can offer them through scholarships, job opportunities and life lessons.

BE PART OF THE ACTION

Cherry Hills and Colorado Golf Club look forward to welcoming the community as we dwindle from 312 players to 2 and crown our champion in 2023. We can’t wait to welcome you. For tickets and information, please go to chcc.com.

MAY 2023 | VOLUME 22, NUMBER 2

coloradoavidgolfer.com

PRESIDENT & GROUP PUBLISHER

ALLEN J. WALTERS

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

JON RIZZI

CONTENT DIRECTOR

JIM BEBBINGTON

CHRIS PHILLIPS

SALES, MARKETING & ADVERTISING golf

KARI L. JOHNSON

MICHAEL T. COLANDER

ART & EDITORIAL

art director

D.T. CAREL

art director , avidlifestyle

BRENNA FARRELL

editor -at- large

TOM FERRELL

automotive editor

ISAAC BOUCHARD

style editor

SUZANNE S. BROWN

contributors

SAM ADAMS, ANDY BIGFORD, E.J. CARR, CLARKSON CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY, ANTHONY COTTON, TONY DEAR, DENNY DRESSMAN, SUE DRINKER, DICK DURRANCE, CHRIS DUTHIE, SCOTT GARDNER, GARO PRODUCTIONS, TED JOHNSON, JOHN LEHNDORFF, TOM MACKIN, KIM MCHUGH, BRUCE SELCRAIG, CHRIS WHEELER

(720) 493-1729 mailing address 9350 E. ARAPAHOE ROAD, STE. 210 GREENWOOD VILLAGE, CO 80112

newsstand information

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GOLF HISTORY

JOIN US!

123RD U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

AUGUST 14-20, 2023

JOIN US!

To volunteer, purchase tickets or learn more about the upcoming U.S. Amateur, please scan the QR code with your smart phone.

We can’t wait to see you there!

CHERRY HILLS COUNTRY CLUB | CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, COLO. COLORADO GOLF CLUB | PARKER, COLO.

123RD U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

AUGUST 14-20, 2023

CHERRY HILLS COUNTRY CLUB | CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, COLO.

COLORADO GOLF CLUB | PARKER, COLO.

To volunteer, purchase tickets or learn more about the upcoming U.S. Amateur, please scan the QR code with your smart phone.

We can’t wait to see you there!

Time for the Next Round

THREE YEARS AGO this month, I appeared on the cover of this publication beneath headline “Stepping Away.” Apropos of golf, I’d finished my 18— years, in this case—and was ready for the next round.

That next round turned out to be as executive director of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, on whose board I’d served for a decade, and writing occasional features for CAG and other publications.

Then, exactly two years ago, the fates conspired to lead me back to the editor’s chair of Colorado AvidGolfer while simultaneously sitting near the head of the table at the Hall of Fame. Keeping a cheek in both worlds has had its benefits. Those roles obviously overlap, especially in this issue, which celebrates the culmination of the Hall of Fame’s big 50th Anniversary project—relocating its museum from the Riverdale Golf Courses in Brighton to The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.

Admittedly, that project absorbed many of the hours I would have otherwise devoted to these pages and our company’s other content channels. I haven’t allowed it to diminish what Colorado AvidGolfer has produced, but my 61-year-old body feels diminished as a result.

Burning the midnight oil for the past two years, I often found myself repeating the advice James Truman, the former editorial director of Condé Nast, once gave me: “Never underestimate the masochistic tendencies of writers.” He could have included editors who also write.

Which leads me to saying that this will be my last issue as the editorial director of Colorado AvidGolfer. I’ll confine my masochism to writing and leave the editorial direction to Jim Bebbington, a 30-year veteran of the Ohio newspaper business whose passion for golf has quickly brought him up to speed with the state of the game in Colorado.

Jim’s title of content director reflects the changing nature of the media business. His experience in combining newspaper, digital, broadcast TV and radio resources will serve the company well, as will his ability to direct and social media strategies that will bring Colorado AvidGolfer new audiences.

He’ll have the help of the highly capable Art

Director D.T. Carel and Digital Marketing Manager/ Content Strategist Brandon Kusek—both of whom I’ll miss working with. I’ll also miss working with AvidLifestyle Editor Heather Shoning, a fellow member of the shrinking tribe of print publication editors. The issues that she, Brenna Farrell and Lori Perry produce always provided a welcome break from a steady diet of golf, golf, golf.

I can’t sign off without thanking CAG Publisher Allen J. Walters for his support and friendship over the years, and Associate Publisher Chris Phillips for his camaraderie and those business buddy trips we took over the years.

I emptied my contact list during my last farewell, so I won’t do it again. Suffice it to say I have every intention of remaining close to the members of the golf community and contributors I’ve come to consider friends.

I’m grateful to you for reading and supporting the magazine, and I’m sure you are grateful that Jill McGill is on this issue’s cover, and not me.

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The Play’s the Thing

to play. This year, we want more people joining us! Whether you are a beginner, social, or competitive golfer, we have the perfect place for you inside the CGA.

CGA MEMBER PLAY DAYS

CGA Member Play Days allow members to play non-competitive, oneday outings at top courses across the state. Open to CGA members of all skill levels, this is a great opportunity to bring a foursome or make new friends. Courses this year are The Pinery, TPC Colorado, Cherry Creek Country Club, Hiwan Golf Club, Eisenhower Golf Club, Aspen Glen Club, and The Club at Ravenna. Spots go fast so make sure to save the date as registration opens approximately two months prior to every event.

CGA TEAM NET SERIES

Looking for something social yet competitive? Then CGA 2-Person Team Net Series may be the event for you! These net events provide members of varying handicaps with the opportunity to play as a team. These one-day net events are co-ed and allow players to play from different sets of tees. Each event is a different format from fourball to scramble. So, grab a partner and sign up today!

CGA WOMEN’S CLINICS

For women looking to get into the game, CGA Women’s Practice Clinics are social golf events that include 3-hours of instruction focusing on the mechanics and fundamentals of full swing, chipping, and putting. A CGA Rules Official gives an overview of the

rules and explains how you can use the rules to your advantage. Maybe you’re ready for some more on-course instruction. CGA Women’s Playing Clinics are for intermediate golfers who are comfortable playing from tee to green. Participants will play 9-holes and come across 4-5 instructors throughout the round. Instructors cover course management, tips on the mental side of the game, and answer player questions.

CHAMPIONSHIP COMPETITION

For 108 years, the CGA has been crowning the State Amateur men and women champions in Colorado. This year is an exceptionally special year with the CGA providing chances to qualify for the U.S. Amateur hosted this year at Cherry Hills Country Club, or the U.S. Girls Junior Championship

hosted by the CGA at Eisenhower Golf Club. Registration began March 15th for most events, but spots remain across our qualifying & championship events. Make 2023 your year to test your skills against the best amateur competition in the state and the world.

SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNITY

If you are still looking for more playing opportunities, check out the Charity Events page on the CGA website. Or submit a charity event and promote your cause on our event website. We welcome submissions from any club or nonprofit looking to find golfers to join their event.

At the CGA membership means more than just a handicap, so visit coloradogolf.org or call 303-366-4653 for more information about these opportunities to play.

Come one, come all, as the CGA schedule lets every level of player tee it up in events across the state.

2022 U.S. GIRLS’ JUNIOR FINALISTS GIANNA CLEMENTE (LEFT) AND CHAMPION YANA WILSON WILL BOTH COMPETE IN COLORADO JULY 14- 22.

OPENING DAY MAY 27

EXPERIENCE A NIGHT OF LUXURY WITH YOUR OWN PRIVATE CHEF

YOUR HOME | OUR CHEFS

Glenmoor Gets More

Since last August, when work began on an $8 million renovation of their cherished Pete Dye layout, Glenmoor Country Club members have had to play at courses other than their own.

“We had a nice reciprocity with 15 private clubs here and in the mountains,” General Manager Ryan Norris says. “We set up hundreds of tee times—mostly weekday play—for the members.”

Now, however, the course that members are excited to play is the one they hired Love Golf Design—comprised of World Golf Hall of Famer Davis Love III, brother Mark Love and lead architect (and former Dye associate) Scot Sherman to make more playable for higher handicap players without defanging it for those who take pride in its high slope rating.

As of mid-April, it appears that members of the LGD crew accomplished their task. They stretched the course an additional 205 yards, bringing it a

scant eight yards shy of the magic 7,000 number by adding substantial back-tee length to the par5 12th, par-4 16th and par-3 17th. They widened the approaches on holes seven and 13, rerouted intrusive cart paths and rebuilt every green to play more consistently and drain more evenly.

Those putting surfaces, which had shrunk considerably since they were built in 1986, have returned to their original sizes to create more pin positions. The bunkers guarding them, as well as those in the fairway, have undergone restoration for uniformity of play. Some were removed, and others emerged—such as a directional bunker between holes 12 and 13—for a net gain of 11 bunkers.

Nearly 4,000 linear feet of signature Dye wood tie walls—both wet (bulkheads) and dry (retaining walls)—required replacement. Love’s crew shifted a number of teeing areas to create new angles, and even dropped the height of some rear teeing areas for visual intimidation.

Members will also see better turf conditions. After struggling for 25 years with brackish water from the runoff pond, the club can now irrigate with a potable water source through a pipe from Denver Water. An additional 200 sprinkler heads will improve coverage and economize consumption.

Norris expects the course to be ready for play by early summer. Even with a delayed start, he maintains, “We’ll be able to capture a full schedule of events like the club championship—and a full calendar of tournaments.”

