July 2015

PEAK SEASON IN VAIL, ASPEN AND SUMMIT COUNTY

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Elevating the Game.

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BUBBA The two-time Masters champ drives support for wounded veterans at The Club at Ravenna

Notah Begay & Chris Riley Hit the Colorado Open A Chill New Name for Adam’s Rib Why Match Play Matters Most

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2015

Contents

In Every Issue

6 Forethoughts

A Visit from Mr. Blue Sky. By Jon Rizzi

Features 26 Lesson

A contrarian stance on chipping.

By Alex Fisher

July

8 ’Net Score

The Audi Corporate SIDEBETS Cup and more.

29 Fareways Bistrot des Artistes.

By Gary James 10 Century Links 115 Years of the Colorado State Match 34 Tapping In Colorado Springs.

Play Championship.

By Cody Gabbard

By Jon Rizzi

17 The Gallery

96 The Games

36 Risk/Reward

Golfsquid, The Ranch What keeps us on upgrades, Fling course. By Christian Golf, more Ravsten

of Golf

What’s the number?

PLAYER’S CORNER

25 Clubbing Up

Lake Valley Golf Club turns 50.

38 Nice Drives

The Range Rover Dis covery Sport and Volkswagen Golf.

By Isaac Bouchard

43 Colorado Open

Notah Begay and Chris Riley help kick off the championship’s second half-century.

80 A Masterful Salute Bubba Watson helps drive awareness of wounded veterans at the 2nd Annual Ravenna Invitational Supporting Infinite Hero Foundation. By Jon Rizzi

84 New Bounce in the Springs A clear vision and consistent reinvestment have brought some deserved swagger to the Country Club of Colorado at Cheyenne Mountain Resort.

By Jon Rizzi

88 The Swing Path to World Domination In 20 years, GolfTEC has gone from a basement operation to a global force for golf. By Jon Rizzi

102 Splitting Adams After eight years of relative anonymity, Eagle’s premier luxury golf development rebrands with a new owner and a chill name—Frost Creek—that’s on everyone’s lips. By Jon Lawrence Pitt

51

Colorado Getaways

An insider’s guide to golf and much more in the Vail Valley, Aspen and Summit County.

On The Cover

Bubba Watson Photograph courtesy of Oakley/Infinite Hero Foundation

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Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

NEW NAME, SAME GAME: The recently rechristened Frost Creek Golf Club in Eagle. See page 102.

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Here are 27 holes of championship golf consistently acclaimed as the best in the state. Along with a vibrant clubhouse, pools and tennis you’ll find a community as active as it is welcoming. All that’s missing is you.

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L i v i n g On

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C O U N T Y

July 2015 Volume 14, Number 4 publisher

Allen J. Walters editor

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

Chris Phillips account manager

Spectacular Public & Semi-Private Courses Appeal to Buyers

Vivian Keesling digital and social media manager

Kate Stromberg office and operations manager

Cindy P. Nold projects and special events manager

f Douglas County is on your short list for where to look for a home, finding a neighborhood may actually be easier than deciding which golf course to play. Red Hawk Ridge, Lone Tree, Bear Dance, Plum Creek, The Ridge at Castle Pines North, Arrowhead Golf Club and Highlands Ranch Golf Club are among the array of public and semi-private offerings.

Whether you’re searching for a single-

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courses that homeowners can play in Douglas County is amazing.”

Ryan McLean ART & EDIT ORIAL art director

Neal Erickson editor-at-large

Tom Ferrell

automotive editor

Isaac Bouchard interns

Jeff Florence, Chelsea Oglesby contributors

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

Ray L. Baker, C. Don Baker, Dick B. Baker ADVERTISING INQUIRIES: cindy@coloradoavidgolfer.com EDITORIAL INQUIRIES AND LETTERS: jon@coloradoavidgolfer.com CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SUBSCRIPTIONS: 720-493-1729 MAILING ADDRESS: 7200 S. Alton Way #A-180, Centennial, CO 80112 FAX: 720-482-0784 NEWSSTAND INFORMATION: 720-493-1729

ENGAGE ONLINE:

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Colorado AvidGolfer (ISSN 1548-4335) is published eight times a year by BakerColorado Publishing, LLC, and printed by American Web, Inc. Volume 14, Number two.

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

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

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FORETHOUGHTS

A Visit from Mr. Blue Sky

E

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Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

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P H O T O G R A P H BY T E D M C I N T Y R E

IGHTEEN YEARS AGO, on my 36th birthday, I awoke to the familiar sound of raindrops drumming the multiple skylights that helped bring light into my Seattle home. I later caught a flight to Denver, where a potential job in Boulder awaited. As I drove my rented Kia along sundrenched US 36, the Flatirons revealed themselves against a sapphire sky. Getting a job here, I thought, would be the best birthday present I could give myself.

Well, Seattle’s weather seems to have finally found us in Colorado.

This spring was one of the wettest on record. People are cranky, especially golfers. And those who run courses have gone from “Hey, we need the moisture,” to “Hey, we’re taking a bath this year.”

I feel their pain. Persistent precipitation is anathema to running a profitable golf course. The savings on irrigation doesn’t make up for lost rounds. And as a company that actively promotes the game with products like the Golf Passport, we’re not thrilled about the stormy weather, either.

The rain, however, hasn’t been the most unusual occurrence around our offices. On a recent moist, gray Friday, Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Larry McAtee came by, unannounced, to see our intern, Jeff Florence.

Jeff had interviewed Larry over the phone the previous day for a story on this month’s 115th Colorado Match Play Championship. One of only four men in the event’s history to have won it four or more times, Larry had some further thoughts to share. Jeff was on another assignment, so I had the pleasure of visiting with the legend for a good 75 minutes.

Much of what we discussed about match play appears on page 10 of this issue, so I won’t spoil that read. (Speaking of reads, for a great profile of Larry, see “The High-Flying Match-Play Maestro” by Scott Gardner in our Spring 2013 edition, available online.) We also talked about the money games—both on the course and in the men’s grill—for which his club, Lakewood, were infamous, and about the decline of amateur golf. “Good players now just turn pro,” he said. “Back then, we would stay amateurs because there was a lot of recognition. Amateur golf was front page stuff.”

Throughout the conversation, however, what resonated most strongly with me was how eloquently he waxed about what it took to win. “It’s a mental and a very emotional game,” he said. “Most people think it’s about the equipment and the swing and course. But to win, you have to dig deep into your heart and gut and mind.”

After graduating from CU, Larry continued his winning ways in the Navy, where he flew a high-performance F-8 Crusader and captured the 1970 World-Wide Interservice Championship. He won the last of his four state match play titles in 1972, and although his health doesn’t allow him to play much anymore, he enjoys sharing his wisdom with younger players.

“The feelings of winning are hard to come by, so when you get those feelings, you want to encourage others to go get them also,” he explained, flashing a smile that illuminated a slate-gray day. —JON RIZZI

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Copping the Cup

Mile High Golf at $52.80: 16 Screaming Deals (see page 9)

Congratulations to the team of Rene Morin and Rob Clark from RIM Operating, Inc., on winning the 10th Anniversary Audi Corporate Cup, held at Red Sky Golf Club June 5-6. Their two-day, best-ball net score of 61-62 edged out by two shots the father-son team of George and Tucker Hanlon of Equinox Land Group, who in turn finished a shot better than the defending champions, Sean Davis and Brian Duffy of Clarion Partners. In all, seven former champions were in the field. Presented by Colorado AvidGolfer, this premier golf event featured a kickoff party at Del Frisco’s Double-Eagle Steakhouse and luxury accommodations at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa. The Audi Corporate Cup also raised more than $34,000 for its charity partner, the Colorado Section PGA’s Golf in Schools Program. To sign up for next June’s Corporate Cup or to participate in The Colorado one of our premier golf events, visit coloradoavidgolfer.com/events.

Grand Slam

| BLOGS

adam aIJala

INFO

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Is CabOT lInKS the next bandon?

CHERRY BOMBS! Rory leads an explosive field into Denver

The UlTimaTe BmW VieWeR’s GUiDe

• Players to Watch • hoW to Watch • GettinG there • Where to eat

50 CAG Publisher Allen J. Walters with winners Rene Morin and Rob Clark.

Elevating the Game.

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David Duval & andy north on cherry hills fall 2014 | $3.95

Pages of Arizona, Utah and Nevada Getaways

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The A7, the title sponsor’s unclaimed hole-in-one prize.

Award-Winning Colorado AvidGolfer received two Outstanding Achievement Awards from the International Network of Golf during the organization’s 25th Anniversary celebration: One came in the Publication Category for the Fall 2014 issue; the other went to editor Jon Rizzi’s Forethoughts column, “Is This How We Roll?” (June 2014), in the Opinion/Editorial Category.

Top teams (l-r)George and Tucker Hanlon; Rob Clark and Rene Morin; Sean Davis and Brian Duffy.

Not Cooked Through Our June issue erroneously reported that The Club at Flying Horse’s eagerly anticipated restaurant renovation—transforming the La Fortezza dining room into The Steakhouse at Flying Horse—had been completed. The renovation plans—which call for expanding the dining room to the edge of the outside patios and adding a large bar area with expansive views of the mountains and surrounding area—will not be complete until late summer or early fall.

When The Steakhouse opens, it will offer a newly designed menu featuring fine steaks and seafood. In addition to members, The Steakhouse will serve guests of the Lodges and Villas at Flying Horse, as well the general public. The Tack Room and Rotunda will remain members-only. flyinghorsecolorado.com Get inside deals, stories and more at coloradoavidgolfer.com

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Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

CAG

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C O R P O R AT E C U P P H O T O G R A P H S BY J O N R I Z Z I A N D R Y A N M C L E A N

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BUSS DRIVER: Larry McAtee’s mother and grandmother kiss the winner in 1963, after the first of his four CGA Match Play titles.

The most prestigious amateur championship in Colorado golf turns 115. By Jon Rizzi

M

“

ATCH PLAY IS a very different animal. It’s confrontational. It’s me against you and I need to figure out how to beat you.” Thus former pro golfer and Golf Channel analyst Gary Koch described the mano a mano format during last month’s NCAA Men’s Golf Championship, which LSU won 4-1 over USC. To understand the emotional intensity involved in the format—and how it differs from stroke play—you only have to YouTube the heated, nose-to-nose confrontation between Miguel Angel Jimenez and Keegan Bradley (and caddie Pepsi Hale) during what

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Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

amounted to a meaningless consolation match during May’s WGC-Cadillac Match Play at Harding Park. Having each lost their previous two matches, neither player could advance, but given their jawing, you’d swear the Wanamaker Trophy was on the line.

That trophy, of course, goes to the winner of the PGA Championship, which until 1957 was contested as match play. The last man to win it under that format, Lionel Hebert, defeated Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Dow Finsterwald 2 & 1. Finsterwald would go on to win the inaugural stroke play the following year.

Whereas stroke play pits you against a course and a cumulative number, match play

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P H O T O G R A P H C O U RT E S Y O F L A R R Y M C AT E E

An Unmatchable Format

pits two competitors or teams against one another. The format predates stroke play, turns each hole into a meta-event, and many contend it’s the purest form of golf. Long before Bill Simmons appropriated Grantland Rice’s name for a trendy sports and pop culture website, the immortal scribe famously proclaimed, “Eighteen holes of match play will teach you more about your foe than 18 years of dealing with him across a desk.”

Match play is what makes the Ryder Cup so intense and the U.S. Amateur so enjoyable.

It’s also what makes the Colorado State Match Play Championship the premier event on the Colorado Golf Association calendar.

The state’s oldest golf championship, it precedes the formation of the CGA by 15 years and the state’s Stroke Play Championship by 36. Like last month’s U.S. Open, the State Match Play will be contested for the 115th time when the players square off July 6-10 at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora. The Broadmoor had originally planned to host the milestone event on its Mountain Course, but severe water damage caused by two feet of late spring rain forced the CGA to relocate it. (The Broadmoor intends to host the 2016 edition.)

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Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

PRIZE PLAYER: Cody Kent won last year’s event.

Nearly 30 years have passed since The Broadmoor last hosted the Match Play. Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Gary Longfellow won that 1987 event, defeating another CGHOF member Bill Loeffler 4 & 2.

The list of luminaries who have won the Match Play reads like a roster of Colorado golf royalty. Frank Woodward, future president of the USGA, won the inaugural Match Play in 1901, followed by the immortal Scot, Walter Fairbanks, who won it the next four years. Dr. Larry Bromfield, who once defeated Water Hagen in a match and barely lost to Gene Sarazen, holds the record with eight titles. The good doctor, however, lost to M.A. McLaughlin, 1-up, in 1915, the same year “Mac” founded the CGA. More recently, Mark Crabtree won it four times, Brandt Jobe three. Two-time victors include Kevin Stadler, Brett Dean, Shawn Wills, Jimmy Vickers and Jim English, who was low amateur in the 1959 U.S. Open at Winged Foot. U.S. Open champions Hale Irwin and Steve Jones each took the Colorado State Match Play as amateurs.

“When you won the Match Play tournament, you were introduced around the country as the ‘state champion,’” explains Larry McAtee, who won the event in 1963, ’64, ’65 and ‘72. “You always felt a sense of pride in your accomplishments and respect for the many excellent Colorado players who competed in the premier event. It meant you had to conduct yourself and represent golf and the state properly.”

The entire year before his first victory, McAtee says, he “consciously planned to win. I prepared

my play, training, mindset and attitude to win that one event.”

At the time, McAtee recalls, the field was deep with outstanding players and media coverage was extensive. “Back then, the best players would stay amateurs because there was a lot of praise and recognition for amateurs,” he says. “The papers had writers only covering amateur golf. People would come out to the gallery to watch these tournaments.”

McAtee gave them a show. During a threeyear stretch, the University of Colorado student dispensed with such venerable veterans as English,

Let’s Play9!

The USGA, in cooperation with the CGA and CWGA, are committed to supporting the 2nd Annual Play9 initiative on July 29, 2015. Many courses around Colorado are promoting the event, and a few select ones will be offering themed events for families, juniors and women to participate in nine-hole event outings.

Learn more at coloradogolf.org/play9.

Ron Moore and Les Fowler, his coach at CU. After defeating CU teammate Irwin in the ’64 semis, McAtee would lose to him in the ’66 finals at Boulder Country Club.

So, without looking at the photo above, do you know the name of the defending State Match Play Champion, the player who would have once been coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m

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too, because you can shoot 5 over and still win, while other times you can shoot 5 under and lose.

It’s a unique style and I really enjoy it.”

At one time, of course, match play wasn’t unique at all. But if it seems novel to the younger generation, that’s a good sign. Bringing it to The Broadmoor next year will certainly help revive interest, as will elevating awareness of the event’s prestige and rich traditions.

One of which is its almost pugilistic set-up.

“The one-on-one really gets the competitive juices flowing,” says English. “That’s an element you just don’t get in other formats.”

“I prefer it to stroke play,” says CGA Executive Director Ed Mate. “The beauty of match play is its randomness. It does not always identify the best player but the best one-on-one competitor. Look at the 2012 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills, where Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Chris Williams were in the field, but a guy named Steven Fox won. There are so many subtleties during a match; the scorecard doesn’t even begin to tell the story.”

CAG

This continues a series of articles coinciding with Colorado’s Century of Golf Celebration, which will culminate November 14 at the Century of Golf Gala featuring Jack Nicklaus. For more information, contact Ryan Smith (rsmith@coloradogolf.org; 303-974-2108).

MATCH MAN: Four-time winner Walter Fairbanks

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P H O T O G R A P H C O U RT E S Y O F B I L L M O H R

introduced as the “state champion”? It’s Cody Kent, who went 37 holes to defeat Jacob Allenback.

Over the last 50 years, numerous factors have conspired to dilute the significance of match play competition. One is televised golf, which, with the exception of the Ryder Cup, overwhelmingly favors the multiplayer stroke play format.

Another factor is the uncertainty of the time commitment required for competitors. Unlike stroke play, where players can count on at least two rounds, match play can be a one-and-done or last for as many as five days, which can become “difficult to arrange if you work for someone and need to take time off,” says English. (In 2010, the august Trans-Mississippi Amateur Championship, converted to 72-hole stroke play for reasons related to financially strapped college players.)

Of course, the biggest change is money. “When players get good enough, the first thing they want to do is become a pro,” says McAtee. Even so, he believes “there’s still room for this premier event to regain some of its past significance.”

David Oraee, winner of the 2013 State Match Play at Bear Creek Golf Club, thinks so, too.

