Set at the base of the snowcapped Rocky Mountains, the natural beauty of Colorado Golf Club prompted Tom Lehman to claim “I fell in love with this place the moment I saw it” and it’s no surprise why. Out here in the Wild West, resting place of William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, lies one of the best new courses constructed in recent years in the US. This is backed up by the stream of honours and awards bestowed upon the club since its opening in 2007. T&L Golf named it one of the world’s top 10 new courses that year, and GOLF Magazine named it the top new private course of the year and one of “10 to Watch” worldwide. In 2010, Colorado Golf Club hosted the 71st Senior PGA Championship, won by Tom Lehman.
The course is designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, who wanted to create a course capable of testing all abilities as well as hosting major professional championships. The championship course stretches up to 7,604, par 72. Due to its altitude the ball falls approximately 10% further here, something which will give the players and caddies on both sides extra food for thought when it comes to club selection during The 2013 Solheim Cup in August. The designers describe the land as “Gifted for Golf” – sandy barrancas and slopes are a key feature, and Coore and Crenshaw were passionate about keeping true to the natural landscape and let the course settle into what was an ideal site to start with. Teeing off the 1sthole, players hit downhill towards Mt Evans in the distance. The finishing holes set the scene for a dramatic finish – split fairway on 16th with a creek snaking along the middle, a peninsula green on 17th and clever fairway bunkering on the slight dog-leg finish 18th.
The quality of the course is also carried into it’s practice facilities and academy, which has been ranked as one of the Top 75 Practice Facilities in the USA by Golf Digest.
It’s location in Parker, Colorado – a Denver suburb, basks in 300 days of annual sunshine making it an ideal destination for golf – which is another reason to join us there at The 2013 Solheim Cup from August 13th – 18th!
