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Golf Courses of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains
By Christine Loomis
Some of the most sought-after vacation spots in the world sit in the all-encompassing grandeur of the Colorado Rockies. While Aspen and Vail are arguably the most renowned of these, Colorado has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to exquisite spots in which to vacation—and perhaps more importantly, in which to play golf. Whether you love the low-key, casual ambience of Grand County, the wine country and national monuments of Grand Junction, the authentic western vibe of Steamboat or the exclusive shopping and dining that invariably follows a round of golf in Aspen and Vail, you have a multitude of championship courses to choose from.
ASPEN
Aspen Golf Club, Aspen (aspenrecreation.com)
Golfweek named this course the No. 21 Best Municipal Golf Course in the nation, 2009-2010, with good reason. It stretches 7,156 yards through the heart of the Rockies, in one of the most celebrated towns in all of Colorado, yet its greens fees are as low as $39 in low season and only $129 at the height of the season.
Lakota Canyon Ranch, New Castle (lakotacanyonranch.com)
Located 10 miles west of Glenwood Springs, this Jim Engh-designed championship course winds below the Flat Tops Wilderness Area in a valley that allows for golf nine months out of the year. Balls really fly from elevated tee boxes with 100-foot drops to the fairway below.
River Valley Ranch Golf Club, Carbondale (rvrgolf.com)
The Crystal River Valley encompasses native grasses, rolling hills, wetlands and riparian corridors against the backdrop of Mt. Sopris. Since opening in 1998, this course has received raves, including being named among the Top 10 You Can Play by Golf Magazine.
Snowmass Club, Snowmass (snowmassclub.com)
Designed by Coloradoan Jim Engh to be a visual masterpiece with memorable challenges—Engh didn’t shy away from integrating particularly demonic bunkers into his layout—the Snowmass Club Golf Course is also a golfing experience to savor and enjoy, helped along by five sets of tees to accommodate all levels.
Ironbridge Golf Club, Glenwood Springs (ironbridgeclub.com)
This 7,224-yard semi-private course was designed by Arthur Hills to incorporate the mountain landscape’s rollicking elevation changes, stands of shimmery aspens and native grasses. It’s a striking course that fits perfectly in with the town Golf Digest ranked among America’s Greatest Golf Home Towns.
GRAND COUNTY
Grand Lake Golf Course, Grand Lake (grandlakerecreation.com)
It’s hard to beat a course set at 8,420 feet above sea level and bordering magnificent Rocky Mountain National Park. The narrow fairways demand accurate shot making—that is when you’re not distracted by the soaring snow-tipped peaks or perhaps a resident elk or moose moseying by.
Grand Elk Golf Club, Granby (grandelk.com)
Champions tour great Craig Stadler and partner Tripp Davis channeled Scottish heathland-style golf when they created this Rocky Mountain course located between four-season Winter Park Resort and the boating meccas of Grand Lake and Lake Granby. Playing to 7,100 yards with five sets of tees, the course is both enjoyable and creatively challenging.
Headwaters Golf Course, Granby (granbyranch.com)
Winding through Granby Ranch, home to family friendly Sol Vista Basin ski area, Headwaters Golf Course is the perfect blend of challenge and reward, a mountain layout melding panoramic vistas with play along wetlands and the meandering Frasier River.
Pole Creek Golf Club, Winter Park (polecreekgolf.com)
The Pole Creek course is all about drop-dead gorgeous alpine vistas, dramatic elevation changes and stands of majestic lodgepole pines lining rolling fairways. A setting so superb 18 holes couldn’t do it justice, Pole Creek offers 27 holes, three distinct nines whose names tell the story of the experience: The Ranch, The Meadow, The Ridge. One pro even claimed that The Ridge nine has “the most spectacular view in Colorado.” Play it and decide for yourself.
GRAND JUNCTION
Golf Club at Redlands Mesa, Grand Junction (redlandsmesa.com)
It has been likened to playing golf along the bottom of the Grand Canyon, with the Garden of the Gods thrown in. However you describe it, this course has one of the most evocative settings of any golf course in Colorado, at the base of the soaring pink and red sandstone towers of Colorado National Monument. The grandeur of the surrounding landscape makes it feel like an extraordinary privilege to play here—regardless of what the scorecard says.
Tiara Rado Golf Course, Grand Junction (golfgrandjunction.net)
Owned by the city of Grand Junction and a certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Golf Course since 1997, Tiara Rado is a Western Slope beauty with views of the Grand Mesa and the dramatic Bookcliffs. Don’t let the idea of a city-owned course give you pause; Tiara Rado offers plenty of challenge and an abundance of enjoyable play.
STEAMBOAT
Haymaker Golf Course, Steamboat Springs (haymakergolf.com)
Known as a true golfer’s course, city-owned Haymaker has no houses or developments along its fairway. Instead, Haymaker revels in the natural and historical landscape of the Yampa Valley, which has long balanced a pastoral setting and a rich ranching heritage. Haymaker is also certified through the Audubon International Signature Program.