“It’s a great tournament and one of the major tournaments in Colorado,” says the CU senior, who last year also won the State Stroke Play. “In match play you always know where you are, and there is some added pressure which I like. It’s interesting,

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P h o t o g r a p h By E . J . C ARR

SQUID PROS GO: Michael Kranitz and Gary Robinson display their one-stop tournament shop.

Golfsquid Gets Ink T

he company’s name is quirky, but its product isn’t the least bit silly. In fact Golfsquid.com could easily become as indispensible to tournament planners as Diet Coke is to John Daly.

Veteran golf tournament planner Gary Robinson launched the website earlier this year after a chance encounter with multitalented software entrepreneur Michael Kranitz.

“We were in a carwash and I overheard him talking on his phone about event-management software,” Robinson says, “I held up my business card. He looked at it and told the other person, ‘I gotta call you back.’”

Among the dozens of businesses in which he is involved, Kranitz developed flat-fee, cloud-based event-management software called eventsquid.com. “Within each category, the squid’s tentacles come out to help you manage the event,” Robinson explains. With the technical R & D already done, it took less than a month for him and Robinson to customize a version for golf tournaments.

Intuitive and easy to navigate (within a half-hour your site is registering players), Golfsquid automates every aspect of golf event registration, payment, marketing, management and reporting. It creates databases, spreadsheets and rev-

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

enue reports. Its dashboard tracks everything from signups to signage, as well as minutiae that often get overlooked.

Hole sponsors can use a course map to select the hole where their sign will appear. Golfsquid’s software interfaces seamlessly with tee-sheet software—BlueGolf or Viper—used at golf courses and will even print out check-in lists, cart pairings, badges, sponsor coupons and much more. Individual event sites can also accommodate advertising, further adding to the event’s bottom line. The entire cost: $2.99 per player.

At a meeting with Robinson, 13-time PGA Tour winner and Golf Channel analyst David Duval was so impressed with Golfsquid that he asked, “Do you mind if I show it to some people at Augusta next week?”

Soon the Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard called to interview Robinson, and Duval became a partner and spokesperson. “I believe that Golfsquid will transform the golf tournament industry by facilitating more events and making existing events far easier to manage,” he said in a press release. “If you are planning an event, you need to get on the site and see what it does.”

Duval is not the only strategic alliance Robinson has brokered. At press time, Golfsquid was about to ink a deal with a national golf chain to become its official tournament retailer. He’s also in talks to bring customers deals on logoed merchandise, luxury automotive prizes and entertainment.

Live scoring and player-prospecting apps are in the works.

With close to 100 events already booked and a national rollout imminent, Golfsquid intends to reach between 750 and 1000 by the end of the year. “We found the right brand, the right name, the right logo, the right spokesman. Our software and servers have the capacity to handle 45,000 tournaments, and the software is so easy. If you can handle ebay, you can handle this.” golfsquid.com July 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

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Betting on The Ranch

18

Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

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R E N D E R I N G C O U RT E S Y O F T H E R A N C H C O U N T R Y C LU B

From Fort Collins to Morrison to Durango, private golf clubs have undergone major renovations to address the needs of existing members—and to attract new ones. The Ranch Country Club in Westminster is no different. Member owned since 1992, the 41-year-old club is will begin a $5.5 million renovation this October.

“We want to offer amenities that appeal to the country club member of today,” says The Ranch’s PGA General Manager Shaun Poe. “Our members are family oriented, and we want to appeal to the entire family.”

To that end, the work will address the swimming and tennis facilities and the golf course, with the lion’s share of the money (more than $4 million) earmarked for renovating the clubhouse. The work is expected to be complete next May. Originally built in 1974 around an existing 1905 ranch house, the clubhouse will see the bar relocated to the original structure’s dining room in order to capitalize on the western views of the mountains. “The bar is where the action happens,” explains Poe. “We have great views of the mountains but no one sees them because the bar is in a different location. If we move the bar area, we’ll be able to utilize one of our best assets.”

Golden’s Studio DH Architecture designed the new space. While moving the bar requires removal of the original fireplace, the original elements of the house will remain intact—including the 110-year-

old wooden beams and doors. Along with upgrades seem more fair.” The greens under construction will to the bar and dining areas, changes include added be on holes 11, 15, 16 and 17. fitness space, children’s play yard and an arcade.

Approved by members with 91 percent of the The kids’ pool area will now incorporate a water vote, the capital improvements will cost each memfeature and play structure. ber $50 per month. It’s a small price for the improved Outside the clubhouse, The Ranch will also family environment the club seeks. “The Ranch is add a new short game practice facility with a very adamant about making the club better in what9,000-square-foot putting green along with chipever way they can when they are able to,” says Atping and bunker areas. “The putting green and short kinson. “Even during the recession, they were trying game areas are going to make a great overall prachard to make the member experience even better.” tice facility,” said project designer, Kevin Atkinson That philosophy of constant improvement exof Phelps-Atkinson Golf Course Design, who also tends across the entire operation. “We are in the created a long-range master plan for the club. “The process of rebranding the whole club,” according to green will be next to the driving range which will Membership Director Kristina Saly. “We are thinking allow members to practice in one centralized area.” of changing the logo and putting on more member Renovations to the course will mainly concern events.” 303-460-9700; theranchcc.com —Jeff Florence the greens, whose severe slopes were not made for the speeds achievable by the mowers of today, according to Atkinson. “We’re aiming to make them more playable for the average golfer.”

“As green speeds have gotten faster, our greens have become more of a challenge,” echoes The Ranch’s PGA Master Professional Ed Oldham. “We added four new greens in MOUNTAIN VIEW: A rendering of 2001, and by rebuilding four The Ranch’s repositioned patio. greens this winter, they will

Does the University of Denver’s national championship in men’s lacrosse mean Colorado is ripe for FlingGolf? Alex Van Alen, the CEO of Massachusetts-based PlusOne Sports, certainly thinks so.

Van Alen, who received his B.A. from the University of Colorado and his M.S. from Colorado State,

combined his lifelong love of both lacrosse and golf into a game that requires one “club” (called a FlingStick) and can be played alongside traditional golfers. “Think snowboarders and skiers,” he says.

“I’ve met virtually no resistance from the golf establishment. FlingGolfers play fast and have zero impact on turf.”

In contrast to, say, FootGolf, which involves

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The Hurl Next Door

P H O T O G R A P H S C O U RT E S Y O F F L I N G G O L F

PUT BALL HERE: The SwingStick’s basket.

FLINGING IT: Van Alen hopes FlingGolf will do for golf what snowboarding did for skiing.

shortening the course and greatly expanding the size of the holes, FlingGolf necessitates no course modifications. A good “drive” goes about 200 yards (so much for playing the tips) and a comfortable course length, he contends, is about 6,200 yards.

Hate hitting from the rough? Flinging from the deep stuff is no different than flinging from the fairway. Sand bunkers, however, carry a one-shot penalty. Notches on the sides of the basket (which resembles a jai alai cesta) allow you to putt.

“With the growth of lacrosse across the country, I see this a great crossover sport,” Van Alen says, adding that Massanutten Resort in Virginia anticipates 1,000 FlingGolf rounds this season.

Lafayette’s Indian Peaks Golf Course rents FlingSticks, as do a couple of private clubs. Or just buy your own. FlingSticks ($149-$169) come in 41-, 44- and 47-inch models, and the learning curve is minuscule compared to that of golf. flinggolf.com

experienceTroon Golf At Rollingstone Ranch Golf Club

Rollingstone Ranch Golf Club is one of Colorado’s best mountain courses,

featuring an 18-hole championship course designed by Robert Trent Jones ll, that offers incredible views of the Steamboat Spring’s Yampa Valley.

Call the Sheraton Steamboat Resort at 970.879.2220 to book your next Golf Package.

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4/6/15 5:49 PM July 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer 19

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Golf by Numbers 3 National Championship at The Concession Golf Club in Florida, the Greeley native saw his streak come to an end when he took a seven on the the par-4 374-yard eighth hole. Oraee’s 85 in that round followed a 71 the previous day and pretty much precluded him from making the 54-hole cut. During his 150-round collegiate career, Oraee carded only seven triples and one quad. His 73.57 career stroke average ranks fourth in CU men’s golf history. If he doesn’t turn professional beforehand, look for Oraee, the 2014 CGA Stroke Play champion, to defend his title Aug. 13-16 at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora. cubuffs.com

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holes—nearly 87 rounds—had passed since University of Colorado senior David Oraee had carded a triple bogey or worse. But competing in his second round as an individual (the team failed to qualify) at last month’s NCAA

David Oraee

in the final round, a course record, rocketed 16-year-old Reese Ramsey to the top of the leaderboard at the inaugural AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior, presented by MusclePharm.

Starting the final round eight shots behind the

47

years after The Broadmoor hosted Colorado’s last NCAA national golf championship final— the 1969 Men’s Division I Championship, won by the University of Houston—Green Valley Ranch Golf Club and CommonGround Golf Club will respectively welcome the 2016 men’s and women’s NCAA Division II National Championships. With the RMAC-champion Metro State Roadrunners as the host university, the men’s finals will take place May 17-21; the women’s May 18-21. The field sizes and formats differ. Seventy-two women will play 72 holes of stroke play, while 108 men will compete in 54 of stroke play and two days of team medal match play. ncaa.org CAG

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Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

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PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO

members of the University of Denver golf programs received Summit League honors.

After guiding the Pioneers to their second consecutive championship in as many years in the league, Head Women’s Golf Coach Lindsay Kuhle repeated as Summit League Coach of the Year. Kuhle has now participated on 12 consecutive conference championship teams—as a player at Tulane, assistant coach at DU and head coach there. On the men’s side, sophomore Petter Mikalsen of Norway, whose league-low 71.47 stroke average qualified him for the NCAA Regionals last month, was named Summit League Golfer of the Year, while Freshman Chris Korte of Littleton’s pair of top five finishes and three top 10s earned him Summit League Newcomer of the Year. denverpioneers.com

leaders, the future Texas A&M student-athlete won the event by two shots over Sam Tidd of Meridian, Idaho. His 10-under-par 61 also tied the low round in the AJGA’s 37-year history.

Three-time state high school champion Sydney Youngblood of Durant, Oklahoma, won the girls’ tournament with a 1-under-par 212, while reigning CWGA Player of the Year Jennifer Kupcho tied for third, five shots behind. Next year, the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior moves to the Irwin-designed Highlands Ranch Golf Club. ajga.com

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P H O T O G R A P H BY J O N AT H A N C A S T N E R

Course

Riding High at 50 Lake Valley Golf Club fetes a colorful half-century.

By Jon Rizzi

L

IKE ANY COMPETITIVE GOLFER, Mitch Galnick usually prefers the lower of two numbers. Perhaps this explains why the club he owns and manages, Niwot’s Lake Valley Golf Club, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year—even though every “official” source lists it opening in 1964.

Is he pencil-whipping Father Time? “We’ve struggled with what we call our anniversary,” says Galnick, who’s been involved with the club since buying and developing the 88 lots around it during the 1980s and ’90s. “What’s currently the back nine opened in the fall of ’64, and the whole course opened in the spring of ’65. It was originally called Foothills Golf Club.”

More than Foothills’ name changed. Plans originally calling for

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

BIRTHDAY BIKE: Lake Valley GM Mitch Galnick and Membership Director Rob Mount with the club’s newest wheels.

swimming, tennis, stables and other amenities were scaled down to a daily-fee facility with a modest clubhouse and a challenging 6,891-yard par-70 golf course designed by Colorado Golf Hall of Fame architect Press Maxwell. Lake Valley annually hosted 35,000 rounds, as well as the Hale Irwin Invitational (won by such Colorado legends as Dale Douglass and Les Fowler).

The course enjoys a colorful history. The number of reptiles initially slithering in the rough led to the nickname “Snake Valley.” Pebble Beach attorneys once coerced Galnick into changing “a really cool Lake Valley logo because they said they owned the rights to ‘stylized waves.’” Boulder native Rick Reilly loosely based the characters in Missing Links on a group of Lake Valley regulars known affectionately as “the Goons.”

In 2000, Galnick, the club’s fifth owner, made Lake Valley a private club with an award-winning clubhouse featuring the acclaimed, open-to-the-public Persimmon Grill. While upgrades continue, the club retains its downhome character, offering a modest initiation, low monthly dues, no food or beverage minimum, Golf Bikes, and, amusingly, an annual member-guest called the Snake Quest.

To celebrate the milestone anniversary, 50-themed events populate the club’s calendar, including incentives to get 50 new members by December 31. The big affair comes July 12, when the club throws a party featuring a nine-hole alternate-shot scramble with six-person teams in Sixties-era attire playing persimmons and blades.

Teams can reduce their score by correctly answering Sixties-era trivia questions. Expect the manhattans, martinis and good times to flow.

303-444-2114; lakevalley.com July 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

25

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lesson

A Contrarian Stance on the Short Game

Why complicate things by changing your setup on chips and pitches?

By Alex Fisher

IF YOU’VE EVER TAKEN A CHIPPING LESSON you’ve probably been told to open your stance; play the ball back in your stance; place more weight on your lead foot; and tilt the shaft of the club towards your target. So what’s wrong with doing it that way?

Well, let’s start off with the open stance. When you open the stance you tend to place the ball too far back in your stance without realizing it. This causes your upper body to tilt away from the target and shift weight on your back foot. If you’re already playing the ball back in your stance, opening it will exacerbate the problem.

Next, if you tilt the shaft forward towards the target you are going to cause two different problems. One, you will de-loft the club to the point where it becomes a 9 or 7 iron. Two, you will expose too much of the club head’s leading edge to the ground. That’s not an issue if you’re making an aggressive pass at the ball; but with a small swing, the club tends to get stuck in the ground.

I teach all short game shots with a square stance. I believe the fewer changes you make to the setup, the easier the game will become. Try this simple approach and you’ll see the results immediately.

1.

Stand with a narrow stance and let your hands hang naturally. With your lead hand, have your middle finger tap your kneecap so that you are placing the majority of your weight on your front foot. Raise your back foot onto its toe to get the sensation that your weight is distributed correctly.

2.

Make sure that the handle of the club remains in the middle of your body and pointing towards your sternum, which prevents the clubface from de-lofting.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Position the ball in the center or slightly forward in your stance.

P H O T O G R A P H S BY C H R I S D U T H I E

Swing back the club with your arms and keep your chest pointing towards the ball. Resist the temptation of allowing your chest to rotate away from the ball, because that will cause your weight to shift to your back foot.

On your downswing, make sure you bounce the club into the ground while rotating your body through impact. Your body has to keep up with the golf club in order for your weight to stay on your lead foot.

Finish balanced on your front foot. Once you have executed the shot you should be able to raise your back foot off the ground and hold your finish position.

Originally from England, Alex Fisher is the PGA director of instruction at the Glacier Club in Durango. For four straight years, Golf Digest has named him to the list of “Best Young Teachers in America.” During the winter, he instructs at Wildfire Golf Club in Phoenix. CAG

26

Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

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BERRIED TREASURE: Fresh goat cheese and blush wine vinaigrette highlight the Spinach Salad.

FOOD

P H O T O G R A P H BY J O N AT H A N C A S T N E R

fareways

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

Homage to Fromage

Within Longmont’s prosaic-sounding Cheese Importers lies an extraordinary epicurean experience highlighted by the cozy Bistrot des Artistes.

By Gary James

W

HO DOESN’T LOVE cheese? It’s rich, satisfying, tastes good with everything...even the lowest common denominator is appealing. I mean, only the dull orange ooze of Cheez Whiz can complement a Philly cheesesteak sandwich, right?

But there’s more to good cheese than Kraft Singles or a brick of Velveeta.

Styles, textures and flavors depend on the milk’s origin (from cow, goat, sheep, and even buffalo, reindeer, camel and yak), pasteurization (or not), butterfat content, bacteria and mold. The options of fresh or aged, sweet or stinky, spreadable or crystalline…vive la difference!

And that’s why Cheese Importers in Longmont is a real find, a perfect stop for immersing yourself in the glories co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m

of les fromages. The late owner, Lyman White, started it 34 years ago as a small, family-run business. Now his son Samm runs the store with his mother Linda and older sister Clara.

“My parents came out of the late ’60s/ early ’70s movement of the macrobiotic diet and lifestyle, looking for cleaner alternatives to processed foods—a far cry from government cheese, essentially,” Samm explains. “From traveling through Wisconsin and talking to smaller dairy producers, Dad knew there were better quality products. He wanted to bring that to the marketplace.”

Compared to Denver or Boulder, Lyman White appreciated Longmont’s slower pace and lower rents. Cheese Importers started as wholesale import/ export business, specializing in Wiscon-

sin cheeses. “Retail wasn’t part of the process,” says Samm. “We grew into it organically, slowly importing European goods and products.”

