The game of golf is a great avenue for meeting people. As I travel the country on my Quest (http://logoballtraveler.com/top-100-lists.html), I am often a single golfer hoping to be paired with other golfers. On my recent trip to Colorado, I played several rounds of golf with people I met on previous trips. And for my next big journey in September, I'll join another friend in Southern California.
I met Lee Atencio on a trip to Colorado Springs in November, 2012. He was near the first tee at Cheyenne Shadows Golf Course as I prepared to tee off one Saturday morning. Lee asked if he could join me for the round. What a great time we had! Now each time I return to The Springs, I am sure to play at least one round of golf with Lee and his buddies.
On a long trip to the Pacific Northwest last summer, I had a tee time at Eugene Country Club in Eugene, OR. I was paired with a club professional from Los Angeles, Scot Alexander. Scot and I spent less than four hours together that morning and by the time we parted ways, we had exchanged contact information. And now we will play again together this September at Hillcrest Country Club where he makes his living.
At the end of that very same trip, I was preparing to play my final round at the Riverdale Dunes course in Brighton, CO when I was paired with Greg Quirk and his son, Drew. Again, less than four hours later, we exchanged contact information. And on my recent July trip to Colorado, we played together again. Or should I say we played three AWESOME courses together again. We played Arrowhead Golf Club in Littleton, CO on a Monday. And the next day, we played Greg’s home course, Meridian Golf Club, a unique Jack Nicklaus links design in Englewood, CO in the morning and that afternoon, we played Colorado Golf Club, a Coore/Crenshaw design and the site of the 2013 Solheim Cup and the 2010 Senior PGA Championship, in Parker, CO. I will attempt to describe our experiences in this post.
I met Lee Atencio on a trip to Colorado Springs in November, 2012. He was near the first tee at Cheyenne Shadows Golf Course as I prepared to tee off one Saturday morning. Lee asked if he could join me for the round. What a great time we had! Now each time I return to The Springs, I am sure to play at least one round of golf with Lee and his buddies.
On a long trip to the Pacific Northwest last summer, I had a tee time at Eugene Country Club in Eugene, OR. I was paired with a club professional from Los Angeles, Scot Alexander. Scot and I spent less than four hours together that morning and by the time we parted ways, we had exchanged contact information. And now we will play again together this September at Hillcrest Country Club where he makes his living.
At the end of that very same trip, I was preparing to play my final round at the Riverdale Dunes course in Brighton, CO when I was paired with Greg Quirk and his son, Drew. Again, less than four hours later, we exchanged contact information. And on my recent July trip to Colorado, we played together again. Or should I say we played three AWESOME courses together again. We played Arrowhead Golf Club in Littleton, CO on a Monday. And the next day, we played Greg’s home course, Meridian Golf Club, a unique Jack Nicklaus links design in Englewood, CO in the morning and that afternoon, we played Colorado Golf Club, a Coore/Crenshaw design and the site of the 2013 Solheim Cup and the 2010 Senior PGA Championship, in Parker, CO. I will attempt to describe our experiences in this post.
Arrowhead Golf Club
Arrowhead Golf Club It is going to be tough to describe the unique beauty of Arrowhead Golf Club. As the scorecard states, Arrowhead is a course “300 million years in the making.” My pictures can’t do the scenery on this course justice. You have to see for yourself.
Greg met me in the clubhouse and after a brief warm up, we headed to the first tee with the temperature hovering around 95 degrees. We teed off right behind a large outing, knowing our pace would be dictated by the outing. By the third tee, the twosome behind us caught up and asked to play along with us. Jake Smith and Mike Grant, 30-something buddies from Regis Jesuit High School proved to be great company. Mike, a former pitcher at Regis, had his left thumb taped up after a sand surfing accident that required many stitches. Predictably, he struggled given his awkward grip. Jake, a shortstop on that same team who went on the play college baseball, was a very good golfer with a beautiful swing.
