Colorado — a
Wonderful Golf Destination
By BRUCE VITTNER
It is so great to hit a drive almost 300 yards. Never mind that
you are playing at 8,600
feet and many of the holes are steep downhill. Getting on a
520-yard par 5 is something this writer only dreams of, but now
I can brag about it. Forget missing that ten-footer for eagle, I
was on in two!
The mountains of Colorado offer that light air that makes the
ball seem to hang in the sky for extra seconds and travel
inordinate distances. It also provides some of the best mountain
vistas you could ever see. How about being told to hit your
drive straight over the bull elk below in the fairway who was
munching on grass with his brood behind him? Didn’t want to top
that drive; and we were careful to traverse slowly around him
and his six-foot horns while we went to our balls. How about
seeing snow-capped mountains in the middle of September while
playing in shirtsleeves?
OSG had the chance to venture to Colorado to play with
the Rocky Mountain Golf Writers in the Granby/Grand Lake region
about 80 miles northwest of Denver and about 3,000 feet higher.
What a treat and what a golf trip for you to consider.
Grand Lake is adjacent to Rocky Mountain National Forest and is
where the Continental Divide is located. Rivers west of the
divide run to the Pacific, and east run to the Atlantic Ocean.
In fact, where we were playing was where the Colorado River
begins its long run to the Pacific that carved out the Grand
Canyon and filled Lake Mead.
There are four courses in the area, and each has its own niche.
The four courses are included in a golf package that saves $125
on the greens fees no matter where you are staying. We stayed at
the Inn at Silver Creek in Granby. It sits in an Alpine Meadow
and is less than five minutes from three of the four courses,
and Grand Lake G.C. is only 20 minutes away.
The first course we tried was Headwaters (appropriately named)
G.C. at Granby Ranch. You actually see some of Frazier River
running through the property that eventually flows into the
Colorado. Mike Asmundson of Scottsdale designed the course. He
can be proud. The two nines are very different. The front has is
in a mountain valley with wetlands and ponds. The huge bunkering
makes for cautious placement of drives and also accurate shots
to the greens. Play the par 4 sixth as a par 5, it is that
tough.
The backside has more elevation changes and forced carries
across ponds. Jack Nicklaus Design Group is going to be doing
work on the backside, but not much is needed. The course is
perfectly manicured with large, undulating greens. Sagebrush is
found throughout the course if you get off the fairways, and,
trust me, it is hard to find your ball in it. A nice feature of
the course is the huge collection areas around the greens.
Getting up and down will keep your score lower.
Grand Lake G.C. was the one we had to hit over elk. We also saw
moose on our ride to the course. Their logo is a fox, because
there is a fox that often comes out onto the 18th green to steal
golf balls. Lodge pole pines line most of the fairways and the
Rocky Mountains are in view on most of the holes on this course
that was built in 1964 and is by far the oldest in the area.
This was the least difficult of the four courses, but watch out
for the par 3 eleventh and the tough eighteenth over a pond.
The third day we ventured to Pole Creek G.C. This course sits at
8,600 feet and was the site of my 300-yard drive. They have
three nines on the property and each is quite different. We
played the Ridge and the Meadow nines. As imagined, the Ridge
had large elevation changes on most every hole. Number 4 was the
most difficult—a long par 4, dogleg left with a pond in front of
the green. A good drive left a downhill shot to an elevated
green. Can’t be short, and it’s tough to get up and down from
the rough behind it. Number 9 plays 532 yards from the white
(our tees) and 556 from the back. From tee to green you drop
about 150 feet. Hit your drive long and straight and it will
roll forever or at least to the 200-yard marker. Aim for the
slope on the right side of the green and your ball will kick on
and avoid the large bunker in front. Try to do a better job with
your eagle putt than this writer.
The Meadow is just that. Just try to stay out of the wetlands
(Pole Creek—that also flows into the Colorado) that abound
throughout this nine. Par the seventh, a tough dogleg left par 5
that requires three good shots to an uphill green, and you can
be quite proud. The Ranch nine is named because the holes
meander down to a dude ranch that sits next to the course. Lodge
pole pines line most of the fairways on the Ridge nine and some
of the holes on the other two nines. The greens are slick and
tricky.
The last course we played in Granby was Elk Creek. The newest of
the four courses, it opened in 2002. It was designed by Craig
Stadler and Tripp Davis and was intended to resemble a Scottish
heath land course. At 7,206 from the tips it is the longest of
the four, but the blues at 6,411 seemed to be the best length to
play. There are no trees on the course, but there is plenty of
trouble. It is supposed to play fast and firm like the courses
in Scotland, and the designers have succeeded. The ball seemed
to run forever, making the holes play shorter than were listed.
The severely undulating greens will make you truly concentrate
to avoid three putting, but the pencross bentgrass greens were
as perfect as any I’ve ever putted.
Craig Stadler was playing the course a few days before we were
there and he found the best Chinese restaurant around called the
Pearl Dragon that is five minutes from the course and the Inn at
Silver Creek. At each of the four courses the vistas of the
snow-capped mountains are amazing.
Mike Klaney of the Resort Management Group, our hosts, talked
about Colorado. “The sunny blue skies, spectacular scenery and
four championship courses makes the Granby area a wonderful golf
destination. We have all types of accommodations available from
condos, to beautiful homes for the golf travelers, and there are
many other great outdoor activities in the area,” said Klaney
who is available at 970-887-7125 or go to
www.golfgrand.com.
No trip to Colorado would be complete without a trip to Pikes
Peak in Colorado Springs— about three hours away from Granby and
south of Denver. It was magnificent and luckily just below it
sits the Broadmoor Resort and Golf Club. The Broadmoor is a
world-class 700-room hotel that is spectacular. Rooms range from
$280-500 but specials are often at their website—www.broadmoor.com.
You must stay at the hotel to be able to play the 54-hole
complex. The East Course is a Donald Ross and Robert Trent
Jones, Sr. design opened originally in 1918. Jones did his
design in 1955. The East Course will be hosting the 2008 U.S.
Senior Open and is the one I played. The views of Colorado
Springs below and the mountains above are truly picturesque. The
West Course was the site of the 1998 PGA Cup Matches and
includes nine of the original Ross holes along with nine by
Jones.
In July 2006 the Mountain Course opened on the property. It is a
Nicklaus Design and the longest of the three. It is a short
distance from the hotel and has its own clubhouse and practice
facility. Colorado has a temperate climate in the winter so the
18 original Ross holes stay open all winter.
I never had thought of Colorado as a golf destination, but I’ve
changed my mind. Denver airport is easy to reach from either
Providence or Boston. The ride to Granby is easy and
exhilarating and Colorado Springs is a straight shot south of
Denver. I’ll guarantee that you will have a great time.
Bruce Vittner is a member of the Golf Writers Assn. of
America and can be reached at
bruce@oceanstategolfinc.com.