In addition to the revitalized course, Glenmoor is getting its first new PGA head professional in 25 years. Alan Palmer, most recently of George’s Golf and Country Club in Toronto, has replaced longtime fixture C.J. Parry. glenmoorcc.org

DAVIS LOVE III AND SCOT SHERMAN

Between its spectacularly expanded clubhouse, its “Little Dry Creek restoration” on the William Flynn layout and its choice of member Peyton Manning as honorary chair of this September’s U.S. Amateur, Cherry Hills Country Club is starting its second century of existence with a flourish.

Worthy of equal fanfare is the club’s desire to create opportunities for Colorado youth through donations to four charitable organizations: the Palmer Scholarship Foundation, Evans Scholars Foundation, First Tee-Colorado Rocky Mountains and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver.

“We’re obviously proud to present unparalleled championship golf to the world-class participants and the spectators of the U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills, but the charitable impact in the community made possible through this championship is a legacy that means everything to the club,” says Cherry Hills President Kim Koehn . “To be able to see what our Palmer and Evans Scholars accomplish nationwide keeps us motivated to do even more to support young people across Colorado.”

1954 U.S. Amateur winner Arnold Palmer’s iconic victory in the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills inspired the creation of the Palmer Scholarship in 2001 to award assistance to deserving coworkers and golf caddies of Cherry Hills. In the two decades since its inception, the Palmer Scholarship Foundation has served as a turning point for the thousands of students who were

Cherry Charity RV There Yet?

Summer brings the high season for golf and RV travel. You can pursue both at Lathrop State Park in Walsenburg. Nestled in the shadow of the Spanish Peaks, just four miles from I-25, the 1,600-acre park is home to two lakes for fishing and watersports, a free archery range—and the nine-hole Walsenburg Municipal Golf Course

Opened in 1966, the course stretches to 6,400 yards when played consecutively from the front and back tees. Operated by the volunteer Walsenburg Golf Association and subsidized by Huerfano County, the facility also features mini-golf, a practice range, restaurant and—new this year—a 10-site RV park 100 yards

awarded scholarships valued at more than $2 million.

Cherry Hills has long supported the Evans Scholars Foundation, a nonprofit organization for which the club is also one of the two top fundraising clubs nationwide. Operated by the Western Golf Association, the foundation provides Evans Scholarships—full tuition and housing college scholarships to caddies. Since 1930, more than 11,550 Evans Scholars have graduated from college, and since 1967, 53 Cherry Hills caddies have graduated as Evans Scholars from the University of Colorado chapter.

At this year’s U.S. Amateur, the Junior Golf Pa -

from the clubhouse.

“It’s kind of unbelievable that our state park is the only one in Colorado that features a golf course,” WGA President Gary Vezzani says. “And we may be the only, or one of the few, RV campgrounds in the state that features a golf course.”

The new RV campground is open for extended and nightly stays. Each pull-through gravel site will be equipped with 50-, 30- and 20amp electric service, free highspeed wi-fi and its own picnic table. Rates are set at $36 per day for electric campsites, and golfers do not require a state park pass to play—unless they want park access. golfwalsenburg.com

vilion will be the place for attendees and youth to learn about golf, life lessons, and sustainability in the game. Kids of all ages will learn about the scholarship opportunities through the Palmer Foundation and Evans Scholarship program.

In addition, youth from area programs like First Tee-Colorado Rocky Mountains, as well as The Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver will benefit and be impacted by this great championship.

“We believe that golf can provide a critical turning point and a pathway for the future of our youth,” Koehn said. “And for us to have this opportunity to pay it forward is extremely gratifying for Cherry Hills.” chcc.com/123rdusam

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHERRY HILLS COUNTRY CLUB PHOTO COURTESY OF WALSENBERG MUNICIPAL GOLF COURSE

HOLE 15 AT CHERRY HILLS COUNTRY CLUB

WALSENBERG MUNICIPAL GOLF COURSE

A Paul is Cast

“Say it isn’t so!” Colorado Springs-based PGA Professional Ann Finke said upon hearing that fellow Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Paul Ransom had died April 5 at age 88. “He was the best! He always cared for others so much more than himself.”

Ransom, who caddied at The Broadmoor during the 1940s, went on to win the 1951 State High School Golf Championship and then was MVP of the North Texas State College golf team. From 1963 to 2000, he served as the head PGA Professional at two Colorado Springs municipal courses: Valley Hi (1963-1981) and Patty Jewett (1977-2000). In 1989, he became the first recipient of both the Colorado PGA Section’s Golf Professional of

the Year and Junior Golf Leader awards in the same year.

Ransom’s avuncular nature and passion for mentoring endeared him to all. “I worked for Paul as an assistant when I first got out of college in 1971,” remembers former Denver Country Club PGA Professional Tom Connell, a Colorado Springs product who, like Ransom, won the State High School Golf Championship and eventually followed him into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

“He was the hardest working— and playing—man I ever worked for. He influenced so many young assistants and bag boys to begin their careers in a positive way.”

True to his selfless nature, Ransom donated his body to the Institute of Anatomical Research in Colorado Springs.

BROADMOOR CADDIE PAUL RANSOM (LEFT) WITH CLIFFORD ROBERTS, L.B. MAYTAG, DWIGHT EISENHOWER AND ED DUDLEY IN 1948

The Evening at a Glance

You’ll be valeted to the Vehicle Vault, one of the most distinctive event venues in Colorado, where guests will explore and enjoy a highly curated private collection of vintage and exotic automobiles valued over $20 million, mix and mingle amongst exquisitely decorated lounges from Howard Lorton Furniture and Design, Colorado Style Home Furnishings and more, be entertained by a professional aerialist, food stations with live chefs from INTUEAT, enjoy open bars throughout and an unplugged, intimate performance by Sean Kelly of The Samples, artist presentations with Colorado Artist – James Holmes, state-of-the-art golf simulator from Optimum Golf and today’s hottest luxury cars and more!

Toast the Night

Guests will enjoy amazing cocktails and the mouth-watering tastes and sophisticated flavor of decadence at seven culinary action stations! From sushi to tomahawk steaks and fresh Colorado produce sizzling away on Mountain High Appliance’s luxury grill to the creative recipes of Pint’s Peak Ice Cream and The Donut, while the Personal Chefs from INTUEAT will deliver a Culinary Experience worth remembering! Fresh-shucked oysters from Blue Island Oyster Bar and Seafood, Charcuterie with Ornery Olive, and the infamous Colorado Mountain Crust of Beau Jo’s Pizza round out an evening of food and fun that won’t soon be forgotten!

An Evening to Help

For more than 19 years, Bags of Fun has brought joy, laughter and relief to children fighting a life-threatening disease or condition. The organization creates “Bags of Fun” that are carefully crafted for each child taking into consideration the best means to reduce their tension, anxiety and fatigue during their treatments. We believe in the rehabilitative power of play for all children fighting for their health and happiness.

You don’t want to miss this unforgettable evening benefiting local children’s charity Bags of Fun. Wheels of Dreams is a charity fundraiser that raises awareness and financial support to help provide Bags of Fun to kids fighting long-term and life-threatening illnesses. For information and tickets,

Please contact Bags of Fun at 720.476.3022 with any inquiries.

By Andy Bigford

Teacher Knows Best

Matt Schalk channeled the advice he’d given his star pupil daughter into capturing the biggest title of his career.

When Matt Schalk of Colorado National Golf Club in Erie battled through 50 mph gusts to win the 2022 Senior PGA Professional Championship in New Mexico last October, he may have stumbled upon an entirely new method for shooting lower scores. Pro golfers nearing the magical 50 mark typically enter golf’s version of boot camp, vigorously prepping for the senior tour mulligan. Not Schalk, who didn’t even enter any events when he first turned 50 and had played maybe once a month over the past decade.

He was focused instead on working with an A-list of students, starting with his record-breaking daughter and current University of Colorado golfer, Hailey Schalk, and including talents ranging from PGA Tour winner Kevin Stadler to Hadley Ashton, currently the state’s foremost junior female player.

To Schalk’s way of thinking, he’d already had his

opportunity. Back in his 20s and early 30s, Schalk pursued the PGA Tour dream. He was cashing mostly small checks while playing the Hooters Tour and competing in state opens. He did taste success, shooting 61-69-64 to win the 2002 Wyoming Open, a year after he’d led the Colorado Open on the back nine of the final day before dropping to third. The quest ended when he and his wife, Leslie, started a family, which now includes Hailey, 21, Blake, 19, and Jaze, 10.

“It was time to be a parent. It was my time to help them,” says Schalk, who in guiding his daughter’s ascent through the junior ranks began to see the game through an entirely different—and much more focused—lens.

“I think that break made me a better golfer,” he says.

TOUCHING ALL THE BASES

Matt Schalk grew up in Boulder playing just about

every sport. He fell in love with golf at age 10, when his parents joined Boulder Country Club and he occasionally worked with Les Fowler, the CU head coach for almost three decades. After the family dropped its membership, Matt shifted to baseball. He didn’t pick up a club again until he was in college. This time, it stuck.

With an eye on improving, Schalk in 1993 went to work at Lake Valley Golf Club in Niwot under then-head-pro Jim Phillips, back when it was still a public course. Schalk became the club’s Swiss Army knife, seamlessly shifting from hand-picking the range to running the cart barn to flipping burgers. He was even pressed into duty on the beverage cart. “That was probably the worst day of my life,” he now laughs.

Schalk also played and practiced relentlessly, saving his money to take lessons with renowned instructor Mike McGetrick. As a naturally gifted athlete and steely competitor, Schalk lived and

PHOTO BY C. MORGAN ENGEL / CLARKSON CREATIVE

SHARP FOCUS: The national champion is eyeing this month’s Senior PGA in Texas.

died over his latest tournament result.