Greg met me in the clubhouse and after a brief warm up, we headed to the first tee with the temperature hovering around 95 degrees. We teed off right behind a large outing, knowing our pace would be dictated by the outing. By the third tee, the twosome behind us caught up and asked to play along with us. Jake Smith and Mike Grant, 30-something buddies from Regis Jesuit High School proved to be great company. Mike, a former pitcher at Regis, had his left thumb taped up after a sand surfing accident that required many stitches. Predictably, he struggled given his awkward grip. Jake, a shortstop on that same team who went on the play college baseball, was a very good golfer with a beautiful swing.
Mike Grant, Jake Smith, Greg Quirk
Our first hole as a foursome was a beautiful 197 yard par 3 with a green at least 50 yards deep. The pin was located in the back third of the green where the green narrowed significantly.
Arrowhead Golf Club - Par 3 Third Hole
Arrowhead is surrounded by red rock outcroppings and players drool over the scenery. The par 4 fifth hole is a dogleg right around a rock outcropping. On this hole, Greg holed out from the sand for a birdie.
Arrowhead Golf Club - Par 4 Fifth Hole
Arrowhead Golf Club plays to a par of 70 with two par 3's and one par 5 on each nine. The front nine ends with a beautiful downhill par three over water.
Arrowhead Golf Club - Par 3 Ninth Hole
The tenth hole has a spectacular view of the red rock outcroppings. It is a 400 yard downhill par 4 that doglegs ever so slightly to the right.
Arrowhead Golf Club - Par 4 Tenth Hole
The thirteenth hole is the signature hole at Arrowhead. Its yardage is listed at 173 yards but because the green sits so far below the tee, it plays at least 20 yards less than the yardage. Behind the green is a large pond.
Arrowhead Golf Club - Par 3 Thirteenth Hole - The Signature Hole
The fourteenth hole is a wonderful par 4 with a bevy of tee ground possibilities.
Arrowhead Golf Club - Par 4 Fourteenth Hole
At the end of the round as Greg and I enjoyed a beverage, the family at the next table overheard me talking about my home course in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. They had seen the Indiana license plate on my car in the parking lot and proceeded to tell me they relocated to the Denver area from a little town just south of Fort Wayne. Small world.
The round Greg and I played at Arrowhead was a little warm up for what we faced the next day. You can learn more about Arrowhead golf club at http://www.arrowheadcolorado.com/.
The round Greg and I played at Arrowhead was a little warm up for what we faced the next day. You can learn more about Arrowhead golf club at http://www.arrowheadcolorado.com/.
Meridian Golf Club
Meridian Golf Club Early Tuesday morning, I drove up from Colorado Springs and met Greg on the driving range of his home course in Englewood, CO. Meridian Golf Club is the only Jack Nicklaus designed course I’ve played that is a links style course. Meridian is a true golf club--there are no swimming pools or tennis courts associated with the club.
The practice facility at Meridian may be the best practice facility I have seen in my travels. It includes tees at both ends of the massive range, two putting greens, four practice sand bunkers and a separate area for pitch shots. And incredibly, it includes three regulation practice holes! The facility is so good, the club allows the public to purchase standalone range memberships.
After picking up some coffee and a breakfast burrito, Greg and I ventured out. We played the black tees at 6989 yards with a course rating of 73.1 and a slope of 141. Once again, we were playing at an elevation about a mile above sea level and the ball traveled about 10% farther. The nearly 7000 yard course played more like a 6300 yard Midwest course.
The practice facility at Meridian may be the best practice facility I have seen in my travels. It includes tees at both ends of the massive range, two putting greens, four practice sand bunkers and a separate area for pitch shots. And incredibly, it includes three regulation practice holes! The facility is so good, the club allows the public to purchase standalone range memberships.
After picking up some coffee and a breakfast burrito, Greg and I ventured out. We played the black tees at 6989 yards with a course rating of 73.1 and a slope of 141. Once again, we were playing at an elevation about a mile above sea level and the ball traveled about 10% farther. The nearly 7000 yard course played more like a 6300 yard Midwest course.
Meridian Golf Club - Par 3 Third Hole
Meridian was a spectacular warm up for our afternoon round at Colorado Golf Club. The course is typical Jack Nicklaus: generous landing areas for the drive and more and more “trouble” as you near the green complexes.
