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Sweet Stocking Stuffers | Holiday in Santa Fe 5 Reasons to Take a Playing Lesson
You should have access to daily enrichment. Or as you probably call it, “golf.” Welcome to an inspiring home that offers you daily freedom to take out your clubs at our on-site putting green or one of the beautiful courses nearby. Vi at Highlands Ranch also provides elegant surroundings and impeccable service— as well as Colorado’s only Type A (the most extensive) life care, should the need arise. Join us, and start making these next years the best of your life.
Call 888.929.8784 for a tour, or take one online at ViLiving.com/HighlandsRanch. 2850 Classic Drive, Highlands Ranch, CO 80126 Arizona • California • Colorado • Florida • Illinois • South Carolina
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Vi at Highlands Ranch is owned by CC-Denver, Inc. and managed by Classic Residence Management Limited Partnership. Classic Residence Management Limited Partnership and CC-Denver, Inc. are separate corporations. CC-Denver, Inc., d/b/a Vi at Highlands Ranch, is the sole entity responsible for the performance of the continuing care contracts at Vi at Highlands Ranch. CC-Denver, Inc. does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, or age in admission, treatment, or participation in its programs, services and activities, or in employment. For further information about this policy, contact the director of human resources, (720) 348-7800/TDD 711.
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Contents
44
WINTER 2013
25
35
39 Air Fare
The Lost of the Meskwakis. By Jon Rizzi
foodie’s guide to DenA ver International Airport during travel season. 40 Nice Drives The Range Rover Sport, Jeep Cherokee and Mazda3. By Isaac Bouchard
15 Gallery Floods, award winners, Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, Ironbridge redux.
Designs of the Climes.
Player’s Corner 25 Weekend A Santa Fe Holiday.
28 Instruction Playing Lessons. By Lana Ortega 32 Gimmes How to stuff a golfer’s stocking.
Sidebets
35 Fareways Shanahan’s, Cool River and Fleming’s. By Gary James
2
70 Features
8 Forethoughts
82 The Games of Golf
Tiger Woods at El Cardonal at Diamante in Cabo San Lucas. Photograph by Steve Sy/Courtesy of Diamante.
40
In Every Issue
on the cov er
51
Cabo Comes Alive Hotels, courses, restaurants and more from the tip of Mexico’s liveliest peninsula.
62
Las Casas en Los Cabos Four top Cabo golf communities. By Tony Dear
Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2013
44
“Hello, World” Eight years after setting up his design company, Tiger Woods will unveil his first-ever golf course next fall at Diamante in Cabo San Lucas. By Tony Dear
66
Growing Native Notah Begay’s bold Sewailo Golf Club at the four-star Casino del Sol represents a major source of pride and revenue for Tucson’s Pascua Yaqui Tribe. By Jon Rizzi
70
An Audience with Isabela More than 520 years after Columbus landed on the island that would become Puerto Rico, golf has arrived on the coast bearing his queen’s name. By Tony Dear
78
Feast of Eden Alive with botanical and avian riches, Carlsbad’s Park Hyatt Aviara Resort also provides a serene sanctuary for golfers and their guests. By Jon Rizzi coloradoav idgo lf e r.c o m
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• Rounds of Golf • Resort Cash • Stay & Play
Packages + More!
Winter 2013 Volume 12, Number 7
publisher
Allen J. Walters editor
Jon Rizzi associate publisher
Chris Phillips art director
Jeremy Cantalamessa editor-at-large
Tom Ferrell
automotive editor
Isaac Bouchard contributors
Sam Adams, Andy Bigford, E.J. Carr, Tony Dear, Sue Drinker, Dick Durrance II, Chris Duthie, Amy Freeland, Lois Friedland, Gary James, Barbara Hey, Ted Johnson, Kaye W. Kessler, Jake Kubié, Todd Langley, Kim D. McHugh, Emily Ritt, Bob Russo, Jerry Walters, Neil Wolkodoff digital and social media manager
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Kate Stromberg office and operations manager
Cindy P. Nold projects and special events manager
Vanessa Van Horn Projects & Special Events Intern
N icole H ulbert 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 #B-180, Centennial, CO 80112 FAX: 720-482-0784 Newsstand Information: 720-493-1729
coloradoavidgolfer.com Colorado AvidGolfer (ISSN 1548-4335) is published eight times a year by Baker-Colorado Publishing, LLC, and printed by American Web, Inc. Volume 12, Number Six. 7200 S. Alton Way #B-180, Centennial, CO 80112. Colorado AvidGolfer is available at more than 250 locations, or you Winter order your personal subscription by calling 720-493-1729. Subscriptions are available at the rate of $17.95 per year. Copyright © 2013 by Baker-Colorado Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Postmaster: Send address changes to Colorado AvidGolfer, 7200 S Alton Way #B-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 e d i a pa r t n e r o f c h o i c e :
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Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2013
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Forethoughts
The lost of the meskwakiS
T PUT THE CART
before
THE HORSE
Make your next golf outing at a dude ranch in Arizona! Our Golf Package starts at $180.00* per night per person, based on double occupancy. Package includes 3 meals daily and unlimited golf. †
HORSES | SPA | GOLF | SUN
iger Woods’ entry into the world of golf course design makes for a compelling cover travel feature. His college roommate’s foray into the same business makes for a more profound story. I’m referring to four-time PGA Tour winner Notah Begay III, the Native American who in addition to broadcasting tournaments on The Golf Channel and NBC is giving tribal nations a voice and bringing to life their vision through his design company, NB3 Consulting. His first two layouts, Sequoyah National and Firekeeper—developed, respectively, with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina and the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation of Kansas—have received high praise in national publications for their creativity, playability, shot values and strategy. They also reflect his commitment to the cultural survival and economic self-sufficiency of Native Americans. Those qualities and more come into play at Sewailo, Begay’s latest course, which sits on Pascua Yaqui tribal land 15 minutes southwest of downtown Tucson. It’s one of the myriad superb Casino Del Sol Resort amenities in which I had the pleasure of partaking less than a month before the course’s November opening. An account of my visit appears on page 66, but my reason for writing about it here is personal. Despite my Italian surname, I am one-eighth Native American. My maternal grandfather, an Iowan named George Campbell, left home at the age of 12, shortly after his Meskwaki mother died and his Scots father married a woman who was not too keen about her swarthy stepson. To the best of my knowledge, George never returned to Iowa or maintained a connection to his family or tribe. He eventually moved to New York, married my grandmother, a German immigrant, and thrived. I was a wee bairn when he died. While his Scots blood might explain my interest in golf, his Meskwaki side intrigues me more. But just as I’ve yet to make the requisite golfer’s pilgrimage St. Andrews, I’ve never visited Iowa, where the Meskwaki own and operate a bingo casino hotel. There’s no golf course—are you listening, Notah?—and from what I’ve heard from cousins who have visited, tribal members are justifiably wary of gold-digging strangers looking to cash in on questionable tribal roots. I’m curious, not covetous. But I can fully understand their suspicions— even if they hinder me from learning about my greatgrandmother’s culture. Unlike Notah Begay, who uses his stature and talents to help improve the lives of all Native Americans (see nb3foundation.org), I’ve never acted on that part of my heritage, aside from chiding friends who grew up in D.C. and Cleveland about their offensive sports mascots. In an issue that takes us to San Diego (78), Cabo (44), Puerto Rico (70) and Santa Fe (25), this column brought you to a completely different place. But as even the most well-traveled person knows, the furthest journey often is the one within. — Jon Rizzi
800-684-5030 ranchodeloscaballeros.com *Restrictions may apply. Rate does not include 7.3% tax and 15% gratuity in lieu of tipping. †$20 cart fee will apply after first round.
8
Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2013
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11
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best courses
Golf Courses
1/1–5/31
6/1– 8/31
9/1– 12/31
Available Tee Times
Weekend Play
Total Rounds
Antler Creek, Falcon
$28
$35
$28
Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri-Sun after 11am
Yes
3
Broadlands, Broomfield
$35
$35
$35
Mon-Thurs after 12pm
No
3
Broken Tee, Englewood
$30
$30
$30
Mon-Thurs after 12pm
No
8
Buffalo Run, Commerce City
$39
$39
$39
Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri-Sun after 2pm
Yes
3
Colorado National, Erie
$45
$49
$40
Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri-Sun after 12pm
Yes
3
CommonGround, Aurora* EXCLUSIVE!
$42
$42
$42
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
Anytime, anytime
Yes
Unlimited
Fitzsimons, Aurora EXCLUSIVE!
$26/$29
$26/$29
$26/$29
Mon-Fri after 11am, Sat-Sun after 1pm
Yes
3
Foothills, Littleton
$34/$47
$34/$47
$34/$47
Mon-Thurs after 1pm, Fri-Sun after 1pm
Yes
4
Four Mile Ranch, Canyon City NEW!
$30
$30
$30
Mon-Fri anytime, Sat-Sun after 12pm
Yes
4
Fox Hollow, Lakewood
$44
$44
$44
Mon-Thurs after 1pm, Fri-Sun after 1:30pm
Yes
Unlimited
Green Valley Ranch, Denver EXCLUSIVE!
$35
$40
$35
Shoulders: Mon-Thurs before 9am, after 12pm, Fri-Sun after 2pm; Peak: Mon-Thurs before 9am, after 1pm, Fri-Sun after 2pm
Yes
3
Heritage at Westmoor, Westminster
$40
$40
$40
Monday-Thursday Anytime, Fri-Sun after 1pm
Yes
Unlimited
Heritage Eagle Bend, Aurora
$34/$40
$48/$54
$34/$40
Mon-Thurs 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 GC, Highlands Ranch
$45/$56
$55/$66
$45/$56
Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri-Sun after 1pm
Yes
5
The Homestead Golf Course, Lakewood
$34
$34
$34
Mon-Thurs after 1pm, Fri-Sun after 1:30 pm
Yes
Unlimited
The Greg Mastriona Golf Courses at Hyland Hills, Westminster
$39
$39
$39
Mon-Thurs after 11am, Fri-Sun after 1pm
Yes
Unlimited
Indian Tree, Arvada
$35
$35
$35
Seasons 1& 2 any day after 11am, Season 3 any day, anytime
Yes
3
The Inverness, Englewood* EXCLUSIVE!
$56
$76
$56
Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri-Sun after 12pm
Yes
3
Kings Deer, Monument EXCLUSIVE!
$32
$32
$32
Mon-Thurs after 11am, Fri-Sun after 2 pm
Yes
2
Legacy Ridge, Westminster
$45
$45
$45
Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri-Sun after 1pm
Yes
Unlimited
The Links, Highlands Ranch
$31/$36
$35/$40
$31/$36
Shoulder: Mon-Thurs anytime Fri-Sun after 12pm Peak: Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri-Sun after 1pm
Yes
3
Littleton Golf and Tennis Club, Littleton
$29/$31
$29/$31
$29/$31
Mon-Thurs after 11am, Fri-Sun after 1pm
Yes
Unlimited
Lone Tree Golf Club, Lone Tree
$49
$59
$47
Mon-Thurs after 11am, Fri- Sun after 1pm
Yes
Shoulders: Unlimited Peak: 2
Meadows, Littleton
$38/$50
$38/$50
$38/$50
Mon-Thurs after 1pm, Fri- Sun after 1pm
Yes
4
Meadow Hills, Aurora EXCLUSIVE!
$31/$35
$31/$35
$31/$35
Mon-Fri after 11am, Sat-Sun after 1pm
Yes
3
Murphy Creek, Aurora EXCLUSIVE!
$35/$42
$35/$42
$35/$42
Mon-Fri after 11am, Sat-Sun after 1pm
Yes
3
Omni Interlocken, Broomfield
$55
$65
$60
Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri before 12; Sat-Sun after 12
Yes
3
Pine Creek, Colorado Springs
$39
$39
$39
Mon-Thurs after 12pm, Fri- Sun after 2pm
Yes
9
Quail Dunes, Fort Morgan NEW!
$20
$23
$20
Any day, Anytime
Yes
3
Raccoon Creek, Littleton NEW!
$37/$44
$37/$44
$37/$44
Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri-Sun after 12pm
Yes
4
12
Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2013
coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m
Go a u Pr tomlf Passp e Din Clu fer atica ort m e & b r lly e sav M ed rec mbe ea e e t m m Clie ive rs ore be n a tha rs te n 1 h le courses with 60 ip loca ! exclusive golf tion s! passport offers
58 7 55 10 courses
new courses
courses with weekend play
1/1–5/31
6/1– 8/31
9/1– 12/31
Available Tee Times
Weekend Play
Total Rounds
The Ridge at Castle Pines, Castle Rock* EXCLUSIVE!
$50
$65
$50
Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri- Sun after 1pm
Yes
3
Saddle Rock, Aurora EXCLUSIVE!
$37/$44
$37/$44
$37/$44
Mon-Fri after 11am, Sat-Sun after 1pm
Yes
3
South Suburban Par 3, Centennial*
$9
$9
$9
Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri-Sun after 11am
Yes
Unlimited
Sumo Golf Village, Florence
$22
$27
$22
Any day after 12pm
Yes
2
Thorncreek, Thornton
$28
$38
$28
Mon-Thurs after 10 am
No
3
Todd Creek, Thornton
$40
$45
$40
Mon-Fri after 10am, Sat- Sun after 1pm
Yes
3
Walking Stick, Pueblo NEW!
$32
$32
$32
Mon-Thurs after 11:30 am, Fri-Sun after 12:30 pm
Yes
Unlimited
Breckenridge Golf Club, Breckenridge*
$99
$99
$99
Sun-Thurs anytime 27-holes; Peak season- Sundays only 18-holes
Yes
2
The Bridges, Montrose
$53
$53
$53
Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri-Sun after 11am
Yes
2
Cederedge Golf Club, Cedaredge
$35
$40
$35
Any day, anytime
Yes
Unlimited
Devil's Thumb, Delta
$40
$40
$40
Mon-Thurs after 11am, Fri-Sun after 12pm
Yes
3
Eagle Ranch, Eagle EXCLUSIVE!