“I chased it. Every shot meant something,” Schalk says. He hit a low point in 2000, when he ballooned to 88 in the local U.S. Open qualifier at Ptarmigan Country Club. He then received “the letter,” the USGA missive informing him that he’d been suspended from the next year’s U.S. Open qualifier. With that chip on his shoulder, he re turned in 2002 to shoot 67 and win the local stage at Buffalo Run, then did it again in 2003 with a 64.

Meanwhile, he was also realizing he had a pas sion and talent for teaching, which could provide a more dependable source of income. When he worked with McGetrick, his goal was to become a better teacher as well as player. Schalk ascend ed the ranks at Lake Valley as it turned private in 1997, eventually becoming the head profession al—and highly regarded by members for lessons.

In 2007, he was recruited to Vista Ridge Golf Club, which would soon become Colorado Nation al and the home of the Colorado Buffs men’s and women’s golf programs. His willing ness to learn every task and under stand the entire operation paid off again. Under entrepreneurial owners like Stacy Hart and then Steve Kerr, Schalk heard the same message: “We need to make money, go figure it out.” So, he did.

Over the past 15 years, he’s been totally immersed in the ever-evolving golf course business, eventually be coming a part-owner of CNGC. At various times, the principals owned and managed courses across Colorado and in Arizona, Las Vegas and Chicago. Schalk was intimately involved in buying seven courses, and in expanding operations to boost the bottom line. Most recently, the ownership sold Colorado National, Bear Dance and Plum Creek to Heritage Golf, which now owns 28 courses nationwide.

Schalk’s expertise expanded from making birdies to dissecting budgets, running pro formas and dealing with mergers and acquisitions. But he also had another project that took up considerable time—and brought him the most joy.

FIRE AND ICE

Hailey Schalk announced herself to the golf world in 2017, when as a Holy Family ninth grader she shot 65 in the first round of the girl’s high-school state championship en route to winning the first of her three state titles (only one opponent, Covid, could prevent her from getting a fourth). As Hailey cleaned up on the state and then national stage, Matt was backing her every step of the way, ultimately coaching her high school team.

He may have been the perfect golf parent, in -

"i can count on one hand the shots he's missed in the last couple of years."

PRACTICE MAKES PREFECT: On the lesson tee, Schalk learns as much as he teaches.

spiring her with his expertise and passion, but then stepping aside when she had the tools to go it alone.

“He stopped golfing to help me,” says Hailey, who led CU in scoring as a sopho more. “I’m so excited for him.”

While sharing those rare elite ball-strik ing skills, father and daughter were oppo sites in on-course demeanor. Hailey was initially quite shy, and even after blossom ing into a savvy champion she has always kept an extremely even keel on course, flashing a smile whether shooting 66 or 78. Dad followed a different drummer.

“Fire? Yes, he has that,” laughs Hailey. “We’ve learned from each other. It’s helped us both find a happy medium.”

As Matt watched his daughter break through, he began to understand better what he’d done wrong and what he need ed to fix to play national-caliber golf. In his playing days, Schalk would clean up on the local level, but never fared well on the big ger stage, where he tried to be too perfect. “I was mentally not good enough to handle the national level,” he admits. “I didn’t trust myself.”

TURNING 50

When the head pro at a Colorado club is set to turn 50, as a courtesy the PGA Section often arranges to hold the state senior club pro event at his or her course. No thanks, said Matt, who instead would be caddying for Hailey in the 2021 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Westchester Country Club in New York. He did manage to find some time

for himself, winning the 2021 Colorado PGA Senior Match Play and the ’22 Colorado PGA Senior Professional Championship title at the Club at Flying Horse. He also found a perfect way to sharpen his physical and mental skills—with Colorado’s most famous athlete on one of the state’s most famous courses.

Schalk plays regular matches, friendly but highly competitive, at Castle Pines Golf Club with John Elway, Patrón founder and current Clear Golf executive Ed Brown and Paul Lobato, the club’s director of instruction and a longtime mentor for Schalk. Even as Schalk passed on entering several over-50 tourneys,

Lobato saw his friend’s game and attitude sharpening.

“I can count on one hand the shots he’s missed in the last couple of years,” Lobato says. As Schalk got more serious about his game, he didn’t have to worry about getting into shape. “He looks like he’s 35 years old,” Lobato says.

“He’s a freak of nature,” says Jason Dumler, who’s known Matt since high school, serves under him as head pro at CNGC and has seen him go straight from three hours in the car to the first tee and stripe it.

“He does not warm up, and he’s hitting his drives the best ever,” Hailey says of Matt’s center-cut 300-yard missiles. Now a seasoned collegian, she knows how to throw a little shade. “He got this new putter—I think it came from Lost and Found. It’s very ugly, very old, no idea of the brand,” she says.

You can forgive Hailey for not recognizing the make of Matt's putter. After all, the heyday of the Acushnet Bull’s Eye predated her birth by a couple of decades. Matt's extremely short-shafted flat stick was so rusted from grip to blade that the shaft snapped when he casually leaned on it on the 13th green of his first round of the Colorado PGA Senior Professional Championship.

In an emergency re-shafting between rounds, it was accidentally shortened further, to a comical 31 inches (most putters are 34 or 35 inches). Matt kept making putts and kept the putter, though it may not

TWO-WAY STREET: The games of both father and daughter blossomed from their relationship.

PHOTO BY E.J. CARR

MATT AND HAILEY SCHALK, 2017

GO, PRO: Last October, Schalk became the second Coloradan ever to win the Senior PGA Professional Championship.

matter. After he’d broken it in the state tournament, he played the last five holes in two-underpar—while putting with his sand wedge.

“DON’T

WOE ME”

When the 264 best club pros from around the country gathered at the Twin Warriors Golf Club in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico, last October for the Senior PGA Professional Championship, Schalk had just one goal: Finishing in the top 35. That would qualify him to play May 24-28 in the 83rd Annual KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship against the brightest lights of the PGA Champions Tour, including Bernhard Langer, Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, Fred Couples, and Colorado’s own Shane Bertsch. An extra bonus: The event will be held on the recently opened Fields Ranch East in Frisco, Texas, the new home of the PGA of America headquarters.

Having never made a 36-hole cut at a national club championship, Schalk booked his return flight for the evening after the second round. Even when he entered the last round in the final group, he clung to the idea of just making it to Frisco.

After opening with rounds of 69-68-66, Schalk described the weather for the final 18 as the worst he has ever encountered. With rain and a steady 30 mph breeze that gusted to 50, he was playing on an extremely tight Twin Warriors course where every shot could lead to a lost ball. Even with the wind at his back, Schalk bogeyed the first, a gettable par 5, and had three bogeys through five holes. “Right off the bat, I’m thinking ‘What do I need to do to stay in the top 35,’” he admits. But soon after, his better instincts took over, especially channeling all the advice he’d given Hailey—and the copious notes he’d saved from every lesson he’d ever given.

“I tried to remind myself of what I tell them. ‘Stay in the moment. Don’t be hard on yourself. Everyone will struggle. Bogey is OK.’” The biggest achievement was keeping a positive attitude, even when Schalk hit it stiff through a 40-mph gust, then watched the ball get blown down a swale to 35 feet away as he approached the green.

“Don’t woe me” was the rallying cry, Schalk says. He played the remainder of the round at even par and beat Utah’s highly regarded Steve

Schneiter by two strokes. (Three other Coloradans also qualified for Frisco: Doug Rohrbaugh, Micah Rudosky, and Dave Arbuckle.)

Schalk won $26,000 for his efforts, plus a Rolex and victory bonuses from his apparel and gear sponsors, Nike and PXG. It also gave him a berth in the qualifying tournament for a Champions Tour card last December at the TPC Champions course in Scottsdale. He didn’t get his card and would have faced a quandary if he had. He’s now spending much of his free time with his youngest son Jaze, who at 10 is already ahead of where big sister Hailey was, golf-wise, at that age.

For now, it’s all eyes on Frisco. “I definitely want to make the cut,” says Schalk. If he does, and if he finds his comfort zone, anything can happen. As it is, he may not be the most enthusiastic member of his group. Hailey will be on the bag to keep dad calm, and she can’t wait: “I’m so excited. This is so cool!”

Contributor Andy Bigford, a Lake Valley Golf Club member, wishes he had taken more lessons from Matt Schalk when Schalk was the head pro there.

By Jon Rizzi

Big Plan on Campus

Occupying 250 acres along the border of Denver and Aurora, CommonGround Golf Course seamlessly blends a striking dichotomy.

On the one hand, its exquisitely challenging, eminently walkable layout of 5,543 to 7,229 yards regularly serves as the site of state championships and USGA qualifiers. The par-71 course has also ably acquitted itself at 7,378 and 7,470 yards for the stroke-play portions of the 2012 U.S. Amateur and 2019 U.S. Mid-Am Championships.

On the other hand, it’s an incubator for new golfers and an enjoyable test for recreational players. CommonGround sports a nine-hole par-3 course for juniors, a community putting green, and offers robust group and individual instruction options for every age and level. The innovative Solich Caddie and Leadership Academy, which has produced dozens of Evans Scholars and been replicated at courses around the state, started at CommonGround in 2012.

To fuse a pair of the course’s clever taglines: CommonGround is “a place for all and all the game teaches, located at the intersection of mission and

masterpiece.”

CommonGround opened in 2009, the result of 10-year plan of the Colorado Golf Association and Colorado Women’s Golf Association (which would merge with the CGA in 2018) to establish a course that would be, as CGA Executive Director Ed Mate said, “the best example of a state golf association course.”

