Colorado Golf Club: A Pictorial (18th hole posted)

[Kyle Henderson]

A drivable par 4 is incorporated into the routing for the first time at the 8th hole (175-311 yards).

This photo displays the slightly uphill nature of the fairway. At the top, the green features fallaways at the front and sides and is bunkered at the left and rear.

[Kyle Henderson]

At the 9th hole (314-483 yards, par 4), one’s drive must be played up and over a small slope to the left portion of a hidden fairway that slopes away and to the right. Wild tee shots will be difficult to locate in the native areas, since one cannot track their ball to its final resting place.



Good drives are rewarded with a straightforward approach, although it will probably be played from an uneven lie.


The modest clubhouse seen in the background was not quite open yet during my visit.

[Kyle Henderson]

If I recall this is a new course. It is remarkable how well preserved and/or enhanced the surrounding landscape is in these pictures. I think that is a magnificent attribute of the architect's design approach.

Agreed. I've been fortunate enough to play 5 courses built by Coore & Crenshaw's crew. In each case, they display an amazing aptitude for blending the edges of their playing corridors with the native flora by breaking up their carefully conceived grassing lines with prexisting bushes, trees and naturalistic bunkers. They are also very adept in breaking up multilevel greens with small humps instead of using straight, steep edges in such transitions.

This is a trait common to the other firms most-heavily praised on GCA (Renaissance, Hanse, Devries, Clayton)

I believe Colorado Golf Club officially opened in 2006.

Also, if I'm not mistaken, the company's slogan is "Timeless by Design." So, there you go...

[Kyle Henderson]

The 10th hole (337-463 yards, par 4) brings golfers back along the 9th, plunging over a ridge and down to the left. No bunkers were incorporated, as the existing topography and native areas provide plenty of challenge.

From the back tees, the ridgeline is close to 300 yards away.


This view from inside the dogleg hints at the tightly-cropped falloff right and long of the green.

[Carl Nichols]

Kyle:
Thanks for the tour; you've done a bunch of great ones lately.  Using whatever metric you use to think about courses (fun/challenge/etc.), what course(s) that you've done photo tours of are similar to CGC? 

[Adam Clayman]

I love the tenth hole's green and approach options, with the low mow, and how it slopes hard left to right. Even of you are out of position, you can still have fun figuring out this hole.

[Chip Gaskins]

Great thread and course.  I missed the #2, #8, and #9th....all are very very solid holes.  #2 is one of the best short holes in golf.  #8 is fun though that shelf is pretty damn small on the upper left. and #9 is my favorite hole on the course....love the front right pin.  Great course, C&C nail it once again.

[Kyle Henderson]

Kyle:
Thanks for the tour; you've done a bunch of great ones lately.  Using whatever metric you use to think about courses (fun/challenge/etc.), what course(s) that you've done photo tours of are similar to CGC? 

Well, obviously there are some similarities to the other C&C course I've posted, those being Sand Hills, Clear Creek Tahoe & Bandon Trails (I've also been to Friars Head). What's most amazing is that, despite its high quality, Colorado Golf Club is probably my least favorite of the bunch -- that's a remarkablly high level of excellence.

For me, what really makes their courses special is the quality of the finish work. It is apparent that, because they have their own team of shapers, each job benefits from having a tremendous amount of time dedicated by a tremendous amount of talent on a day-to-day basis during construction. This leads to all kind of fun little humps, swales, aesthetic touches, etc. ("microarchitecture") that bring their courses to a higher level IMHO.

[Kyle Henderson]

With tees ranging between 133 and 214yards, the 11th hole is quite versatile. The shortest tees are left of frame down the hill. This view is from the member’s tees, which offer a better angle for attacking the back tier of the green than the macho man tees (which are more to the left and behind). The total green depth is around 40 paces, with the rear half measuring around twice the width of the lower front section.



I tried putting from the far left edge of the green, and was able to curl a ball around the “pinching” bunker to within 5 feet of the flag using the green’s natural camber. I doubt one could get much closer to the pictured pin from that position.

[Kyle Henderson]

12th hole: par 4, 323-531 yards

This side angle shows the distribution of sandy hazards that lie ahead.


Due to the prevailing slope of the putting surface and the placement of the left/front greenside bunker, tee shots that follow the starboard tilt of the fairway toward these sand traps (without falling in) will provide a better angle into the green,


Continuing a trend found elsewhere, the fairway bunkers will often ensnare one’s ball before it reaches an even more perilous position. Up ahead, a shaved bank along the green's right side will quickly sweep away errant approaches.


Note the 13th teeing grounds incorporated into the surrounds just left of the 12th green.