From its retail store on Pratt Parkway, Cheese Importers expanded, shipping and receiving cheeses from all over the world. After 29 years, the company relocated to a converted warehouse, the historic Longmont electric building on Main Street, less than five minutes from the golf courses at Sunset and Twin Peaks, as well as the Fox Hill Club.

While the wholesale operation still services hundreds of restaurants, grocers and hotels, the store’s retail operation is intimate and eclectic, specializing in hard-to-find oils, spices, olives, chocolate and other specialty foods, as well as a remarkable selection of European July 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

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Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

ROCK THE COAT: The worldly and otherworldly refrigerated market.

you don’t find from the big-box restaurants in the area. That’s what we offer, and that’s why people come back. It’s a magical spot that will get people out of their everyday eating habits.”

The menu’s categories—soups, salads and sandwiches—suggest quotidian normality, but the ingredients are extraordinary; the store’s items and products are combined in all of the dishes. The

sweet Tomato Basil soup is made with San Marzano plum tomatoes, the classic Italian variety grown in the rich volcanic soil at the base of Mount Vesuvius. French onion soup is a simple dish but hard to make great; many restaurant versions taste like burnt-onion tea. At Bistrot, the French Onion Gratinée (the cooking term referring to a topping of cheese that’s browned until crispy), the onions

coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m

P H O T O G R A P H BY J O N AT H A N C A S T N E R

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housewares, linens, soaps, candles, cookbooks and gewgaws.

Cheese Importers doesn’t sell the blue down jackets hanging near the doors to its cheese section. They’re there for customers to don before entering the voluminous walk-in refrigerated cheese-and-cured-meat market, which is the size of a small cottage, with aisles of imported cheeses—more than 350 in inventory—separated by country and even region (nothing from Curdistan, though). Varieties of Greek Feta, Spanish Manchego, French brie and chèvre, English Stiltons and German Frühstückskäse gleam in wrapped blocks and wedges. Depending on the day, you can sample a nugget of nutty, buttery Swiss Emmental or even the pungent, vaguely cirrhotic-sounding Livarot from Normandy.

If you’re looking for more than a morsel, duck into Bistrot des Artistes, an intimate, authentic European cafe that’s become a destination for foodies smitten with the cozy atmosphere. Linda has appointed the space with gilded decor, crimson curtains and a sparkly absinthe bar. Clara directs the delightful lunch and dinner offerings. (The Bistrot also opens for classically simple petits-déjeuners of baguettes, croissants, brie and strong coffee.)

“We started the delicatessen at our previous location—cheeses, salads, soups,” Samm notes. “It was a one- or two-person show, taking orders and serving maybe 20 tickets a day. With the move, it has evolved into something bigger. We wanted it to be a unique experience, the quality of food that

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are caramelized slowly for flavorful results, with a toasted baguette and Gruyère cheese on top.

A tasty array of salads—Pear, Greek, Spinach, Caprese—combine fresh ingredients and seasonal flavors. But it’s the sandwich fare that’s kicked up a notch. Pesto, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, roasted peppers, organic greens, tomatoes and feta cheese make the Med special, but the grilled panini are a great lunch alternative to burgers. Add prosciutto to the Capri Panino (fresh mozzarella, to-

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Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

SUPER BOWL: The perfectly gratinéed French Onion Soup.

semi-soft cheese from the Franche-Comte region.

Et voilà! Homer Simpson’s dream meal: beer and Morbier (actually, it’s pronounced “more-beeAY,” not “more beer”).

There’s even live music, a keyboard-and-standup-bass duo on a recent visit. It felt like a jazz club on the Left Bank, a nice intimate vibe. Here’s hoping the accompanying photos capture this dining experience. When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say?

103 Main St., 303-772-9599; cheeseimporters.com CAG

Gary James is a Boulder-based food and music writer.

Read more of his reviews at coloradoavidgolfer.com

coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m

P H O T O G R A P H S BY J O N AT H A N C A S T N E R

mato and basil on crunchy toasted ciabatta), or tuck into the equally delicious Pancetta Panino, made with crispy Italian bacon with fresh mozzarella, roasted tomatoes and arugula. Or get the Artichoke Fontina Panino, with pesto and roasted peppers.

Good thing my Indian name is “Three Lunches.”

Everyone also raves about the delicious bakery items. The mouthwatering Quiche Lorraine and other savory pies are prepared and baked inhouse, allowing for generous portions. For dessert, there are offerings for everyone, from an oldfashioned, wonderfully moist Oatmeal Cake to exquisite sweets. Try an Éclair or Macaron, the French meringue-based sandwich cookie—love that almond meal!

Here’s the recipe for a sumptuous repast. Sit on the charming outdoor patio in back. Order an Abbey Ale, a delicious Dubbel from Brewery Ommegang, a brewery located near Cooperstown, New York that specializes in Belgianstyle ales. Also order the GALLIC FLAIR: The Bistrot bar’s ornate absinthe fountain.

French Cheese Plate and make sure it contains a

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Colorado’s second-largest city has a first-rate beer scene.

By Cody Gabbard

Y

EARS BEFORE COLORADO achieved statehood, a pair of surveyors encountered a surreal tableau of sandstone formations southwest of Denver. One suggested it would be a “capital place for a beer garden.” To which his companion exclaimed, ”Beer Garden!

Why it is a fit place for the Gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods!”

Hence the name of Colorado Springs’ iconic park, which, ironically, prohibits the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Not that it matters. Colorado Springs has almost as many breweries as the Garden of the Gods has monoliths. And like the Garden’s diverse number of geological configurations, the city also boasts every type of brewery, brewpub, and craft beer bar. There are also plenty of knowledgeable drinkers as well, making my job of finding some of the best in the area a lot easier.

I had a hunch about my first destination of choice, Great Storm Brewing, based on their tap menu of specialty and style-bending beers. I appreciate a brewery that takes risks with novel ingredients and processes, but can also prove their artisanal meddle with nail-on-the-head classic styles. Their statement of a “marriage of the traditional and the rebellious” is an apt description for what they offer.

This philosophy is possibly most evident in Black

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Bear Zwartbier, a dark Belgian lager. It is rare that one sees those three words together, but I hope that becomes a trend of the past, as this somewhat roasty, spicy and fruity beer is a hallmark of balance. All of the individual flavors from the roasted malt and Belgian yeast are noticeable, but don’t overwhelm each other.

This also rings true for most of their other beers, including the Brass Ale Honey Amber. “Amber” is usually craft-beerspeak for “un-offensive, introductory” beer, and the addition of honey usually a marketing ploy to make up for a lack of inventiveness. In this case I ate (or drank) my words, as the honey adds a mildly sweet dimension, with just enough hops contributing a slightly bitter balance to what could have easily been just another bland American amber.

Despite the 37 degree and sleeting weather, the taproom was lively but with a laid-back feel. You almost get the impression you’re hanging out in a friend’s garage, with the corrugated metal interior, blues music and glorified homebrew setup of brewing equipment right next to the bar. A non-traditionalist may shy away from a majority of the taps, but there is assuredly a flavor for everyone if they’re willing to expand their comfort zone, and aficionados of the unique and blending of styles won’t leave disappointed.

HOPS TO IT: Manitou Brewing carefully curates its offerings.

My next destination, Nano 108, would be a great starting point for any beer trip, with a bar staff knowledgeable in their own product, and enthusiastic champions of other local craft breweries. Plenty of lagers fill the taps, but they aren’t pandering to the masses by focusing on low flavor and alcohol. The array of choices provides many examples of what a well-brewed light beer can aspire to. From American Lite Lagers to their Continental ancestors such as the hoppier Bohemian (Czech) Keller Pilsner to the more malt-accentuated Maibocks and Doppelbocks of Germany, a sampling affords an opportunity to see and taste the actual evolution of lagered beer.

On my next visit to the Springs, knowing a full day of calorie-consuming imbibing was ahead of me, I headed to nearby Manitou Springs for a quick hike up the infamous Manitou Incline. Despite being less than a mile long, the “quick” hike (a 2,000foot elevation gain up a former railway) took over an hour to summit, but was worth the effort due to stunning views of the neighboring mountains and charming mountain town below. Tired joints and cramping muscles had me scrambling to find a local watering hole. Luckily, Manitou Brewing Company more than fit the bill.

An inviting, warm, Southwestern-styled taproom and restaurant welcomes the most road- and coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m

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SPRINGS ETERNAL: (Clockwise from left) Nano 108’s give props to Old World lagers; Great Storm Brewing’s sly lightning-bolt taps; Mike Bristol (center) and the Bristol Brewing crew take recess at their new digs.

mountain-weary of souls. The beer menu is not an overwhelming list of famous brews or even local highlights, but is rather carefully curated with about half Manitou and half guest taps. One standout included the Camarillo Brillo Sour and an experimental hop IPA. Although sour may not come up on your radar as a flavor you typically search out in a beer, these mixed-fermentation (i.e. the utilizing of “wild” yeast strains and bacteria) specialties are gaining prominence in the U.S., and opening up the door of craft beer to palates that enjoy flavors similar to wines, Champagne and the fermented tea kombucha. Before taking a gulp of the Camarillo Brillo, a deep inhalation of the aroma is necessary, with a huge bouquet of floral and citrusy aromas exploding from the glass. More citrus flavors follow—grapefruit and pine dominating—with a tangy finish of bitter orange pith.

Currently, Manitou is creating a series of IPAs using new and rare hops only available to those

Hot as a Bristol For 21 years, Mike and Amanda Bristol have brewed award-winning ales. Of the more than two-dozen on Brisol Brewing’s roster, Bristol Brewing’s smooth and nutty Laughing Lab Scottish Ale ranks as the most decorated Colorado beer at the Great American Beer Festival.

Equally distinctive is the 99-year-old schoolhouse where Bristol ferments and serves its ales along with locally sourced pub fare. The former Ivywild Elementary School, which closed in 2009, also contains a gourmet deli, charcuterie, bakery, art school and a fresh fruit and vegetable market. 1604 S. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs. bristolbrewing.com; 719-633-2555

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

with hop contracts. With the market for the latest and greatest in hops growing with every year, if a brewery wants the newest hops they have to lock in a contract, otherwise the hops are snatched up by larger breweries years in advance. The contracts are typically for new hops that are in vogue, but they also afford brewers the chance to sample even newer varieties before they even hit the market.

One theme that resonated at every establishment I visited was the hyping of the local craft beer scene.

Every brewery gave me suggestions of at least two or three competitors to visit (and usually referred to the brewers on a first-name basis). That’s part of the draw of this burgeoning industry. The more you hear about other amazing places being touted by their counterparts, the more you want to be a part of this exclusive club that seems to want to be ever-inclusive.

The Beer Gods must be smiling.

CAG

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

Nano 108 Brewery 2402 Waynoka Rd., Colorado Springs nano108brewing.com; 719-596-BEER

Great Storm Brewing 204 Mount View Lane #3 Colorado Springs greatstormbrewing.com; 719-266-4200

Manitou Brewing Company 725 Manitou Ave. Manitou Springs manitou-brewing.com; 719-282-7709

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Risk/Reward

An appreciation of golf’s diversity applies to finance as well. By Christian Ravsten

I

HAVE BEEN BLESSED to have played golf in some of the most amazing places in the world: from the desert layouts of Arizona to the lush courses in the Bahamas and Caribbean, including one where I had to play my second shot before a monkey stole it.

Whether the fairways bestride lodgepole pines or a roaring ocean, every course offers a wide range of diversity. Other than the fact that they contain 18 holes, no two are the same. Their designs please the eye and take advantage of the natural topography—all while encouraging you to swing out of your shoes.

The designer’s ability to entice the amateur golfer to play over his head never ceases to amaze me.

Even playing the same course time and again

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To score well, you need to be properly balanced in all aspects of the game. We don’t have to look any further than Jordan Spieth to see how well we can score and win, if we are properly balanced.

With all of the changing conditions and factors that make up the game of golf, it is requisite that we adapt our game to the course conditions each time we play…no matter where that may be.

We can all have what we want, if what we want is grounded in reality. Professional financial advisors can show you how to set proper financial goals, and then be content with the process of working towards those goals with creativity, balance, and appropriate diversification. With the proper coaching and knowing how to use the correct tools at the right time, you can achieve greater results.

Perhaps you can have greater rewards than you are currently attaining, or reach your goals earlier than your current situation allows. But you will never know unless you get a second opinion! It is worth your time and effort, and it could be the difference between frustration and success. Prepare for your future by being properly diversified in all phases of your finances.

Whether you’re trying to make par at Augusta or build wealth for your future, you need a diverse set of tools. The ball might not always find the hole, but at least on the financial side, you’ll know your execution would match your expectations.

CAG

For more information on how to reduce your tax liabilities, contact Chris Ravsten, founder/CEO of RiskMD at 855-4487463 or chris@yourriskmd.com. RiskMD aims to help business owners reduce legal risk, tax risk and improve profitability. coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m

I L LU S T R AT I O N C O U RT E S Y O F I S T O C K P H O T O

What Keeps Us On Course

brings a wide variety of change from the previous outings, because of changing environmental conditions, such as humidity, wind, and temperature.

Additionally, there are other factors, such as shot placement, pace of greens, muscle tension, swing speed, timing, and, above all, your state of mind.

Controlling gray matter is the most critical factor in enjoying the game, but it is usually the greatest handicap we golfers have. Our expectation of what we might do during any given round is often more grandiose than what we are actually able to deliver.

And when these expectations conflate while playing a “bucket list” course, we are potentially setting ourselves up for an emotional letdown.

Too many times we find ourselves doing the same type of thing with regard to our finances.

For example, there are investors who fantasize about getting extravagant rates of return in their portfolios, yet they have absolutely no idea if it is even a possibility with the particular investments they have chosen.

Then, there are the bond investors who want safety and are surprised to see the value of their portfolio drop when interest rates rise because they weren’t aware they could lose value in a bond portfolio. Both types of investors are experiencing the same emotional letdown as the deluded golfer.

The ability to achieve our goals and desired rates of return are available to each of us. It just might require a change in thinking, and going about our investment goals differently than our current plan.

For example, if all you do is practice with your driver to smash the long drives, and never practice with your putter, then you will probably never score well, because you are a “one trick pony.”

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Foreign with Substance Land Rover’s Discovery Sport and VW’s new

Golf prove their mettle on this side of the Atlantic.

By Isaac Bouchard

2015 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SPORT EPA RATINGS: 20/26MPG; 22MPG COMBINED PRICE AS TESTED: $48,920

L

ATE LAST CENTURY, Land Rover brought the successful Discovery model to these shores. And while it sold well, its abysmal record for reliability resulted in a significantly improved model reintroduced into the U.S. in 2005 as the LR3. Now that a decade has passed, the company feels confident enough with the Discovery nomenclature to revive it across a lineup of midlevel vehicles starting with the Discovery Sport.

As in the Range Rover lineup, Sport denotes the smaller, less expensive model; it is expected that the LR4’s replacement will carry the name Discovery. The Sport uses the current, more aero-friendly styling that Rovers have moved towards in an effort to improve fuel economy, but the Discovery Sport has little of the presence of its siblings.

Inside the Discovery Sport things are better, with most all materials being of high quality. The aes-

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Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

thetic is also clean and contemporary. Although the InControl infotainment system’s eight-inch touchscreen presents a bit of an ergonomic challenge to reach, it is intuitive and fast. The Sport features an available third row that is kid-friendly and doesn’t eat into the copious cargo room when folded flat. The front chairs rank amongst the most comfortable Jaguar Land Rover makes, and the middle row affords copious space that’s easily accessed through large door apertures.

The Discovery Sport boasts a truly excellent dynamic balance, as it uses a modified Evoque platform. In the case of the Land Rover, the sportscarlike balance has been dialed down somewhat, with more emphasis put on smothering rough roads—which the Land Rover does superbly—while still leaving excellent, direct steering to command a chassis that is tied down and fun to fling through corners. Brake feel and modulation are also first-rate.

The Disco also shares the Evoque’s powertrain. While the 2-liter turbo’s 240hp/250lb-ft stats are more than competitive, the turbo boost doesn’t come fast enough when leaving a stop and then ramps up too quickly and the

BALANCED CROSSOVER: The Land Rover Discovery Sport.

nine-speed automatic doesn’t shift as smoothly as LR’s eight speed units. Soon the company’s very own, all new Ingenium engine and superior powertrain software integration will unlock even more of the Discovery Sport’s inherent potential.