It immediately became just that, with Tom Doak’s Renaissance Golf team transforming the old Lowry AFB’s lackluster Mira Vista (née Westerly View) Golf Course into a layout with ample fairways and greens of varying sizes, shapes, slopes and surrounds. More than 50 bunkers dictate strategy, as does the water on holes 6, 11, 12. The five holes heading home provide one of the most memorable stretches on the Front Range.

What lacks memorability, however, is CommonGround’s small and operationally inefficient clubhouse. Which is why construction workers, not golfers, now populate it, and golfers now check in at a double-wide west of the cart-staging areas.

By the time September rolls into October, these same players will find themselves returning to a

completely renovated building, which will have expanded from 2,200 to 3,100 square feet.

The renovation represents the first step in creating a CGA campus at CommonGround. Following the renderings of Roth Sheppard Architects, Saunders Construction will, according to board member and architect Brian Kipp, “deliver significant improvements to the customer experience and operational efficiency. It’s really a nice facelift.”

Inside the clubhouse, Kipp explains, “we’re going strip the inside of all finishes, making it all new in terms of millwork, merchandising cabinets and lighting.” Added square footage for retail merchandising will be to your left as you enter a foyer from the west entrance.

The space behind the counter will no longer serve as the staff workroom and merchandise storage area, and Head PGA Professional Ben Pennymon will no longer work in a small room behind that space. He and staff will move to a new office and a new workroom on the east side of the building, reconfiguring the golf shop to provide more room for guests.

When those guests get hungry, thirsty or chatty,

A new clubhouse could portend long-range changes at CommonGround Golf Course.

PHOTO BY DRINKER/DURRANCE GRAPHICS/COURTESY COMMONGROUND GOLF COURSE

COMMONGROUND'S PAR-3 12TH HOLE

Player’s Corner State of Play

they can repair to new furnishings in both the dining area and on the patio.

Exterior changes include finishes. “We’re going to strip the skin from whole exterior and put in brick veneer, new siding and wood soffits,” Kipp shares. “We’re replacing the asphalt roof with a metal one. This way, when and if the other buildings go in, they can all have the same style.”

In addition to a possible CGA headquarters on First Avenue, campus structures could include a new maintenance facility on the northwest side of the property (relocating it from the remote east side) and the repurposing of the cart barn, with cart storage moved to an excavated area beneath the tournament pavilion.

“Yes, we wanted to develop a campus plan, but

our committee also looked at how the golf course served the community and how the clubhouse remodeling would improve the overall golfer’s experience,” building committee chair Ty Holt shares. “The corner of First and Havana is a very important piece of ground.”

commongroundgc.com; 303-340-1520

BUILDING BETTER: The CommonGround clubhouse will look different and grow in size come fall.

WELCOME TO A BRIGHTER SIDE OF TEQUILA A

CELEBRATE

CINCO DE MAYO WITH MILAGRO’S FRESHEST MARGARITA

2 PARTS MILAGRO SILVER

¾ PART AGAVE NECTAR*

1 PART FRESH LIME JUICE

1 LIME WHEEL

Pour all ingredients into a Boston shaker, add ice, shake and strain over fresh ice into a rocks glass. Granish with a lime wheel.

WITH RESPONSIBLE MEASURING.

By Suzanne S. Brown

Make Mother’s Day

01.

DESIGNING WOMAN

Denver native Kim Martin fell in love with golf eight years ago but couldn’t find affordable, stylish dresses she wanted play in. So, in 2021, she came up with Fairway Flair, her own designs informed by what she calls her “drive to inspire more women in the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) community to experience the multiple benefits of playing golf.” Find such Fairway Flair designs as the Indigo geometric dress, $89, at fairwayflair.com

03.

SHOE IN

You can never have too many shoes, and that includes golf footwear, particularly when there are brands as highfashion and luxe as Duca del Cosma . The Italian shoes use waterproof, recyclable microfiber for uppers and memory foam insert soles in styles that range from classic to sporty or chic, like the red Wildcat, $239, the pale pink Alexa, $219, or white and aqua Padova, $219. ducadelcosma.com

She’ll love hitting the course in new clothes and accessories.

02.

FLOWER POWER

Adidas has created a limitededition collection designed to celebrate women golfers. Featuring a vibrant amaryllis print in an optimistic shade of coral, the Fairway Floral Collection “represents our commitment as a brand to female golfers everywhere,” says Jennie Ko, director of apparel design for the company’s golf division. Items include a women’s polo, $70, and dress, $125. adidas.com

THE LIGHT STUFF

Golf clubs are heavy enough without the added weight of a bag to tote them, so Colorado-based Sassy Caddy designer and owner Emily Haythorn has devised a limited edition lightweight cart bag collection. The three-pound bag features 14 dividers and a putter well, a shoulder strap, glove patch, cooler pocket and velvet-lined valuables pocket, $289. For a 20 percent discount, use the code sassymom20. sassycaddy.com

04.

TROY MULLINS, ADIDAS AMBASSADOR AND LONG DRIVE CHAMPION

A PRIVATE, LIFESTYLE RETREAT. TIMES TWO.

Rated the 2023 #1 Best Club for Families by AvidGolfer and fresh off a multi-million-dollar modernization, you are invited to experience the premier destinations for active lifestyles.

Membership offers the best of the area’s premium amenities and an unrivaled experience for pickleball, tennis, a resortstyle swimming pool, a brand-new fitness center, dining, dynamic family-friendly events and programs, and a combined 36 holes of championship golf.

05.

AHEAD OF THE GAME

Not only do men’s athletic caps typically not fit a woman’s head, they don’t allow for ponytails, buns and other hairstyles. Which is why Katy Craft Lim engineered her own designs and started Vimhue with the mantra of fit, form and function. Lightweight and breathable, styles include a visor, $24, cap, $29, and wide-brimmed bucket hat, $41. The youth collection is for girls 3-9 years old. vimhue.com

06.

SPECS APPEAL

Revo has partnered with golf great Annika Sorenstam to create sunglasses that help golfers perform at their best. The unisex Annika 2 has a lightweight, semi-rimless wrap frame that blocks glare while the polarized lens enhances contrast. It comes in Drive (red/brown) and Blue Water, $229, or Green Photochromatic lenses, $249. revo.com

O5 O7

07.

GREAT LENGTHS

Ladies looking for a variety of lengths and styling in their golf skorts will find them from Sofibella, a Floridabased brand offering designs ranging from 16 to 18 inches, $84. Printed fabrics with a UV-protection factor of 50 and memory stretch add further appeal. Tops include sleeveless designs in micro piqué that feature a zip front, $72, or notched V-neck, $74. sofibellawear.com

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Style

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DO YOU PLAY GOLF WITH PAIN? ANKLES

Then guess what? You are making your game worse! That’s right; every time you play with pain you either begin or reinforce a compensation cycle. This cycle completely disrupts your ability to reproduce a consistent swing and will affect your natural body mechanics.

So, what does that mean?

For most golfers, it means more time and money spent with your golf instructor, who’ll teach you compensative movements. Why learn how to compensate? You’ll never improve. If the wheels of your car were out of alignment, would you practice how to steer it straighter instead of getting it fixed?

So how do you prevent this cycle from beginning and how do you stop it?

Lack of mobility is one of the chief causes of pain among golfers between the ages of 32 and 56. If you aren’t warming up before a round, pain will follow. So I am going to show you five mobility warm-ups you can use not only before a round, but also before a workout or just generally to help your body move better.

Your body alternates between stable segments (foot, knee, core, scapula, elbow) and mobile joints (ankle, hip, torso/ribcage, rotator cuff, wrist). Most pain-related issues happen because there’s immobility where there needs to be mobility and instability where there needs to be stability.

Understanding the concept, let’s go through five warm-up drills for the mobile segments.

PAIN

BREAK THE CYCLE

Instead of playing hurt, try warming up correctly.

By Dee Tidwell

Stand on one leg and simply roll your ankle in a circular pattern. Do both directions—clockwise and counterclockwise. If you’ve ever injured your ankle before you may find sticky points in your range of motion. When you do, pause in the range and gently push more into the range, then continue.

OLD SCHOOL ANKLE CIRCLES (1-2 sets of 10 reps each direction, each foot)

HIPS SPINE

ALL FOURS HIP CIRCLES

1-2 sets of 10 reps each direction, each leg

SEATED BREATHING, ROTATION + EXTENSION

2 sets of 2-5 breaths each side

1) Sit on a chair with feet flat and legs wider than hips. Cross arms at chest.

2) Do a test and rotate back as far as you can and notice where you turn to. Be sure to keep equal pressure on your sit bones throughout this entire exercise! Please go easy and start only with two cycles!

3 & 4) Take a breath in, then exhale, side bend and rotate as far as you can go GENTLY. Pause in this position, then repeat pattern for listed number of reps. Again, inhale, side bend and rotate more… GENTLY.

5-8) Perform your motion test to the opposite side and see how much further you go.

2) Then, while maintaining the 90-degree knee, lift leg and create circle with the knee, allowing the hip to rotate with the leg also.

1) Get on all fours with wrists under shoulders and knees under hips

3 & 4) Seek to create a nice circle with the knee like you are drawing a circle on the wall in front of your leg. Work those tight areas more.

Through its charitable arm, the Colorado Golf Foundation, the CGA provides funding for junior player development, caddie programs, and community partnership that bring the game to a wider and more diverse audience throughout Colorado.

MEMBER BENeFITS

To access your Member Benefits, log in to the CGA Member Zone! coloradogolf.org/member-zone

*All promotions subject to change

CGA Members have access to discounts and special offers from a growing list of CGA partners including:

 PGA TOUR Superstore

 Pins & Aces

 Ship Sticks

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 Denver Nuggets

 Colorado Rapids

 UPS

 Office Depot

 Hotel Engine

CGA Members enjoy:

 Up to 25% off green fees at CommonGround Golf Course

 Exclusive Colorado golf news

 Award-winning golf journalists

 Rules of Golf and swing tip video series

 Contests and more!