[Ian Andrew]

I expect to get trashed for this, but here it goes anyway:

I really enjoyed everything I saw until I got to the 11th tee. I’m not much of a fan of ponds, so I’ll concede that flavors my opinion.

For the previous ten holes the course had embraced the natural flow of the land and reminded me a great deal of Prairie Dunes. I loved how the course seemed to hug the existing terrain blending very quietly back into surroundings with very little effort.

I got to the 11th tee and was surprised at how much the dyke beyond the pond stood out, but even more so on how much the hole “floated” over the valley beyond and below. It felt like an interruption on the flow of the land.

When I looked at the green I thought of the 9th at Merion and thought that’s kind of interesting, but when I got a little closer all I could think of was Mike Strantz. I thought the transition between upper and lower sections of the green was too much for my taste, largely because it fell from side to side. Whereas, I thought the 5th was very well done, largely because it was a more traditional back and front arrangement.

[Kyle Henderson]

At the 11th, the dyke is definitely an eyesore by C&C standards. The hole would probably seem less forced into the landscape if the back/left tier of the green was left as the original, native hillock (at least that's what I assume was there) during construction. Having the 12th tee just left of the current green boundary does lessen the "affront" to my sensibilities. But, if anything draws my eye in a negative way, it is the shaping of the right hand slope and the two bunkers etched just above pond level. #5 at Bandon Trails has a similar pair of bunkers at the green's front and I just don't like the look -- there's too much symmetry and artificiality in their appearance when measured against the exquisite shaping found elsewhere on both courses.

I expect to get trashed for this, but here it goes anyway:

I really enjoyed everything I saw until I got to the 11th tee. I’m not much of a fan of ponds, so I’ll concede that flavors my opinion.

For the previous ten holes the course had embraced the natural flow of the land and reminded me a great deal of Prairie Dunes. I loved how the course seemed to hug the existing terrain blending very quietly back into surroundings with very little effort.

I got to the 11th tee and was surprised at how much the dyke beyond the pond stood out, but even more so on how much the hole “floated” over the valley beyond and below. It felt like an interruption on the flow of the land.

When I looked at the green I thought of the 9th at Merion and thought that’s kind of interesting, but when I got a little closer all I could think of was Mike Strantz. I thought the transition between upper and lower sections of the green was too much for my taste, largely because it fell from side to side. Whereas, I thought the 5th was very well done, largely because it was a more traditional back and front arrangement.

[Kyle Henderson]

A short par 4 by “mile-high” standards, the 13th (273-405 yards) asks for a drive played down the right side of the fairway that carries beyond a small ridgeline set 275 yards from the tips.


Well-placed drives leave straightforward approaches down the long axis of the green. Drives down the left side result in approaches that must contend with trees and a carry bunker.

[Kyle Henderson]

The 14th hole is a short (237-329 yards) par 4 featuring a starboard-slanted fairway and culminating at a version of Coore and Crenshaw’s patented boomerang green. Tee shots played to within 110 yards of the green must contend with the right fairway bunker. The left fairway bunker begins around 50 yards short of the green.



The daily strategy at the 14th will vary with the selected pin position and wind conditions.

As at the 8th hole of the Sand Hills Golf Club, green contours allow for putts played around the “lion cub’s mouth” bunker from front/right to front/left (and vice-versa).

[Ian Andrew]

My favourite part of the course was the 12th, 13th and 14th. I found the variation in holes outstanding and each was fascinating to play. I thought each one sat wonderfully into the landscape and admired C&C for routing the 12th the way they did. I loved the idea of trying to run a shot into that green. The 13th is a text book illustration on how to tack up a slope and set a green into a bowl – terrific hole. How can you not love the compelling nature of the 14th and the complications created by that unusual green? Awesome stuff.

I hope there is a good discussion of the finishing stretch, but the lack of participation suggests otherwise.

[Wayne Wiggins, Jr.]

The 14th hole is a short (237-329 yards) par 4 featuring a starboard-slanted fairway and culminating at a version of Coore and Crenshaw’s patented boomerang green. Tee shots played to within 110 yards of the green must contend with the right fairway bunker. The left fairway bunker begins around 50 yards short of the green.


The daily strategy at the 14th will vary with the selected pin position and wind conditions.
As at the 8th hole of the Sand Hills Golf Club, green contours allow for putts played around the “lion cub’s mouth” bunker from front/right to front/left (and vice-versa).

Kyle –

I really liked this hole as well.  I seem to recall we played it at about 290 yds., and while I don’t recall how you played it, I remember that our playing partner, John, lashed his drive just short of the green, while I hit a 4 or 5 iron off the tee to leave myself a nice, comfortable wedge into this hole location.  That upfront pin allows the approach to work off the ledge that’s right behind it, which I think actually benefitted me more than John.  Either way, I think we both walked away with a par.