$35
$55
$35
Any day after 11am
Yes
2
Eagle Vail, Avon
$55
$70
$55
Mon-Thurs after 11am, Fri-Sun after 12pm
Yes
2
Golf Granby Ranch, Granby
$54
$54
$54
Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri-Sun after 1pm
Yes
Unlimited
Grand Elk, Granby
$32/$39
$45/$54
$39/$45
Sun-Thurs after 11am, Fri -Sat 12pm
Yes
3
Grand Lake, Grand Lake NEW!
$39.50
$49.50
$39.50
Any day after 11am
Yes
3
Haymaker, Steamboat NEW!
$50
$79
$50
Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri-Sun after 12pm
Yes
Unlimited
Keystone Ranch, Keystone
$65
$90
$65
Any day, Anytime
Yes
Unlimited
Lakota Canyon, New Castle
$49
$70
$49
Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri -Sun after 1pm
Yes
3
Pole Creek, Tabernash
$45
$45
$45
Sunday-Thursday after 11am
Yes
3
The Raven at Three Peaks, Silverthorne
$55
$89
$55
Any day after 12pm
Yes
Unlimited
Redlands Mesa, Grand Junction
$63
$70
$63
Any day, Anytime
Yes
4
The River Course at Keystone, Keystone
$75
$105
$75
Any day after 11am
Yes
Unlimited
Tiara Rado, Grand Junction NEW!
$30
$30
$30
Mon-Thurs anytime, Fri-Sun after 11am
Yes
3
Vail Golf Club, Vail
$50
$89
$50
Mon- Thurs and Sun after 1pm
Yes
3
Golf Courses
Mountain Courses*
* CommonGround offer: Must be CGA, CWGA or Golf Passport Plus member to get rate * Family Sports: 9 Hole Golf Course * South Suburban: Par 3 - Cart not included * Breckenridge offer: Open - 6/30 $99 (27 Holes); 7/1-8/31 $99 (18 Holes, Sundays Only); 9/1-Close $99 (27 Holes) * Shoulder and Peak seasons may vary
Go to coloradoavidgolfer.com for complete details.
2014 Member Privileges. All rates include a cart. Visit www.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, 2014 – December, 31 2014, 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 2014 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
Winter 2013 | Colorado AvidGolfer
13
NEWS | NOTES | NAMES
theGallery
P H O T O G R A P H C o u rt e s y o f g e tt y i m ag e s
Water’s Hazard
September’s record-setting floods forced many golf courses to shut down for days, resulting in millions in lost revenue and costly repairs. Three courses were hit particularly hard. ISLAND GREEN: The par-4 fourth at Milliken’s Mad Russian Golf Course —the only hole to close for repairs—should reopen this year.
Coal Creek Golf Course Louisville
Fairways, greens, bunkers, cart paths, bridges and even the irrigation system fell victim to the raging torrents of the course’s namesake, closing everything but the clubhouse and practice range until further notice. “I don’t know if you can drive a stake into the heart of the golf course, but the storm brought our operations to a screeching halt,” Louisville Parks and Recreation Director Joe Stevens told the Daily Camera. “There is the potential to lose a season here.” When or if the course co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m
will reopen before 2015 depends on how much money it will receive from FEMA, insurance carriers and the City of Louisville, which experienced predictably heavy demands on its resources after the storm.
CommonGround Golf Course
(nos. 1-3, 8-10 and 16-18) until at least next June, while dormant seeding and other restoration activities take place. “We reseeded, and like the Colorado farmers who plant winter wheat, we’re all praying for a warm spring,” said CGA President Tom Lawrence.
Aurora
Mariana Butte Golf Course
Thanks to its location on a flood plain, the course owned by Colorado Golf Association and Colorado Women’s Golf Association had more than half its holes submerged in as much as 12 feet of water. CommonGround will operate as a nine-hole course
The three holes (nos. 15-17) that run along the Big Thompson River required extensive silt removal, re-seeding and re-sodding. The course will play as a 15-holer until at least mid-April.
Loveland
Winter 2013 | Colorado AvidGolfer
15
Harry Johnson
Caine Fitzgerald
Chris Lai
Chad Miller
Alice Plain
Derek Fribbs
theGallery
Honor Thy Golfers Every November the Colorado PGA Section, Colorado Golf Association and Colorado Women’s Golf Association recognize the golf professionals and amateur golfers who have distinguished themselves during the year. On the professional side, the Colorado PGA Section named Graham Cliff (Colorado Golf Club) its Golf Professional of the Year; Ed Oldham (The Ranch) Teacher of the Year; Rick Timm (Timm Golf Academy) Junior Golf Leader; Beau Smith (CC of Colorado Springs) As-
Keith Humerickhouse
Don Hurter
16
Ed Oldham
Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2013
sistant Professional of the Year; and Caine Fitzgerald (Murphy Creek) Dow Finsterwald Player of the Year. Ben Welsh (EagleVail) received the Vic Kline Award; Doug Rohrbaugh (Ironbridge) repeated as Senior Player of the Year and Travis Morton (Raccoon Creek) won Apprentice Player of the Year. Don Hurter (Castle Pines GC), Alice Plain (Vail) and Chris Lai (Red Sky) were Merchandisers of the Year in the private, public and resort categories. Jeff Beaudry (PGA Employment Consultant) took home the
Kim Eaton
Graham Cliff
President’s Plaque; Gene Miranda (Eisenhower) the Bill Strausbaugh Award; and life member Jim Faddis the Warren Smith Award. Chad Miller (GolfTEC-Chapel Hills) earned the Horton Smith Award and Courtney Rudolph (Indian Peaks) won for Player Development. Non-PGA member Steve Price (KKFN-FM, The Fan) took home the Todd Phipers Media Award. On the amateur side, the Colorado Golf Association honored Derek Fribbs (Colorado National) as its Les Fowler Player of
the Year; Harry Johnson (Eagle Ranch) its Senior Player of the Year; and Spencer Painton (Green Valley Ranch) Junior Player of the Year. Keith Humerickhouse (Glenwood Springs) earned his third Mid-Amateur Player of the Year honor, while Kim Eaton (Riverdale) took home her fifth straight Colorado Women’s Golf Association Senior Player of the Year trophy. The CWGA named Christina Spinzig (Hiwan) Player of the Year and Jennifer Kupcho (CommonGround) Junior Player of the Year.
Ben Welsh
Christina Spinzig
Spencer Painton
Gene Miranda
Jennifer Kupcho
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Ironbridge Forges Ahead Like the currents of the Roaring Fork River, good news has flowed steadily from Ironbridge Golf Club this year. Head PGA Professional Doug Rohrbaugh and his son, Tristan, respectively won the HealthONE Colorado Open (plus three PGA Section championships) and the CHSAA 3A Boys state title. Moreover, after five years of limping along as part of the bankrupt Lehman Brothers empire, the Glenwood Springs club finally got new owners August 29. The ownership group, led by longtime Roaring Fork Valley residents Jim Light and John Young, purchased the course assets and the undeveloped lots on the 533-acre property for $4.82 million at an auction held by Sheldon Good & Company. Light, whose development
group, Chaffin Light, counts Basalt’s Roaring Fork Club among its many successes, sees similar potential in Ironbridge. “We’re about embracing the community, not being an exclusive enclave adjacent to Glenwood Springs,” he says. To wit, his team listened to residents and quickly backed off renaming and rebranding the property (“There’s a powerful ‘Ironbridge Strong’ sentiment among those who endured the lean years,” Young says). Plans call for completion of a fitness center by Christmas and a community clubhouse and restaurant shortly thereafter. Priority A, however, is “softening” the Arthur Hills-designed golf course—which, in an ironic twist, given the name of the previous owners, they have enlisted PGA Tour star Tom Lehman to do. Opened in the shadow of Mount Sopris in 2003, the picturesque 7,224-yard semiprivate layout clearly targeted the low
handicapper and members who could benefit from local knowledge. But for golfers paying daily fees, Ironbridge was a oneand-done experience. “Augusta has 40 bunkers; you have 70,” Lehman told Light and Young. “And they’re catching the average player, not the good players.” Working closely with Superintendent Eric Foerster, Lehman is removing 26 bunkers, re-grading a number of holes and changing the grasslines. “It will still play difficult for better players,” Foerster says, “but the higher handicapper will be able to navigate and negotiate it much better.” That will speed play on the sprawling layout that gains some 500 feet in elevation. So will GPS-equipped carts and new teeing areas that borrow from the designations at ski resorts. “The double-black diamond extremes—the tips—are for 0- to 4-handicaps and the blues and greens are for double-digit play-
WAITING FOR LEHMAN: From left, Ken Kendrick, partner; managing members Jim Light and John Young; and John Schneider, partner.
ers,” explains Foerster. “This takes away the stigma of the ‘ladies tees’ and the ‘old man tees.’ We started it this season and it’s worked great.” The refaced course will reopen in May with $79 rounds, stay-and-play packages at nearby hotels and membership opportunities for individuals, families and businesses. “We’re hoping people will target us,” Light says. “They’ll be able to play it without losing a dozen golf balls.” ironbridgeclub.com; 970.384.0630
Called to the Hall The Colorado Golf Hall of Fame will welcome three new members at next June’s induction banquet at Rolling Hills Country Club: C. Paul Brown, Jim Johnson and Greg Mastriona. A native of Grand Junction, Brown won the Colorado West Amateur championship 13 times, and the CGA Western Chapter title five times. Winning the 1987 Rocky Mountain Open, he remains the event’s only amateur winner since 1966. He was secondteam All-Pac-10 golfer at the University of Arizona, served on the Colorado Golf Association Board of Governors for 19 years and, as volunteer head coach at Colorado Mesa University since 2010, has led the Mavericks to their first-ever NCAA Division II Men’s Golf Championship berths. Johnson, who spent a total of 31 years as a PGA Golf Professional at Rolling Hills, earned seven major awards from the Colorado Section, including its 1985 Golf Professional of the Year and 1995, ’96 and ’98 Senior Player of the Year. He competed in two U.S. Senior Opens and a Senior PGA Championship, and in 1994 helped found
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Inductees C. Paul Brown, Jim Johnson and Greg Mastriona and Lifetime Achievement winner D’Ann Kimbrel
the prestigious Ashley Forey Invitational in honor of the late Wheat Ridge teenager who died that year. Before retiring after four decades as executive director of Westminster’s Hyland Hills Park and Recreation District, Mastriona led the effort to expand Hyland Hills Golf Course from 18 to 54 holes, and the facility now bears his name. Under his leadership, Hyland Hills hosted the 1990 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship and his innovative programs for women and juniors have set an unrivaled standard for success. In addition, the Hall will bestow annual awards to Doug Rohrbaugh, the PGA head professional at Ironbridge Golf Club in Glenwood Springs, who earned the Golf Person of the Year for winning the HealthONE Colorado Senior Open, the Colorado PGA
Professional Championship and the Colorado Senior PGA Professional Championship, as well as qualifying for the U.S. Senior Open. For its role in hosting the 2013 Solheim Cup, Colorado Golf Club in Parker will receive the Distinguished Service Award. D’Ann Kimbrel, a highly respected course superintendent for more than 25 years at the Riverdale golf courses in Brighton, will collect the Lifetime Achievement Award. c o l o r a d o g o l f Doug Rohrbaugh halloffame.org coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m
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Major Milestone, Major Speech The PGA Golf Management program at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs’ College of Business recently commemorated 10 years of operation at an October 20 gala with numerous faculty, PGA professionals, program alumni and current students in attendance. After speeches by College of Business dean Venkat Reddy, academic advisor Paul Miller and Program Director Mollie Sutherland, Major Dan Rooney commanded everyone’s attention with his military green flight suit and his genuine knack for storytelling. “You aren’t going to look back on your life and think about all the tournaments you won or the money in your bank account,” he said. “Instead you’re going to think about the time God gave you on this earth, the unique talents you were blessed with, and how you used both those things to make a positive impact in the world around you.”
TAKING FLIGHT: PGA Professional and F-16 pilot Major Dan Rooney (center) joins UCCS PGA Management Program Director Mollie Sutherland (far left), Internship Coordinator Mark Bacheldor (far right) and students at the program’s 10th anniversary celebration at The Pinery at the Hill in Colorado Springs.
Rooney should know. He has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on multiple fronts. A PGA Professional who has done numerous tours of duty as an F-16 fighter pilot, he founded and runs The Folds of Honor Foundation, an organiza-
tion that ensures spouses of fallen soldiers are financially stable and their children receive an education. Rooney established the foundation after being on a commercial flight that carried the remains of Corporal Brock Buck-
13 COURSES.
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ST. GEORGE, UTAH This year-round golf destination has packages to fit any golfer’s skill level, schedule and pocketbook. And now, getting here is easy! Fly SGU direct via United. COURSES. ROOMS. DISCOUNTS. FLIGHTS. RedRockGolf.com 888.345.2550
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‘experts’ instill fear into you. Instead, have the courage and the resistance to obstacles in your life to let your dreams take flight.” The students in attendance will follow Rooney’s advice throughout their 4.5-year journey to PGA Membership and beyond. All graduates of the earn an accredited Business Degree, complete 16 months of internship and pass PGA Exams. uccs.edu/pgm; 719-255-3923.
GOLF BY NUMBERS 15,000 square feet of indoor training space will distinguish The First Tee of Pikes Peak from Colorado’s five other First Tee programs—and just about every other one in the country. The space, which will open December 3 at The First Tee facility at Valley Hi Golf Course in Colorado Springs, boasts six hitting bays with digital analysis, two high-definition golf simulators, a putting green and short-game area. “Our board raised the money for this,” reports Program Director and PGA Professional Katie Gar-
41 years after hosting its first round, Gleneagle Golf Club in Colorado Springs shut down its course November 1, citing declining rounds and increasing costs. Located in the 800-acre Gleneagle subdivision, the club’s pool, restaurant and banquet facilities will remain open. The 7,276-yard Frank Hummel design with views of the Air Force Academy and Pikes Peak once enjoyed a reputation for having some of the state’s best bentgrass greens. Cag
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cia. Since opening its doors in May, The First Tee of Pikes Peak has reached 204 children between the ages of 6 and 17. After a turnout of 54 kids for the fall session, Garcia expects at least twice that number to sign up for the winter one, which begins in early January. thefirstteepikespeak.org
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lin. Out of respect, the pilot requested all passengers wait until Corporal Bucklin’s remains were taken off the plane. Half immediately deplaned. “That was the moment I knew I had a higher calling from God,” Rooney said. “Those people that left may have somewhere they need to go, but Corporal Bucklin along with many others killed in combat, have nowhere.” Starting Folds of Honor in 2007, Rooney pledged to take care of the families of fallen soldiers. Every Labor Day weekend since 2007, Folds of Honor (foldsofhonor.org) asks golfers to add a dollar to their green fees. Since inception, the program has raised upwards of $23 million. Adding to that total is the award-winning Patriot Golf Club, which he founded in his home state of Oklahoma. It serves as headquarters to the Folds of Honor Foundation and annually hosts The Patriot Cup, featuring PGA Touring Professionals, players from all branches of the military, and supporters of the Folds of Honor. Rooney closed his emotional speech with a call to be passionate about your calling. “Everybody in here has a fire burning in their soul,” he said. “Don’t let the
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5085 S. SYRACUSE ST., DENVER, CO 80237 Winter 2013 | Colorado AvidGolfer
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RULE #4
BRANDEL’S RULES FOR
SCOTTSDALE GOLF
NEVER FORGET YOUR CAMERA... BECAUSE THE SCENERY IS SPECTACULAR One of the things I love most about golf in Scottsdale is the scenery. Everywhere you look — it's just incredible. And, the Sonoran Desert isn’t bad either.