Don’t miss out on more!

Discover all of your CGA benefits and opportunities to play and compete.

ROTATOR CUFF

Y.T.L.W.

1-2 sets of 5-10 reps each letter

1) Get into an athletic posture with a neutral spine from tailbone to head, knees soft a, good hip hinge and arms at the start position of hanging.

2) With straight elbows, create a Y.

3) Then create a T

4) To create the L and...

5) ...the W, bend your elbows to 90 degrees. It is important to focus on using your shoulder blades to make these moves happen. Squeeze them at the end of each range all while maintaining good posture.

NECK

FOLLOW THE THUMB ROTATIONS

1 set of 5 reps each of each move for each side.

MOVE 1

1) Stand in good upright posture and place your arm in front of you with your thumb up.

2) Begin to turn your arm away but keep your eyes focused on your thumb till you can no longer see it in your peripheral.

MOVE 2 3 2 4

1 5

3) Bring arm back to front and watch your thumb until it is in front of you again. Repeat for listed reps then do other side.

Same as above except this time you are going to rotate your head away from your thumb as it and the arm moves away from you. You won’t go very far since you’ll lose your thumb due to rotating your head away from the arm. Repeat for listed reps then do other side.

2 3 4

Dee Tidwell owns Colorado Golf Fitness Club in the Denver Tech Center and has thrice been named a Golf Digest Fitness Instructor. He is a TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) professional, ELDOA Trainer and has coached two PGA TOUR winners and countless amateur, high school and college golfers. coloradogolffitnessclub.com; 303-883-0435

THE MOST OVERLOOKED

joint

ANKLE STRENGTH AND MOBILITY can put your game on firmer footing.

By Katherine Kershisnik-Sieg and Baylor Sieg

Admit it. If you’re a golfer who hits the gym, you’re probably focusing on your shoulders, hips and core. Yes, those body segments promote strength and mobility during the golf swing, but what about your ankle joint?

The ankle can just as easily impact a golfer’s swing—just ask Masters champion Jon Rahm (see page 44). A too-stiff ankle joint can result in scooping or dipping during the downswing, which applies to 55 percent of amateur golfers. Whereas, if the ankle is unstable—otherwise known as a collapsed arch or flat feet—it results in swaying or sliding throughout the golf swing among 45 percent of amateur golfers.

How do you know if your ankles have the proper mobility and arch stability that are ideal for golf?

LET’S DO TWO BASIC TESTS.

TEST 1

KNEES OVER TOES:

Use a ruler or tape measure to mark 4.5 inches from your big toe to the wall (you can also use your driver head, as the average one is roughly 4.5 inches wide). Then without letting your heel pop up, reach your knee over your middle toe to see if you can touch the wall.

TEST 2

KNEES OVER TOES + TOWEL UNDER THE ARCH

Stick a rolled-up golf towel under you arch to support it and perform the same test as above.

WHAT WERE YOUR RESULTS?

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO IMPROVE IT?

RESULT ONE: I COULDN’T REACH THE WALL ON EITHER TEST

X X

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

You have reduced ankle joint mobility. This could be due to joint restrictions and/ or calf tightness and Achilles tendon issues.

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THE MOST OVERLOOKED

HOW CAN YOU IMPROVE IT?

• Increase your calf length and reduce fascial restrictions in your Achilles by doing a Wall/ Step-Stretch with a straight and bent knee

1 min. of each, 1-3x/day

• Increase your talocrural (ankle) joint mobility through kneeling ankle mobilization using a band or towel.

20 reps with 3 sec. hold, 1x/day

Wall/Step-Stretch

1) Put your foot up as high against a wall or step as far as your ankle allows.

2) Bring your body closer to the wall with a straight knee to feel the stretch in your bigger calf muscles.

3) From there, bend at your knee to reach your knee forward and feel a stretch in the smaller calf muscles and near your Achilles.

Kneeling Ankle Mobilization

1) Wrap the band or towel just below your ankle bones (where the top of the foot and shin meet) then attach the other side of the band around a heavy/stable table or in a door. (If using a towel, hold the other end with your hand or kneel on it with your opposite leg.)

• Visit a medical provider for manual therapy and deep-tissue work.

2) Once set up, drive your knee over your middle toe as far as you can before your heel starts popping up. Avoid your arch collapsing while performing this exercise by focusing on curling your toes or placing a towel under your arch like in test 2 (previous page).

RESULT TWO: I REACHED THE WALL ON TEST 1, BUT NOT ON TEST 2

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

You have good ankle mobility but only when your arch collapses, allowing you to reach your knee further over your toes. Likely this means you have a common diagnosis called overpronation that makes you more susceptible to hip, knee and ankle injuries, like ankle sprains and plantar fasciitis. Overpronation during the golf swing will result in poor balance, dipping, and swaying on the downswing and follow-through.

XPHOTOS BY EJ CARR

HOW CAN YOU IMPROVE IT?

• Perform the kneeling ankle mobilization exercise in Option 1.

• Improve your arch stability by strengthening your arches and deep calf muscle by performing two exercises:

1) Toe Curl with StepUp Heel Raise. Keeping one foot on the step with your toes curled on the towel to lift your arch, raise the opposite foot off the ground for two seconds. Keep your toes curled throughout this exercise in order to engage the muscles of the arch and keep it lifted.

2x15 reps with 2 sec. balance hold on each leg, 3x/week

RAHM’S STORY

Most people’s strength and mobility limitations can be fixed with the above solutions but occasionally people have permanent body ailments that can’t be fixed. So they have to find a different yet safe way to generate power throughout their golf swing.

2) Heel Raise with Ball Squeeze. Placing a ball about the size of a tennis ball (or a similar-sized rolled towel) between your legs above your ankle bones, lift your heels without them turning inward. An inward flare results from arch instability. You want your heels to stay in a straight line.

2x10-20 reps, 3x/week

WRONG RIGHT

• Visit a medical professional to see if you would be a good candidate for arch supports in your shoes.

RESULT THREE:

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Congratulations! You have good ankle mobility! If you want to maintain good mobility or work on increasing stability of your arch, try some of the above exercises.

One such person is current Masters champion Jon Rahm. He was born with a severe right clubfoot, resulting in a true leg length discrepancy (his right leg is a ½ inch shorter than his left) and permanently reduced ankle mobility. For years, coaches tried to get him to take a full/correct swing, but a TPI examination revealed he couldn’t do that because of the limitations in his right ankle. He instead started working on generating power through increasing extreme load and mobility in his wrists and improving upper-body strength to generate power with a shorter backswing.

“I didn’t take a full swing because my right ankle doesn’t have the mobility or stability to take it,” Rahm said. “I learned at a very young age that I’m going to be more efficient at creating power and be consistent from a short swing. If I take a full parallel, it might create more speed, but I have no stability. My ankle just can’t

We firmly believe that there is no “correct” way to swing a golf club because everyone has different body types, strengths, joint mobility, hand-eye coordination skills, past injuries, etc. We encourage you to investigate your body’s strengths and limitations to determine what “incorrect” perfect swing works for you!

Kathleen Kershisnik-Sieg is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and former Division 1 golfer and Baylor Sieg is a Doctor of Chiropractic. Both are TPI 1 and Medical 2 certified and currently work at Rooted in Rehabilitation in the Littleton area. For more detailed videos or descriptions of the above exercises, visit Instagram @RootedinRehab or online at rootedinrehab.com.

“It’s the little things that I think a lot of people can learn from. Let your body dictate how you can swing. Simple as that.”

—Jon Rahm

PHOTOS

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

2 DAYS OF GOLF

Set to the iconic backdrop of Pikes Peak and the Rocky Mountains, players will test their skills at the private Pete Dye designed course. Competitive and “Play For Fun” flights, and amazing prizes!

2 NIGHTS LUXURY LODGING CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN RESORT

Recognized as one of most scenic resorts in the country, players & guests will enjoy activities such as swimming, tennis, on-site work out facility, the acclaimed Alluvia spa and your own private lake with beach.

Presented by

By John Lehndorff

Healthy and Haute Cuisine

Burger King touts its Impossible Burger and Taco Bell offers a vegan burrito. KFC is testing plant-based chicken nuggets. In 2023, it is hard to find a chain or local eatery that doesn’t offer a meat-free option.

Yet, only a decade or so ago, the United States was virtually a vegan dining wasteland. “You would drive across the country and the only vegetarian food you could find was French fries,” says veteran chef Lenny Martinelli, co-owner of Boulder’s Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant.

A smattering of well-meaning “health food” cafes could be found in Colorado starting in the 1970s, but the bland rice-and-beans fare was nothing to write home about. Vegetarianism was almost perceived as a fringe political

choice—the blue cheese versus the red meat.

The local meatless dining scene started to upgrade when Watercourse Foods opened in 1998 in Denver serving good-for-you fare that tasted great. It was mom’s meatloaf, but without the meat. Today Colorado is home to a wealth of vegan and health-oriented restaurants from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs with menus offering everything from superfood smoothies to vegan haute cuisine.

When Colorado AvidGolfer talked with the people who have launched successful eateries, they dished ample evidence that a new generation of chefs and diners are bringing meatless into the mainstream.

CLEAN EATING FOR ELITE ATHLETES

Among elite athletes—including some golfers—“eating clean” is the new dietary

mantra. Proponents say a plant-forward approach boosts stamina and cuts inflammation, among other benefits.