[Kyle Henderson]

Wayne. I hit driver to pin high, but in the native between the right-hand trees. A miraculous recovery followed, as I pitched over a bush and off the bottom of a branch to leave myself a 10-footer for birdie... that lipped out.

Kyle –

 I don’t recall how you played it

[Wayne Wiggins, Jr.]

Wayne. I hit driver to pin high, but in the native between the right-hand trees. A miraculous recovery followed, as I pitched over a bush and off the bottom of a branch to leave myself a 10-footer for birdie... that lipped out.

Kyle –

 I don’t recall how you played it

Just as i thought... multiple options!!!  All resulting in the same score.

[Kirk Gill]

Thanks, Kyle, for the photo tour. I haven't played there, but did get a chance to tour it during construction, and walk it during the Senior PGA this spring. My family and I watched from next to the 8th green for about half a day, and just loved watching the pros deal with their approach shots. That day the pin was on the little shelf towards the back left of the green, and holding an approach was quite the challenge, even with the short clubs that were mainly in use. A few players went for the green from the tee, and all of them seemed to end up in that bunker short left, and some birdies were had from there.

that hole looks like fun to play, but generated no commentary. Shows you what I know !

You can see my house in the background of your closeup of the 12th green................

[Jason Topp]

One interesting aspect of Colorado golf for me is that the ball goes something like 10% farther than at sea level.  If the distance the ball travels is really that much of an impediment to quality golf, then one would expect that high altitude courses would suffer by comparison to lower altitude courses.  I am not sure that is the case.  To the contrary, it seems like high altitude courses are of similar quality of other courses but just longer.

[Kyle Henderson]

Blindness adds an element of challenge once again from the 15th tee, with just a glimpse of the fairway in sight. The hole ranges in length from 374-595 yards in total (par 5).  Over the crest, the fairway runs away from the tee – the added distance will be most welcome.



From the tips, a drive must travel 305 yards to reach the bunker in the foreground.
The creek up ahead sits around 60 yards short of the green, forcing players to take care in selecting their target for the second shot. Continuing another theme found throughout the round, the green is deeper (30 paces) than it is wide (20 paces).

 

[Kyle Henderson]

While it may be the most memorable hole on the course, I’m not completely sold on the alternate fairway concept presented by the reachable par 5 16th (407-552 yards).



The options:
1- Aim for the smaller right fairway on a direct line to the green
2- Aim at the fairway bunker left of the creek.


I elected to go right, but his hole might work better without the right fairway, as I prefer the idea of challenging the creek to shorten the hole to the idea of hitting straight at the green. Plus, it is still possible to reach the green in two from the left by challenging the target bunker. A steep slope short and right of the green (feeding down to the creek) also favors approaches from the left.




It seems like it must be difficult for designers to get the proportions and angles (of fairways relative to tees and ideal green approaches relative to fairways) correct when offering alternate fairways (see failed efforts to restore Riviera’s 8th). Furthermore, when presented on a private course, I think it would be imperative that the best strategy should vary with the days’ pin location and weather conditions. Otherwise, members will quickly figure out which route works best and never bother with the other option.


Does anyone have Shotlink ™ data from this year’s Senior PGA to demonstrate which route the pros prefer?

[Kyle Henderson]

The 17th is a par 3 ranging from 83-209 yards. The green is angled a bit from short/right to long/left, matching the creek that must be carried from the tee. In terms of gross morphology, the green is triangular, widening from a narrow bow to a stern 25 paces across. Short grass is offered for those baling short or right.  

Please accept my apologies for the ugly swing. I don’t have a photo of the hole sans people.

[Matthew Petersen]

Kyle,

No Shotlink data, but from watching the Sr. PGA I can only recall one or two players taking the route of the right fairway. As you said, most all of them could reach the green from the left side anyway, so the incentive was all about angles.

[Kyle Henderson]

CGC’s finisher (par 4 of 340-464 yards) invites players to shorten their route by driving near the left-hand fairway bunkers. The second shot is then played up a small rise (1/2- 1 club) to reach the last green. Fortunately, the front of the putting surface is open to running shots, since mortals will be playing long clubs with their approach.



Overall, I greatly enjoyed the championship course at Colorado Golf Club, along with the highly complimentary Short course. The fact that neither represent the finest works of Coore & Crenshaw is a testament to the consistent excellence of their products.

Also, for out of town visitors, I can vouch that the on-site accommodations are first rate.


Hopefully, some of you will also make a visit as well and be pleasantly surprised when randomly paired with a GCA member (Thanks, Wayne ).

-Fin