I Love Scottsdale Golf and I promise you will, too. Learn more about how we play the game and start your next Scottsdale golf adventure at
iLoveScottsdaleGolf.com
— Brandel Chamblee, Golf Channel analyst and nature lover
COURSES | LESSONS | GIFTS
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p h o t o g r a p h C O U RT E S Y O F S A N TA F E C O N V E N T I O N A N D V I S I TOR S B U R E AU
A Way to do Santa Fe
At this magical time of year, a special place gives you the world. GUIDING LIGHTS: The holidays set New Mexico’s capital aglow.
T
wice as much collection. Located just three blocks ing to the Cathedral Basilica of Saint
snow falls on Santa Fe in December than in any other month, making golf a bit of a crapshoot but the holidays a sure bet. The white stuff arrives “on cue” every Christmas Eve, says Englishman John Dixon, a onetime racecar driver, moviemaker and artist who has lived in Santa Fe for 16 years. “I can’t remember a time when it didn’t. It’s very special.” A real-life Most Interesting Man in the World, Dixon fittingly now directs real estate sales for one of the world’s most compelling residences—El Corazón de Santa Fe, one of only eight properties in the worldwide Fairmont Heritage Place
co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m
from the fabled Plaza, the gated compound affords easy walking access to a 400-year-old city that’s far from pedestrian. Avenues of adobe stores, restaurants, churches and galleries bathe in the festive evening glow of thousands of farolitos, luminarias and LEDs until early January—and for the rest of the year in the glorious, spellbinding natural light that inspired the great Georgia O’Keeffe and thousands of other artists. You’ll find much of their art along Canyon Road, which closes to traffic on Christmas Eve. Stroll the myriad galleries (did you think Denver had the only Santa Fe Artwalk?), indulge in free cider and anise-flavored biscochitos and sing carols before head-
Francis de Assisi for a uniquely New Mexican Midnight Mass. Arrive before the doors open at 10:30 p.m. if you want a seat, or go to the 7:00 service at San Miguel Mission, the oldest church in the United States. The considerably younger El Corazón is a work of art of its own. Owned by Dallas-based Unity Hunt and constructed in Santa Fe Spanish Pueblo Revival style, the property comprises 12 two-story and 10 one-story units (respectively, “Montañas” and “Terra”), each identical in floor plan and featuring impeccable appointments. Hundreds of handcut latillas form ceilings supported by broad, rough-hewn beams and bespoke bullnose corbels. Original Winter 2013 | Colorado AvidGolfer
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Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2013
paintings hang on hand-troweled walls. Plush leather sofas sit on travertine tiles and woven rugs, while wrought iron and thick woods define the doors, furnishings and railings. High-threadcount sheets swathe cosseting Stearns & Foster mattresses in plush bedrooms that open onto intimate outdoor areas perfect for sipping a Keoke coffee or a cabernet. Appliances are all state-of-the-art. Renting such luxury runs approximately $350 per night. But why rent when you can own, especially a prime location in one of the country’s most desirable real-estate markets? Fully deeded one-eight shares of either kind of unit start at less than $200,000, with annual HOA dues of $5,330 (Terra) or $6,900 (Montañas). Fairmont places no limit on the number of days owners can use the property, and ownership comes with four weeks per year reciprocal use at Fairmont Heritage Place properties in San Francisco, Whistler, Telluride, Miramar Beach (Fla.), Acapulco, South Africa and Dubai. Another ownership perk is entry into the ultra-elite Fairmont President’s Circle. This status upgrades you to exclusive services and experiences at such distinctive Fairmont properties as The Plaza Hotel in New York, Le Château Frontenac in Quebec and The Savoy in London, where one Corazón owner recently got upgraded to a $1,400-per night suite in exchange for her Christmas week in Santa Fe. The value of an El Corazón ownership lies not only in its entry point to the world, but also in its access to exclusive deals in and around the #2 “Top City in the US” as voted this November by Condé Nast Traveler’s readers. The property, which has no restaurant, partners for discounts of up to 20 percent at dozens of the city’s most acclaimed eateries, including the intimate La Boca tapas bar and the superb La Casa Sena, where award-winning chef Patrick Gharrity’s fare includes a delectable green chile-dusted hanger steak
HEART AND HEARTH: Every floorplan at El Corazón crackles with identical bespoke appointments.
and the wine list is encyclopedic. Also on the list are the restaurants at The Inn of the Anasazi and at La Posada de Santa Fe Resort & Spa, where El Corazón guests can also indulge in discounted spa treatments. Other area partners include New Mexico’s highly rated Vivac Winery, the Santa Fe School of Cooking and Santa Fe Outdoor Adventures. Golf may or may not be such an outdoor adventure during the winter, but El Corazón’s partner, the resurgent Towa Golf Club, presents three highly underrated, visually spectacular nines. Black Mesa and the Marty Sanchez Links de Santa Fe are also nearby if you want to take advantage of one of the area’s 300 annual days of sunshine. But if you go at Christmas, expect snow to cover the fairways as well as the surrounding mountains, home to Ski Santa Fe, just 15 miles from—and 3,000 feet higher than—El Corazón. There’s also something magical about seeing the city’s iconic ristras dusted in white, not to mention ordering the huevos rancheros at Tia Sophia’s and answering the server’s “red or green?” with a felicitous “Navidad.” elcorazondesantafe.com; 866-721-7800. Cag
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LESSON
Lana Ortega, a Class A member of the LPGA Teaching and Club Professional Division and 2005 LPGA Central Section Teacher of the Year, teaches a wide range of professional and amateur golfers at Green Valley Ranch Golf Academy. (lanaortegagolf.com; 303-574-0775).
Playing with aOn-course Proinstruction can bridge the gap between practicing and playing. By Lana Ortega
U
nlike basketball, baseball, football, soccer or tennis, golf asks you to prepare on a completely different field of play than the one on which you compete. Golfers take lessons and practice on a flat, manicured range and then play a course with rolling hills, trees, bushes, sand, water and different cuts of grass. Bridging the performance gap between practicing and playing becomes even more pronounced when you leave Colorado to play
new courses. Before taking your game on the road this winter, travel-proof your game with some playing lessons. While range lessons are critical to overlearning your skills, on-course instruction is a critical complement. Working with a trained eye while on the actual field of play will help hone your game so it holds up under the pressure of ever-changing courses and conditions. In my experience, there are five reasons why playing lessons are a must for every golfer.
1. Aligning and aiming
The quickest way to ruin all the hard work you’ve put in at the range is to play with poor aim and alignment. You would be astonished at how many golfers aim 30-40 yards right or left of their intended target on the golf course. I believe this stems from two factors. One, many golfers don’t really know how to aim and align themselves; two, they don’t hit balls to a specific target on the range during practice. If you consistently aim 30 yards right on the golf course and you make a good swing, you’ll end up 30 yards right of your target; instead of changing where your clubface is aimed, you change your golf swing to get the ball back on target, undermining many hours of practice. Not only can an on-course instructor help align you properly, but he or she can help develop a repeatable pre-shot routine which includes proper aim for every shot on the golf course.
2. Negotiating awkward lies
On the range it’s easy to change your golf swing when the ground is level and the lie is good. However, when you play golf, your ball can wind up on the side of a hill, in a divot, on hardpan, in deep rough, etc. When competitive golfers practice at our facility, they go to the side of the range and put the ball in deep grass, on uneven lies and around bunkers. Good players practice the hard shots as often as they do the easy shots. During a playing lesson, your teacher can show you how to handle myriad lies and show you how to practice them on the range.
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3. Making Smart Choices
Golf Tour
Mike Horan A Flight
You may know how to hit a 3-wood on the range, but should you use that skill from the deep rough? You learned the flop shot, but should that always be your “go-to” shot around the green? Your teacher fit you with a new driver, but should you hit it on every par-4 or 5? Should you launch a high shot to clear the trees or just punch the ball back into play? These are the decisions your teacher will help you make during your playing lesson. You need to know which shot offers the highest percentage of success.
4. Playing golf, not “golf swing”
One of the most common mistakes golfers make during the course of a round is spending too much time on mechanics. Don’t let yourself fall into this trap. When you get wrapped up in swing fundamentals on the course, you’re not playing golf, you’re playing “golf swing.” Instead of worrying about things like staying on plane, focus on the keys to consistency: tempo and rhythm. Both of these suffer when you struggle on the course—your “timing” is off. Tempo is the total amount of time it takes to create your golf swing from beginning to end. It should take the same amount of time to hit a driver as it does a sand wedge. Rhythm describes how you split the total time between the backswing and forward swing—the backswing should take two beats and the combined downswing and forward swing should take two beats. Your golf instructor can help you focus on maintaining your optimum tempo and rhythm.
Robert Boldrini B Flight
5. Developing a Lesson Plan
Playing lessons provide a baseline of where your game is and a roadmap going forward. Where are your weak areas? Where are you losing the most strokes? Don’t hit a lot of greens? Do you need to work on your pitching and chipping? Too many three-putts? After your playing lesson you and your instructor should evaluate the state of your game and come up with a strategy for improvement. Don’t confine your golf lessons to full swing instruction on the range. Take your golf pro on the course and get in the game! Cag
Roger Ford C Flight
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Nate Lundy
Mike Evans
Vic Lombardi
The Fan Morning Show Weekdays 5:30-9am
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GIFTS
All You Need Is Glove
Sorry Sam Snead. Holding baby birds to learn correct grip pressure would have PETA all over us. Fortunately, there’s SensoGlove. The customizable training aid’s computerized sensors instantly alert you when you’re squeezing the distance out of your swings. $89. sensoglove.com
Giving Strokes 7 ways to stuff a golfer’s stocking.
Spikes to Go
Renting golf clubs saves the hassle of lugging them through airports. But renting footwear? Insta Golf Shoes aren’t Footjoys or Eccos, but these highly portable cleated slip-ons pack much easier and stretch to fit snugly over running shoes, wingtips and boots. $30. instagolf.net
A Hole Lotta App
The only thing Golflogix doesn’t do is hit the ball for you. The protean smartphone app not only has 30,000 courses mapped in granular detail, it also features a personalized game-tracker, multiplayer scoring, landing zones for your clubs, tips, flyover animation, touchscreen distances, the ability to post scores and tons more. $20 per year. golflogix.com
What, No Windmill?
It might only fit in a stocking for Sasquatch, but a My Mini Golf set will bring plenty of enjoyment to kids and grandkids. Indoors or outdoors, just set up the highly durable German-made obstacles and putt away. $190-$330. myminigolf.us
Make Your Mark
Why ID your ball with a dot or two when you can distinguish it with a dragon or Jolly Roger? Tin Cup has stencils for these and dozens of other designs, including college teams. Just put your ball in the cup and use a fine-tip Sharpie. Tin Cup also customizes stencils with your initials ($75) or personal design ($125). $20. tin-cup.com
Jerky Boy
No bull. More than 100 pro golfers including Yani Tseng and every member of the President’s Cup team are eating Kingmade Jerky. Created by caddie Jeff King, who’s currently on the bag of Luke List, the steakhouse-seasoned dried flank steak comes in three protein-packed, nitrite-free, low-sodium flavors: Classic (pictured), Sweet Chili Pepper and Buffalo Style. A six-pack runs $48; a pound, $54. kingmadejerky.com
A STOGIE-FREE ROUND
Like to puff when you play? Others may not. Denverbased Veppo Electronic Cigars eliminate the smell and smoke while retaining the flavor of a fine stogie. The 48-ring Veppos come in nine varieties, your choice of nicotine strength and produce 1,800 draws of nontoxic vapor. The tips are “chewable” too. $30. veppocig.com Cag
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PeoPle Will do jUSt ABoUt Anything to get into the 2014 BMW ChAMPionShiP. And All you hAve to do is buy A ticket. Be a part of the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup Playoffs at Cherry Hills Country Club, September 1-7, 2014. Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and defending champion Zach Johnson are expected to headline the field of the top 70 players in the world. Special holiday packages are now available at BMWChampionshipUSA.com. With all proceeds benefitting the Evans Scholar Foundation, this is one holiday gift that really gives back.
Cherry Hills Country Club September 1-7, 2014
©2013 BMW of North America, LLC. The BMW name, models names and logo are registered trademarks. Player participation subject to qualification.
WHAT SEPARATES AN AMAZING COURSE AND A MAGNIFICENT COURSE? IN THIS CASE, ABOUT 27 FEET.
Hole #15, The Champions Course
Hole #17, The Stadium Course
The Champions Course at TPC Scottsdale may not enjoy the limelight as much as her sister, but she’s a beauty with a backbone, the kind that gets under your skin. Just a gimme away from The Stadium Course lies Scottsdale’s only other destination for championship golf. The only real decision is which to play first.
For tee times, vacations and more: Visit tpc.com/avidgolfer Call 888-400-4001
F O OD | C A R S
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PHOTOGRAPH C o u rt esy o f Va i L V e t e r a ns p r o g r a m PHOTOGRAPH c o u rt esy o f c o o l r ive r c a fe
Going on a Steak-Out Our insatiable carnivore carves out three best bets for beef.