Meridian Golf Club - Par 4 Fifth Hole
Meridian features water on four of the front nine holes and a creek or ponds come into play on eight of the back nine holes. Each of the four par three’s feature water with holes three and eight entirely over water. The par five ninth hole was the only one reachable in two shots for good amateur players under normal conditions.
Meridian Golf Club - Par 3 Eighth Hole
There were two additional features at Meridian that I have not seen before in my travels. First, the course is built inside a vast Industrial Park. Office buildings abound but don’t infringe on play. Second, the course does not have the typical one scorecard that lists each and every hole yardage and unique hole handicaps. It has a single scorecard for each set of tees--definitely unique in my travels.
Meridian Golf Club - Par 4 Eighteenth Hole
At the end of the round, Greg and I enjoyed a sandwich and a beverage in Meridian's grille room before leaving for our afternoon round at Colorado Golf Club. You can learn more about Meridian Golf Club at http://www.meridiangolfclub.com/.
Colorado Golf Club
Colorado Golf Club For our afternoon round at the Colorado Golf Club, we were joined by Greg’s son Drew and Greg's good friend from Meridian Golf Club, Blake Walliser.
Colorado Golf Club is a Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw design that opened to international acclaim in 2007. Golf Magazine named it the top new private course of the year and one of ten to watch worldwide. The course is built on a 1700 acre former Arabian horse ranch. The designers had little need to shape this piece of land that consisted of meadows, washouts, and huge ponderosa pines.
The symbol of the course is a small bright red flower called the Indian Paintbrush. There is an Indian legend associated with this flower that I won’t get into here.
Colorado Golf Club is a Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw design that opened to international acclaim in 2007. Golf Magazine named it the top new private course of the year and one of ten to watch worldwide. The course is built on a 1700 acre former Arabian horse ranch. The designers had little need to shape this piece of land that consisted of meadows, washouts, and huge ponderosa pines.
The symbol of the course is a small bright red flower called the Indian Paintbrush. There is an Indian legend associated with this flower that I won’t get into here.
Dane Staton - Colorado Golf Club Caddie Greg, Drew and I headed to the driving range where I was introduced to Blake Walliser, my cart partner for the day. Our forecaddie for the day, Dane Staton, then introduced himself. Dane is a professional golfer and has won over a million dollars on the various tours. After our warm up on the range and the practice green, we headed past the vast stone and timber clubhouse to the first tee. During our ride, we enjoyed some of the many deer that make the land on which the course sits their home.
We played the “Paintbrush” tees at 6892 yards, course rating of 74.1, and a slope of 140. Again, we were playing at a higher elevation.
On the first tee, Dane explained the duties he would perform as forecaddie. After spelling out our target from each tee, he would position himself at a spot in the fairway where he could watch all tee shots and signal if the ball was in the fairway or not and if he had a bead on errant shots. Dane also assisted with the reading of greens.
We played the “Paintbrush” tees at 6892 yards, course rating of 74.1, and a slope of 140. Again, we were playing at a higher elevation.
On the first tee, Dane explained the duties he would perform as forecaddie. After spelling out our target from each tee, he would position himself at a spot in the fairway where he could watch all tee shots and signal if the ball was in the fairway or not and if he had a bead on errant shots. Dane also assisted with the reading of greens.
Colorado Golf Club has a great deal of elevation change with a mix of both uphill and downhill holes. The design is such that if a tee ball lands in the correct spot, it can be catapulted many more yards making the next shot much shorter. The course would be a more difficult course to play without previous course knowledge or the benefit of a caddie.
Deer at Colorado Golf Club
The course begins with a 615 yard downhill par 5 but if your drive catches the downslope, it can actually be reached in two shots. Hole 2 is a short uphill par 3 to a tiny green where accuracy is a must. Long is no good as the two-tiered green slopes greatly from back to front.
The third hole is a downhill par 4 that takes driver out of the golfer’s hand and requires a second shot over a barranca to a green with a false front.