Rollingstone Ranch Golf Club, Steamboat Springs (rollingstoneranchgolf.com)
It’s a winning combination—a course designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. and a facility managed by the incomparable Troon Golf, the folks who decided that players at public and resort courses should and could have the same level of service and quality of experience enjoyed by players at private clubs. Rollingstone Ranch measures up to that mission with ease.
Yampa Valley Golf Course, Craig (yampavalleygolf.com)
Located about 50 minutes from Steamboat, Yampa Valley Golf Course opened in 1968. It’s labeled “the most affordable 18-hole facility in northwest Colorado and the Steamboat Springs area,” and among its charms is a location along the idyllic Yampa River. This is a great choice for an afternoon of family golf.
SUMMIT COUNTY
Breckenridge Golf Club, Breckenridge (townofbreckenridge.com)
The town of Breckenridge has long boasted that it’s the only municipality in the world to own a Jack Nicklaus-designed 27-hole golf course. The original 18 opened in 1985, and Nicklaus designed another nine in 2001. Together, they make for 27 holes of exceptional play—municipal or otherwise.
Copper Creek Golf Course, Copper Mountain (coppercolorado.com)
Labeled the Highest Championship Golf Course in America, Copper Creek was designed by Pete and Perry Dye with shot-distracting views of the Ten Mile Range and Summit County’s gorgeous high country. The front nine meanders through alpine meadows, mountain streams and stands of lofty pines; the back nine cuts through forest and the remains of a 19th-century mining town.
Keystone Ranch, Keystone (keystoneresort.com)
Robert Trent Jones, Jr. designed this course melding two distinct influences: Scottish links style on the front nine and a classic mountain valley layout on the back. Numerous bunkers make accurate shot-making imperative.
The River Course, Keystone (keystoneresort.com)
Michael Hurdzan says this about the philosophy that design team Hurdzan-Fry employs: “Our philosophy is to design golf courses that stir the spirit, exceed expectation and defy understanding. In doing this, golf becomes a complex puzzle requiring strength, skill and strategy.” The team succeeded admirably with the River Course at Keystone.
Raven Golf Club at Three Peaks, Silverthorne (ravenatthreepeaks.com)
Lauded by Golf Magazine at a Top 10 Course You Can Play in the U.S., the Raven at Three Peaks delivers a superb mountain golf experience—some call it one of the best in the entire state of Colorado. PGA veteran Tom Lehman teamed up with Hurdzan-Fry to create a truly spectacular layout in a location only an hour from Denver and minutes from Vail.
VAIL VALLEY
Beaver Creek Golf Club, Beaver Creek (beavercreek.com)
Straight shooters will do well on this striking mountain course with narrow fairways and drop-offs that make reclaiming errant balls near impossible. Not to worry; the views, quality of experience and distance gained on a well-hit shot at this altitude conspire to bring a smile to a golfer’s face, regardless of the number of balls lost.
The Club at Cordillera, Edwards (cordillera-vail.com)
Cordillera’s Summit, Mountain and Valley courses each offer 18 holes of distinctive golf, at altitudes ranging from 7,150 feet on the valley floor to nearly 9,200 feet close to Cordillera’s summit. Each course was designed by a master—Nicklaus, Irwin and Fazio, respectively. Dave Pelz’s Short Course is one of just two in the world and the place to perfect your all-important short game.
Eagle Ranch Golf Club, Eagle (eagleranchgolf.com)
This Arnold Palmer Signature Design course has hosted a qualifier for the Colorado Open for the past several years. In spite of that status, it remains a friendly place where golfers of all abilities can be challenged, hone skills and play a thoroughly enjoyable round of golf.
Eagle Vail Golf Club, Avon (eaglevailgolfclub.com)
Although its location between the villages of Vail and Beaver Creek puts it firmly at high altitude, this layout is as much gentle river course as challenging mountain course, providing players with a dynamic, versatile experience.
Gypsum Creek Golf Course, Gypsum (gypsumcreekgolf.com)
The town of Gypsum purchased the Cotton Ranch Golf Club in January of 2010, renaming it Gypsum Creek Golf Course. Now a full public facility with semi-private origins, the Pete Dye-designed championship course is a must-play in the Vail Valley.
Red Sky Golf Club, Wolcott (redskygolfclub.com)
Semi-private and open to guests of select Vail Valley hotels, Red Sky is famous as the home of two superb courses. Tom Fazio and Greg Norman designed layouts that, while markedly different, nicely complement each other to create two days of extraordinary golf.
Sonnenalp Golf Club, Edwards (sonnenalpgolfclub.com)
The golf course of the famed Sonnenalp Resort in Vail easily lives up to its impeccable credentials. Melding a Scottish links style with mountain flair, the course is framed by Rocky Mountain vistas and exudes a sophisticated, private-club aura.
Vail Golf Club, Vail (vailgolfclub.net)
Tree-lined and mostly flat by mountain course standards, this layout offers plenty of challenge in the form of strategically placed bunkers and natural beaver ponds that test accuracy. Best of all, it’s a delight to play.
Christine Loomis is a staff editor and writer with Colorado Golf Magazine |