Chef Sean Maher—who worked in fine dining and Michelin-starred bistros across the globe—is a vegan and a long-distance runner. “I like the fact that a vegan diet seems to be more sustainable. I also run 50mile races. I’m not sluggish and not as heavy when I eat vegan,” he says. The vegan diet excludes dairy, eggs and honey in addition to animal and fish protein.

Maher and his wife, Tricia, opened Denver’s Somebody People in 2019, naming the cozy gathering spot after a David Bowie lyric. At Somebody People, the plant-based palate pleasers range from gnocchi with Japanese yam, carrot berbere, chermoula and radish -

A new wave of good-for-you restaurants is changing the way Coloradans eat their vegetables.

FOR THE PALATE: Red cabbage and other colorful ingredients make Ben & Gary’s Tacos and Nachos Supreme the go-to dishes at The Burrowing Owl.

BURROWING OWL

es to chocolate pot de crème with cashew caramel.

“My wife and I were on a road trip from New York to, eventually, Denver. When we arrived, we noticed there wasn’t a lot of vegan cuisine, but when we opened, we purposely didn’t call our restaurant ‘vegan.’ It’s ‘vegetable forward.’ It’s important that people aren’t put back by that word and realize what we’re doing is just really good food,” Maher says. The Australian-born couple also toss vegan pies at their Everyday Pizza shop in Denver.

GIVING BIRTH TO VEGAN SUSHI

After working in the traditional sushi world for six years, Myanmar-born chef Steven Lee and his wife, Phoebe Lee, opened Wellness Sushi in 2019.

Denver’s only vegan sushi bar recently scored a spot on Yelp’s Top 100 U.S. Restaurants of 2023, the only Colorado eatery to make the list. The inspiration for the sushi bar came in part from an unlikely but very persuasive source.

“Pregnant women would come to us asking for something besides veggie rolls because they can’t eat raw seafood. They missed their sushi. That gave me some ideas,” Steven Lee says.

He developed inventive substitutions like grilled eggplant for freshwater eel,

“krab” salad made with jackfruit and fried konjac root to replace crunchy tempura shrimp in sushi rolls.

THE SECRET VEGANS OF COLORADO SPRINGS

You take for granted that Boulder is the land of vegans, with a bevy of meatless dining options. “Tofu in Boulder” is a cherished Colorado cliché. Down in Colorado Springs, maybe not so much.

Eight years ago, Tyler Schiedel and Cody Dayton were both working in local restaurants. One of those bistros butchered whole pigs in the kitchen. Schiedel said he had an epiphany.

“I thought: ‘Man, I really am not happy working here or serving this to people.’ It was not aligning with how I wanted to live my life,” he says.

The vegan duo opened The Burrowing Owl in 2015 in Colorado Springs despite the dearth of vegetarian or vegan eateries in the vicinity. “We thought that the seven vegans living in Colorado Springs were going to be stoked to have an all-vegan place in town. We focused on creating a good, homey and warm dive bar that happened to serve some vegan and organic food,” Schiedelsays.

The Burrowing Owl’s menu comforts diners with coconut curry, serious nachos and mac and cheese/sloppy joe variations.

SOMEBODY PEOPLE

WELLNESS SUSHI

The duo also operates Fern’s Diner + Drinkery, a vegan eatery in Cascade at the base of Pikes Peak.

FINDING A NICHE

When it comes to cooking—or being—vegetarian, chef Lenny Martinelli freely admits that he is no spring chicken.

“I tried to start a vegetarian restaurant in Boulder 40 years ago,” he says. His efforts failed for a lack of interested investors at the time. Since then, Martinelli and his wife, Sara, have opened Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant, Chautauqua Dining Hall and the 25-year-old Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse.

At Leaf, diners dig into popular dishes like jackfruit enchiladas with Spanish rice, green chile and cotija cheese or tempura batter-fried cauliflower florets in sesame-citrus glaze. The Martinellis go a step further for sustainability with their Three Leaf Farm in Lafayette.

“We feature the food grown on our 3½ acres mainly at Leaf. It is only 12 miles away from the restaurants, and most likely harvested that day from good organic soil. The vegetable scraps come back to the farm to be composted and grow more food, Martinelli says.

“My goal was always to do a vegetarian restaurant, but not a place that was billed as ‘healthy’ or ‘good for you.’ We’re not eliminating the other things that are really delicious and fatty,” Martinelli says.

INFO TO GO

Somebody People

1165 S Broadway #104, Denver somebodypeople.com

Wellness Sushi

2504 E Colfax Ave, Denver wellnesssushi.com

The Burrowing Owl

1791 S. 8th St, Colorado Springs burrowingowllounge.com

Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant

2010 16th St., Boulder, leafvegetarianrestaurant.com

MINDFUL MENUS: A HEALTHY AND VEGAN DINING TOUR

DENVER

True Food Kitchen, Denver truefoodkitchen.com

ORDER THIS: Roasted butternut squash pizza with garlic, organic kale, caramelized onion and vegan ricotta

Vital Root, Denver ediblebeats.com

ORDER THIS: Dosa waffle with plant-based “chicken,” tart cherry chutney, roasted corn pure and butternut squash

Watercourse Foods, Denver watercoursefoods.com

ORDER THIS: Crispy gnocchi in brown butter and sage with sweet potato puree, crimini mushrooms and kale

The Corner Beet, Denver, cornerbeet.com

ORDER THIS: Turkish poached eggs served over herb garlic labneh with pickled turnips, tomatoes, cucumber and kalamata olives

BOULDER

Flower Child, Boulder and Denver iamaflowerchild.com

ORDER THIS: Glow Bowl with spicy sweet potato noodles, bok choy, onion, jalapeño, shiitake, coconut milk, sunflower butter and choice of protein

Zeal, Boulder zealfood.com

ORDER THIS: Vegan cashew-based cheesecake spiced with cardamom and a gingerbread crust

COLORADO SPRINGS

Santana’s Vegan Grill, Colorado Springs santanasvegangrill.com

ORDER THIS: Vegan deluxe barbecue bacon cheeseburger and fries

Sweet Elizabeth’s Organics, Colorado Springs sweetelizabethsorganics.com

ORDER THIS: Lemon massaged kale salad with roasted pumpkin seeds and cranberries with a gluten-free roll

ELSEWHERE

Spring Cafe, Aspen springcafeaspen.com

ORDER THIS: Avocado tempeh Reuben with sauerkraut, peppers, onions, and thousand island dressing on millet flax bread So Radish, Arvada soradish.com

ORDER THIS: Country-fried plant-based sausage with mashed potatoes, country gravy, Southern-style greens and cornbread V Revolution, Englewood vrevolutionco.com

ORDER THIS: Kung pao plant-based chicken with celery, carrots, zucchini, bell peppers, onions, peanuts

Native Foods, Denver, Fort Collins, Lone Tree, and others nativefoods.com

Creamy vegan loaded baked potato soup with “bacon” bits, plant-based “cheddar” and green onions

Tasty Harmony, Fort Collins tastyharmony.com

ORDER THIS: Plant-based burger with peanut butter, eggplant “bacon,” jalapeño jelly, tomato, lettuce, red onion, pickled jalapeños and vegan mayo

John Lehndorff is the former Dining Critic for the Rocky Mountain News. He hosts Radio Nibbles on KGNU.

By Isaac Bouchard

Long Live the Sedan

Genesis and Honda provide awesome alternatives to the ubiquitous SUV.

REMEMBER WHEN seeing an SUV on the road was a rare sight? We’ll soon say the same about four-door sedans. Ironically, these increasingly rare rides are reaching a pinnacle of performance, useability, style and luxury at the same time they are disappearing. Herewith, two of the latest and greatest.

2023 GENESIS G90 3.5T E-SUPERCHARGED AWD

In many ways, Genesis is the Lexus of the 21st Century. The luxury brand from the group that also comprises Kia and Hyundai has no legacy of race wins to build upon. Therefore, its vehicles have to be near the top of each segment in which they compete, offer good value and—if at all possible—stand out in some way.

The new G90 flagship checks those boxes, just as the GV60, GV70 and GV80 had done previously. It looks unique, elegant and expensive, with headlights like nothing else and long lines stretched taut from the huge, shield-shaped grill towards a tapered tail. Inside, the G90 feels a step above the Lexus LS500 too, with sumptuous materials, rendered in classy shades, framing a daring design aesthetic. It drips with luxury. Outside of German machines costing 50 percent more, nothing whispers posh quite like it.

Backseat passengers are treated to multi-configurable thrones that recline, massage and pamper like few others, while the seats in front also caress with sumptuous hide and con trols that feel precise and expensive.

EPA RATINGS: 17/24/20mpg

0-60MPH: 5.1sec

PRICE AS TESTED: $101,295

A G90 party-trick is power doors; the driver’s door closes itself as you touch the brake pedal to start the Genesis. Problematically, they only power-open part way—to avoid denting other cars or impacting solid objects. This means one encounters hefty resistance to pull or push them fully open.

The added work notwithstanding, there is little to criticize; some take issue with Apple and Android connectivity being only through USB, but Bluetooth would never sound as good through the su perb, 23-speaker Bang and Olufson sound system. Twin 12.3-inch screens and logical interfaces are easier to use than those in the Lexus, and real buttons make access to systems safer and quicker than the Mercedes.

The G90 doesn’t try to impersonate a sports sedan. It is suitably re fined, the result of a 409hp, turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 with EV-like off-theline punch, thanks to its electric supercharger, and supremely muted rapid acceleration. AWD makes it virtually weatherproof, and all-wheel steering promotes wonderful maneuverability. At higher speeds, the air suspension allows smooth, unfussy acceleration, and over the patchwork of downtown Denver streets, the shallow tire sidewalls of the gorgeous 21-inch wheels make for an unyielding ride. In these areas, the Genesis feels very much like the current Mercedes S-Class, which is pretty much the best in the world.