Even as it is, the Discovery Sport is an excellent alternative to other small- to midsize luxury crossovers: it has real off-road ability, its ride/handling balance is excellent, and the availability of three row seating increases its utility quotient for families. The Sport also gets good economy numbers, with a real-world 22.5mpg and 0-60mph available in the mid-7s. As Land Rover fleshes out its lineup, this kind of Disco deserves a listen.

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sideBets 2015 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF R EPA RATINGS: 23/30MPG; 26MPG COMBINED PRICE AS TESTED: $37,415 In Europe, the Golf manages to be the best-selling car while still being seen as a premium choice.

That’s not a surprise based on how well resolved the latest generations have been, with quality interiors, refined good looks and excellent space utilization that allows them to serve as true family cars. There’s also a breeding in their dynamics and powertrains that sets them above most mainstream alternatives.

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Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

Discerning Americans will recognize those traits, combined with sports car performance and AWD versatility in the R model. A platform-mate of the recently tested Audi S3, it uses the versatile MQB structure. This makes it stiff yet light, a quiet and refined rip-roaring performer that truly engages the driver. Power comes from a highly boosted 2-liter, called EA888, which cranks 292 ponies and 280lb-ft of torque. For now this is only channeled through the excellent six speed twin clutch transmission, which VW calls DSG. The coming months will bring the option of a manual. DSG and launch control mean this Golf will claw to 60mph in 4.5 seconds and do a 13.2-second quarter mile—stunning numbers for a car of such seemingly humble origins.

What the raw stats don’t convey is the sheer joy the R exudes, from its barking exhaust note to the way its steering precision and weighting match perfectly to the chassis’ dynamics.

There’s optional adjustable suspension, but even the standard setup combines a decent ride with really biddable handling, backed up by stout and linear brakes.

The newest Haldex 4Motion torque-distribution system feels much more faster

acting than previous Golf AWD models; while it’s no countersteering hooligan, the R has a very rewarding neutrality. As compared to the similarly priced and targeted Subaru WRX STI, the Volkswagen is more refined and quiet, has a nicer cockpit and a much better ride. Sibling Audi S3 is even higher quality inside (as reflected in its sticker price), but of these three, only the Golf R comes as a hatchback stateside.

A true Q-ship, the R resembles most other 7thgeneration Golfs: chiseled and well proportioned but otherwise unprepossessing. However, aficionados will note the lowered stance, quad pipes and massive wheels seemingly shrink-wrapped in ultralow profile rubber. Subtle detailing and badging tells you this is the top dog, not the more common front-drive GTI. Inside there are backlit blue lighting strips in the sills and door panels and similarly hued gauge needles. Leather wraps the seats and steering wheel. The touch screen infotainment system is intuitive but slightly slow-acting with lowgrade graphics.

There’s decent room for four, and the hatchback format makes it really practical. As a flagship for the lineup, the R makes total sense; whether more than a handful of our countrymen can wrap their minds around a $40,000 Golf remains to be seen.

But in a world of overpriced “crossovers,” this sport utility will seem a bargain. CAG Read more of Automotive Editor Isaac Bouchard’s writing at nicedrivz.com and coloradoavidgolfer.com. coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m

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P H O T O G R A P H S C O U RT E S Y O F C O L O R A D O O P E N G O L F F O U N DAT I O N

July 23-26 Green Valley Ranch Golf Club Denver

Notah Begay

Nathan Lashley

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

Last year’s celebration of the Colorado Open’s 50th anniversary prompted reflection on the many PGA Tour stars who competed in the storied event. Among them: Sam Snead, Billy Casper, Hale Irwin, Fred Couples, Phil Mickelson, Dave Hill and dozens more, accounting for more than 150 PGA Tour wins and 35 major championships.

The first event of the next half-century will add to those numbers. Four-time PGA Tour winner and NBC/Golf Channel analyst Notah Begay has committed to play, as has 2004 Ryder Cup player Chris Riley. “We’re continuing the tradition of having top talent in the event,” says HealthONE Colorado Open CEO Kevin Laura.

“We’re starting the next 50 years with a bang.”

Begay and Riley both played numerous times in The International at Castle Pines and welcome the opportunity to compete again in Colorado.

They’re also friends, one common denominator being Tiger Woods, who was Begay’s college roommate and Riley’s boyhood friend and Ryder Cup partner.

They’ll take on a field of 156 that includes a number of former champions, including Ian Davis, who won last year’s event with a 14-under 270, Zahkai Brown (2013), Nathan Lashley (2010), Scott Petersen (2000) and Ben Portie (2011). Geoff Keffer, the reigning Colorado PGA Dow Finsterwald Player of the Year, will also compete. Cody Kent and David Oraee lead a strong cadre of amateurs.

July 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

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Still Healthy After All These Years Valley Ranch provides a meaningful curriculum to our youth and encourages the development of life skills through powerful core values. As a healthcare organization focused on the care and improvement of human life, we have been honored to support the Colorado Open Golf Foundation, which shares in our mission and seeks to support the growth and advancement of youth across the metro area.”

As to what company will precede the event’s name next year, Laura says he’s actively soliciting a title sponsor “for the long-term, similar to what we did with HealthONE.”

P H O T O G R A P H BY JA N E H A R DY

Since the resurrection of the Colorado Open Championships in 2004, HealthONE has served as their title sponsor. That sponsorship, which spanned two five-year agreements and a twoyear extension, expires this year. Pat Hamill, the CEO and Chairman of Oakwood Homes and founder of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation, negotiated the initial deal with HealthONE President and CEO Jeff Dorsey. “Those two were the saviors,” according to Kevin Laura, the CEO of The First Tee of Green Valley Ranch and the HealthONE Colorado Opens. “If it weren’t for Jeff Dorsey, the Colorado Open Golf Foundation, Colorado Open Championships and The First Tee of Green Valley Ranch would never have flourished as they have.”

HealthONE’s involvement created an attractive environment for other corporate sponsors and individual contributors. As a result, the $250,000 combined purse for the three HealthONE Colorado Open Championships ranks among the highest for all state opens. Moreover, since 2005, The Colorado Open Golf Foundation’s flagship charity, The First Tee of Green Valley Ranch, has reached more than 25,000 kids, with 5,302 in the program just last year.

“The tournaments not only give a boost to golf in our state, they’ve done a great service in supporting all the children who take part in The First Tee of Green Valley Ranch program,” Dorsey said.

“I’m proud of the role HealthONE played in making both such a success.”

Dorsey retired in 2012, and his successor, Sylvia Young, has enthusiastically continued the partnership. “For 12 years, HealthONE has been proud to present the HealthONE Colorado Opens,” she said. “Not only are the series of tournaments invaluable community gathering events, but the work of The First Tee of Green

PERFECT PARTNERS: Colorado Open Golf Foundation Founder Pat Hamill (left) and former HealthONE CEO and Chairman Jeff Dorsey pose with the Robert M. Kirchner Award, won by Hamill in 2008 and Dorsey in 2011. The award, presented during the Colorado Open, recognizes an individual for having contributed greatly to amateur, professional and/or tournament golf in the Colorado.

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Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

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Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

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

There will not be a repeat champion or a repeat low amateur at the 21st HealthONE Colorado Women’s Open. Last year’s winner, Kendall Dye, who overcame a seven-stroke deficit with a thirdround score of 66, currently ranks third on the LPGA Symetra Tour and will skip the event. And CWGA Player of the Year Jennifer Kupcho, who finished T2, just two shots behind Dye, will be starting her freshman year as a member of the Wake Forest University women’s golf team.

Among the early favorites to win the August 26-28 event are former CU and Big Break star Emily Talley; Blair O’Neal, winner of Big Break: Dominican Republic; and former DU star Katie Kempter, the winner of March’s Symetra Tour Volvik Championship.

New to this year’s Women’s Open is an August 25 pro-am. Taking place the day before the tournament, the event allows guests and members to play alongside the top female participants in the Open. It has no bearing on the event’s official three-day, Pebble Beach-like pro-am format. To join in the fun of the one-day pro-am, contact Kevin Laura, CEO of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation, at klaura@coloradoopen.org.

Blair O’Neal

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Senior Repeater

T-F-T-G-V-R Spells Success Through the Colorado Open Golf Foundation, the Colorado Open golf championships benefit The First Tee of Green Valley Ranch. One of nearly 1,000 TFT chapters nationwide, TFT of GVR has since 2005 helped more than 25,000 kids achieve their goals on and off the golf course.

This year two of those achievers, Kyree Conaway and Michael Milton (pictured here), were selected to attend the Life Skills and Leadership Academy July 22-28 in Blaine, Minnesota. At the weeklong camp, they and 94 other youths from around the country will learn and develop skills to become leaders in their local chapters, schools and communities while experiencing championship golf, dorm living and career exploration.

Another chapter member, Geovani Castillo, became one of 11 recipients of the Chick Evans Caddie Scholarship—a full, four-year tuition and housing college scholarship awarded to golf caddies. Castillo caddied at Green Valley Ranch for three years and will attend the University of Colorado this fall.

The Green Valley Ranch chapter has also seen success from 15-year-old Davis Bryant. The son of TFTGVR Executive Director Julie Bryant and Green Valley Ranch Golf Club PGA General Manager Matt Bryant, Davis won the CJGA Pueblo Series Championship, which qualified him to play in last month’s Hale Irwin AJGA tournament; he tied for 31st.

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P H O T O G R A P H S BY C H I P B R O M F I E L D ( B R U C K N E R ) A N D J U L I E B R YA N T ( F I R S T T E E )

Greg Bruckner (right) made history at last month’s HealthONE Colorado Senior Open.

With a 13-under 203, the Phoenix resident cruised to a 5-stroke victory and became the tournament’s first two-time champion. His first win came in 2012, when he was three shots better than David Delich. “Being a two time winner is always special,” he said. “I have done it in three different state senior opens and each time I felt really honored to have achieved it.”

This win never would have happened if Bruckner had won a Monday playoff to qualify for the Champions Tour’s Principal Charity Classic in Des Moines. But it was hardly a hardship to come to Denver. “The Colorado Senior Open volunteers are some of the best around and the course and their staff are awesome,” said Bruckner. “The staff do a fantastic job; they all make a player feel welcome.”

PITCH PERFECT CoBank is proud to support the Colorado Open and The First Tee of Green Valley Ranch youth golf program, which teaches values that will serve young people well not only on the course but throughout their entire lives.

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WHERE LEGENDS BEGIN

THANK YOU

Friends of The First Tee Academy Bank Alpine Bank Bank of America Presenting Sponsor Barry Berlin & Mary Reisher Oakwood Homes McKay Belk CarePoint, PC & Hoffenberg Supporting Sponsors Family AIMCO Cares Clean Energy Collective: CBS4 / KCNC TV Denver Community-Owned Solar CoBank Colorado AvidGolfer Magazine Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine Colorado Golf Association Country Inn & Suites - DIA Colorado Section PGA Elevation Development Group Colorado Women's Esperance Family Foundation Golf Association Green Valley Ranch Golf Club EZPAWN FirstBank Lockton Companies Melissa Hubbard Massage Envy Spa Humana Nationwide Insurance Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) Pepsi Beverages Company KeyBank Rocky Mtn. Golf Course Kris Family Charitable Fund Superintendents Assoc.

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue The First Tee Steve Lockton Title Sponsor HealthONE

Otten Johnson Robinson Neff & Ragonetti, P.C. Pediatrix Medical Group PGA TOUR Superstore / Blank Family Foundation Powers Energy Corporation Powers Products Ringsby Realty Roy A. Hunt Foundation R.W. Baird & Co. Sill-TerHar Motors Jay Small Chris & Molly Welch

Forest City Stapleton Edward Hunt Inverness Hotel & Golf Club Keltner Family Foundation Margie Kerr/CO National GC Keith Lawton Legacy Ridge Golf Course LPGA*USGA Girls Golf Ludlow-Griffith Foundation Newmark Grubb Knight Frank Pukka Headwear Wells Fargo Foundation MaryPat Woodard

Special Thanks Adidas Golf Canon de Colorado Charles L. Young Sr. Foundation Citywide Banks Colorado PGA REACH Coors Light Daniels Fund Eagle Ranch Golf Course First Western Financial

Colorado Open Golf Foundation: 20309 E. 48th Place, Denver, CO 80249 | P: 303.486.8800 | E: Info@coloradoopen.com | www.ColoradoOpen.com

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Frisco’s Lively Main Street and Marina SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Aspen

Where Golf, Art and Culture Meet

GOLF

Courtesy Red Sky Ranch & Golf Club

VAIL VALLEY

West of Vail the private Red Sky Ranch & Golf Club offers every-other-day resort access to its premier Tom Fazio- and Greg Norman-designed courses. Book a stay-and-play package at Arrabelle at Vail Square, Vail Marriott Mountainside, Osprey at Beaver Creek, The Pines Lodge, St. James Place or one of 30 other lodging partners. redskygolfclub.com/info/crs.lodging.asp POW PACKAGE: Semi-private Beaver Creek Golf Club offers a tempting Golf

Beaver Creek Golf Club

& Lunch Special of $165 that includes a three-course meal, $10 gift certificate and 18 holes of award-winning Robert Trent Jones, Jr. golf to guests who overnight in Beaver Creek, Bachelor Gulch or Arrowhead. Restrictions apply, and reservations recommended. golfbeavercreek.com

ON THE TEE Red Sky Ranch & Golf Club has added three new forward tees to its highly regarded Norman Course, allowing members and guests the unique option to play 10 different routings—six back tees and four forward tees—that range from 5,000 yards to 7,600 yards in distance, significantly enhancing the player’s enjoyment of a course already ranked among the best in Colorado. redskygolfclub.com

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Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

EUROPEAN LUXE: The Lodge & Spa at Cordillera is a four-season platinum access point to much of the Valley’s most enviable amenities including 56 lavishly appointed guestrooms, 20,000-square-foot spa and fitness center, AAA Four Diamond-rated dining, guided fishing on the Eagle River and the Dave Pelz Short Course, plus five explosive golf courses designed individually by Tom Fazio, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman and Hale Irwin. cordilleralodge.com

Short game falling short? Visit Red Sky Golf Academy, where one of the PGA Tour's all-time short-game wizards, Larry Rinker, is director of instruction. A huge putting green surrounded by bunkers lets you can work on chips, flops, putts and more. Indoor and outdoor bays allow fullswing practice using Trackman, state-of-theart video analysis and V1 video reviews. redskygolfclub.com

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GREG NORMAN COURSE – HOLE #4 – PAR 5 – 517 YARDS

ISN’T IT AMAZING HOW

7,770 FEET CAN TAKE YOU A WORLD AWAY

STAY & PLAY AMERICA’S #1 RATED MOUNTAIN GOLF CLUB BOOK NOW AT 800-587-4691 OR VISIT REDSKYGOLFCLUB.COM Located in the heart of the Colorado Rockies, both the Tom Fazio and Greg Norman designed courses at Red Sky Golf Club have been consistently ranked among Golfweek and Golf Digest’s top courses you can play. Coupled with world-class lodging at Beaver Creek and Vail, don’t miss your chance to play at this coveted club. Stay & Play from $260*. * Stay & Play rates include lodging and greens fees. Minimum length of stay and blackout dates may apply. Starting at rates are based on double occupancy and lodging rates may vary per property.

Courtesy The Club at Cordillera

GOLF

VAIL VALLEY

At The Club at Cordillera in Edwards, members are smitten by pampering amenities and services that include daily golf clinics (including Margarita Mondays for women and Birdies & Beer Tuesdays for men), fitness classes and—oh, by the way—three Troon Privé-managed golf courses singularly designed by Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio and Colorado native Hale Irwin. cordillera-vail.com

ON THE TEE A revolutionary family lifestyle membership program plus the impending build of a 14,000-square-foot wellness and fitness center—groundbreaking is scheduled in October—have all eyes on Sonnenalp Club. Located down valley in Edwards, the venerable property includes Bob Cupp/ Jay Morrish-designed golf, hypnotic New York Range backdrops and stay-and-play tee times via luxurious Sonnenalp Hotel. sonnenalp.com

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Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

Municipally owned Vail Golf Club has exciting news. The 43-year-old property is moving forward on a $10.9 million remodel of its outdated clubhouse.

