Saddleback Heads New Colorado Course OpeningsBy David R. Holland, TravelGolf.com Senior Writer DENVER, CO -- It's spring in Colorado and all along the front range golfers are dusting off the golf clubs getting ready for a new season. Today it might be 65, tomorrow it could snow. Coloradans living in the mountains will probably have to wait another month for it to warm up. The new Colorado golf courses opening this spring and summer will have green fee prices ranging from the $225 neighborhood at Cordillera's Summit Course, designed by Jack Nicklaus, to around $24 and up for The Golf Club at Green Valley Ranch. Saddleback Golf Club in Firestone plans the earliest opening -- sometime in May. "I think Green Valley Ranch is the most anticipated new golf course opening in Denver history," said John Ott president of Traditional Golf Management of Colorado Springs. Why? The Golf Club at Green Valley Ranch has been on the drawing board for 12 frustrating years. The planning process saw the project go from a City of Denver proposal to a development by Oakwood Homes. "Actually, I think the initial planning started as far back as 1982," said Ott, "and some people purchased homes there 10 years ago. You can imagine how excited they are that this golf course is finally going to open." In 1989, a $2.5 million bond by Denver voters was approved for what would have been the city's eighth golf course on empty, prairie land close to the area where Denver International Airport was to be built. It took until the next century to complete the process and by that time The City of Denver wasn't even involved. "Construction was finished last fall," said O'Brien McGarey, of Perry Dye-Dye Designs, the architects of the layout. "It will be grown in through summer and the clubhouse should be finished by July 1. The golf course will open shortly after that."
"What's really different about The Golf Club at Green Valley Ranch is the fact it is a real estate development, but there will be nine or 10 holes in an area of zero houses," Ott said. "There's a total of 269 acres, but only 100 will have houses. The other 169 acres of golf, creeks, wetlands and wildlife will not be developed. There will be viewing trails leading from Oakwood Homes for hikes through this undeveloped area. "I think golfers will really be surprised when they play this course," Ott continued. "If you drive by the area it looks flat and unintersting, but it has lots of topography changes, cottonwood trees, creeks, eagles and hawks -- it's a fantastic layout." The Green Valley location, near the corner of East 48th Avenue and Tower Road, is only a few miles from DIA. It's about 20 minutes from The Homestead at Murphy Creek, a new City of Aurora course opened last summer. Want more airport golf? DIA's five-year Strategic Business Plan includes a new resort golf course. This prospective layout, located in the Peña Boulevard area between 56th and 72nd Avenues near Tower Road, could increase DIA revenues. DIA is looking for an upscale daily-fee course or a big-name resort to develop this golf course with an adjacent hotel. DIA's proposal can be read at: http://www.flydenver.com/techserv/RFPs/ads/golf_course.htm. Here's a capsule look at Colorado's new golf course openings for 2001. Watch for individual course reviews throughout the summer. The Golf Club at Green Valley Ranch is scheduled to open in July. Designed by Perry Dye, it is located at 4900 Himalaya Road in Denver, phone 303-371-3131. Fees will range from $24 to $32. From I-70 take Peña Blvd. north to 48th Ave. Go east on 48th 1.5 miles to course.
Saddleback is located at 8631 Frontier Street in Firestone. Fees will range from $26-$31. Take I-25 to exit 235. Go east two miles on Highway 52 to WCR 13. Go north three miles to course. Call 303-833-5000 or check out their website at: http://www.saddlebackgolf.com/Home.htm. Eagle Ranch Golf Club in Eagle is scheduled to open in July. Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay designed this beauty at 0050 Lime Park Drive with a green fee of $82. Phone number is 970-328-2882. Directions: I-70 west to exit 147 in Eagle. Go south on Connecting Road to Highway 6. Go west to Sylvan Lake Road, turn left and follow signs to the course.