Genesis may lack pedigree, but so did Lexus in 1990, and look where it is now. There is certainly an appeal to owning something of surpassing excellence that few know; those who choose the G90 are making a statement about their confidence and knowledge by selecting it over more established rivals. Sounds like history repeating.

2023 HONDA ACCORD HYBRID SPORT L

Honda has had hybridized versions of the excellent Accord sedan for quite a while, but due to production constraints, they were as rare as hen’s teeth in the real world. No longer. Honda is intent on having gas-electric versions of the 11th-generation model account for almost half of sales. Considering just how good this latest one is, no one would be surprised if that happened.

EPA RATINGS:

46/41/44mpg

0-60MPH: 6.6sec

PRICE AS TESTED: $35,425

The ’23 Accord shares much of its undercarriage with the outgoing model, and that is no bad thing, since it had an excellent blend of ride quality and handling elan, was quiet on the open road (unlike older Hondas) and reliable and durable. The ’23 builds on these core attributes, clothing them in more refined, restrained sheet metal. Like the Genesis and many of the latest four doors, it is a fastback design. Now that SUVs and crossovers are the vast majority of new vehicle sales, this is a smart decision, setting apart those who choose to ride low.

Inside, the quality of the materials appears higher than in the last Accord, and the look is cleaner and more elegant. Little things, like the way the hard and soft dash materials align in color, texture and grain, show Honda is again sweating the details. The prominently placed 12.3-inch touchscreen has attractive graph ics and is fast and intuitive to use, along with having wireless con nect for smartphones.

The Accord is very roomy too, with lots of lounging space in front and back, yet it still knows how to party. The driver feels part of things thanks to the accurate steering and the way the hybrid system’s power deploys its 204 ponies and 247lb-ft through what is essentially a direct-drive system. Instead of all the slipping and nonlinearity of the 192hp gasoline version, the hybrid punches away from the lights and feels like it’s accelerating harder and harder, almost like a jet on takeoff. While a mid-6 run to 60 isn’t that fast these days, the Accord Hybrid feels swifter than that. And getting 35-40mpg in town, basically no matter how you push it, is intoxicating in its own right.

Making the case even harder to refute, the Accord Hybrid is very reasonably priced. Yes, a heated steering wheel and some other sybaritic niceties are absent, but its value quotient is unassailable, and its guilt-free fun priceless.

TO READ MORE OF ISAAC BOUCHARD’S AUTOMOTIVE WRITING, REVIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.

a shrine to colorado golf

The dazzling new Colorado Golf Hall of Fame Museum at The Broadmoor honors the game’s history—and those who

By Jon Rizzi

On April 14, some 200 golf aficionados braved rain and snow to attend the grand opening of the stunning new Colorado Golf Hall of Fame Museum at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.

It’s safe to say that every one of them was thrilled that they did.

Among them were some two dozen of the 148 inductees that the Hall of Fame has welcomed since it its inaugural year of 1973—some of whom were brought to tears upon seeing their treasures displayed so elegantly—as well as descendants and friends of the many legends who had passed on. They mixed and celebrated with members of the 36-person Colorado Golf Hall of Fame board, key staff of The Broadmoor and the recipients of the Hall’s annual Persons of the Year and Future Famer awards—who would forever associate their crystal trophies with this monumental event.

The displays wowed the benefactors who donated more than $1.7 million to produce this shrine to those who shaped Colorado’s rich golf history. And there were those who crafted the shrine—the designers, display artists, researchers, archivists, writers, sketch artists, contractors, suppliers, vendors and workers—who not only met The Broadmoor’s high standards but exceeded them.

“What an amazing display and fantastic way to show off the rich history of Colorado golf!” Jill McGill, a 2009 Colorado Golf Hall of Fame induct-

ee and a 2023 Person of the Year for winning the 2022 U.S. Senior Women’s Open, said.

Standing on the dramatic lobby staircase beneath what she called a “ginormous” photo of herself holding the trophy from the championship, she added, “Truly, it will remain unmatched.”

Clearly, the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame has come a long way since its first induction dinner at the Applewood Inn in Golden on September 8, 1973. Babe Lind, Dave Hill and the late Babe Zaharias comprised the inaugural class, and their likenesses—and those of the scores of inductees who joined them over the course of the next 30 years—hung in an area of the Colorado Golf Association headquarters affectionately known as the “Hall of Frames.”

By 2005, Colorado Golf Hall of Fame’s portraits and modest memorabilia collection had found a home in the new clubhouse at the Riverdale Golf Courses in Brighton. The Hall enjoyed a great 16year run there, but as 2020 began, it was about to outgrow the space.

With the Hall’s 50th birthday coming up in just a few years, its board of directors was more concerned with where to hold its Golden Anniversary golf tournament and celebration than with relocating the museum. The directors suggested The Broadmoor—the Colorado Springs resort that had hosted the 2015 Century of Golf Gala and the 2019 Hale Irwin Medal Dinner—about hosting the golf and the gala in 2023.

Then things got “interesting.”

Hall of Fame Vice President Mark Passey headed up the events committee. He contacted Broadmoor President and CEO Jack Damioli, who graciously agreed to his five-star resort hosting both 2023 events.

Sensing momentum, Passey floated the possibility of The Broadmoor becoming the permanent home of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

“That’s really an interesting idea,” Damioli said after a long pause. “Let’s have another conversation about this.”

The Broadmoor’s longtime PGA Director of Golf Russ Miller followed up with Passey. Meetings and agreements ensued. Decisions over where to put it (the three-story golf club lobby and adjoining east-west corridor), who would pay for its construction (the Hall of Fame would raise the capital, with The Broadmoor providing a free 50-year lease) and when it would be complete (the spring of 2023) happened quicker than Jon Rahm’s backswing and has produced equally remarkable results.

“It so far exceeded my expectations,” 2013 inductee Tom Woodard said at the grand opening. “This isn’t just a state golf Hall of Fame, it’s the history of Colorado golf, and to have it at The Broadmoor makes it truly spectacular.”

Or as Colorado and World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Hale Irwin summarized at an earlier event at The Broadmoor: “The Colorado Golf Hall of Fame belongs here.”

made it.

the lobby

Located in the Golf Club, Spa and Tennis building, the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame Museum is free to the public and Broadmoor guests. Visitors can most easily access the museum through the golf club’s east entrance. The impressive three-story lobby sparkles with a troika of impressive trophy cases—one featuring Craig Stadler’s 1982 Masters trophy—and stars a staircase lined with oversized photographs of Coloradans winning major championships.

In all, 14 Colorado Golf Hall of Famers are visible in the lobby: Stadler, Jill McGill, Nancy Roth Syms, Tish Preuss, Carol Flenniken, Barbara McIntire, Judy Bell, Steve Jones, Dale Douglass and Ed Dudley along the stairway; Dow Finsterwald in his own trophy case; Hale Irwin on the north wall; and, through an entrance in the room’s northwest corner, Babe Zaharias’s follow-through directs you into an adjoining corridor brimming with treasures.

the entry

Before following Babe’s drive down the hallway, look to her left. A case featuring golf bags, clubs, photographs and other items pays tribute to Colorado’s Ryder and Walker Cup competitors—many of whom participated in historically significant editions of the biennial international competitions. Other displays near the entry introduce the Hall’s mission and how it lives up to it, as well as the criteria for induction and an explanation of the different awards it gives out every year.

TROPHIES FROM 3 MAJORS SHINE IN A CHERRYWOOD CASE

PHOTO BY BARRY STAVER

PHOTO BY BARRY STAVER

PHOTO BY BARRY STAVER

PHOTO BY BARRY STAVER

PHOTO BY BARRY STAVER

DALE DOUGLASS’ BAG HIGHLIGHTS A RYDER AND WALKER CUP DISPLAY

BABE ZAHARIAS LEADS VISITORS INTO THE HALL

portrait wall

Individually etched in glass and dramatically backlit, the sketched portraits of the 148 men and women enshrined in the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame form an impressive gallery built to accommodate more than 100 additional inductees. QR codes enable you learn about all of them via your smartphone—for now. Plans call for the installation of an interactive video kiosk with a seating area where the photograph of Babe Zaharias receiving the key to the city of Denver currently hangs. Facing the faces, as it were, two large display cases contain a magnificent trove of one-of-a-kind items from the personal collections of dozens of inductees.

PHOTO BY JAMIE SCHWABEROW / CLARKSON CREATIVE

PHOTO BY CHIP

COLORFUL INDUCTEE ITEMS SPARKLE NEAR IMAGES OF THEIR DONORS.

INDUCTEE TOM WOODARD STANDS BY HIS LIKENESS AND THOSE OF SPENCER PENROSE, JUDY BELL AND J.D. TAYLOR.

PHOTO BY BARRY STAVER

PHOTO BY BARRY STAVER

More than just a “hall of frames,” the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame honors the 136-year history of golf in Colorado. A timeline of that history commands nearly the entire stretch between the portrait wall and the trophy case at the end of the corridor. The chronology highlights not only the feats of inductees and other Coloradans, but the significant events—such as the historic U.S. Opens held at Cherry Hills—that have taken place in the Centennial State. Rare images, vintage golf clubs and magnificent pilasters enhance the milestones, with plenty of room to continue

displays

Like the trophy cases in the lobby, the endcap case boasts some of Colorado golf’s most spectacular hardware, such as the Pebble Beach Golf Links Golden Vase won by Colorado Golf Association founder M.A. McLaughlin in 1923 and his inaugural CGA Match Play trophy from the first. Nearby, separate triptychs pay tribute to Coloradans who have won around the world and the champions who have triumphed in tournaments in Colorado.

editor Jon Rizzi is also executive director of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. For more party shots, visit coloradoavidgolfer.com.