By Gary James
A
s the holidays approach, the urge to splurge will no doubt deliver a fine-dining experience at a Denver steakhouse, where you can revel in the wonderful atmosphere, the exquisite personal attention—and an amazing, transcendent piece of meat you can’t reproduce at home.
COOL RIVER CAFE
Not all steakhouses open daily for lunch, which makes Cool River Cafe an enticing midday destination. The Belleview Promenade restaurant contracted its space a few years back, and the smaller footprint is classier, featuring a patio extension with fire pit and jointed-panel doors that roll co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m
up for bar service. Seven private dining spaces are available for social events or business meetings, and accommodating general manager Craig Biggins and his staff will furnish everything from flowers to audio-visual equipment. Factor in the comfortable and friendly atmosphere and service and you’ve got a popular, bustling establishment. Ordering steak for a modern power lunch isn’t for everyone, and Cool River’s menu has an impressive lineup of other yummy items, from crab cakes (served with a spicy cocktail sauce and remoulade) to the crispy chicken pecan salad and delectable burgers and sandwiches (try the BLT with turkey, avocado and Swiss). My party indulged in the delightful Devil Creek Shrimp—
pistol-sized crustaceans stuffed with pepper jack cheese and wrapped in smoked bacon. The side items were led by the Six-Cheese Scalloped Potatoes (I lost count after mozzarella, asiago and parmesan). For dessert, I took the Maker’s Mark Pecan Bread Pudding over the Hunka Burnin’ Love, a fried peanut butter, banana and raspberry jam sandwich that suggests the appetites of Elvis Presley. “The King” would fly from Memphis to Glendale’s now defunct Colorado Mine Company to fetch the Fool’s Gold Loaf, a concoction of one pound of crisp bacon, one large jar of Skippy smooth peanut butter and one large jar of Smucker’s grape jelly, closed in a loaf of Italian white bread smeared with butter. No wonWinter 2013 | Colorado AvidGolfer
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BAR NONE: Cool River’s windows roll up for indoor-outdoor service.
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in near freezing temperatures for several weeks. It’s only done with an entire carcass or wholesale rib or loin cuts (higher grades of meat with a large distribution of fat content), and there’s a significant loss of weight, as moisture evaporates from the muscle. That’s a good thing, because it concentrates the flavor, but it’s a restaurateur’s nightmare—tying up cash flow in inventory that’s suspended for weeks, literally shrinking as it loses water. Wet-aged beef “ages” faster in a vacuum-sealed bag, which doesn’t allow the meat to breathe, reducing the amount of water weight lost (follow the money—that’s why most of the
meat you buy in the store has been wet-aged). Generally, the public seems to prefer wet-aged, while connoisseur carnivores— and food writers on expense accounts—choose the bolder, richer taste of dry-aged. There’s yet another new option to ponder on Fleming’s menu, “iron crusted steaks”— cooking them in cast iron, which results in a heavily charred crust, and finishing them in butter with fresh parsley. So I will be taking a second job to fund my ongoing research. On my most recent visit, I enjoyed Fleming’s traditional preparation—broiling Koshersalt-and-black-pepper seasoned steaks at 1,600 degrees—with one of the Fleming’s classics, the Porcini Rubbed Filet Mignon, a center cut served with grilled asparagus spears and a savory gorgonzola cream sauce. My companions tucked into the newborn-sized Double Thick Pork Rib Chop (dressed up with julienned apples and jicama tossed in apple cider and a creole mustard glaze) and the Broiled Pacific Swordfish, a linecaught center cut
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PHOTO g r a p h by t o dd l a n g ley a nd C O U RT E S Y O F flemin g s p r ime s t e a k h o use & w ine b a r
FLEMING’S PRIME STEAKHOUSE & WINE BAR
der Elvis has left the building. The dinner menu is slightly different and equally awesome, with a wider selection of steaks (notably the 20-ounce bonein Cowboy Rib-Eye, topped Some trendsetting restaurants with crisp onions), chops (I’m are turning back to dry-aging, counting the Grilled Rack of the old way of handling beef. In Lamb here) and seafood (Ba- late October, Fleming’s added con-Wrapped Scallops with hot two dry-aged steak options—a apple bacon sauce and cilantro Prime rib eye and a Prime New chive rice). The Smoked Prime York Strip, aged a minimum of Rib Quesadilla appetizer, in a 21 days—to its traditional wetgarlic-herb tortilla with horse- aged USDA Prime cuts. radish sauce, reflects Cool RivWhat’s the difference? er’s Southwestern flair. Aging is the process of letting Lunch or dinner, the Certified the meat’s natural enzymes and Angus Beef brand steaks at Cool microbes break down the conRiver are wonderfully delicious, nective tissue to tenderize it. and my filet was cooked to a Dry-aged beef is hung or racked perfect medium rare plus. Sadly, I had a beef with the guy at the next table who ordered “well done but not burnt.” Anyone who wants a beautiful marbled cut cooked until it turns completely gray should show a little respect to bovines. The juice in a level of rare steak isn’t blood, it’s the myoglobin protein in the meat. Well-done amounts to bloody murder—and I will not be cowed! 8000 E. Belleview Ave. Suite C 10, GreenSURFED TURF: Flemings filet with truffled wood Village; 303-771poached lobster, béarnaise sauce and caviar. 4117; coolrivercafe.com
PHOTOGRAPH C O U RT E S Y O F S HA N AHA N ’ S
served on a bed of Israeli couscous with pine nuts and fennel cream. We sided it with Fleming’s Potatoes, which combine cream and cheddar cheese with jalapeños to deliver a rich, spicy kick. Fleming’s has also beefed up its fabulous roster of the world’s best wines with the WINEPAD, a dedicated Apple iPad that allows diners to navigate the extensive list through a variety of sort functions, such as label-specific tasting notes, perfect pairings and Wine Spectator ratings. It demystifies the Fleming’s 100, an award-winning program featuring 100 wines by the glass (about a third of them priced at $10 or less). Sommeliers will be hitting the hard stuff as customers adopt this technology. Working your way through it makes it easier to become an oenophile, but harder to spell it. 191 Inverness Dr. W., Englewood; 303-768-0827; flemingssteakhouse.com
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SHANAHAN’S Steakhouse Full disclosure: as a longtime Denver Broncos season ticket-holder, I am predisposed to enjoy a meal at Shanahan’s, the classic steakhouse associated with former head coach Mike Shanahan (I would never eat at a place called McDaniels, but that’s another story). It’s not just named for Shanny; the current Washington Redskins coach was working the room during his team’s bye week. The opulent surroundings rate as eyepopping—a bar area teeming with glassware, a 25-foot-tall granite fireplace, wood and leather everywhere—and a recent meal broke the scoreboard. Starters included a Jumbo Lump Crab Cake with Creole lobster sauce—no “innovative” flavor disguises, just lots of sweet, perfectly shredded crabmeat. But the
DONE TO A TURN: Shanahan’s Signature Bone-in Filet.
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sideBets EXTRA POINTS: Shanahan’s fully stocked bar and trophy case win over customers.
cooks a little slower. Some folks swear that a charred bone adds a distinct flavor to the meat. Plus, it leaves no room for sides, garnish or anything else—taking a stand against small plate dining! We accompanied it with a bottle of Treana Red, one of my favorite Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines, and sealed the meal with the Salted Caramel Crème Brûlée, the hint of sea salt going against the sweet custard and dark, reddish-brown caramel, accompanied by the nutty goodness of hazelnut popcorn brittle. The extra point was the friendly, impeccable service. Our waitress referred to her crumber as a “table Zamboni,” alluding to
Colorado Avalanche coach Patrick Roy, who sat at one of the private tables. At the hostess stand, the collection of rings and trophies amassed by Coach Shanahan shines from the glass cases. I wept openly when manager Mary Scribner removed one of the Broncos’ two Lombardi trophies and let my wife hold it. I took a photo and sent it to her relatives in Kansas City: “For those of you who have never seen one, this is what they give teams that win the Super Bowl...” Hey, it’s my duty to teach! 5085 S. Syracuse St., Denver; 303-7707300; shanahanssteakhouse.com Cag Read more of Gary James’ food writing at coloradoavidgolfer.com.
PMS 726
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Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2013
PMS 471
PMS Black
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PHOTOGRAPH S C O U RT E S Y O F S HA N AHA N ’ S
killer app was Wagyu Beef Carpaccio, the raw meat sliced ultra-thin and served with capers, mustard aioli and brioche toast points. My wife swooned over the Roasted Beet Salad, with peppery arugula, sweet goat cheese, aged balsamic vinaigrette...and toasted hazelnuts. “It’s like Nutella on a salad!” she exclaimed. Then we put ourselves in the hands of chef Alec Schrader, formerly of Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, where he and Shanahan’s managing partner Marc Steron once worked. A good portion of the menu is devoted to fresh seafood entrees, but we were there for the signature bone-in steaks. The meat next to the bone is more tender and
sideBets
FAREWAYS
A Palatable Rise in Air Fare Airplane food may have mercifully gone the way of the Concorde, but the quality of airport food is taking off at DIA. A slew of Colorado restaurants now give you reason to arrive early both to check in and chow down.
Rock Bottom Brewery
Boulder Beer Tap House
(Main Terminal, West Side, Level 5) Have an award-winning microbrew and nosh on pub fare before heading through security.
(Gate C32) Taste why Colorado’s pioneering craftbrewery now has 37 outposts across the country.
DENVER CHOPHousE & BREWERY
(A Gates, Center Concourse) A carnivore’s paradise with handcrafted beers, hearty sandwiches & succulent steaks.
Elway’s
(B Gates, Center Concourse) No. 7’s fourth restaurant is the equal of the other three; plus, it does breakfast & takeout.
Udi’s Café and Bar
(Gate B24) Artisanal eats and drinks, courtesy of Colorado’s iconic sandwich man’s seventh restaurant.
Crú A Wine Bar
(Gate B51) Savor the same elegance, gourmet fare and award-winning wines of the two Denver locales.
New Belgium Spoke
(Gate A61) and Hub (B80) The two commuter-friendly handcrafted brew spots also sport freshly made to-go foods.
Vino Volo
(Gates A49 & C49) The 21-airport chain is also an oenophile’s utopia for sampling, pairing and buying.
Steve’s Snappin’ Dogs
(Gate B24) Perennially voted the best franks in Denver, the Colfax institution will start serving in early 2014.
Root Down
(C Gates, Center Concourse) Thanks to an ingenious menu, funky décor and great location, the hip LoHi eatery is flying high.
Cag
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sideBets
NICEDRIVES
new narratives. By Isaac Bouchard 2014 Jeep Cherokee
Price range: $23,990-$41,590 EPA ratings (AWD): 21/28; 24mpg combined (4-cyl); 19/27; 22mpg combined (V6) Resurrecting a treasured name from its past, Jeep challenges conceptions with a very radical looking crossover in the all-new Cherokee. Its interior is a triumph of sophisticated design and materials of higher quality than anything in the class except Mazda’s CX-5. Comfortable, supportive seating in both rows makes it a practical crossover, with its ultimate cargo volume trailing only the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. The Cherokee also weighs in at several hundred pounds more than these class volume leaders. Militating against this is the use of the world’s first nine-speed automatic transmission, which allows some models to achieve a
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Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2013
rated 31mpg highway. Jeep offers two engines in the Cherokee: a 2.4-liter four that uses parent company Fiat’s revolutionary “MultiAir” intake system to generate 184hp and 171lb-ft. Optional is a smaller version of the corporate Pentastar V6, here displacing 3.2-liters and pumping out 271hp and 239lb-ft of torque. Thus equipped, the Cherokee can tow up to 4,500 pounds. This broad engine selection is mirrored in the three power distribution setups: a singlespeed front-wheel drive model; and two AWD systems—one single-speed and one with a low-speed transfer case. Both electronically engage/disengage to maximize fuel efficiency. There’s also a locking rear differential available on the Trailhawk model, which has real offroad credentials. The Cherokee is a very engaging machine to drive, with an exceptional combination of rigid body control and terrific, supple ride motions. Steering is accurate, cornering flat and fore/aft weight transfers minimal. Brake performance is likewise excellent.
For high-altitude performance the six-cylinder Cherokee is essential; it is refined and sounds great, though it’s not as torquey low down as one might wish. Jeep covers a lot of territory with this crossover; base models start in the mid 20s, while a loaded Trailhawk can exceed 40 grand. The Cherokee’s breadth of ability covers an equally large spread, and if its durability and reliability match the perceived quality of its fit and finish, it will go down as one of the company’s best vehicles ever.
2014 Range Rover Sport
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When it debuted in 2005, the Sport helped redefine what Range Rover stood for as a company, placing a fresh emphasis on dynamics and style, while retaining the legendary offroad prowess for which the brand was known. colora do avidgo lf e r.c o m
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sideBets GREAT RANGE: Inside and out, the Sport improves on its predecessor.
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ratios in normal use. While the V8 makes sub 5-second dashes to 60, the V6 combines all the performance one might realistically ever need with much improved fuel economy. Outside the Sport shares styling attributes of both the Evoque and the fullsize model. It really needs the larger optional wheels to come into proper focus, though the 22s damage the ride quality. Stick to the 20s or 21s. Inside the Sport is properly contemporary and quite pleasing for occupants of the first two rows (the optional third row is kids-only). While overall quality is high, some niceties of the old model, like an optional full leather dash, have been stripped out. And the touch-screen based infotainment system, which controls one of two spectacular Meridian audio setups, still trails the German’s systems for ease of use. These are minor nits. In aggregate, the new Sport is an astonishingly accomplished vehicle,
Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2013
with u n beatable offroad ability, excellent dynamics in road-based use, appropriately upmarket looks and a pleasing cockpit.