Rio Grande Golf Club in South Fork is a private club, designed by Ric Buckton of Redstone Golf, and was previously named Wolf Creek Golf Club. The Rio Grande Golf Club will measure 7,600 from the back tees and traverse the Rio Grande River. There will be a scenic 7.5 miles of cart path winding through towering Ponderosa pines and aspens, creating picturesque hikes for the non-golfers. South Fork, west of the San Luis Valley and the towns of Alamosa, Monte Vista and Del Norte, (Highway 160) is an area formed from ancient rock palisades created by a glacier millions of years ago. The golf course winds its way along beaver dams and Alder Creek, a tributary of the Rio Grande, down through Scottish Burn to the legendary Rio Grande River and then across the river for two more holes. It's located at 0285 Rio Grande Trail South Fork, telephone 719-873-1995. Take I-25 to Walsenberg exit. Go west on Highway 160 to Highway 149. Go north to South Fork. Exit on CR 15, go east one mile to course. Cordillera's Summit Course located in Edwards, will open in August. Designed by Mr. Nicklaus, it has 190 mountain-top acres and only 85 acres have been designed to require irrigation and landscaping. The rest will be natural and is bordered by more than three million acres of national forest land. Cordillera is also dedicating another 106 acres of open space to protect the environment and the homesites will be up to 35 acres in size. Phone 970-926-5300 for more information.
The Summit Course is located at 190 Gore Trail in Edwards. Take I-70 west past Avon. Take the Edwards exit and go left down a hill to Highway 6 turn right (west). Go almost three miles to Squaw Creek, there turn left and drive two miles up past the first security gate. At the hairpin turn, the road turns into Fenno Ranch Rd. Follow to guard gate. Check out this Cordillera story at: http://www.rockiesgolf.com/holland74.htm SolVista Golf & Ski Ranch, formerly known as Silver Creek, located at the Silver Creek Ski Resort, unveils nine holes of its 18-hole layout designed by Mike Asmundson on June 15. The back nine of the 7,200-yard par-72 public course is scheduled for completion in fall 2001 and will be playable the following summer. Located along the Fraser River, it will be open with natural obstacles comprised of wetlands and native vegetation. Asmundson's resume includes the Coeur d' Alene Resort Golf Course, in conjunction with Scott Miller Design, along with the complete restoration of the historic Alister MacKenzie Golf Course at Haggin Oaks in Sacramento, CA. It's located at 1952 County Road, in Silver Creek. Phone: 970-887-0809. Green fees range from $30-$45. Take I-70 west to Hwy. 40. Go west about 42 miles to County Road 894. Go east 1.5 miles to course. For more information and tee time reservations, call SolVista Reservation & Travel at 888-283-7458, or visit the web site at www.solvista.com. Antelope Hills Golf Course, designed by Rick Phelps, opens at 600 S. County Rd. 137 in Bennett. Fees will start at $28. The pro is Ralph Haddad, telephone 303-644-5992. It's off I-70 east to Exit 305, then south two miles to the course on left.
Devil's Thumb Golf Club in Delta was designed by Rick Phelps and will open in August. Take Highway 50 south to Delta. Then take 1575 Road north two miles to 1560 Drive. Go west one mile to course. Phone 970-874-7263 or 970-874-6262. Fees will range from $28 to $32. Devil's Thumb is a desert golf course located at the foot of the Grand Mesa. You will have to contend with desert washes and arroyos, but there are few trees and native vegetation. Other Colorado Golf Courses Under Construction Or In The Planning Stage: Red Sky Ranch in Vail will have two 18-hole championship golf courses: The first 7,200-yard course (par 72), scheduled for opening in the summer of 2002, was designed by the award-winning designer, Tom Fazio. The design for the 7,600 yard second course (par 71) is currently being finalized by Greg Norman and is projected to open in 2003.
Other golf courses being planned: In Garfield County, Westbank Ranch Golf & Country Club, a daily-fee reconstruction. In El Paso County, Black Forest Club, a daily-fee real estate development. In Grand County, The Greens At Winter Park, a nine-hole daily-fee real estate developement. In Jefferson County, The Homestead of Fox Hollow, an 18-hole municipal. In Boulder, Red Ridge Golf Club.
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