The comprehensive makeover is to include a new 160-seat banquet facility, expanded patio space and heightened services for an esteemed and popular amenity that doubles as a winter nordic center. vailrec.com

Toni Axelrod/Vail Golf Club

and now Vail Golf Club has taken a leading role in helping make golf a game-changer for the physically challenged. Led by Director of Golf Alice Plain—herself afflicted by multiple sclerosis—the municipal facility offers programs specifically designed to ignite a player’s passion for golf—and life. The programs were inspired by the Avon-based Can Do MS—started in 1984 by the late Jimmie Heuga, an Olympic legend who lived with the disease for 40 years after being diagnosed in 1970—and PGA REACH. vailgolfclub.net, mscando.org, pgareach.com

Jack Affleck/Vail Resorts

GO ASK ALICE: Vail’s ski industry helped pioneer adaptive sports,

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the art of

BR AGGING RIGHT S Take one championship Robert Trent Jones Jr. Golf Course with lush rolling fairways and cobalt skies, a handful of good friends, a long-anticipated rematch and you’ve got the recipe for a legendary vacation. Come play, we’ll handle the details.

Book your Stay and Play package and gain exclusive access to the semi-private Beaver Creek Golf Club available to resort guests only. Packages start at $217 per person*.

Visit beavercreek.com/StayAndPlay or call (866) 829 4432 to reserve.

be av erc r eek .c om

* Beaver Creek Stay & Play rates include lodging and greens fees. Minimum length of stay and blackout dates may apply. Starting at rates are based on double occupancy and lodging rates may vary per property.

Courtesy EagleVail

ON THE TEE

NAME GAME: Following its sale in March to a Denver-based investment group, Adam’s Rib Ranch in Eagle is back in the forefront. Renamed Frost Creek to pay homage to 1880s settler and cattle rancher W.E. Frost, the 2,655-acre members-only development is celebrated for its spectacular 18-hole golf course designed by Tom Weiskopf; a 40,000-square-foot clubhouse with fine dining, spa and fitness facilities; four-bedroom luxury cabins; real estate opportunities; private-access fly-fishing on Brush Creek; and an exceptionally desirable club-oriented community surrounded by thousands of acres of state- and federally protected land. frostcreek.com

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Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

A true Colorado mountain golf experience awaits at EagleVail Golf Club in Avon. The local favorite is a Bruce Devlin/Robert Von Hagge routing that just earned Audubon International’s Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary status, a two-year process that requires demonstrating a high degree of environmental quality in seven specific areas. eaglevailgolfclub.com Courtesy Gypsum Creek

Courtesy Frost Creek

GOLF

VAIL VALLEY

Located 35 miles west of Vail, Gypsum Creek Golf Course may turn out to be one of the better municipal golf courses you’ll ever play. For a great summer outing, attend a Fun Free Friday instruction clinic, grab a cool libation at the expansive clubhouse, then go test the 6,980-yard challenge crafted by Pete Dye. gypsumcreekgolf.com

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CREATE MEMORIES Classic 18-hole golf course, public welcome.

First Colorado Course to Offer Golf Bikes Fleet of 12 Available Summer 2015

Enjoy a magnificent meal and view at the Grill on the Gore in the Vail Golf Club.

4:07 PACE OF PLAY

So you can enjoy the rest of your day.

970-479-2260 vailgolfclub.net OPERATED BY VAIL RECREATION DISTRICT

Vail Golf Clubhouse Renovation Scheduled to Begin September 8, 2015.

Course Will Remain Open Through Renovation

Courtesy Antlers at Vail

LODGING

VAIL VALLEY

For year-round mountain adventures, bivouac in style at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa. The Beaver Creek Village enclave is celebrated for its recently redesigned rooms and suites, relaxed yet sophisticated dining, s’moresfriendly outdoor fire pit, swimming, hot tubs, fitness center and 30,000-square-foot Allegria Spa. beavercreek.hyatt.com

Pet-friendly Antlers at Vail is a high-value vacation property that super-indulges families and couples.

Among its complimentary perks are bike rentals, GoPro camera loaners, underground heated parking and Vail Athletic Club memberships. There’s also swimming, hot tubs and 84 well-appointed rooms ranging from studios to fourbedroom suites. antlersvail.com

Courtesy Four Seasons

Courtesy Park Hyatt Beaver Creek

GO SLOPESIDE:

IN THE KNOW GO BIG: Amp up the indulgence at The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa at Beaver Creek Mountain, regarded as much for its extraordinary elegance as for its family-oriented environs. Underscoring the über luxurious lodging, a 27,000-square-foot spa, signature fine dining, golf, tennis and a fitness club with Howard Head Sports Medicine therapy. westinriverfrontbeavercreek.com

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Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa

EASY BUTTON: If selecting Vail Valley lodging becomes a daunting, “I just can’t decide” predicament, take heart. Simplify your decision by focusing on the peerless overnight lodging résumé of Vail Resorts, which owns a plethora of perfect-memory properties in Beaver Creek that range from condos to resorts to private homes. beavercreek.com

BREATH TAKER:

Sited at an elevation of 8,120 feet, the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Vail is indeed a heart-pounding, highlife experience. Opened in December 2010, the 10-story luxury property offers an enviable variety of amenities including fine dining, outdoor saline-treated pool, fitness room, teen center and a resplendent 14,400-square-foot spa. fourseasons.com/vail

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Everyone has a memorable mountain golf experience

Book our Stay and Play package. Enjoy luxury accommodations, two rounds of golf with preferred tee times at the Beaver Creek Golf Course.

Rates starting at

$319 Groups can enjoy great access to many courses in the valley including Eagle Ranch and Red Sky Ranch, while taking extra time too for other mountain activities. Award winning Allegria Spa can help to complete your memoriable mountain experience.

For reservations, please visit parkhyattbeavercreek.com or call 1-970-827-6636. Refer to code: PLAY15 Terms and conditions apply.

Your path to memorable events™

Courtesy The Sebastian–Vail–A Timbers Resort

LODGING

VAIL VALLEY

TOP SHELF: More than $4 million in guest-oriented improvements are ensuring The Westin Riverfront Resort and Spa at Beaver Creek Mountain stays front and center among discerning vacationers.

The AAA Four Diamond property offers 230 guest rooms and infinity-edge hot tubs, plus the signature Maya restaurant and 27,000-square foot Spa Anjali. westinriverfrontbeavercreek.com 62

Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

AVON CALLING: Nestled on Beaver Creek Mountain in Avon, the Forbes Four Star-rated Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch welcomes guests with a host of premier amenities and services.

Among them: 180 luxury-based rooms and suites, fine dining at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago restaurant, award-winning spa, kids and fly-fishing programs and more. ritzcarlton.com/bachelorgulch

Courtesy Sonnenalp Hotel

Courtesy Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch

Courtesy The Westin Riverfront

Since 2011, The Sebastian–Vail–A Timbers Resort has been a highly favored Valley property. Amenities include fine dining, wine and tapas bar, spa, mountain-view pool, hot tubs and kids camp. The award-winning hotel recently stepped up its considerable allure through an acclaimed multi-million-dollar renovation to its 100 luxury rooms and suites. thesebastianvail.com

SWEET RIDE: At Vail's gemütlich Sonnenalp Hotel, well-heeled guests are enjoying recently completed upgrades to the historic spa and guestrooms. In addition, those staying at this classic alpine retreat have complimentary day-use access to a fleet of new Volvo automobiles, including the high-performance SC60, SC90 and S80. sonnenalp.com co lo r ado a vi d g o l fe r. c o m

ELEVATE YOUR GAME

Elevate your game with a stay at The Sebastian – Vail, Conde Nast Traveler’s #1 Hotel in the West. Experience a day of golf at one of the premier courses in the Vail Valley and spend your nights in luxury accommodations at The Sebastian, located in the heart of Vail Village.

Pamper yourself in our lavish spa or soak in the outdoor hot tubs before an evening on the town enjoying distinctive dining and exciting nightlife in Vail Village.

THE SEBASTIAN STAY & PLAY PACKAGE INCLUDES: • Accommodations in a Luxury Plaza room • Round of golf at Red Sky Ranch, or similar Vail Valley course • Welcome amenity • Daily breakfast • Craft cocktails at Frost • Turndown service with a sweet treat Rates starting at $295 per person, per night.

Book your Sebastian Stay & Play package today by calling 888.433.9115.

888.433.9115

|

www.TheSebastianVail.com

Offer based on double occupancy. Restrictions and blackout dates apply. Golf tee times and course will be based on availability.

Thomas Green/Beaver Creek

LIFESTYLE

Just minutes from Eagle/Vail Airport & Jet Center

970-524-6200

gypsumcreekgolf.com

Longest Season – Best Value

VAIL VALLEY

Originally created by and for skiing, the 20-mile-long Vail Valley—comprising Vail, Avon, Beaver Creek, Eagle, Edwards and Wolcott—is now regarded among North America’s favored four-season destinations. Winter is wonderful, but the summer recreation is as diverse as it is transcendent, staged on a tapestry of quaking aspens, mountain escarpments, lush river basins and high-country meadows. It begins with world-class golf, complemented by adrenaline-pumping pastimes like hiking, biking, horseback riding, fly fishing, ziplining, rafting and mountain climbing, all overlapped by phenomenal events, celebrations, shopping, lodging, cuisine and resort-style services.

Opened in 1985, Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail is regarded the world’s highest collection of botanical flora. The expansive site contains about 2,000 plant varieties and more than 500 kinds of wildflowers and alpine plants, plus a new Education Center that will debut this summer. Admission is free. bettyfordalpinegardens.org

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Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

Jack Affleck/Vail Resorts

WHAT TO DO

Achieving maximum salivary status on TripAdvisor.com and Yelp.com, the Vail Valley Food Tour satiates a foodie’s inner James Beard via the sampling of gourmet grub and suds prepared by area restaurants and microbreweries. Guests also receive a filling earful about local legends and lore.

Tickets are $79. vailvalleyfoodtours.com

Beaver Creek is renowned for its farm-to-table delicacies. Savor some “insider’s tips” on how to prepare everything from chicken and gnocchi to sliders and pizza during the summer-long Culinary Demonstration Series, held every Friday and Saturday at various locales throughout Beaver Creek. beavercreekculinary.com

Free Tuesday concerts—rock, country, bluegrass, funk and beyond—happen all summer long at Vail’s Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater. Keep the party going, because free Thursday concerts are rocking the Eagle Town Park. Both programs start at 6:30 p.m. Bring a picnic and your dancing shoes! vvf.org

As the sun sets, spread the blanket and settle in for a free, family-friendly film at Beaver Creek’s Movies Under the Stars. The good times happen every Tuesday night at 8:15 p.m. on the back lawn of the Park Hyatt Resort near Buckaroo Express Gondola through Aug. 11. beavercreek.com co lo r adoa vi d g o l fe r. c o m

PLAY WELL

Escape to Beaver Creek’s award-winning Westin Riverfront, home to Spa Anjali, Maya by Chef Richard Sandoval and a state-of-the-art Athletic Club. Enjoy spacious studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom suites and amazing access to hiking, fishing, mountain biking, rafting and golf. Summer rates start at $199 per night. westinriverfrontbeavercreek.com | 866.949.1616

©2015 Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Preferred Guest, SPG, Westin and their logos are the trademarks of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., or its affiliates. For full terms & conditions visit westin.com

THE WESTIN RIVERFRONT RESORT & SPA AT BEAVER CREEK MOUNTAIN 126 Riverfront Lane, PO Box 9690, Avon Colorado 81620

Kimberly Gavin/Beaver Creek

LIFESTYLE

VAIL VALLEY

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: “Beano’s Cabin in Beaver Creek is head-shaking amazing,” said longtime resident Jeff Hanson. “It’s located on the slopes of Beaver Creek Resort, and just getting there is an experience: Ride up on a horse, take the 20-minute tractor-pulled wagon or just ride the shuttle from the base area. The wild game is incredible, cocktails are absolutely perfect, and so is the service and live music.” beanoscabinbeavercreek.com

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Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

The Black Family Ice Rink, centrally located in Beaver Creek Village and a Sunset magazine must do, is cherished by singles, families and romance-minded couples. The open-year-round arena also stages weekly skating parties like American Jukebox Night on Monday and Friday evenings. Rentals available, including helmets. beavercreek.com

Tom Green/Beaver Creek

WHAT TO DO

Some of the best family dining in the Vail Valley can be enjoyed at Toscanini Restaurant, located in Beaver Creek Village. The inspired menu includes steak, veal and elk, there are kid-pleasing choices, and an outsidedining patio overlooks the skaters at the Black Family Ice Rink, even in the summer. toscaninibeavercreek.com

Hiking is a popular Vail pastime, so finding a secluded, pet-friendly trail can be tricky. One sure bet: secure Fido’s leash and head to Lake Creek, which ascends to the base of New York Mountain, one of the area’s snow-capped fourteeners. You seldom see other hikers, and in autumn the aspen groves explode into riotous blends of yellows and reds. fs.fed.us

At the 535-seat Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek, superstar concerts, orchestral presentations, comedy acts and dance performances are de rigueur. This summer’s lineup includes renowned Eagles lead guitarist Don Felder (July 21), Vince Gill and Amy Grant (July 25), Aaron Neville (Aug. 2), Gypsy Kings (Aug. 19), Pam Tillis (Aug. 22) and the Beatles acclaimed tribute, 1964 (Aug. 29). vvf.org

If you prize turnkey outings, contact Sage Outdoor Adventures. The Vail outfitter offers a bevy of top-rated outdoor pursuits including whitewater rafting on the Arkansas, Eagle and Colorado rivers; Can-Am ATVing the Castle Peak Wilderness Area; guided horseback trips into Vail’s regal backcountry; and sporting clays with lessons, equipment and a 12-station range. sageoutdooradventures.com

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Colorado’s Mountain Club

For me mbe r ship, r e al e state an d ge n e r al inquir ie s E A G L E, C O L O R A D O

Visit: www.F rostC r e e k.C om

•

C al l : 888.76 0 . 2 3 2 6

Robb Williamson

ASPEN

Set in the heart of the Roaring Fork Valley, 7,156-yard Aspen Golf Club is a rollicking, links-style test crafted by Frank Hummel and upgraded by Dick Phelps. It’s a gold-star challenge that continues to be regarded among the top municipal courses in the country. aspengolf.com

WHAT TO DO

Brands and Kribbs

Michael Moran/OTTO

Opened last summer, the 33,000-square-foot Aspen Art Museum is a free-admission, noncollecting institution that presents the newest innovations in international contemporary art. Don’t miss this summer’s hit exhibition, the mixed-media work of critically acclaimed artist Chris Ofili. aspenartmuseum.org

Semi-private Ironbridge Golf and Country Club is luring golfers with a successfully redesigned and "softened" golf course (performed by Tom Lehman), amazing course conditioning and a new stay-and-play lodging package with the Glenwood Springs Residence Inn Hotel ($349 weekend rate includes two rounds of golf, cart, single king room and full kitchen). ironbridgeclub.com or call the Residence Inn at 970-928-0900

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Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

For splendid live theater, attend the classic musical Cabaret, now through Aug. 15 at the historic Hurst Theatre.

Also on this summer’s playbill: Junie B. Jones The Musical (through Aug. 15), Peter and the Starcatcher (July 15–Aug. 21) and Other Desert Cities (Aug. 4–22). theateraspen.org The private Snowmass Club offers limited public access to its sweet Jim Engh layout. With three-day notice, nonmember foursomes can book one of three available tee times each weekday and the two available both Saturdays and Sundays.

The concierge at The Ritz-Carlton Aspen, The Viceroy Snowmass and The Westin Snowmass can book guests tee times any day after 11 a.m.; other area hotels can do so after 1p.m. snowmassclub.com

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C LUB AT

presented by

A Mountain Golf Experience Like No Other.

Saturday and Sunday, September 12-13 The Cordillera Couples Experience is Colorado’s ultimate fun-filled couple’s golf and leisure weekend, featuring noncompetitive and competitive flights. Set against the world-class backdrop of Cordillera and the Vail Valley, the event offers every couple a memorable weekend in the Cordillera community.