2014 Mazda3 Price range: $18,040-30,215 EPA ratings: 29/41; 33mpg combined (2L); 28/38; 32mpg combined (2.5L i-ELOOP) Even at the end of its production run, the outgoing
Mazda3 was the leader in real-world fuel economy as well as the company’s leader in sales in the U.S. and worldwide. The all-new Mazda3 lives up to—and exceeds—the weight of expectations. Like the outgoing model, it comes in two body styles, five-door hatch and four-door sedan, and has two available engines: a 2-liter, 150hp four and a 2.5-liter with 184hp. Both are fully Skyactiv, as are the slick six-speed auto and manual gearboxes, and any available powertrain combination helps contribute to classleading driving fun. coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m
PHOTO S C O U RT E S Y O F RA N G E ROV E R
Nine years later, an all-new Sport improves upon its predecessor in almost every way. The single biggest change is a switch to an all-aluminum monocoque chassis, which gives the Sport newfound agility and astonishing handling acumen on tight, twisty roads. Better steering precision through its variable-ratio rack, less fore/aft pitch, lessened roll angles and even stouter braking make it a genuine rival to the Porsche Cayenne. The reduction in weight, coupled with formidable ground clearance and wading depth, means there’s no off-road scenario this Range Rover can’t handle. The Sport’s 5-liter supercharged V8 is carried over, in 510hp/461lb-ft form. Replacing its normally aspirated version is a supercharged V6 with 340 horses and 332lb-ft of twist. Both channel power through a ZF eightspeed automatic that seems to read your mind in its sportier settings and seamlessly slip between
PHOTO C O U RT E S Y O F M A Z DA
The automatic introduces us to Mazda’s first implementation of a “sport” mode button. It changes first gear throttle sensitivity, so it fairly leaps off the line, and changes the tranny’s shiftpoints and sensitivity to something much more athletic. The fully Skyactiv suspension and structure play their part in the 3’s exceptional dynamic acumen, with perhaps the best electric power steering yet seen, phenomenal body control and (especially for Mazda) terrific ride quality and noise suppression. While the 3 doesn’t win every objective measurement of handling prowess, it is easily the best driving car in its class real world situations. The 3’s design is a big step forward, with the sedan in particular looking much more elegant than one would expect for a car in its size/price range. And inside no one even comes close to Mazda’s overall quality level. Soft touch plastics abound,
ZOOM ZOOM: The Mazda3 gets even sportier.
seating is incredibly supportive, and such cool new tech as a fighter plane-like head up display and the “Mazda Connect” infotainment system leave ostensible rivals in the dust. Since Ford cut Mazda loose the company has been on a roll, with each new
model becoming the standard by which its competitors are judged. Cag Read expanded reviews and buying tips from automotive editor Isaac Bouchard at coloradoavidgolfer.com and nicedrivz.com.
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Eight years after setting up his design company, Tiger Woods will unveil his first-ever golf course next fall at Diamante in Cabo San Lucas. What’s the steak behind the sizzle?
By Tony Dear
P H O T O G R A P H BY S t e v e S y
There’s not an awful lot
OCEAN’S 18: Woods’ design at Diamante calls for a view of the Pacific from every hole.
to see at the moment besides a half-dozen dirt fairways, acres of scrub, colored stakes marking the position of tees and greens, and a maze of tracks left by a fleet of heavy machines and ATVs. Construction of Tiger Woods’ first-ever golf course is well underway, however, and plans call for it to be open by this time next year. That’s when the world will finally see if Tiger Woods the designer can possibly be as good as Tiger Woods the golfer. Golf fans have waited for years for Woods’ design company to complete a project (courses in Dubai, North Carolina, and a second in Mexico have all fallen foul of the stagnant economy) giving us plenty of time to speculate over what the number-one player in the world’s method and design philosophy might be. Would he work remotely or would he be more hands-on? Would he prefer excessively long tracks with forced carries, deep bunkers, and insidious water hazards—courses so demanding, in fact, only he and other elite golfers could hope to score well on them? Or would he build something everyone could play? Would his style be penal or strategic, heroic or minimalist? Photos of Woods dressed in jeans, T-shirt and boots wandering the site at Diamante, an upscale resort/residential community five miles west of Cabo San Lucas at the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula, as well as frequent visits to the property to check on progress, suggest he definitely hasn’t taken a back seat since signing the contract with Diamante owner Ken Jowdy a couple of years ago. “I cannot say enough about how great it has been to see Tiger’s level of passion and involvement,” says Jowdy. “It has been clear from our first meeting that this is a very important part of his career.” As for the type of course Woods is building, a map of the most recent rendering offers up one or two clues. First, the irrigation pond, full of gray water pumped in from the Cabo San Lucas sewage treatment plant and which slicers will find off the 3rd tee, is the only significant water hazard on the entire course. Second, there are fewer than 50 bunkers, most of them positioned to the sides of generous fairways and staggered to challenge shotmakers but also spaced sufficiently far apart to give inconsistent drivers a good chance of finding the short grass. El Cardonal—the course is named after the ranch that once stood here—won’t be easy by any means, but it is clear, even now, the emphasis will be on enjoyment. “The variety of holes and strategic options will promote shot-making while still creating a very playable experience,” says Woods. “I hope the course will be memorable, challenging, and fun. As a player who has always focused on Winter 2013 | Colorado AvidGolfer
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Cover Story
ATTACK PLAN: Woods consults with Tiger Woods Design President Bryon Bell (left) and Diamante CEO Ken Jowdy.
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site sparingly and sensibly. Others might have been tempted to rely heavily on this feature, crossing it from several tees or forcing numerous aerial approach shots
in earnest on the uphill 469-yard fourth, the No. 1 handicap hole, which insists on a tee shot to bisect the bunkers staggered on either side of the ideal landing area.
Very simply, I asked Tiger to design the best golf course possible,” says Diamante CEO Ken Jowdy. “I trust his vision and passion for what makes great golf. that could sink golfers unable to loft their ball very high. Woods brings it into play on only seven holes—three on the front, four on the back—making its appearances stimulating and exhilarating rather than repetitive and tedious. The exhilaration begins amid the dunes with a birdie opportunity on the 555-yard par-5 opener, followed by a meaty 205-yard par-3 and the aforementioned risk-reward par-4 that tips at 360 yards with a water carry to a wee welcome mat of a green. Throughout the course Woods gives the bunkers a traditional look and feel, and his use of them as decision-makers reveals itself
Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2013
Ditto the tricky 422-yard fifth, where six strategically placed hollows of hostile silicate await. A large bunker fronts the boomerang green on the 586-yard par-5 sixth, making an eagle—and even a birdie—hard earned.
HIGH MARKS: Diamante’s Dunes Course
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P H O T O G R A P H S BY S T EVE S Y ( T O P ) A N D F ran c i so Estrada
course management, I want it to be strategic with risk-reward opportunities. “I grew up playing some of the great, old-style golf courses of the West Coast,” he continues. “I feel they helped shape me as a player. They used bunkers and other hazards not as a deterrent, but instead to force players to make a decision. After seeing the El Cardonal site for the first time and being reminded of those courses, I wanted to incorporate this element of strategic decision-making.” After touring the site and reading Woods’s words, there’s an unmistakable feeling of relief. Given his number of achievements and global superstardom, it’s conceivable the man regarded by many as the best golfer in history might have let his ego run wild and felt inclined to create courses that somehow reflected his greatness and which didn’t necessarily lie naturally on the land. Instead, Woods and his design associates Beau Welling and Shane Robichaud, both former Tom Fazio employees, are moving relatively little dirt, and using the natural arroyo that bisects the
You could say the same for El Cardonal’s third and final par 5—the 563-yard double-dogleg 14th featuring 10 bunkers—and its dramatic beauty of a finisher, a 491-yarder with an ocean backdrop that won’t easily be had in fewer than four strokes. El Cardonal, which cost roughly $12 million to build, boasts ocean views from every hole while preserving the terrain’s existing, irregular contours. It will be sprigged with Platinum Paspalum, a new turfgrass developed by Fort Myers, Fla.-based Turf Ecosystems. It has a slightly darker shade of green than other cultivars of the salt-tolerant species, and will provide consistently good fairway lies and flawless putting surfaces. It will also help Woods and his team meet Jowdy’s instructions to the letter “Very simply, I asked Tiger to design the best golf course possible,” says Jowdy. “I didn’t make any specific demands beyond that because I trust his vision and passion for what makes great golf.” Bryon Bell, President of Tiger Woods Design, says Jowdy and Woods were very much on the same page. “They really had a shared vision,” he says. “They both saw a course people would love playing and want to go back to time and time again.” Diamante is a very private domain offering a number of luxurious residential and vacation club options. Lots range from about $300,000 to $2 million. Not surprisingly, everything is first-class—from the service in the
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Cover story
RENDER’S GAME: The build-out of Diamante
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portant factor that convinced the land at Diamante, Jowdy inthem to restart our funding was stantly thought of Love. “I knew the fact we had what could be a this was exactly what they were world-class golf course that was looking for,” he says. “And I knew very nearly complete,” says Jowdy. they would put everything they “If it did not get maintained, the had into making it as great as it property’s biggest asset would could be. They always made me turn back to desert.” feel like this project was just as The world-class golf course to important to them as it was to which Jowdy refers is the Dunes me.” Love described the site as one Course designed by Davis Love III, a surprising choice for such of the ten best in the world, and an enviably sandy site. Architects such as Bill Coore, Tom Doak, Gil Hanse, and David McLay Kidd—all of whom had produced instant classics from similar terrain—were surely more obvious options. But Jowdy says he had known Davis and Mark Love as well as their Senior Design Associate, Paul Cowley, “for several years. I spent a lot of time with them on a project that didn’t actually get built,” he explains. “After getting to know them, I really began to appreciate their approach to designing and building EL CARDONAL RULES: Woods stands tall at Diamante. golf courses.” When he first saw
Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2013
18 months after it opened, Golf magazine ranked his Dunes Course at Diamante an incredible 58th in the world. Two years later, it rose to No. 52. Can El Cardonal achieve the same stature on a far different tract of land? Jowdy is confident it will meet or exceed all expectations. “I’ve brought many people out here who know a lot more about golf than I do, and every one of them is very excited to see how it turns out,” he says. “We feel it will be the perfect complement to the Dunes Course.” That is undoubtedly true. With views of the ocean, natural arroyos, plenty of interesting movement in the ground, and the odd cardon cactus dotted about, the site for El Cardonal holds great appeal. And though the course is still one year shy of being ready for play, it appears as though Tiger Woods is certainly making the most of it. Cag Tony Dear is a regular Colorado AvidGolfer contributor. Though not open to the public, El Cardonal can be played by prospective property owners and those renting a condo, villa, or house on the property. Visit diamantecabosanlucas.com or call 866-901-1456 for more information. coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m
R E N D E R I N G C O U RT E S Y O F D I A M A N T E ( T O P ) A N D P H O T O G R A P H BY S T EVE S Y
Dunes Clubhouse to the resort’s amazing man-made, ten-acre, salt-water lagoon; to the one and-a-half-mile -long private beach from which you’ll spot California Gray whales breaching between October and March. Diamante Cabo San Lucas opened in late 2009 almost five years after Jowdy, a native of Connecticut who had lived and worked in Mexico since 1998, first saw the land. The previous landowner had worked the 1,500acre spread for 40 years but, at the age of 89, finally decided to sell. Jowdy was on his way to catch a plane to the U.S. when his broker let him know the land had just been made available. “I told him I would be back in a few days,” says Jowdy. “But he said that if I got on the plane the property would be gone before I returned.” Jowdy turned his car around, and agreed to a deal with the owner that day, eventually closing in March 2006 with a loan from Lehman Brothers. Two years later and four months from the date Diamante was set to open, however, Lehman filed for bankruptcy and everything stopped. When the dust cleared, Jowdy learned that his loan was now in the hands of Danske Bank, headquartered in Copenhagen. “I believe the single most im-
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t Meliá Cabo Real,
t One&Only Palmilla’s
an all-inclusive beach and golf resort tucked away on a cove along the Corridor five minutes south of San José del Cabo, boasts 305 deluxe oversized rooms, four restaurants and the adjacent Robert Trent Jones Jr. course at Cabo Real.
172 sensuously elegant guest rooms come in singleand three-story “casas,” encircling the resort grounds along the peninsula’s edge. Every private patio or balcony comes with unobstructed views of the Pacific Ocean or Sea of Cortez.
Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2013
Luxury at Land’s End
To book special packages go to
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Sandos Hotel Finisterra, the iconic resort scenically located high above the tip of the Baja coast, recently underwent a major renovation under new ownership. The all-inclusive room price includes unlimited food, drinks, family-friendly entertainment and more.
SERVICE THAT DESERVES A ROUND OF GOLF CLAPS. The Golfer's Getaway Discover the world-class golf of Los Cabos when you book our exclusive Golfer's Getaway package. Special includes three rounds of golf at the luxurious Palmilla, Cabo Real, Puerto Los Cabos or Club Campestre golf courses and complimentary breakfast buffet each morning. After a long day on the green, enjoy a soothing Sports Massage to refresh and rejuvenate tired muscles. Package requires a 3-night minimum stay. For room reservations please visit hiltonloscabos.com or call 877 354 1399 STAY HILTO N. GO EVERYWHE RE .
Carretera Transp. Km. 19.5 | Los Cabos | 23447 | MEXICO ©2013 Hilton Worldwide
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Sheraton Hacienda del Mar gives guests five pool options, ranging from dramatic infinityedge to peaceful sunbathing spot, from a kid’s pool with a slide to one with a swim-up bar and another with live music and water sports. All come with food and drink service.
Sheraton Hacienda del Mar
Los Cabos Travel Guide presented by
t
Sheraton Hacienda del Mar
Livin’ La Vida Cabo
Cabo’s swanky nightlife finds its expression along Médano Beach, home of such upscale, trendsetting resorts as ME Cabo and Casa Dorada. By day, the award-winning ME Cabo epitomizes relaxation and refinement; by night, the energy pulses from its Nikki Beach and Passion Club. The luxurious, familyfriendly Casa Dorada ranks as one of Mexico’s top 10 hotels, frequently hosting—and hiding—celebrities...and those who wish they were. t Cabo Villas Beach Resort & Spa radiates all the luxury of a beachfront paradise with the added bonus of having Cabo’s first and only microbrewery— Baja Brewing Company—on its rooftop terrace. Enjoy the fare, fire pit and fabulous sunsets with a handcrafted cold one.
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t The Westin Resort and Spa, Los Cabos overlooks the Sea of Cortez and features the exclusive Royal Beach Club Rooms and Suites, offering such amenities as continental breakfast with hot options, snacks all day, and hors d’oeuvres, wine, beer and soft drinks at sunset.
Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2013
t Hilton Los Cabos, like many fine resorts, features an infinity pool with a swim-up bar. The difference? This one serves delicately cut sushi and sashimi. La Barca Sushi Bar, which also has seating, lets you catch some fresh tuna without having to charter a fishing boat.
Cabo Villas Beach Resort & Spa 866-962-2268 cabovillasbeachresort.com Casa Dorada 866-448-0151 casadorada.com ME Cabo 888-956-3542 melia.com/en/hotels/ mexico/los-cabos/me-cabo The Westin Resort & Spa, Los Cabos 800-228-3000 westinloscabos.com
coloradoav idgo lf e r.c o m/t r ave l
Sheraton Hacienda Del Mar’s Unlimited Golf Experience •Three-night stay at Deluxe Room with Jaccuzi •Walk-in-shower •Sweet Sleeper bed and private terrace in double occupancy •Unlimited Golf on the Ocean Course* and/or the Desert Course* at Cabo del Sol, a world-renowned Jack Nicklaus Signature and Tom Weiskopf design golf course for up to two registered guests per room •Shuttle Transportation to/from golf course included •Breakfast Buffet for two at Tomatoes Restaurant (7:00 am -11:00 am) •Late Check-Out (subject to availability) •Free access to Gym, Sauna and Steam Room
Rates starting from
518 USD
$
per room per night
*Excl Tax & Service
Book at Sheraton.com/haciendadelmar or call 800 325 3535
©2013 Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Preferred Guest, SPG, Sheraton and their logos are the trademarks of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., or its affiliates. For full terms & conditions visit Sheraton.com/haciendadelmar
Palmilla
There was a time—1992, in fact—when “one and only” described Palmilla Golf Club, the first Jack Nicklaus Signature Course in Latin America. Since then, others have come online, but the Arroyo, Mountain and Ocean nines that make up the 27-hole, Troon-managed One&Only Palmilla Golf Club remain some of the peninsula’s most spellbinding.
Golf | Where to Play
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Cabo Del Sol 866-231-4677 cabodelsol.com Cabo Real 877-795-8727 caboreal.com Club Campestre San Jose 877-795-8727 clubcampestresanjose.com Diamante 866-901-9058 diamantecabosanlucas.com One&Only Palmilla Los Cabos Golf Resort 800-637-2226 palmilla.oneandonlyresorts. com
t
Diamante (Dunes Course)
t Cabo Real
t Cabo Del Sol’s
in San José del Cabo currently combines a Greg Norman Signature front nine and a Jack Nicklaus Signature back nine. Each nine will eventually belong to its own 18-hole course but for now it’s a oneof-a-kind routing.
opened in 1994 and many still consider its front nine—a combination of mountain and ocean holes—the most challenging in Los Cabos. The Robert Trent Jones Jr. design hosted the 1996 and 1999 Senior PGA Grand Slams.
aptly named Ocean and Desert courses, designed respectively by Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf, make for a memorable 36hole experience that’s one part Pebble Beach, one part Troon North—and all Cabo.
Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2013
FEATURED COURSES
Puerto Los Cabos
t Puerto Los Cabos
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presented by
Puerto De Los Cabos 877-795-8727 puertoloscabos.com
Cape Holes Architecturally, the 12th at the private El Dorado Golf Club may be Cabo’s only “cape hole.” But “cabo” translates to “cape,” and at least 200 golf holes form a necklace along the coast—from Puerto Los Cabos on the Sea of Cortez around to Diamante on the Pacific. They embrace elements of desert, ocean, mountains, forest and sand and all carry the signatures of the best architects in the business.
Los Cabos Travel Guide
Love’s Links
To book special packages go to
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The buzz at Diamante has centered around Tiger Woods (see cover), but Davis Love III’s Dunes Course has bucket list written all over it. The course rocketed onto Golf’s Top 100 in the World shortly after opening. Play this private gem if you can.
experienceMexico Palmilla Golf Club—among the world’s finest venues Breathtaking natural beauty and the inspired design vision of Jack Nicklaus
elevate Palmilla Golf Club in Los Cabos, Mexico, to its place among the world’s finest venues. Poised on a secluded private peninsula at the southern tip of the Baja coast, Palmilla’s three distinctive nines—the Arroyo, the Mountain and the Ocean—wind through a unique seaside desert framed by picturesque vistas of the vivid blue Sea of Cortéz and punctuated by magnificent cardón cacti and wildflowers. Through a range of elevation changes, arroyos and rugged mountain terrain, the course strikes the perfect balance between challenge and playability.
LO S
C A B O S,
M E X I CO
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1. 8 0 0.637. 2 2 26
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PA L M I L L AG C .CO M
PAL MILL A GOLF CLUB IS M ANAGED BY TROON GOLF, ® THE LE ADER IN UPSC ALE GOLF COUR SE M ANAGEMENT 1.888.TROON U.S. | WWW.TROONGOLF.COM
The Hilton’s El Meson
Beyond Tacos and Ceviche With so many restaurants competing for so many visitors, it’s nearly impossible to find a subpar meal anywhere in Los Cabos—and most of those meals feature fish that was swimming that day. Spectacular resort restaurants such as One&Only Palmilla’s Agua and Market up the ante: the former serves up its uniquely “Mexiterrean” fare; the latter, elegant Euro-Asian cuisine with Mexican inspirations from renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
presented by
FEATURED RESTAURANTS Agua 866-829-2977 palmilla.oneandonlyresorts.com Baja Cantina 866-209-2246 bajacantina.com.mx Edith’s Restaurante (011) 52-624-143-0801 edithscabo.com Fenicia 877-354-1399 hiltonloscabos.com Market 866-829-2977 palmilla.oneandonlyresorts.com El Meson 877-354-1399 hiltonloscabos.com The Office on the Beach (011) 52-624-143 3464 theofficeonthebeach.com
Solomon’s Landing (011)52-624-143-3050 solomonslandingcabo.com
Agua
t Solomon’s Landing,
t Baja Cantina,
at the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar pairs Chef Volker Romeiker’s Pacific Rim fusion cuisine with an equally unforgettable atmophere, resulting in 13 straight five-star awards from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences.
a festive bar and grille right on the Cabo San Lucas Marina, features inspired takes on sushi, steaks, seafood and cocktails. Owner Brian Solomon also charters fishing trips aboard the boat that brought him here 16 years ago.
with locations on the Marina and Cabo Villas Resort & Spa, boasts a sports bar vibe with luxury box flavor—especially the fish and crustaceans, which come in a range of sauces and styles, including pibil, culichi and mojo de ajo.
Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2013
Los Cabos Travel Guide
Pitahaya’s Restaurant (011)52-624-1458010 pitahayas.com
t Pitahaya’s RESTAURANT
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Dining | Where to Eat
5
El Meson, specializing in seafood from a perch overlooking a reflection pool and the Sea of Cortez, presents one of five dining opitons at the Hilton Los Cabos. Chief among the others is Fenicia, a swank ristorante and mozzarella bar.
ICONS BY THE SEA
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Owned by chef Edith Jimenez, Médano Beach stalwarts Edith’s and The Office on the Beach come with views of El Arco, fabulous service and atmosphere, and specialties like Aztec Soup, Tampiqueña Steak and Todos Santos Fresh Whole Lobster.
Relaxf ish ng Los Cabos
Can’t drive 55? Jet Skis, Sea-Doos and WaveRunners pound the waves along Médano Beach and at Cabo Real at speeds that can reach double-nickels. The area abounds with outfitters such as Cabo San Lucas Tours offering one- and two-person rentals by the half-hour.
Fish Upon a Star Decades before it became a tourist mecca, Cabo was an international sportfishing hotspot, with anglers looking to land a trophy marlin or other billfish. Reports of specimens weighing more than 800 pounds have become less frequent, but a 1,000-pound blue marlin—the largest caught there in 30 years—made headlines two years ago. More often, it’s red snapper, dorado, yellowfin, wahoo, bonito and grouper that make their ways into fishing boats and onto plates at the local restaurants—many of which will gladly cook what you catch. Fishing charters are as plentiful as the ubituitous roosterfish (which, by the way, aren’t good eating). Among the more popular and reputable charter fleets are Pisces, Silverados and Picante.
t San josé Del cabo
t CABO SAN LUCAS BAY,
t ATV excursions
provides a relaxing counterpoint to Cabo San Lucas with its colonial architecture, cathedral plaza, wildlife estuary, shops selling Talavera pottery and fire opal jewelry, as well as the most fine art galleries on the Baja Peninsula.
a protected marine sanctuary, is an underwater paradise. Divers of all levels can see whale sharks and sea lions, while the more advanced can challenge the bottomless beauty of the Abyss, the Sandfalls and other choice spots.
aren’t legal on most Los Cabos beaches, but they’re a great way to savor Baja’s rugged inland beauty. Desert Park at Cabo Real, takes you on a 25-mile journey through spectacular arroyos, hillsides and canyons.
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Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2013
ACTIVITIES | What to Do
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Los Cabos Travel Guide presented by
THINGS TO DO Cabo San Lucas Tours 866-348-6286 cabosanlucastours.net Desert Park ATV Tours (011) 52-624-144-0127 caboreal.com Dive Cabo (011) 52-624-105-1793 divecabo.com Picante Bluewater picantesportfishing.com 714-442-0644 Pisces Sportfishing piscessportfishing.com 877-286-7938 San José del Cabo allaboutsanjosedelcabo.com Silverados 619-600-5570 silveradosportfishing.com Tio Sports (011) 52-624-143-3399 tiosports.com
WHALE WATCHING
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delivers an annual treat for winter visitors to Los Cabos. Between January and March grays and humpbacks migrate to the Sea of Cortez. See them breach and spout from the shore or get up close on a boat excursion. colora do avidgo lf e r.c o m
THANK YOU
HealthONE COLORADO OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
for lending our kids a hand!
THE FIRST TEE OF GREEN VALLEY RANCH
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Presenting Sponsor Oakwood Homes, LLC
Supporting Sponsors
2013
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en
When it comes to Cabo golf communities, this foursome is first off the tee. By Tony Dear
O
cean and desert,
fishing and golf, sophisticated nightlife and tranquil isolation—Cabo magically combines those qualities and more, creating the ideal location for a second or retirement home. With regulations for non-Mexican land-ownership now making the process of purchasing real estate safer and easier than ever before (the key is an established and perpetually renewable bank trust called a fideicomiso), a piece of any one of these secure and vibrant communities can be yours.
Oasis Palmilla
Palmilla, five minutes west of San José Del Cabo, was the site of the first of the 135 holes Jack Nicklaus has contributed to Los Cabos. The golf course was built neighboring the Palmilla Hotel, a legendary resort created in 1956 by Don Abelardo Rodriguez, son of the President of Mexico. Hollywood stars such as John Wayne, Lucille Ball, and Bing Crosby, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower came for the privacy and deep-sea fishing. In 2004, the resort became a One&Only property, which Condé Nast Traveler readers wasted no time in voting best in its class. Within the 1,000-acre development, there are now a dozen high-end communities featuring individual family homes, custom home sites, beachfront villas, and luxurious town houses (starting at around $500,000). Those communities include Oasis Palmilla—a 240-acre gated enclave created by Del Mar Development offering 40 one-acre+ homesites where owners may design their own authentic hacienda with Tuscan-style architecture surrounded by the golf course, lush gardens and natural desert landscape. Residents have use of Del Mar Development’s private beach club, Club Ninety-Six, a 50-foot catamaran and an exclusive fitness center with spa. Owners also have access to the One&Only’s five restaurants, bars, spa, tennis courts, and other amenities such as one of the coast’s few swimmable beaches. Local activities include seasonal whale-watching tours, deep-sea fishing excursions, and 4x4 trips into the Baja desert. Las Tiendas de Palmilla, a high-end shopping and dining center, is also part of the development. delmarloscabos.com; 877-847-1662.
Querencia
Spanning 1,800 acres of rugged semi-arid desert terrain between the Sierra de la Laguna Mountains and the Sea of Cortez, Querencia opened in 2000 as the area’s first private golf community. It centers around a magnificent Tom Fazio-designed golf course that maximizes views of the ocean and nearby San José Del Cabo, and consistently ranks in Mexico’s top three. Querencia, a Spanish term The New York Times once translated as “a place where you feel safe and secure and are your most authentic self,” has nine neighborhoods featuring Mexican and Tuscan-inspired architecture and a wide range of ownership options. Three bedroom townhomes start at around $1 million, 4,000-square-foot/three-bedroom villas go for $2 million, and custom homes range in price from $3 million to $14 million. About a dozen ocean view lots are currently available starting at $395,000 while desert view lots can be snapped up for $119,000. Initiation to the golf club costs $150,000, and annual dues are $10,272 ($856/month). Querencia definitely emphasizes community. The Club Village is home to the “Q” Bar, which boasts ocean and desert views in a comfortable setting complete with an outdoor terrace and a cozy fire-pit, and the fine-dining “Q” Restaurant. Outside is a 25meter infinity edge pool with views of the golf course and Bahia Cabo San Lucas, a two-lane lap pool, a separate children’s pool, and private pool cabañas equipped with HD TV. Plans call for an equestrian center and a private beach facility. And a second golf course, designed by Gil Hanse, has been routed and staked. Once open (“At the rate real estate and membership sales have been behaving recently, we are optimistic this will be sooner than foreseen,” says Marketing Director Lynn Cahill), it will help create what will surely be Mexico’s finest 36-hole destination. loscaboquerencia.com; 888-236-2229. co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m
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El Dorado
Equidistant between bustling Cabo San Lucas and the quieter San José Del Cabo, the private El Dorado Golf and Beach Club has been members-only since Discovery Land Company took it over in 2005. The exquisite Jack Nicklaus layout is highlighted by the Par 3 16th, whose green sits practically on the beach. There are 520 beachfront, ocean view, and desert acres here with custom homes (including one 8,500-square-foot domicile that recently sold for $20 million), designed by a team of world-class architects, and casitas, including an 11,238-square-foot penthouse. Twelve villas are currently available, while eight casitas are on offer from $2.295m to $9.9m. The master plan calls for approximately 206 residential units, including 39 beachfront and 25 ocean-view custom estate lots; 90 beachfront, golf, and ocean view villas; and 37 casitas. Besides the exquisitely-designed and furnished residences, the top-drawer golf course, and one of the Cabo coast’s finest beaches, El Dorado is well known for its concierge service which has a knack for remembering member preferences and providing highly personalized attention. The Outdoor Pursuits team is similarly able to provide tailored activities and experiences for members including use of El Discovery, a 96-foot yacht with space to entertain 30 people, kayaking, surfing, mountain-biking, ATV Tours and rock-climbing. A beach club; park with full-size basketball court, two tennis courts, children’s playground, and event lawn; fine-dining restaurant; beachfront bar under a huge palapa; spa; 12-seat theater; intimate Mercado (market) selling authentic Mexican delicacies and treasures; and a kids club make up an impressive array of amenities for members. The club is a private non-equity membership operation, limited to 395 memberships, the initiation for which requires a separate fee. eldoradogolfandbeachclub.com; 866)-513-4434.