CAG

PHOTO BY CHIP GAROFALO/GARO PRODUCTIONS

PHOTO BY BARRY STAVER

PHOTO BY BARRY STAVER

PILASTERS, FRAMED PHOTOS AND OBJECTS BRING THE CHRONOLOGY TO LIFE

MEMBERS OF THE COLORADO PGA ADMIRE THE TIMELINE

CGA FOUNDER M.A. MCMCLAUGHLIN’S RARE TROPHY PAIR

PHOTO BY CHIP GAROFALO/GARO PRODUCTIONS

BY GEORGE

As in ST. GEORGE, which is adding to its surfeit of spectacular golf with a brilliant redesign and a showstopping farewell performance.

By Tony Dear

Jim Behnke has to be one of the most frustrating golfers you’ll ever meet. Which is to say he’s a total gentleman and wonderful company for 18 holes, but clearly exists only to reveal your shortcomings as a golfer. Behnke, you understand, is one of those maddening fellows that make the game look impossibly simple while you toil and tut your way to another deflating scorecard.

The 66-year-old retired hospital administrator shoots a four-under 68 the day we’re paired together at Entrada at Snow Canyon in St. George, Utah, and he seems only moderately satisfied. Though he certainly strikes a nice, clean ball, he doesn’t hit a single shot that makes his playing partners gasp. But nor does he hit one that puts him remotely close to trouble. He never makes a mistake, always keeps his emotions in check, and

strategizes on each hole like some shaman with a direct line to the Golf Gods.

Behnke has played at Entrada since the Johnny Miller design opened in 1996 and became a full member eight years ago. He’s been the course’s unofficial ball-finder for years with a record daily haul of 1,013 lost balls—all of which he donated to Youth on Course.

This astonishing figure reveals two unconnected but undeniable aspects of life at Entrada. First, owing to inferior golf, perhaps, but more likely to an extremely difficult golf course, the members used to lose an awful lot of golf balls. And second, Jim Behnke knew where to find them all.

With an obviously high golf IQ and as an expert on Entrada’s dark spots, Behnke was the ideal man to assist David McLay-Kidd and design

partner Nick Schaan on a major restoration. “Jim was invaluable,” says Kidd. “As we discussed each hole, I just asked him where he found most of the lost balls. That gave me a very good indication of what needed to happen to make that hole more playable and more enjoyable.”

Playability and enjoyment were definitely the watchwords of the $7 million project that began early in 2021 and was completed 11 months later. As General Manager Michael Rushing explains though, it was born of a much smaller plan. “Initially we were just talking about updating an aging irrigation system,” he says. “Then we began thinking, well, we might as well improve a few of the least popular holes. Before too long we were interviewing a handful of architects with a view to updating the whole course.”

PHOTO BY BRIAN OAR, COURTESY OF ENTRADA AT SNOW CANYON COUNTRY CLUB

Kidd won the contest and, though the budget prevented him from changing the routing, he was able to alter all 18 holes, widening and reshaping fairways, upgrading bunkers and rebuilding greens all in the name of more engaging, less penal golf. The golfer who could hit high, straight, long shots would no longer be the only player able to prosper at Entrada. The retired folks who call the place home, who swing a driver at less than 90mph, and who struggle to hit their drives either high or beyond the 220-yard mark could now clip, bunt and run their ball around the course in a respectable number, enjoy their round and even walk off the 18th green with the same ball they hit off the 1st tee—something that had been a very remote possibility before.

The biggest change probably came mid-way through the back nine where the somewhat forgettable, long Par 3 14th and tricky, short Par 4 15th had their pars swapped, the 14th becoming a really cool short 4 and the 15th a beautiful short hole. The par switch was the idea of St. George-based photographer Brian Oar who had played Entrada many times and always regarded the 14th and 15th as a disappointing missed opportunity. “I suggested the idea to David at Gamble Sands in Washington,” says Oar. “I

probably wouldn’t have had the nerve to say anything but had had a few glasses of wine so went for it.”

Kidd liked the idea and though he altered Oar’s plan for the 14th slightly, he gives Oar the credit for making what has been a very popular change.

“It worked really well and turned a poor Par 3 and almost good Par 4 into a really good short 4 and great short hole,” he says. The 14th/15th is now a great lead into the lava holes for which Entrada is perhaps best-known.

Kidd is making a habit of turning once meh courses into altogether more enjoyable venues. He did it at Rolling Hills in southern California in 2018, Sand Point in Seattle in 2020 and Entrada in 2022. Though a private club open to members of both Entrada and Troon Privé (which manages the course), it is publicly accessible by way of the Inn at Entrada. Stay in one of the 40 luxurious casitas here and you too can play the Kidd-remastered layout.

You’ll soon be able to play what promises to be another world-class course in the area. Black Desert, a mile northwest of Entrada on Snow Canyon Parkway, was the last course designed by Tom Weiskopf, who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer last August, seven months before the World Golf Hall of Fame

WHIZ KIDD: A deft David McLay Kidd course renovation has transformed Entrada at Snow Canyon from a beautiful beast to a bountiful feast of delightfully playable golf holes.

a combination of sedona and kona—the best of both worlds

PHOTO BY BRIAN OAR, COURTESY OF ENTRADA AT SNOW CANYON COUNTRY CLUB

announced his induction as part of its 2024 class.

Black Desert has hosted nine-hole preview rounds since the end of 2022, but the full 18 is set to open in June. Though you can certainly tell their courses apart, Weiskopf and Kidd’s design philosophy wasn’t terribly different. Weiskopf admitted top-class professional golf wasn’t the best way to learn how to design a course that could entertain a range of golfers, but the 1973 Open champion’s designs are eminently playable, and Black Desert will be no different.

Set against southern Utah’s red rocks, its emerald fairways cut between fields of black lava, the course will be among the most visually stunning in the world. Calling it “a combination of Sedona and Kona—the best of both worlds,” Weiskopf’s associate Phil Smith says they agreed it “was one of the best raw sites we’d ever had—a unique opportunity that required all of our skills to pull off.”

Brian Jennings, a veteran of more than

40 course-builds dating back to the mid’80s, was an important part of that. Now Director of Course Construction for Reef Capital Partners—which, besides Black Desert, is also developing Tiger Woods’s next course, at the Marcella Club in Park City, Utah—Jennings says building holes in a sea of black lava certainly wasn’t easy, but the opportunity to work alongside Weiskopf was something he’ll never forget. “He worked very closely with us,” says the man known by his workmates as Gonzo.

“The time we spent with him provided a unique and valuable opportunity to learn from one of the most respected designers in the world. His passion and expertise were inspiring, and it was an honor to work with him. We concentrated on building his best course, not his last.”

Early reviews from preview play have been almost universally positive and images suggest it really is going to be something special. “I think it’s going to blow people away,” says Oar who has already photographed the course. “It really is built in the

lava, and they clearly spared no expense. There are some really incredible golf holes, and I expect it to be an unbelievable experience.”

The course will be part of the 580-acre Black Desert Resort which will include a 148-room luxury hotel, real estate, a spa, retail space, event space and all the recreational options you’d expect of a development costing $820 million—with offsets from a $106 million a bond from the City of Ivins and a $153 million award from a federal-state program promoting renewable energy and efficiency.

All that’s coming in the fall of 2024, a year after Tom Weiskopf’s new course will have opened. It’s just a terrible shame he won’t get to see golfers enjoying it.

Bellingham-based CAG contributor Tony Dear writes coloradoavidgolfer.com’s Gear column, along with award-winning articles for multiple golf media outlets. For more information, golfentrada.com; blackdesertresort.com

BEST FOR LAST: Tom Weiskopf’s multihued work at Black Desert puts a vivid capstone on his equally colorful life in golf. BLACK DESERT RESORT

Legends of the Hall

A tip of the visor to a Hall of Fame team.

Agolf course doesn’t just happen. Neither does a golf tournament. Nor does anything of true substance.

That includes a state golf hall of fame, especially one with the ambitious mission of presenting—in a manner befitting the five-star standards of The Broadmoor—the stories of 148 men and women who shaped 136 years of Colorado golf history.

Accomplishing that mission in the span of roughly two years required Hall of Fame perfomers in every area imaginable—from rainmakers to plinth-makers; from architects and artworkers to artists, archivists and engravers; from writers and designers to glaziers, framers, electricians and installers; from contractors and curators to carpenters and collectors; from donors whose largesse earns a line on a plaque to volunteers whose reward comes from seeing the awe of visitors and the emotion of Hall of Fame inductees and their descendants.

During the first of the photo shoots for this month’s feature story, photographer Barry Staver captured two behind-the-scenes Hall of Famers, Katherine Lenard and graphics specialist Karen Harolds, arranging vintage golf clubs above the Colorado golf timeline. A Washington, D.C.-based exhibit designer, Lenard counts the Smithsonian among her clients, and the care with which she, Harolds and lead exhibition designer Nancy Woelfel treated these artifacts—and the myriad trophies, photos and mementoes on display—made an indelible impression.

Lenard, Woelfel and Harolds joined Colorado Golf Hall of Fame museum chair Mark Passey at The Broadmoor every day for more than two weeks as a nonstop pageant of couriers, craftsmen, subcontractors and inquisitive guests came and went. The transformation from one day to the next day was remarkable. Not because it went so quickly, but so professionally and so perfectly.— JON RIZZI

EXPERTS:

EXHIBIT

Katherine Lenard (on ladder) and Karen Harolds position clubs above the timeline at the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame museum at The Broadmoor.