COUPLES

ENTRY FEE INCLUDES:

• Two Rounds of Golf at the private Club at Cordillera (both Summit and Valley Course) • Welcome Brunch • Après-Golf Dinner • Luxury Accommodations Saturday Night in the Vail Valley • Breakfast and Lunch on Sunday • Awards Reception Following the Event • Prizes and Gifts for Each Player

SIGN UP TODAY FOR: Only $

1,500

per couple

For questions or sign-up information, contact Ryan McLean at 720-493-1729 ext. 15; ryan@coloradoavidgolfer.com

GOLF

Allen Kennedy/Keystone

SUMMIT COUNTY

To spotlight golf ’s attraction and ramp up the fun, Keystone Resort has dramatically pushed up the forward tees of its two premier 18-hole courses: Both the River and Ranch courses sport new orange tee routings that total out to about 2,500 yards each. “We’re trying to make the game much more friendly and playable for golfers that can’t hit it as far as more accomplished players,” said Keystone Ranch Head Golf Professional Jim Banks. “It’s translating into better shotmaking, faster play and a whole lot more enjoyment for everyone.” keystoneresort.com

RAVE ON

ON THE TEE The River Course at Keystone, one of two top-rated routings at Keystone Resort, is a Michael Hurdzan/Dana Fry collaboration enhanced in spectacular fashion by towering lodgepole pine corridors, plunging tee shots and fastidious course conditioning, all set amongst the meandering Snake River and accented by panoramic Lake Dillon. keystoneresort.com

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Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

other Friday is proving popular at the Raven Golf Club at Three Peaks in Silverthorne. Priced at $55, players enjoy prizes, a post-round meal and the glee that comes from playing a Tom Lehman collaboration with Michael Hurzdan and Dana Fry. Just minutes from anywhere in Summit County, the celebrated course stretches from 5,235 to 7,413 yards. It features lush rolling fairways and immaculate greens surrounded by towering stands of pine and aspen, 13,000-foot snow-capped peaks, crystal clear creeks and trout filled lakes. ravenatthreepeaks.com

Keystone Ranch Golf Club is engaging new players with a new and affordable program called SNAG— Start New At Golf. On select days, the club sets up a nine-hole course designed especially for beginners. Proving quite popular with families, the $4 fee includes oversized clubs for hitting tennis-like balls at sticky targets. keystoneresort.com

Allen Kennedy/Keystone

Courtesy Raven at Three Peaks

SPIRIT RECHARGE: A new “Nine & Dine” competition held every

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GOLF

TWO CHAMPIONSHIP COURSES KEYSTONE RANCH & THE RIVER COURSE

AVERAGE SUMMER

TEMPERATURE

DAYS OF

SUNSHINE

Scenic

ALPINE HOLES

STAY, PLAY AND SAVE UP TO 33%*

G OLF K EYSTONE . COM *restrictions apply, call for details

844.596.6300

A mountain of possibilities.

BOOM! Saturday nights at Keystone Lodge & Spa mean one thing: fireworks! Throughout the summer, a pyrotechnic display lights up the sky over Keystone Lake—and we mean right over it. If you’ve never seen fireworks this close before, you’re in for a treat. But bring your earplugs, because these babies are loud! keystoneresort.com

Courtesy Beaver Run Resort

Courtesy Keystone/Vail Resorts

LODGING

SUMMIT COUNTY

Beaver Run Resort & Conference Center in Breckenridge is ideal for buddy trips as well as memorable meetings. Located slopeside to Breckenridge Ski Resort, the 515-room resort’s guest perks include swimming, hot tubs, exercise room, tennis, arcade and complimentary in-town shuttle. After a big day, fuel up at one of the resort’s many casual dining options. beaverrun.com

RANKED AS THE #1 BEST U.S. MUNICIPAL GOLF COURSE IN COLORADO BY GOLFWEEK MAGAZINE Nestled in the heart of the Rockies, the Aspen Golf Club is just two minutes from downtown Aspen. With four sets of tees, the course accomodates all levels of play. *Over 7,200 Yards of Breathtaking Views *Locker Rooms *Golf Shop With All The Latest Brands and Equipment *6 Clay Tennis Courts * Exceptional Dining at the Red Mountain Grill

*Cart Rental *Golf Club Rentals *Practice Facility *Chipping & Putting Greens * Lessons Are Available

Plan your next event with the Aspen Golf Club!

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Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

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PLAY

HARD

REST EASY

Come play Breckenridge's 27 hole golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus.

After a day of teeing off on one of the highest golf courses in North America, kick back and relax at Beaver Run Resort, nestled in the heart of Breckenridge.

CALL IN, OR GO ONLINE FOR GREAT SUMMER RATES!

Breckenridge, CO BEAVERRUN.COM 800-525-2253

Jack Affleck

LIFESTYLE

SUMMIT COUNTY

Todd Powell

FISH ON: Reeling

in a trophy trout is the end game, sure, but just casting a tethered fly into a Colorado mountain lake or stream can be life-altering.

Skilled fishing guides, like those found at Orvisendorsed Breckenridge Outfitters, help ensure even beginners realize their Rocky Mountain bliss. breckenridgeoutfitters.com

IN THE KNOW

THAT’S SMOOTH:

FREE NOTES: In Dillon, be serenaded

The Keystone Wine & Jazz Festival returns to River Run Village on July 18-19, offering attendees a heady opportunity to sample more than 300 wines, accompanied by the staging of eight different jazz bands scheduled throughout the two-day event. keystoneresort.com

every Friday and Saturday night when the town hosts its Free Concert Series with live entertainment from artists like Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Cash’d Out (Johnny Cash Tribute), Chris Daniels and the Kings and many others. townofdillon.com

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Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

Tripp Fay

HIKE IN: Crystal Lakes near Breckenridge should be on every outdoor enthusiast’s must-see list. Often described as one of the most beautiful scenes in the state, the lakes are accessed by an 8.6-mile, wildflowers-punctuated trail that gradually opens to a craggy alpine landscape which shelters marmot, ptarmigan, mountain goat and bighorn sheep. alltrails.com

Dan Davis

What’s cool about Frisco’s no-fees-whatsoever Adventure Park? You mean besides the bike park (with a Slopestyle Course, Dirt Jump Track, Dual Slalom Course and toddler’s Pump Track), skate park, disc golf course (rentals available), wagon rides, leasable 4,000-square-foot day lodge, multi-purpose ball field, plus miles of Lake Dillon shoreline that offers secluded hiking and biking on forest service land? townoffrisco.com

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NATURE HAS CHOSEN ITS COURSE. FOLLOW HER LEAD.

Just one hour west of Denver, the hum of the city gives way to the stillness of one of Colorado’s premier mointain courses. Its spectaulas setting and unsurpassed service is matched only by the challenging, yet eminently playable Tom Lehman and Hurdzan/Fry design. Lush rolling fairways surrounded by towering stands of pine and aspen, snow-capped peaks and grassy wetlands attract many of Colorado’s indigenous populations. Fortunalely…elk, osprey and eagles make for a quiet gallery.

970.262.3636 | www.ravenatthreepeaks.com 2929 N Golden Eagle Rd | Silverthorne, CO 80498

AT THREE PEAKS

Aaron Dodds/Keystone

LIFESTYLE

SUMMIT COUNTY

Keystone’s Bike Park includes 100 miles of lift-serviced singletrack mountain biking terrain, plus clinics and lessons to enjoy it all. Satiate your inner adrenaline junkie by gearing up at Keystone Sports. Its River Run locale offers high-performance rentals (including a complimentary use helmet) for the mountain, cruisers for in-town, junior bikes and trailers. keystonesport.com c o l o r a d o

FRI

Farmers Market

Buffalo & Main Street June 5 – Sept 18 9am – 2pm

Enjoy the harvests at one of the best farmers markets in the high country.

FRI SAT

Free Concerts

Dillon Amphitheatre June 13 – Sept 6 7 – 9pm

From Robert Randolph & The Family Band to Forever in Blue Jeans, Bluegrass, Jam Bands, R&B, singer-songwriters and high energy dance bands, Dillon hosts great music all summer long.

near the best mountain golf in Colorado For a full line-up of summer events,

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Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

WHAT TO DO Keystone’s culinary options range from spicy Mexican to pizza to informal steakhouses. Local favorite and highly rated Kickapoo Tavern serves up delicious specials like its 2 Mile High Meatloaf, and its River Run burger comes stacked with bacon, crispy fried onions, jack cheese and jalapeños. kickapootavern.com

Stand-up paddle boarding is all the rage at Dillon Reservoir. For premium equipment and a free shuttle to the lake, stop by Kodi Rafting in Frisco, a professional raft tour outfitter that for 30 years has specialized in organizing whiteknuckle, whitewater memories. whitewatercolorado.com

Pug Ryan's Lakeside Tiki Bar, located at the scenic Dillon Marina, is one of the hottest deck scenes in all of Summit County. With a background that includes sail boats, SUPs and mountain views, Pug's features its own microbrews and famous Rum Runners! Hit the Tiki Bar in the late afternoon after golf through September. pugryans.com The Tiki Bar's archrival across the pond, The Island Grill is a can't miss for the whole family. Situated at the picturesque Frisco Marina, this hopping spot offers island fare, a mountain casual vibe and amazing drinks. Whether you choose to sun-worship on the deck or settle down where the kids can play and run, Frisco's Island Grill is the place to chill. Local Tip: The Water Taxi takes you back and forth from Dillon to Frisco. islandgrillfrisco.com

Todd Powell

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

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photo: toddpowell.com

Mountain Magic > Few things are more magical than a mountain town.

By a lake. With a charming Main Street.

With 5 golf courses within 20 minutes.

Rentals.

Runabouts. Fishing boats. Fishing poles. Pontoons.

Canoes. Kayaks. Stand up paddleboards.

Classic boat tours.

Playground and sandy beach.

Food and libations with waterside views.

Check us out. TownofFrisco.com

Main Street Of The Rockies

COLORADO GETAWAYS RESOURCES VAIL VALLEY

VAIL VALLEY

ASPEN

SUMMIT COUNTY

BEAVER CREEK GOLF CLUB Beaver Creek 970-754-5775 golfbeavercreek.com

ANTLERS AT VAIL Vail 970-476-2471 antlersvail.com

ASPEN GOLF CLUB Aspen 970-429-1949 aspengolf.com

THE CLUB AT CORDILLERA Edwards 970-926-3500 cordillera-vail.com

THE ARRABELLE AT VAIL SQUARE Vail 888-688-6055 arrabelle.rockresorts.com

IRONBRIDGE GOLF CLUB Glenwood Springs 970-384-0630 ironbridgeclub.com

BEAVER RUN RESORT & CONFERENCE CENTER Breckenridge 970-453-6000 beaverrun.com

FEATURED COURSES

COUNTRY CLUB OF THE ROCKIES Edwards 970-926-3080 countrycluboftherockies.com EAGLE RANCH GOLF CLUB Eagle 970-328-2882 eagleranchgolf.com EAGLE SPRINGS GOLF CLUB Wolcott 970-926-4400 eaglesprings.org EAGLEVAIL GOLF CLUB Avon 970-949-5267 eaglevailgolfclub.com FROST CREEK Eagle 970-328-2326 frostcreek.com GYPSUM CREEK GOLF COURSE Gypsum 970-524-6200 gypsumcreekgolf.com RED SKY RANCH & GOLF CLUB Wolcott 866-873-3759 redskygolfclub.com SONNENALP GOLF CLUB Edwards 970-477-5372 sonnenalpgolfclub.com VAIL GOLF CLUB Vail 970-479-2260 vailgolfclub.net

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FEATURED LODGING

FOUR SEASONS RESORT AND RESIDENCES VAIL Vail 970-477-8600 fourseasons.com/vail THE OSPREY AT BEAVER CREEK Beaver Creek 888-605-3405 ospreyatbeavercreek.rockresorts.com PARK HYATT BEAVER CREEK RESORT AND SPA Beaver Creek 970-949-1234 beavercreek.hyatt.com THE PINES LODGE Beaver Creek 855-279-3430 pineslodge.rockresorts.com THE RITZ-CARLTON, BACHELOR GULCH Avon 970-748-6200 ritzcarlton.com/bachelorgulch THE SEBASTIAN窶天AIL A TIMBERS RESORT Vail 970-477-8000 thesebastianvail.com SONNENALP HOTEL Vail 866-284-4411 sonnenalp.com

FEATURED COURSES

SNOWMASS CLUB Snowmass Village 970-923-5600 snowmassclub.com

FEATURED LODGING

BRECKENRIDGE GRAND VACATIONS Breckenridge 866-423-6974 breckenridgegrandvacations.com KEYSTONE LODGE & SPA Keystone 970-496-4500 keystoneresort.com

SUMMIT COUNTY

FEATURED COURSES BRECKENRIDGE GOLF CLUB Breckenridge 970-453-9104 breckenridgegolfclub.com COPPER CREEK GOLF COURSE Copper Mountain 970-968-3333 coppercolorado.com/golf KEYSTONE RANCH GOLF COURSE Keystone 800-464-3494 keystoneresort.com

OTHER RESOURCES BEAVER CREEK RESORT beavercreekresort.com KEYSTONE LODGE & SPA keystoneresort.com TOWN OF DILLON townofdillon.com TOWN OF FRISCO townoffrisco.com VAIL RESORTS vailresorts.com

RAVEN GOLF CLUB AT THREE PEAKS Silverthorne 970-262-3636 ravenatthreepeaks.com THE RIVER COURSE AT KEYSTONE Keystone 800-464-3494 keystoneresort.com

THE WESTIN RIVERFRONT RESORT & SPA AT BEAVER CREEK MOUNTAIN Avon 970-790-6000 westinriverfrontbeavercreek.com

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4 COURSES FOR $44 AFTER 4 There are tons of reasons to celebrate Perry’s 36 th anniversary.

We’ll give you four. During the month of July, choose one item from each course on our pre-fixed menu for only $44 after 4 PM. Select one personal-size appetizer, one salad, one entrée, and one dessert.

It’s a deal to die 4.

TAX AND GR AT UIT Y NOT INCLUDED.

Park Meadows • 303-792-2571 • PerrysSteakhouse.com

P H O T O G R A P H BY DAV I D C A N N O N / G E T T Y I M AG E S

FASHIONABLY FATIGUED: Watson shows his support at the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional.

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A Masterful Salute Bubba Watson comes to The Club at Ravenna in support of the Infinite Hero Foundation.

By Jon Rizzi

P H O T O G R A P H O F S AVAT O R E G I U N TA BY

H

E’S BEEN CALLED the first genuine folk hero since John Daly, a Florida Panhandler who never took a formal golf lesson yet has twice won the sport’s most prestigious tournament. Pay no mind to how those green jackets would clash with the shirtless overalls he sported as a “Golf Boy.” Never meanin’ no harm, he actually bought a signed, original Dukes of Hazzard “General Lee”—complete with the stars and bars—and last year in Phoenix he hovercrafted above fairways, sand and water and all over the internet. He’s a teetotaling Christian husband and father of two adopted children who hits a pink driver 330 yards and Tweets to 1.5 million followers. Like Jack, Phil, Rory and Tiger, he’s identified by one name: Bubba.

What’s not to like? Well, there are cynics who question whether Bubba Watson is less of a good ol’ boy and more of a good ol’ brand.

But whatever your feelings about his authenticity, he comes by his affection and respect for our military men and women honestly.

They’re hardwired into his DNA. Those feelings no doubt stem from his growing up in Bagdad— Florida, that is—where his late father, a Green Beret and Vietnam veteran, taught his 6-year-old son how to play the game that would change his life.

We saw Bubba wear his emotions on his short-sleeve at the 2011 U.S. Open, when he played in camouflage pants, a star-spangledbelt-buckle and an army green shirt in support of military outreach.

We also saw him form, with his wife Angie, the Bubba Watson Foundation, which emphasizes helping “the physical, spiritual, and social development of children, young adults and those associated with the U.S. Military.”

And on July 27, 88 lucky golfers will get to see Bubba’s commitment in full swing at The Club at Ravenna in Littleton. The longest hitter on the PGA Tour will join Medal of Honor Recipient Salvatore Guinta as the guests of honor at the 2nd Annual Ravenna Invitational Supporting Infinite Hero Foundation.

Bubba will do an exhibition for all in attendance before the 11 a.m. shotgun start. He’ll then play six holes each with three foursomes that have each paid $25,000 for the privilege (at press time, one remained available). After golf, he, Giunta and the event’s co-chairman, former Army paratrooper and Ravenna club member Neil Duncan, will hold a “fireside chat” that promises to be more inspiring than

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watching Bubba drive Ravenna’s 369-yard opening hole.

In 2010, Giunta, a former United States Army sergeant now living in Fort Collins, became the first living person since the Vietnam War HONORED GUEST: Savatore Giunta.

to receive the Medal of Honor, the U.S. military’s highest decoration for valor. During a lethal October 25, 2007 ambush in Afghanistan, Giunta saved the lives of numerous squad members. His wellreceived memoir, Living with Honor, rates as one of the most raw and compelling accounts written about the longest war in U.S. history.

Duncan has an equally inspiring story. In 2005, while serving in Afghanistan in the same 173rd airborne unit as Giunta, he lost both of his legs in an IED explosion. With the help of intense rehabilitation and prosthetics, Duncan has summited the tallest peaks on three continents—Aconcagua (South America), Kilimanjaro (Africa) and Denali (North America)—and plays golf at Ravenna. “Golf is a great sport for rehab,” he says. “It’s peaceful and it involves a lot of critical aspects of core strength, balance and traversing difficult terrain.”