Puerto Los Cabos
The only master-planned golf community east of San José Del Cabo, Puerto Los Cabos covers 2,000 acres and, when complete, will possess 36 championship holes of golf—18 designed by Jack Nicklaus and 18 by Greg Norman. The Nicklaus Course will be open to resort guests while the Norman Course will be reserved for homeowners (18 holes are currently in play and made up of Nicklaus’s back nine and Norman’s front nine). While the golf courses will be a major attraction, the most recognizable feature of Puerto Los Cabos will perhaps be its distinctively shaped marina with slips that can accommodate boats up to 400 feet in length. Gordo Banks, one of Mexico’s most fertile fishing grounds, is just ten miles away, and five fishing charter companies based at the marina will take you there. There are five low-density enclaves of private, full-ownership residential homes at Puerto Los Cabos. More than 70 have been completed and 50 more are currently under construction. Owners have a number of activities and amenities on offer: snorkeling, surfing, hiking, biking, horseback riding, bird-watching and a pedestrian village of quiet streets lined with art galleries, coffee houses, bistros, bakeries, and shops. An infinity edge pool is the focal point of Fundadores, a private beach club where you’ll also find a restaurant, spa, Jacuzzi, fire pit, and fitness center. Fourteen 2,000-square-foot villas adjacent to the ninth fairway of the Norman Course, and part of the Fundadores neighborhood, come with standard furnishings and are priced from $900,000. Another noteworthy part of Puerto Los Cabos is the Wirikuta, a botanical garden with 1,500 varieties of desert plants from around the world. puertoloscabos.com; 877-507-4752.
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colorado avidgo lf e r.c o m
opens 12-12-13
every round southern arizona’s newest golf experience | signature notah begay iii design playability for all levels | award-winning resort
extraordinary
Arizona’s most decorated casino resort invites you to tee it up at our championship golf course, Sewailo Golf Club at Casino Del Sol Resort Arizona’s only Forbes Four-Star and Triple A Four Diamond Award Casino Resort. Enjoy five incredible restaurants, an award-winning Spa, our beautiful casino, or perhaps a concert under the stars at AVA Amphitheater. Come stay and play in style at Casino Del Sol Resort in Tucson. Where every day, and night, is extraordinary!
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i-19, exit valencia west, 6 miles | tucson, arizona | 855.sol.stay | casinodelsol.com enterprise of the pascua yaqui tribe Please play responsibly. If you have a gambling problem, please call 1-800-639-8783.
Growing Native
Notah Begay’s bold new Sewailo Golf Club at the four-star Casino del Sol Resort represents a major source of pride and revenue for Tucson’s Pascua Yaqui Tribe. By Jon Rizzi 66
Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2013
coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m
The painted sky arching above the Tuscanthemed gaming and restaurant court recalls Caesar’s Palace. The GM describes the hotel’s sumptuous VIP suites as “Baby Venetian.” Palm trees border a sun-drenched, vibrant pool scene while the 4,000-seat amphitheater draws such stars as Gwen Stefani, Pitbull, Heart, Van Halen and Toby Keith. Indigenous plants and treatments soothe at the luxe spa. Halls filled with original oil paintings lead to palatial ballrooms. The steakhouse sizzles with urbane sophistica-
from Forbes (the only Arizona casino with that distinction), four diamonds from AAA and the admiration of the local community for opening and thriving during a severe economic downturn. “Eighty percent of the hotel personnel are tribal members,” reports CEO Jim Burns. “We have a quality product and are committed to driving economic development and bringing people to Tucson.” As of December, a big reason they’ll be coming to Casino del Sol is the golf. Like much of the property, Sewailo Golf Club hints at Las Vegas (the course’s abundant water features suggest a nascent Shadow Creek) but its provenance and design is distinctively and decidedly Native American. That’s because Notah Begay III, the first and only full-blooded Native American to compete (and win four times) on the PGA Tour, worked closely with the Pascua Yaqui leaders to lay out a course that, as he
the deer dancer—“the most central ceremonial figure” in Yaqui traditions, according to tribal officials—emerged from a flower-filled spiritual world of natural beauty that lay under the dawn in the east. (Note: The Pascua Yaqui are an Arizona band of the Sonora, Mexico-based Yaqui tribe. “Pascua” is Spanish for “Easter,” as the Pascua Yaqui blend Catholicism into their beliefs.) Access to a staggering 325 million gallons of water per year—four to five times that of the average Arizona course—helped Begay and Butler narrate the emergence legend. So did the salvaging of some 15,000 plants from the site during construction and the planting of thousands more. “The waterfalls, lakes and presence of lush vegetation on the first and last few holes is our representation of the ‘flower world,’” Begay explains. “The holes in between transition between streams, lakes and desert—eventually bringing you back to the lush flowers and vegetation.”
FLOWER POWER: Sewailo’s scenic third green.
tion; Mr. An’s Asian restaurant dazzles with flaming, show-stopping sushi rolls; and the international buffet rivals anything you’d find on The Strip for a quarter of the price. Even its high desert location—a 15-minute limo ride from the airport—evokes Las Vegas. Such is the impression of the palatial Casino del Sol, a wholly owned enterprise of the Pascua Yaqui nation that rises majestically from the mesquite- and cactus-studded badlands six miles southwest of Tucson. In the two years since its grand opening, the property has earned multiple four-star awards co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m
says, “expresses their culture and provides a world-class experience for every level of golfer. “Not to get stereotypical, but before first shovel was put in ground, we prayed to the land to let the story unfold. What you see is what has come about through a very productive collaboration through all parts.” Teaming up with architect Ty Butler and Landscapes Unlimited construction, Begay created Sewailo, which translates to “Flower World.” Flowers or “sewa” are central to the tribe’s creation story, which holds that
Not knowing any of this before playing the course this fall, I’ll admit my only cultural reference came after spotting a roadrunner and a coyote between two fairways. But as to how the course plays, there’s no doubt Begay and Butler have created something truly masterful and memorable. That’s no small feat considering the flatness of the land. “We had to work that dirt to death,” Butler says of trying to create enough elevation and depth to allow peeks at the streams, lakes and hazards that make the course a constant weighing Winter 2013 | Colorado AvidGolfer
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STAY PALM: Casino del Sol’s hotel and pool.
of risks and rewards. As my playing partner, Course Superintendent Jonathan Williams, explains, “Sewailo is the tale of two Johnsons: on some holes you have to play like Zach and lay up; on others you can rip it like Dustin.” “Zach” shows up on the 364-yard first, thanks to a stream that curls across the fairway 50 yards short of the enormous, undulant green that also serves the eighth hole—and, Williams confides, takes 66 minutes to mow.
BIG HIT: Begay is a “rock star” among Native Americans.
After “Dustin” drives the green on the sweet 360-yard second, we arrive at the money-shot par-3 third. It’s all-carry over water to a peninsula green framed by a stone wall in the front and postcard view of the hotel and Tucson Mountains in the background. Breathtaking. Water again lurks on the tough doglegleft fourth, and although it disappears completely until the ninth hole, there are nests of bunkers to avoid, doglegs to cut and plenty of dense Bermuda rough to elude. There’s
PAINTED SKY: The Caesars-like gaming area.
also the hardpan of the desert. Sewailo’s ninth recalls the 18th at Cherry Hills—a cape hole with a lake left and bunkers waiting to snare all but a perfectly placed tee shot. It preludes a stretch of three extremely challenging holes, starting with the 638-yard double-dogleg 10th and ending with the 430-yard left-dogleg 12th. Sewailo’s final three holes—all par 4s—reenter the flower world and all its aquatic perils. The course’s 14 acres of lakes seem to concentrate here, forcing the make-or-break decisions that create the kind of dramatic thought-provoking golf worth playing and watching. By the time your final putt drops in front of the striking waterfall behind the 18th green, you’ll be itching to take another crack at it. And that’s the way Begay and Butler want it. Begay, a economics major at Stanford, knows a course is not really in business until it sells that second and third round. “Do the math: Most golfers are double-digit handicaps who don’t want to get beat up too badly,” says Begay. “We want Sewailo to be a world-class experience for everyone.” That includes challenging championshipcaliber players like him. “I’m not averse to seeing some shoot a 65 or 66 out here,” says the author of a 59 in the 1998 Dominion Open. “We put five sets of tees on the course, and it can stretch as long as 7,400 yards. Our placement of back tees and hazards and the angles and lines make this a course that could easily host collegiate championships or a mini-tour event.”
WATER COURSE: Sewailo features 14 acres of lakes.
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With world-class lodging right next door and Troon Golf managing the golf operation, Sewailo appears positioned to land numerous events. Rumor has it the University of Arizona, which is hosting the Arizona Intercollegiate Men’s Tournament at Sewailo January 27-28, may make it its home course. The customer, however, comes first, and VP of Sales Mark Scheller already envisions groups of golfers coming in for corporate outings, buddy trips, couples’ getaways. “We can customize anything for anyone,” he says, as we stroll the hotel’s elegant PY Steakhouse with its private dining room and 1,000 bottles of wine. “We have a Mercedes-Benz pick you up. Golf. Gambling. Spa. Steaks. Courvoisier and cigars by the pool. Maybe a concert. You can even hit golf balls at three in the morning on the lighted range. You never have to leave the property. We can arrange it because we don’t have to jump through any corporate hoops.” Or any smoke rings. Although smokers fill the casino, the air is free of tobacco odor. And for now, it’s also free of craps and roulette tables, per Arizona law. There’s blackjack, poker, bingo, slot machines and other games, including “digital roulette” which resembles something you’d see at a Dave & Buster’s but with monetary payouts. “One of the first things I learned at Stanford is win-win propositions are the best outcome,” says Begay, whose “turnkey solutions” have already produced golf courses for tribes with existing gaming operations in North Carolina and Kansas. “Adding a destination golf course to a gaming property is a great way to help make a tribe self-sufficient, develop their business and give full-time jobs and training for Native Americans.” And, of course, it’s also a great way to add some Vegas-style glitz to the Tucson resort scene. Cag Jon Rizzi is Colorado AvidGolfer’s editor. For more information: casinodelsol.com; 855SOL STAY (855-765-7829). coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m
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An Audience with
More than 520 years after Columbus chanced upon the island that would become Puerto Rico, golf has finally discovered the coast bearing his queen’s name. By Tony Dear | Photography by Joann Dost
co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m
Winter 2013 | Colorado AvidGolfer
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royal isabela
n 1988,
a group of investors headed by former tennis champion Charlie Pasarell purchased more than 2,000 acres of land in Isabela, a Puerto Rican municipality on the island’s lush northwestern tip. They wanted to prevent any undesirable “improvements” by less environmentally-conscious speculators but mainly they wanted to create one of the Caribbean’s finest vacation destinations. The development, which Pasarell called Costa Isabela, would provide hundreds of jobs, giving the local economy a much-needed boost while boasting one or more golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer or Gary Player, each of whom drew up routings. With three-and-a-half miles of dreamy Atlantic beachfront rising to imposing 200-300-foot cliffs, and attractive, rolling inland terrain, it was the sort of property a visually-impaired monkey could have made something of—provided, of course, it had the financing. Pasarell, a proud Puerto Rican who had made a successful move into business and tennis administration (becoming heavily involved with the ATP Tour) following his retirement from competition, had long had his eyes on the area. After acquiring 76 parcels from 42 sellers, he began recruiting lawyers, land planners, architects, engineers, developers, operators, and consultants using the seed money his group had provided. He also brought in TSA, a Japanese investment firm, to continue bankrolling the project.
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ONE ON THE ISLE: Royal Isabela’s ninth green.
But after the Japanese economy collapsed in 1991, Costa Isabela ended up filing for Chapter 11 in Federal Bankruptcy Court. Pasarell’s dreams seemed all but dashed. In late 1993, however, Charlie’s younger brother Stanley, himself a former tennis champion now in the family’s product distribution business—Puerto Rico Supplies Group—got involved in the project. It took about nine years, but the com-
sole partners. Together they set Costa Isabela’s ball rolling by establishing a nursery that would provide trees for a future reforestation project, indigenous plants for landscaping, and turf for the golf courses. But, though they were natives of the island, descendants of one of its literary legends (Dr. Manuel Zeno Gandía), and principals of one of its most successful family-owned companies, the Pasarells had a hard time obtaining
Before dying in May, the architect routed four more courses on the Isabela estate, including one potentially as good as any in the Caribbean. pany used its considerable financial clout to extricate Costa Isabela from bankruptcy and also purchase it outright with Edwin Pérez, Stanley’s partner at PRSG, joining the Pasarells as
Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2013
the necessary permits for anything else. “It took several years to finally get the necessary permission to build a golf course,” says Stanley. “I certainly hadn’t anticipated it
taking so long, and it meant we had to alter our initial plan for the first course and build it on the cliffs.” Charlie, who envisaged a sort of Caribbean Pebble Beach, and Stanley, who sensed from what he had seen in his travels that good courses tended not to funnel through corridors of condos but retain the look and feel of their natural surroundings, knew they wanted no part of the plans Nicklaus, Palmer and Player had suggested a decade before. “Jack’s course ran north-south away from the ocean,” says Stanley. “It would have been a fine course I’m sure, but the best land with the ocean views was saved for building lots.” Although the marketing advantages attached to any of the Big Three would have no doubt delivered a windfall, the Pasarells rejected their ideas and instead went with one of their own. With complete control over the development and without any obligation to secure as large a ROI as possible for the project’s former backers, they were free to use the oceanfront for golf. Could they have bought Nicklaus back to implement their own plans? “Not only would it have been way more expensive,” Stanley says, “I’m also pretty sure Jack wouldn’t have welcomed being told what to do.” coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m
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royal isabela
CLIFFHANGER: The mind-blowing 17th.