The third hole is a downhill par 4 that takes driver out of the golfer’s hand and requires a second shot over a barranca to a green with a false front.
Colorado Golf Club - Par 4 Third Hole
Both nines have two par 3 and two par 5 holes. The eighth hole is an uphill par 4 reachable by big hitters but tough enough where a double bogey is definitely a possibility. Blake nearly holed out his second shot and ended with a tap in birdie. The ninth is an uphill par 4 that plays back to the clubhouse. The longer the drive, the more likely the golfer will have a hanging lie downhill to the green.
The 11th hole is a medium length par 3 over a pond to a green with many pin possibilities. We played to a pin that was on the upper level of the green just over the sand bunker.
The 11th hole is a medium length par 3 over a pond to a green with many pin possibilities. We played to a pin that was on the upper level of the green just over the sand bunker.
Colorado Golf Club - Par 3 Eleventh Hole
My favorite part of the course begins with hole thirteen. It’s a short par 4 that requires a tee shot to the right of the fairway for a good angle into the green. Hole fourteen is a driveable par 4. The green of this hole has a boomerang shape that wraps around a bunker. This green is sloped such that a putt from the front left side can be made to a hole located on the front right side and vice-versa if the golfer is a skilled putter. The green reminds me of the 7th green at Alister Mackenzie’s Crystal Downs masterpiece in Frankfort, MI.
Colorado Golf Club - Par 4 Fourteenth Hole
Two par 5 holes follow in succession. The first requires an uphill drive over a hill with the rest of the hole playing downhill to the green over a creek. The second requires a drive to the left side of the fairway as a creek runs up the right side all the way to a green that slopes viciously from left to right.
Colorado Golf Club - Par 5 Fifteenth Hole
The seventeenth hole is a downhill par 3 to a huge green. The day we played, the pin was a mere four paces from the front. Our caddie Dane, as we reached the green, announced that this hole was the “Beat the Pro” hole and we would play “closest to the pin” for the princely sum of $1 per man. The hole was playing about 110 yards that day and Dane pulled out a lob wedge that hit just onto the green and well right of the pin, funneling to about 10 feet directly above the hole. Pretty impressive. But not as impressive as Greg’s shot which landed no more than a foot from the pin taking the same line as Dane’s. Both Greg and Dane made their putts but suspiciously, Dane never coughed up a buck.
Colorado Golf Club - Par 3 Seventeenth Hole
The last hole is an uphill par 4 that plays back to the clubhouse just like the ninth hole.
Blake Walliser, Drew Quirk, Greg Quirk We finished the round, paid Dane, and moved to the pro shop where we made our obligatory apparel purchases. I joined Blake in the club’s bar where I downed a Stella Artois. I was oblivious to the fact that the United States World Cup soccer team had lost that day to the Belgians, 2-1. And yes, I was called on my poor etiquette.
But we weren’t done for the day!
The Colorado Golf Club also has a very cool nine hole Short Course to the east of the driving range. The holes range in length from 70 yards to 199 yards for the very last hole. We walked the nine holes playing $1 skins with carryovers as the sun set to cap off an amazing day of golf. Blake rolled in a putt on our first extra hole to become the big winner.
Before my trip back to Colorado Springs that evening, we sat down to some beverages and a meal where we relived the day’s highlights and lowlights. Learn more about Colorado Golf Club at http://www.coloradogolfclub.com/.
But we weren’t done for the day!
The Colorado Golf Club also has a very cool nine hole Short Course to the east of the driving range. The holes range in length from 70 yards to 199 yards for the very last hole. We walked the nine holes playing $1 skins with carryovers as the sun set to cap off an amazing day of golf. Blake rolled in a putt on our first extra hole to become the big winner.
Before my trip back to Colorado Springs that evening, we sat down to some beverages and a meal where we relived the day’s highlights and lowlights. Learn more about Colorado Golf Club at http://www.coloradogolfclub.com/.
Golf is so much more than a game. It’s an opportunity to meet new people with every round and make the four hours spent with them into a lasting friendship. I have no doubt that many more rounds of golf with these gentlemen are in my future.
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