An MBA from the University of Denver, Duncan is also one of 10 members on the grant committee for the event’s beneficiary, the Infinite Hero Foundation. With Oakley, Inc., as its founding corporate partner, the three-year-old foundation has already granted $2 million to companies and programs that drive innovation, accessibility and effective treatments for military heroes and families struggling with service-related mental and physical injuries. Three of the 10 recipients thus far are the rehabilitative Vail Veterans Program, Rebuilding America’s Warriors (R.A.W.) and the Airpower Foundation, which July 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

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RISING UP: Paralyzed veteran Gary Linfoot walks with his exoskeleton.

2015 CAGGY Award Winner

Best Course for Women

LakewoodGolf.org | 11500 W. Hampden Ave. | 720.963.5181

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created the Ekso Bionics exoskeleton worn last year by paralyzed fighter pilot Gary Linfoot at Ravenna’s inaugural Infinite Hero Invitational.

“To watch him rise up from the chair, stand up and walk was such a moving experience for everyone,” remembers Ravenna Managing Partner Kevin Collins. “He never thought he would be able to see anyone eyeto-eye again.”

With his father, father-in-law and son all Marines, Collins has a special connection to the military. “We cannot support our veterans enough for their service and sacrifice to our country,” he says. “Due to the importance

of the cause and its initial suc- Ravenna and Bubba Watson to help contincess (last year’s event, which ue our progress and commitment to driving came together in less than two change and long term solutions to improve months and featured keynote the lives of veterans across America,” says speaker Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin, Oakley CEO Colin Baden, who founded raised almost $100,0000) we are Infinite Hero after becoming increasingly committed to making this The frustrated by the lack of resources available Club at Ravenna’s flagship char- to help returning military personnel.

Oakley’s commitment is more than just ity event.”

Collins can also take pride good publicity. In addition to outfitting golfin having a flagship club at ers like Bubba, the Southern California-headwhich to hold it. After surviv- quartered company has for decades opering the recession, the club has ated an innovative, forward-thinking tactical experienced a renaissance at division. Working with Special Operations its 634-acre property near Wa- forces and other military personnel, Oakley terton Canyon. Subtle HERO SHOTS: Ravenna’s epic layout will challenge the 88 massaging to a numplayers in the the club’s signature charity event. ber of holes have made the eye-popping Jay Morrish-designed golf course more playable than ever, and sales on the membership and luxury real estate fronts have been brisk.

“We are honored to have the support of likeminded partners like The Club at

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down the track, the retired Air Force sergeant carries an Infinite Hero Foundation challenge coin, which he then signs with the track location and speed of the pass. For a $100 donation, fans can purchase one in his pit area or at the Oakley trailer.

Coincidentally, on Sunday, July 26, the day before Ravenna’s 2nd Annual Infinite Hero Invitational, Beckman will be racing just 16 miles north (about four minutes at 320 INFINITE WISDOM: Neil Duncan, Jerry Boykin, Mari and Gary Linfoot mph) at Bandimere Speedway and Kevin Collins (left to right) at last year’s inaugural event. in the 36th Mopar Mile-High has developed numerous technologies and NHRA Nationals. He and his Infinite Hero products to improve the safety, performance funny car will appear at Ravenna the followand comfort of the gear worn by the men ing day. and women whose lives depend on it.

So will Bubba Watson. After all, the “GenTo raise awareness and funding for Infi- eral Lee” is a Dodge Charger, too. Seriously, nite Hero, Oakley has created special-edition though, as Kevin Collins says, “It’s pretty products bearing the foundation’s purple em- exciting to have someone of his caliber blem. And thanks to a generous donation from come to Ravenna. He has made time in his NHRA super-sponsor Terry Chandler, racing schedule. His support and interest levels in fans can also see the emblem throughout the supporting this cause and event have been 2015 Mello Yello Drag Racing season on the extremely positive.” CAG Infinite Hero 2015 Mopar Dodge Charger driven by “Fast Jack” Beckman. On each pass Jon Rizzi is the editor of Colorado AvidGolfer.

Sitzmark Lodge

BRANDED BANDS: Hand-rolled at last year’s event.

2ND ANNUAL RAVENNA INVITATIONAL SUPPORTING INFINITE HERO FOUNDATION DATE & TIME: July 27, 2015 at 11:00 A.M. WHERE: The Club at Ravenna 11118 Caretaker Rd, Littleton COST: $5,000 per foursome (All money goes to the Infinite Hero Foundation, a 501[c][3] charitable organization).

CONTACT: Anna Fine: 720-956-1600; afine@ravennagolf.com MORE INFORMATION: ravennagolf.com or infinitehero.org

We are Vail Village Family-owned and operated since 1974.

Located in the heart of Vail Village on the banks of Gore Creek.

• Outdoor pool and hot tub.

• Fitness room.

• Complimentary parking, continental breakfast, and wifi with no resort fees.

ALL ROOMS FEATURE: • Mountain or Creek view • Balcony • Tempur-pedic beds • Wet bar and refrigerator.

• Some rooms feature gas fireplace.

183 Gore Creek Dr. Vail, CO 81657 www.sitzmarklodge.com • (888) 476-5001

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NEW BOUNCE IN THE SPRINGS A clear vision and consistent reinvestment are bringing some deserved swagger to the Country Club of Colorado at Cheyenne Mountain Resort & Club.

By Jon Rizzi

HAIRY CARRY: The stunning par-3 17th has become even more intimidating.

F BEACHY KEEN: Waterfront activities bring families together.

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OR MORE THAN FOUR decades, the Pete Dye-designed layout at the Country Club of Colorado has challenged golfers with tough carries, deep bunkers and greens that are as glassy as the 35-acre lake on which the course pivots. The horned peaks and dappled flanks of Cheyenne Mountain paint a stunning backdrop for almost every hole, defining and dominating the experience to such a degree that many refer to the place as “Cheyenne Mountain Country Club.�

That name, however, actually belongs to a 125-year-old institution two miles away that plowed under its golf course a century ago coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m

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CUT SHOT: General Managers Rocha and Matthews-Kane open Alluvia in June.

and has no affiliation with the Country Club of Colorado.

The facility that does have a CCOC affiliation is the adjacent Cheyenne Mountain Resort & Club, and it would grossly understate the relationship to say the 316-room resort and conference center gets a few tee times out of the deal. In fact, the club’s letterhead reads “The Country Club of Colorado at Cheyenne Mountain Resort.”

That’s because even though CCOC is an equity club, the global financial giant MassMutual—through its subsidiary, Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers—owns the entire 217-acre property occupied by the club and resort. The same luxury property manager, Benchmark Resorts & Hotels, manages both facilities.

Since 2011, Cornerstone has invested nearly $30 million in upgrades to enhance the experience—both for resort guests, who have full access to the club’s growing array of amenities, as well as for the 1,100 club members, who, in addition to benefiting from all the upgrades and enjoying special pricing at the resort, have not had to pay a dime in assessments.

More than $3 million in upgrades have already taken place this year. “There’s a great vibe and a sense of confidence that comes with continued reinvestment,” says CCOC PGA General Manager Cathy MatthewsKane. “The new spa and fitness center, for example, have rejuvenated the place.”

Matthews-Kane is referring to the Alluvia Spa & Wellness Center, which she and Cheyenne Mountain Resort GM Jay Rocha ceremonially opened at a June 11 ribbon-cutting.

Housed on the first floor of the club’s fitness building and accessed through a separate entrance, the 5,000-square-foot Alluvia features six treatment rooms, manicure and pedicure stations, a private reception lobby and indoor and outdoor meditation and tranquility suites. Reiki master Katherine Bobbitt directs co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m

the spa, where many of the massages, facials, scrubs and other treatments tap into the healing power of indigenous elements.

To make space for the spa, the fitness center moved and expanded to 9,000 square feet over two tiers, replacing the seldom-used racquetball courts and one of the club’s five indoor tennis courts (there are also 12 outdoor ones). Members and guests can now shape up with all the amenities of a top-flight health club—including high-tech equipment, a juice bar and group fitness rooms—and then retreat to a private outdoor lounging patio.

Or they can head to the new multi-use SportCourt for a game of basketball, roller hockey or futsal. Or go for a swim—either indoors, beneath the new bubble over the in-

door pool, or outdoors, in one of three pools or in the lake adjacent to the only beach in Colorado Springs.

The beach also now boasts three firepits for lakeside bonfires and a grassy pitch perfect for having picnics or watching concerts performed on the recently constructed covered stage.

Rocha and Matthews-Kane have driven most of these changes, says Director of Sales and Marketing Curtis Bova. “Their objective, the ownership’s objective, is to broaden our appeal to the more active and health conscious country club member and resort guest,” he says.

“We’re not trying to be exclusive and elite,” says Matthews-Kane. “We’re trying to be a quality family experience with lots of options and activities.”

One of those options, she explains, is dropping off the little ones at Cheyenne Kidz Camp, where they can swim, do crafts, bake treats and let the folks enjoy some couple

PUTT FOR SHOW: The ball doesn’t always break away from Cheyenne Mountain at this Springs resort.

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time. The camp runs from 9 to 4 daily.

The resort, which had already undergone a renovation in 2011, has also seen recent changes. Serving up killer views of the course, lake and mountain, The Will Rogers Lounge has transformed into Elevations, a “sports gastropub” with expanded seating and a fullservice outdoor deck that now connects to the rest of the outdoor seating area, including the Mountain View Restaurant terrace, where you

can now make gourmet s’mores with peanut butter, banana chips, caramel and other treats.

Elevations also serves eight beers on tap, including 6035, a pilsner made by Phantom Canyon Brewery exclusively for Cheyenne Mountain Resort and named for the number of feet in elevation at which the lounge perches.

Always looking to elevate the member and guest experience, Cheyenne Mountain Resort and Club provisionally plans to upgrade the

SUITE HEARTH: Quality products and finishes appoint the resort’s 316 rooms

meeting rooms, guest rooms and Mountain View Restaurant early next year. The Pineview Restaurant in the CCOC clubhouse will also undergo a facelift, with a seldomused windowless meeting room turning into a gaming area for kids (or golfers who can’t stop competing after their rounds). Pavilions to hold weddings and other events are also under consideration.

One area that won’t undergo refurbishing

PROTEAN PLAYGROUND: The new SportCourt welcomes hoops, hockey, futsal and more.

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JUNIOR BELIEVER: Award-winning Director of Instruction Ann Finke instructs Emma Ross.

is the golf course. That happened in 2013.

Under the direction of Evergreen-based Phelps-Atkinson Course Design, the course underwent a $4 million spruce-up. “We took out two bunkers and added a total of seven new ones,” says principal Rick Phelps. “All of them are in the flat-bottomed, steep-faced early Dye style.” Phelps also added about 150 yards (it now tips at 7,150), rebuilt tees and greens and, among other modifications, made the water-carry par-three 17th “even more intimidating.”

Perhaps the least intimidating aspect at the Country Club of Colorado remains PGA Director of Instruction Ann Finke, winner of the PGA of America’s 2010 Junior Golf Leader of the Year award. Talk about kidfriendly! “We’re rocking!” Finke says between lessons. “We have a new influx of young families joining. We’re doing PGA junior league, and a Drive, Chip and Putt qualifier on July 14. It’s like kid, kid, kid—which is awesome.

The management here really walks the talk when it comes to family-friendliness. It’s not always like that everywhere else.”

“It’s all really one—the Country Club of Colorado and Cheyenne Mountain Lodge,” explains Bova, who points out that that CCOC opened in 1973, 12 years before the hotel did. “But members who have been here since the early days tell me the property has never looked better.” CAG Jon Rizzi is Colorado AvidGolfer’s editor. For more information: cheyennemountain.com; 800-428-8886

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The Swing Path to World Domination In 20 years, GolfTEC has gone from a basement operation to a global force for golf.

By Jon Rizzi

W

hen Joe Assell graduated from Mississippi State’s Professional Golf Management Program in December of 1994, he seriously considered forsaking a career in the golf industry. “I was more intrigued by the business world,” he says.

Luckily for golfers, he got into both.

After consulting with Cherry Hills Country Club Head PGA Professional Clayton Cole, for whom he had interned the previous summer, Assell became more intrigued by the potential of the high-tech but seldomused Swing Motion Trainer in the basement of the Cherry Hills pro shop. The two decided to bring the SMT to the public, with Assell opening the one-bay shop, called Driving Obsession, in the Denver Tech Center on April 10, 1995. It was such a hit that Mike Clinton, a fellow MSU PGM alum and former Cherry Hills apprentice, joined him later that year.

Twenty years, one name change and more than 5 million lessons later, GolfTEC has

the U.S.—far more than any other employer.

Last year, according to Assell, “we gave roughly 25 percent of all private golf lessons in America. We don’t think we have a competitor with even a one-percent market share. There’s a big gap there.”

How GolfTEC created that gap—and intends to widen it—hinges largely on its everevolving proprietary technology and awardwinning teachers. Beyond that, however, it revolves around what Assell calls “a culture of excellence that permeates everything we do.”

And so, as the company turns 20, herewith 20 examples of GolfTEC excellence.

1. Intelligent capitalization. After the dot-com crash and 9/11, GolfTEC’s funding shriveled. In late 2001, an investment group led by members of Colorado’s Gart family bought into the business as a substantial partner, injecting operational funding and accelerating the company’s expansion. “They continue to be great partners,” Assell says.

3. Creative expansion. In 2003, GolfTEC began offering franchises, ultimately selling 130.

BONING UP: A 1998 screen shot from SKILL, GolfTEC's first motion While existing franchisees continanalysis system. It's currently in its fourth evolution, g-SWING. ued to open learning centers, the become the largest golf instruction provider company three years ago started buying back in the world. With Assell as president and franchises and building new locations. Forty CEO, the Centennial-headquartered compa- former franchises are now under corporate ny now has nearly 200 improvement centers ownership. As of June, GolfTEC owns 85 in the U.S., Canada, Japan and South Korea. of its 175 U.S. locations. Assell wants to buy It employs in excess of 700 people world- back the remaining 90 and open another 175: wide, including 650 PGA Professionals in “The franchisees all know we want to buy

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4. It’s TEC, not TECH. The company’s last three letters suggest technology but don’t abbreviate it. “The T is Technique. The E is Equipment. The C is your conditioning—your body, nutrition, vision, mind, strength, flexibility and stamina,” says Assell, who admits to having only the “T” and “E” boxes checked— so far. The C currently gets subcontracted, but within a few years the company expects to have its own robust product. “There’s a lot of thought behind that name, and we’re working to bring that to life.”

5. Going all in. GolfTEC instructors ask every new client about their goals and how committed he or she is to achieving them.

“We’re very candid with people about whether it will take five, 10, 20 or 40 lessons to get there,” says VP of Instruction and Education Andy Hilts, a GolfTEC employee of 16 years who remembers handing clients VHS tapes of every lesson. “We get their commitment to get better and then we fully commit to helping them get better. That kind of seems like common sense, but the thoroughness with which we approach teaching distinguishes us.”

6. Tech Yeah! Although every instructor these days makes use of video and/or launch monitors, none integrates technology to the level of GolfTEC. In 1998, the rapidly growing company began investing in its own proprietary instruction software and it hasn’t stopped since. “Nobody has all components we have: tour pro averages, biofeedback zones, motion measurement. State-of-the-art motion monitors, web lessons, online scheduling. There’s even a “GolfTEC To Go” moNO ORDINARY JOE: Co-Founder Assael is GolfTEC's CEO and president.

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2. Strategic positioning. In 2004, GolfTEC partnered with Golfsmith, the world’s largest golf retailer, to open in their stores.

Currently 82 GolfTEC locations— slightly fewer than half of those in the U.S.—exist in a Golfsmith.

them back. They’re building good businesses, and I’m their exit strategy.”

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bile app that allows you to submit your swing to your instructor between lessons from a smartphone or tablet and get feedback.

7. Convenience. Swing speed isn’t the only data the company tracks. GolfTEC Improvement Centers tactically open within a 60-second drive of areas with high office density. Instead of driving 30 minutes to a suburban course on your lunch break, you can leave your office at 11, knock out a lesson and be back before 12.

9. One size doesn’t fit all. “Some people say we’re too techy and create cookie-cutter swings,” says Hilts. Nothing could be farther from the truth. “Technology will just optimize

10. Golf isn’t an indoor sport. Every GolfTEC has a relationship with a nearby course. During the warmer months, the company mandates instructors spend at least one day giving playing lessons, helping students with uneven lies, sand shots and shots from the rough.