The Pasarells were not golf construction experts, however. One of the first people on Charlie’s shortlist was David Pfaff, an architect whose name few people would recognize, but one with whom Charlie knew he could work. A one-time Pete Dye associate, Pfaff had worked from 1976 to 1984 as the lead golf course architect for the Landmark Land Co, building courses such as Belle Terre (Louisiana), Oak Tree (Oklahoma), Carmel Valley Ranch (California) and a number of California desert layouts, including the Mountain and Dunes courses at La Quinta Hotel and the Mission Hills Resort Course in Rancho Mirage. To design its tennis facilities, Landmark hired Charlie Pasarell, who worked alongside Pfaff in planning and supervising construction of any grass courts that were included in the plans. Because they had worked so well together, Pasarell would later call upon Pfaff several times when he and his fellow investors considered sites for development in France, Spain, Portugal, the UK, the Bahamas, Bimini, Mexico, the British Virgin Islands and Hawaii. And Puerto Rico. “I first set foot on the Costa Isabela property in 1990, I believe,” says Pfaff. “I really didn’t hesitate in advising Charlie to buy it.” Although Stanley had yet to meet him, he was sold after one
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conference call. “David Pfaff was it for me,” he says. “There really was no need to consider anyone else. From the very beginning, we had good chemistry and he had the disposition, patience, experience and self-assurance to put up with Charlie’s and my crazy ideas about the golf course.” The Pasarells had devised their own routing, which included a few holes from Nicklaus and Palmer’s plans and which moved from the high ground where the clubhouse would be built down
Isabela (the 426-acre private golf club and resort that is the first development of the Costa Isabela master plan) for a vacation shouldn’t let that put them off though. While it’s a shame the original course doesn’t get closer to the water, many of the back-nine cliff-top holes are the stuff of inspiring office artwork and memories that could potentially linger for decades. The front nine possesses a number of fine holes of its own, holes that would make the cut at most other courses. But it is
SWEET SPOT: Royal Isabela casitas come with a deck, plunge pool and view.
to the low-lying areas adjacent to El Pastillo Beach. “Because of permitting issues, however, we could only build seven of those holes,” said Pfaff who made 13 trips to Puerto Rico from his base in California during the first year of construction and 12 in each of the next two. “So the course now sits entirely on the high property.” Those considering Royal
Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2013
after the turn where Royal Isabela moves from good to great and finally, at the Par-3 17th, to mind-blowing (before finishing with a merely fine uphill Par 4). The lucky man whose job it is to maintain this beauty is Dean Vande Hei who worked in Naples, Fla., San Antonio and Scottsdale prior to beginning his new life in Puerto Rico in January 2008, about two and a half
years before members began playing the course . Vande Hei, who now heads a team of 28 golf course employees and 20 landscaping workers, says the climate can present a few challenges, especially during the winter months. “Though it can get very hot and humid at times, the climate is actually fairly consistent throughout the year. But in the winter, we don’t get as much daylight, so the grass doesn’t grow as aggressively as it does in summer.” Even so, winter might be the best time to visit, adds Vande Hei, as the course is at its firmest then. “I water it less and, with a fairly constant 15-20mph wind, the surface remains dry,” he says. A few holes even begin to feel a little linksy, the magnificent Par- 4 14th in particular where a softarmed 4-iron approach under the wind from 150 yards might be the order of the day. To complement the quality of the golf course and establish the resort’s intimate feel, the Pasarells built 20 elegant casitas each with 1,500 square feet of indoor and outdoor space made available to guests and members in November 2012, at the time of the resort’s official grand opening (future phases include plans for 18 villas to the right of the 6th fairway, and 26 one-acre homesites). Each possesses a living room, bedroom, bathroom with separate shower room, and plunge pool on an expansive deck. Some are positioned betcoloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m
royal isabela
LOCAL FLAVOR: Executive Chef José Carles.
Who’s Your CAGGY? You voted. We counted.
rado Colo olfer’s s G d Avid Y Awar e G th CAGlebrate rado o l ce o of C Best Golf.
Now find out which courses & instructors won!
See CAG’s Spring issue, available in print and online February 7. 76
Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2013
ter than others meaning the view from your deck sits somewhere between very, very nice and sensational. In the clubhouse (La Casa) area you find an inviting outside bar where F&B Manager Rafael (Manny) Bernaloa will tell you why Puerto Rican rum is the best in the Caribbean, a cozy library, and the fine-dining restaurant where Executive Chef José Carles serves up Puerto Rican dishes with ingredients sourced daily from the resort’s own Gatehouse Garden, the Atlantic Ocean, the nearby Guajataca River, and local cheese and bread makers. Trained by renowned Manhattan chef David “the Fish Whisperer” Pasternak, Carles says his most popular dish is the Banana Leaf Papillote—fresh local fish with organic vegetables grown in the resort’s own garden and roasted in a banana leaf— although the lobster roasted in the woodstone oven goes down pretty well too. The Pasarell brothers have made an impressive start in their quest to create a genuinely world-class destination. Last month it took first place among Puerto Rican golf resorts at the World Travel Awards (WTA) Caribbean and North American Gala, and it will only get better as additional golf courses are built. Although Pfaff died unexpectedly in May at the age of 74, he routed four more courses on the Costa Isabela estate, including a second course at Royal Isabela, which will, he insisted, take golfers down to the beach at last. That course has the potential to be as good as anything in the Caribbean, including Pete Dye’s fantastic Teeth of the Dog at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic, where Pfaff oversaw construction. It’s an obvious analogy given their backgrounds, but at Royal Isabela on the northwest cost of Puerto Rico, Charlie and Stanley Pasarell have clearly served up an ace. Cag
Contributor Tony Dear is coloradoavidgolfer.com’s travel blogger. For more information on Royal Isabela: royalisabela.com; 787-609-5888. coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m
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F
n e d E of
a Resort r ia v A t t a y H k lsbad’s Par r a C , y t n u o b guests. n ir e ia h v t a d d n n a a s l r a e anic golf Alive with bot ides a serene sanctuary for also prov By Jon Rizzi
BALCONY SEATS: All rooms overlook some of the 200 lush acres.
ike the men and women carrying binoculars, cameras and tripods along the verdant trails between Batiquitos Lagoon and Aviara Golf Club, I came to this stunning Carlsbad resort in search of birdies. It took three holes on the 7,007-yard Arnold Palmer-designed layout at Aviara before I finally found one—a warbler—that seemingly cheered me on after my flushed 9-iron on the pond-fronted par-3 cleared the water and stuck within makeable range. Some fellow feathered dinosaur descendants joined in after my putt fell. They kept it up throughout the round, mostly mocking my adjustments to playing at sea level, putting on Poa and not getting any roll on the Bermuda fairways. But the 130 or so avian species that give the resort its name—an amalgam of “aviary” and “terra”— added a vibrant soundtrack to 18 lush, botanically endowed and challenging golf holes. A far less chirpy gallery rooted on the more talented and well-adjusted players of the LPGA Tour here during last March’s KIA Classic, won in a playoff by Beatriz Recari. Photos of the event, along with the requisite merchandise, appear in the golf shop—part of the sprawling 32,000-square-foot clubhouse that crouches across from the palm-lined road that climbs and winds towards the magnificent Park Hyatt Aviara Resort and Spa. A palatial Spanish Colonial building perched on a bluff with views of the lagoon, ocean and 200 luxuriantly landscaped acres, the 329-room resort opened in 1997, six years after the course did. The Four Seasons ran it until Hyatt took over in 2010. It’s long enjoyed some cachet among those in the golf biz for its proximity to Callaway, TaylorMade and Cobra headquarters, and for the Aviara Golf Academy, which for 22 years has housed renowned instructor Kip Puterbaugh and the nation’s first TaylorMade Performance Lab. Performance, however, took a backseat to pleasure as my girlfriend and I took the scenic, coastal route from San Diego Airport. Along the way we resisted
the score-busting siren songs of Torrey Pines, Barona Creek and Grand Del Mar in favor of a resort experience that was about much more than golf. We found it at Aviara, where the soothing scent of kai jasmine perfumes the lavish, marble-appointed lobby and the spacious guest rooms all come with a private balcony. Ours overlooked the meticulously manicured grounds which boast eucalyptus and African tulip trees, Torrey pines, pride of Madeira, agave and more than 100 other plant varieties. They frame the stately courtyard and the paths leading to two pool areas—one for families, the other for adults—and down towards the golf course and lagoon. Just as the course doubles as a nature preserve, so does its clubhouse double as the home to the resort’s signature restaurant. Arrive hungry. Argyle Steakhouse shatters any pretense of froufrou California cuisine. Chef Kurtis Habecker plates bold flavors in creative combinations. TWICE AS NICE: Aviara’s The Maine lobster clubhouse—and steakhouse. and shrimp comes with corn-avocado salsa, chorizo waffle and maple syrup. Beef bacon and chilies flavor the beer-braised mussels and clams. The steak carpaccio appears with cornmeal fried oysters, horseradish cream cheese and mustard sauce. And those are just the appetizers. (There are delectable salads, too: A warm spinach with spiced hazelnuts; heirloom tomatoes with cucumbers and burrata.) Although chicken, ahi and a vegetarian paella grace the menu, Argyle’s entrees focus predictably on California Natural Prime Beef cuts—including rib eyes in 18-ounce bone-in and dry-aged 12-ounce varieties—and a selection of Wagyu steaks from Idaho and Australia. You can surf your turf with lobster, prawns, salmon or sea bass, or enhance them with a delightful selection of sauces (I went with a cognac and green peppercorns), crusts (try the truffle butter) and rubs. The go-to “side” is the gooey-good lobster mac-ncheese. And speaking of gooey, we also dug into a Tahitian vanilla bean crème brûlée and capped it off with 20-year-old tawny port. Winter 2013 | Colorado AvidGolfer
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Here’s to US
U.S. Grant wasn’t much of a
GARDEN PARTY: Aviara’s par-3 third.
After all, we were eating for two… two days, apparently. Aviara encourages such sybaritic indulgences. Its spacious Bespoke Spa features customized treatments for body and mind, as well as a solarium, whirlpools, sauna and steam rooms. There’s also an indoor/outdoor private suite with every possible amenity—including a Swiss shower, fireplace and heated pool. The resort isn’t on the beach, which makes the scene at both pools quite lively. We lounged at the family-friendly one after working off some of the steak— or was it the crème brûlée?—on one of the six (two clay, four hard-surface) tennis courts. A few poolside cocktails and cooling plunges followed. Aviara’s 20-minute proximity to downtown San Diego led us off-property for dinner (see sidebar), but not for lack of onsite options. The California Bistro’s sunny farm-to-table buffet draws the breakfast and lunch crowd, while the menu and refined ambiance at Vivace
certainly warrants a visit—especially for its Sunday lunch, or pranzo. My Sunday lunch was had by Aviara’s uphill par-5 fifth and the course’s 66 combined acres of lakes and bosks, which apparently thrive on white dimpled orbs. Aviara’s four par 3s (Nos. 3, 6, 11 and 14), once considered demanding enough to test the pros in the made-for-TV “Par3 Challenge,” remain visual highlights, but the four finishing holes comprise a gorgeous gauntlet—capped by the intimidating 443-yard 18th—that has few rivals in the difficulty department. Spanish-speaking friends tell me “yo aviara” translates to “I hurried.” I didn’t. I savored every minute and sank a par putt to finish my round. It wasn’t as dramatic as Beatriz Recari’s birdie to win the KIA. But I nonetheless received an avian ovation. Cag Jon Rizzi is Colorado AvidGolfer’s editor. For more information: parkhyattaviara.com; 760-448-1234.
golfer. “I have always understood it was good outdoor exercise and especially for the arms,” the 18th President said after swinging and missing multiple times during his sole attempt at playing. “I fail, however, to see what use there is for a ball...” Grant was, nevertheless, a legendary general and drinker. He also happens to be my girlfriend’s great-uncle (six generations back) and has a landmark San Diego hotel with an excellent restaurant named after him. A 20-minute drive from Aviara, the Grant Grill at The US Grant Hotel dishes up Chef Chris Kuth’s inspired cuisine in a soigné atmosphere, and in keeping with the general’s fondness for the hard stuff, mixologist Jeff Josenhans has created the U.S. Grant Centennial Manhattan—a combination of High West Rye Whiskey, Dolin Vermouth Rouge, and Fee Bros. Bitters blended and aged 100 days in commemorative oak. Served in vintage glassware, this historic cocktail is enough to swell a distant descendant’s heart with pride. —JR grantgrill.com; 619-744-2077
HIGH STYLE: The Park Hyatt perches above the verdant beauty of the course.
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Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2013
colorado avidgo lf e r.c o m
Designs of the Climes
F
eatured in this issue, Tiger Woods and Notah Begay aren’t the first famous golfers to show off their architectural chops in balmy climates. Three-time British Open champion Henry Cotton transformed Portugal’s Algarve, as did three-time U.S. Amateur winner Walter Travis to Jekyll and St. Simons islands in Georgia. Did you know nine PGA Tour legends—including Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan—each designed two holes at the Talofofo Golf Club in Guam? Can you match the golfer with the resort course he designed?
TRIVIA
| PUZZLERS
games of Golf
E
A
Hamilton Island (Australia)
F
Nirwana (Bali)
G
Peninsula Papagayo (Costa Rica) Bernhard Langer Jack Nicklaus Ernie Els Gary Player
Kapalua Plantation (Hawaii)
H
Arnold Palmer Greg Norman Peter Thomson Ben Crenshaw Tom Watson Davis Love III
Four Seasons Anahita (Mauritius)
I
C For the answers, please visit coloradoavidgolfer.com. Diamante Dunes (Mexico)
Cag
D
B
Le Touessrok (Mauritius)
J CostaBaja (Mexico)
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Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2013
The Conservatory at Hammock Beach (Florida) Kauai Lagoons (Hawaii) Kauai Lagoons (Hawaii)
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