The Broadlands in Broomfield:
A Nice Course at Municipal Course Rates
By
Joe E. Cervi,
Rockiesgolf.com Columnist
BROOMFIELD -- The Broadlands.
After playing 18 holes on this Rick Phelps-designed track, it's
easy to see where the name came from. This is a Texas-sized golf
course deep in the heart of Colorado.
Broomfield's newest municipal golf course, which opened June 5,
is a par-72 that plays 7,263 yards from the tips. It boasts expansive
fairways and huge greens. And at $22 ($28 on weekends), it is a
big-time bargain among new golf courses in the Denver metro area.
The course is a run as a joint venture between Evergreen Alliance
Golf Limited (of Dallas), Landscapes Unlimited out of Lincoln, Neb.,
and the city of Broomfield.
Jay Crawford, 31, is the director of golf at the Broadlands. He
said the course brought together upscale housing and upscale golf
at municipal golf prices.
"The city of Broomfield owns this course and it has become
a focal point of the community," Crawford said. "This
is a course designed with every golfer in mind. It can play easy,
just 5,350 yards from the up tee boxes, too more than 7,200 yards
from the back. It can challenge even the best golfers, without making
the average golfers go brain-dead out there."
The outward nine plays toward the foothills and the mountains serve
as natural aiming points on many shots. There are lakes and streams
throughout the course, but wide enough fairways for everyone.
"This is a course you have to play twice," Crawford said.
"The first time you play it, you will be surprised by a few
things. A pond here, a creek there. You have to know what you are
doing a little bit to score well.
"At the same time, if you play the ball in the green stuff,
it's not too difficult."
Case in point: No. 3 is 626 yards from the tips and there is plenty
of room to the left to play the hole. Should you go right, you end
up in either native grass (which is detrimental to your golf shoes)
or water, which is detrimental to your golf ball.
The inward nine mixes both long and short par-4s, with two tricky
par-3s. Miss the greens on either 12 or 14 and bogey (or worse)
comes into play immediately.
"The greens hold the better shots, but because they are so
big, even if you're on the green doesn't guarantee anything score-wise,"
Crawford laughed. Here is a little more on the Broadlands:
Signature Hole: No. 15, a 559-yard par-5 wrapped around
a lake. This hole's tee box is hidden by a nice little forest, and
players can bite off as much of the lake as they want. There are
several bunkers to catch wayward tee shots, and the smallest green
on the course is well-guarded by even more bunkers.
This hole is reachable in two but was designed to be a three-shot
par-5.
"We've had trouble with the fairway because the water out
there is salty," Crawford admitted. "That is something
we're addressing because 15 could easily be the prettiest hole on
the course."
Course Birdies: A pin placement sheet on every cart tells
you in what sector of the green the holes are cut daily. This is
important, because Phelps patterned the greens at the Broadlands
after the course's name. These greens are more than generous, they
are gigantic.
The fairways, too, are expansive. Players are encouraged to take
a little chance off the tee box because most fairways can handle
draws and fades. Should you stray from the fairways (and you will),
you will pay the price of a stroke (or two) because the native areas
are treacherous. Bad lies are common -- if you can even find your
ball.
Course Bogeys: Hidden water. It felt like it was everywhere.
And it does come into play on 11 of the Broadlands' 18 holes. One
of the best tee shots hit during a round, you know, a 310-yard soft
draw on the short, par-4 17th, ended up in a patch of wetlands that
no one knew was there.
There are subtle creeks and giant lakes on the course, and, unless
you've played the Broadlands before, you will no doubt lose a few
golf balls into the water.
Tips for play: Rent a cart! Spend the extra $11 and ride.
There is so much land out there that a walk in the park turns quickly
into a walk in the countryside.
Overall experience: Our threesome -- a single-digit handicapper,
a 12-handicapper and a 26-handicapper -- played the course bright
and early on a Saturday morning and had a pleasurable experience.
Phelps designed the course to be enjoyable for golfers of all abilities
and we used three sets of tee boxes on this day. Except for the
hidden water, the round was terrific.
Some of the fairways were too dry and the grass was thin (especially
on the back side) but the greens were in fantastic shape for a course
that has been open for just three months.
The pro shop staff was helpful, the grill had a nice selection
and most items were reasonably priced.
We found it was worth the drive to Broomfield to play a nice course
at municipal course rates.
How to reach them: The Broadlands is near the corner of
144th Ave. and Lowell in Broomfield. The phone number is (303) 466-8285.
Green fees are $22 Monday-Thursday, $28 Friday-Sunday and holidays.
Crawford said fees might increase slightly, but the Broadlands will
still be a better bargain than other municipal courses in the area
(Thorncreek, Legacy Ridge, and Coal Creek).
Tee times are taken three days in advance.
Broadlands Golf Course
4380 West 144th
Broomfield, Colorado 80020
303-466-8285
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