Press Maxwell's Conquistador Hidden Gem

[A_Clay_Man]

I tried this under some cutsie name post and it sank like whale poop.
.

Well, to put it bluntly I was flippin giddy after playing the first hole. Then the 2nd and so on and so on. The routing was the best' I've seen since SFGC and the use of the land was exemplified on every hole and every greensite. Maintenance wasn't a priority and the off the fairway areas were reminiscent of the challenging lies I'd deservadly get at PG on the dunesland side, when missing the fairway.

The backnines age difference was seen in the green sizes and shaping but was relatively minimal.

All in all, a hidden gem of the first magnitude.

 Becasue of the dates involved I was left thinking if Dr. Klien has ever considered moving the dateline on distinguishing classic versus modern courses as time passes.

Conquistador G.C. in Cortez, Co.

[A_Clay_Man]

So far a big goose egg. Has anyone played this course? Front built in 63' the back around 1970.  

Seriously one of the best uses of the land throughout the course I've seen in while.

[Brad Swanson]

Adam,
   Haven't played there, although I have sampled some of his other work in CO (he has done quite a bit here).  Inverness in Denver is a pretty bland course surrounded by a business park.  Played it as a last minute sub in the CGA team championship a few years ago.  It was the greenskeeper's last tournament before retiring, and he had fun making most of us look bad.  Never saw so many guys putt off greens in a serious tournament before (myself included!).
   Now, Doug Wright can probably tell you more than I can about the work he did at Denver Country Club, but, from what I remember, he is responsible for most of my favorite greens on that urban gem.  The greens on 4,5, and 2? are great!

Cheers,
Brad

[A_Clay_Man]

Brad- You pick up on what was most impressive. The minimalism used to construct those greens and how subtle looking they were but weren't subtle in the least. If'n you get my drift?

On a side note: I waved a single up who opted to join us. He owns a B & B in Dolores called Cloud Nine. He has built himself nine holes of a par 3 course. He told me he found some synthetic turf website that gave him a start on the drainage. Mark McCumber's brother Cort is taking a look at it, but from his description I think this guy has probably built himself very special. He's not using synthetic but some guy is, nearby in Echo Basin. DId I read $14mil for fake grass that still needs maintenance?

Good luck, Ray.

[Forrest Richardson]

Adam -- Haven't played in Cortez, but have visited a few times and toured the course. The straight tree lines seemed annoying, as did the ditches, which seemed to cross at very inopportune points. This is good, I suppose, to a point. Did you find any other qualities other than those you mentioned? I recall a turkey chili sandwich that was quite nice.

[ed_getka]

Adam,
  How far is it from Denver? I will be in Denver in a few weeks, so if it isn't too far off the beaten path, maybe I can go take a look.

Looking forward to meeting you in Sept.

[Doug Wright]

Ed, Cortez is a "little" off the beaten path--about 500 driving miles from Denver in the far SW corner of Colorado.   If the course is THAT good it'd be a better side trip from Pinon Hills/Farmington, NM than Denver. I've never heard of it or heard it mentioned when inquiring of "must plays" in that part of the world, but Adam obviously finds some merit there.

Re Press Maxwell I've played a number of his courses in the Denver area, including Inverness, Columbine, Hiwan, Pinehurst and Rolling Hills. He designed or remodeled over 20 courses in Colorado. I'd say the routings on these courses are pretty unremarkable--these are courses built in the "dark" or at least "grey" ages of the '60s and '70s that have quite a bit of RTJ influence tee to green IMO. However, the green complexes are almost always interesting to very interesting and consistently the strong point of the courses. The greens at Hiwan and Rolling Hills in western suburban Denver are some of the most challenging anywhere, with a combination of contours and "mountain break/grain" that can eat up/beat up the uninitiated. I think Rick Phelps is currently redoing some of the more severe Maxwell greens at Rolling Hills that were borderline unplayable at today's green speeds. Press also did redesign work on some of the greens at Denver CC as Brad points out, and his greens are some of the strongest and most interesting on the course, with lots of internal contours that lend themselves to fun and challenging pin positions.

All The Best,