IMPACT ZONE: Mike Ishizaka, far right, is opening a fifth center in Japan.

11. Brand standards.

Where there’s a GolfTEC, there’s bound to be an operations team member making sure the instructors’ shoes are shined, khakis creased, shirt logoed, and facility spotless.

12. Technology isn’t just for teaching.

GolfTEC has created its own back-office ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system for running the company. The software schedules appointments, records and manages client lessons, and tracks the production of instructors. Today all 650 coaches can see where they rank in order of production—how many lessons given and on the books, sales made, referrals earned.

It flags teachers who fall short. “We’ve built a transparent scorecard so they can see how they’re doing relative to each other,” Assell explains. “They make side bets as to who can give the most lessons. But lessons are how we take care of our customers. Each center should average a minimum of two active lessons booked per client. You can’t make somebody better if they’re not coming in.”

13. Many happy returnees. Orthopedic surgeon Roger Greenberg has had a biweekly appointment at the GolfTEC in Marina Square since the day after the company opened its doors.

“They succeeded where others failed,” says Greenburg, a 68-year-old former 19 handicap who now plays to a 9 at Colorado Golf Club. “I have TENDING THE FLAGSHIP: The DTC improvement center at Marina Square. a very fast tempo and they what you have. We work off of a statistically broke down my swing so I could see what I was based model that gets you closer to a good doing wrong.” He credits Ty Walker, GolfTEC’s golf swing. There’s no one swing. We just use regional manager and the DTC’s director of that as a guide that backs the research. By an- instruction, with helping him accommodate alyzing data of your swing, we can see where changes brought on by age and injury. deficiencies lie and how to correct them in a way that’s doable and repeatable for you. Of14. Client reliant. “They give so many ten it’s the arrows and not the Indian. Opti- lessons, yet they still give personal attention,”

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marvels Bob Hartman, a 55-year-old tech consultant who has taken lessons at the DTC center for as long as it’s been open. “They never just march you through.” This doesn’t surprise Assell: “Everything our coaches live and breathe is about taking care of the clients. We measure it and reward you for it.”

15. Referral madness. Hartman says the biofeedback sensors that buzzed when he turned too far helped get him from a 9.8 index to a 5. After recently playing nine holes with Gary Bomgaards, a 71-year-old who had trouble breaking 60, Hartman recommended GolfTEC. “The first time I saw my swing on the video, I was surprised people weren’t laughing at me,” Bomgaards says. “But after a month of working with instructor Will Ultowski and doing the drills, I shot a 50.”

16. GBOSH. That’s the name of GolfTEC’s annual conference. The acronym for “Go Big Or Stay Home,” reflects the aspirational attitude of management and the uncompromising culture it promotes.

17. GolfTEC is growing. But is it “growing the game”? Assell admits, “We’re not as good as initiatives, like Get Golf Ready, at bringing new people into the game.” But GolfTEC does offer an across-the-board 30 percent discount to kids, with whom the videogame-like technology resonates. Plus, Assell says, “The National Golf Foundation has correlated handicap to spending. The lower your handicap, the more you spend on golf. Last year, the average handicap improvement among GolfTEC customers was seven shots. So what am I doing to grow the game? I’m lowering the handicaps of tens of thousands of people who statistically should be spending more money on golf.”

18. Winners, all. GolfTEC produced numerous state high school champions across the country last year, and instructors regularly receive Sectional PGA awards. Every cencoloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m

A l l p h o t o g r a p h s C o u rt e s y o f G o l f TE C

8. Schooling = Scalability. Before they are allowed to teach in a GolfTEC Learning Center, all instructors must go to GolfTEC University, a month-long education process most graduates consider more sophisticated than what they went through to become a PGA pro. In addition to the process, methodology, technology and data involved, instructors learn the GolfTEC approach to customer relationship management, club-fitting and more.

This indoctrination, combined with continuing ed via webinars, allows replication because the method is information-dependent, not teacherdependent. “Great teachers like Butch Harmon or Hank Haney can’t replicate themselves,” explains Assell. “They can’t get 600 guys around the country to think like they think, so they can’t have a scalable model. By replicating the collection and use of data and the measurement against it, we have infinite scalability.”

mizing your equipment can also make a huge difference.”

INSIDE JOB: After adjusting his client's backswing position, instructor Andy Hilts compares the pleasing result with the swing of a PGA Tour pro.

ter celebrates member accomplishments—a tournament victory, hole-in-one, personal best round—on its Wall of Fame.

19. Success breeds loyalty. Walker, Hilts and Vice President of Business Development Steve Bauerle have all worked at GolfTEC for at least 16 years. “It’s not like we’re this old mature company, which is what we should be considered at 20,” says Assell. “We have a today-is-the-beginning-of-the-next-20-years attitude. There’s a ton of energy and passion.”

20. Only 600 more stores to go.

With 175 stores in the U.S., Assell thinks GolfTEC is halfway to U.S. capacity. “And then the world can hold another 400 to 450. So collectively, we’re at about 200 of 800. We’re big, but we’re only at about 25 percent of what we think we can do.”

Jon Rizzi is Colorado AvidGolfer’s editor. GolfTEC has eight Improvement Centers on the Front Range. For more information, visit golftec.com or call 877-446-5383 co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m

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SPLITTING ADAMS After eight years of anonymity, Eagle’s luxury golf development reboots with a new owner and a chill name—Frost Creek—that’s on everyone’s lips.

By Jon Lawrence Pitt

WORK OF ART: Frost Creek’s resplendent and reachable par-5 14th.

G

OLF IN THE VAIL VALLEY IS about to get even better. No, there won’t be another course built or resort developed in the foreseeable future. The painfully slow and expensive EPA regulatory process and a declining number of golfers have seen to that. But Adam’s Mountain Golf Club, perhaps Eagle County’s best-kept golf secret, has undergone a rebrand under new ownership.

Say hello to Frost Creek.

Rebranding any well-known product can be tricky. Think Radio Shack. Oh, you weren’t aware it attempted a rebrand? That’s because about an hour after launching the campaign, it got pulled. In a seriously flawed strategy to become hip, they renamed it “The Shack” and hired Lance Armstrong as their spokesperson. Forget that their middle-aged and technology-challenged core customer simply relied on Radio Shack to have one of “those thingies” that you plug into “this thingy.” Nope, they wanted to plug into a whole new demographic. They’re now in bankruptcy.

It can be particularly tricky when you’re rebranding a golf property.

Ask Larry Ellison, the CEO of Oracle and owner of about 95 per-

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cent of the Hawaiian Island of Lana’i, including its two high-end golf courses. The Experience at Koele and the Challenge at Manele, both brawny and provocative beasts as their names suggest, with celebrity architects in Greg Norman and Jack Nicklaus, have new logos and new names. And the new names are….wait for it…Lana’i Golf Koele and Lana’i Golf Manele. A little underwhelming for sure. Sort of a name neutering. And for this, Ellison reportedly not only paid a hefty fee, he also hosted a sunset cruise on his mega-yacht complete with complimentary mai tais.

Chad Brue knows all this.

A 4 handicap and the head of the Denver-based investment group Brue Capital, Brue teamed up with Vail-based entrepreneur Dan Bennett and a number of high-net-worth Denver-area investors to purchase the Adam’s Rib Ranch development in Eagle, which includes the Adams Mountain Country Club and its Tom Weiskopf designed course. Four years ago, at the ripe old age of 37, the former CBRE wunderkind cashed out of a brilliant career in commercial real estate after he and his team brokered more than $6.2 billion in deals in a single year. coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m

P H O T O G R A P H S C O U RT E S Y O F F R O S T C R E E K .

He wanted to see the world. So that’s just what he did. After 150 days of globetrotting with only a rucksack on his back and one very sturdy credit card in his wallet, he returned home and built his own company. Currently, its portfolio includes 77,000 square feet of a new office and retail development called The Lab in downtown Denver in the historic Platte neighborhood and 480,000 square feet of commercial real estate, mostly in Denver.

And now, a pretty little golf Shangri-la in Eagle County.

This guy’s not afraid, so the notion of a total rebrand didn’t phase him.

“Honestly, it wasn’t that challenging because the Adam’s Rib name didn’t have much of a following,” says Brue. “People would ask me ‘Where’s Adam’s Rib?’ Plus we only had 32 members when we bought it so it was pretty easy to manage.”

Among the first orders of business was a name change.

But “Frost” Creek? Why not “Shank” River?

“Definitely the word ‘frost’ had concerns for us. No one with a morning tee time at a mountain course likes to hear that word,” concedes Brue. “ But we learned shortly after we purchased the property that someone had reached out to us and said their great grandfather was buried somewhere on our land and wanted permission to come out and find his headstone.”

That would be W.E. Frost, an early settler on the property in the 1880s. “We just thought that it would be a great tribute to him and the history of this place,” Brue explains. “Not to mention, Frost Creek is the name of the stream that bisects the property.”

Immediate plans call for improving the non-golf facets of the property. The pool area and sport courts will get attention and a

MEMBER MANSE: The 40,000-square-foot clubhouse is already seeing more activity than ever before.

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

trail system will connect the entire property including the home sites. All with the intent to attract a younger, more family-oriented membership with a broader scope of activities like hiking, biking and fishing on the more than 5 miles of streams and creeks.

What won’t change—other than perhaps adding some length with new tee boxes in

And while Frost Creek is technically a mountain course with some dramatic elevation changes, at only about 6,400 feet above sea level, the weather is generally warmer than the courses closer to Beaver Creek and Vail, and hence the season is a bit longer.

Best of all, it avoids the gimmicky trappings— the 140 yard par 3 that drops so far down

GIMMICK-FREE GOLF: Holes like the long par-3 8th make strategic use of the spectacular setting.

the future—is the golf course.

Simply put, the 18-hole Tom Weiskopf design built in 2007 is nothing short of spectacular.

Start with immaculate perfectly groomed tee boxes and greens that Gary McCord might “wax” eloquent about and beg comparison to the very best in the state. And that’s not so over-the-top when you consider that Frost Creek’s Superintendent, Tim Taagen, interned at Augusta National.

your ears pop on the cart ride down to the green of some mountain courses—that are often more eye candy than golf hole.

The views, as you would expect, are handsome, and 10 holes play around or adjacent to water. But it’s the layout that commands your attention.

As anyone who has played one of his courses knows, Weiskopf ’s signature design element is the drivable par 4, and Frost Creek has two.

The 341-yard downhill par-4 fourth is an “I-didn’t-come-all-the-way-to-Eagle-tolay-up” hole if you’re feeling frisky, and the smart play on the classic risk-reward 13th is long iron or rescue off the tee leaving a short wedge in. But IQ typically shrinks about 20 points when an amateur steps up to this tee box. Or as the “Tips from the Pro” sheet puts it, “We both know you’re going for it. Make an eagle.” It’s only 297 yards from the member’s tee. Swing hard in case you hit it.

It’s really the tale of two sides, with the front more wide open, right in front of you and quiet enough to hear a tee drop. That’s the result of the nearly 100 home sites being just that: sites, not homes.

The inward nine is really where the golf course shines and the volume gets cranked July 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

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up. With a swollen Brush Creek roaring behind lots of native grasses and towering trees, the 13th through the 15th are an impressive stretch, especially the short par 5 14th. A blind uphill drive leaves a vexing conundrum. Will it be 3 wood downhill over the creek protecting the promised land, or a properly laid-up second shot to the end of the fairway? The latter leaves a pitching wedge into a green whose setting is golf portraiture at its most striking, as if Weiskopf channeled Monet when he framed the complex with the best of what Mother Nature has to offer in a mountain setting.

The competition for golfers is stiff up here but Head PGA Professional John McIntyre believes Frost Creek compares favorably with all of it: “From a pure golf perspective, we’re an enjoyable, scoreable, and playable course for a wide range of handicaps. The fairways are mercifully wide but our defense is the putting surfaces which roll at 11.5 typically.”

The nearly 2,700-acre property sports a 40,000-square-foot clubhouse with Olympic-sized pool, tennis court, fishing rights in Brush Creek and a variety of rental and ownership opportunities, including five new construction homes, five member cabins, 91 finished residential lots and a working 1,553-acre ranch.

“It’s like almost nowhere else in the country in that it’s effectively a blank canvas with incredible flexibility because all of the infrastructure’s already in place,” says Garrett Simon, a partner with Meriwether Companies, the Colorado-based company that is managing the golf and development for Brue Capital. “The capital it takes to start something like this from scratch, especially a resort-type property, is grossly prohibitive.”

Former owner Fred Kummer and his HBE Corporation spent an estimated $100 million in acquiring the land and building it out since 1973. While his vision of a exclusive enclave for one-percenters willing to shell out $150,000 to join may have been realized in Aspen or Vail or even Telluride when the development opened in 2007, it didn’t work in Eagle.

“The old model of your grandfather’s country club is a dying breed and marketing concept,” says Brue. As is the notion of writing a check north of a hundred grand for initiation into Grandpa’s club. “Right now, our membership costs significantly less than the other clubs in the Vail Valley,” he says.

While Frost Creek membership is officially “by invitation only,” interested prospects can submit the necessary paperwork, and coloradoavidgo lf e r.c o m

BRAND NEW LUXURY LIVING IN CHERRY HILLS

P h o t o g r a p h s c o u rt e s y o f F r o s t C r e e k .

WET A FLY: Water appears on 10 holes and flows along five miles of streams and creeks with fishing rights.

SOMETIMES, THE BEST PLACE TO TEE OFF FROM IS HOME.

VINTAGE WEISKOPF: At 365 yards from the tips, the 4th is the longer of Frost Creek’s two drivable par 4s.

after review, an invitation is extended or not.

Nobody at the club will quote specific initiation fees or dues, but since the Brue purchase for a reported $21 million in March, the club has more than doubled the number of members.

“There really has been a buzz among locals since the announcement was made of an ownership change,” longtime Vail resident and avid golfer James Deighan says.

Value is a big part of it. At one point Kummer had lots priced at $2 million but the new pricing model for those same lots now ranges from $175,000 to $600,000.

“Fred just had overpriced everything,” explains Brue. “He built the course in ’07, the homes in ’08 and the clubhouse in ’09, and co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m

was simply a victim of bad timing relative to the economy—and he refused or was unable to change his pricing to reflect the reality of today’s economy.” To underscore his point and new pricing model, all five of the new construction homes are under contract after sitting empty for nearly seven years.

So Mr. Kummer’s developmental downfall in the Rockies could be a Colorado golfer’s windfall. They’re sellin’ real golf club membership value in them thar hills. And, let’s face it: Value never needs rebranding.

After 37 years in radio, Jon Lawrence Pitt now writes mostly about golf. He claims his handicap is poor eye-hand coordination and a weakness for brown liquor. For more information about Frost Creek, visit frostcreek.com or call 888-760-2326.

Welcome home to a wealth of amenities including– SWING Virtual golf simulator BREATHE Yoga studio CLUB FIT Fitness center & steam rooms CINEMA Theatre & media room FETCH Pet play area RETREAT Open air pools & spas and that’s just the beginning ...

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July 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

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Golf

A quantifiable quiz on the HealthONE Colorado Open.

S

lope, rating, par, cut lines, purses, yardage, Stimp, swing speed, MOI, smash factor, ball compression… Golf is all about numbers. Even the title sponsor of the HealthONE Colorado Open has one in its name. On July 23-26, for the 51st time, 156 players will compete in the four-day, 72-hole championship at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club. In honor of the 12th and final year of HealthONE’s title sponsorship, see if you can match the inquiry below with the appropriate integer.

1. What single-round record-setting score did Nick Mason card at Green Valley Ranch in 2013?

2. What year did Hale Irwin claim low amateur?

TRIVIA

|

PUZZLERS

games Of

What’s the Number?

3. Record number of times the late Dave Hill won the Colorado Open?

4. How many World Golf Hall of Famers have played in the Colorado Open?

5. Number of venues at which Bill Loeffler won the Colorado Open?

6. How many aces have been recorded in the history of the Open?

7. What place did Phil Mickelson finish in 1990 just prior to winning the U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills?

8. Record number of strokes under par set by Derek Tolan in 2009?

9. Which green did Zahkai Brown drive on Sunday to make eagle and win in 2013?

10. Number of Major Championships won by Colorado Open participants?

11. How many players have won the event as both an amateur a professional?

12. How many Colorado Open champions or low amateurs have at least one win on the PGA Tour?

A. 10

C. 18

E. 3

G. 67

I. 4

K. 5

B. 62

D. 15

F. 35

H. 1

J. 22

L. 14

For the answers, visit coloradoavidgolfer.com 96

Colorado AvidGolfer | July 2015

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