July 2020 Colorado AvidGolfer Magazine

H A LL -WORTH Y GEN E TOR R ES • MOUNTA IN GETAWAY S

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Elevating the Game.

OPEN AND SHUT Why the CoBank Colorado Open is a must-stop for aspiring players

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CONTENTS | July 2020

DEPARTMENTS 10 Forethoughts

On Dreams Deferred

By Anthony Cotton

12 The CGA

A winner all-around with the CGA Dream Golf Vacation Raffle

By Erin Gangloff

16 #coavidgolfer

An (App)reciation of Golf 23 The Gallery

Castle Pines Golf Club’s spectaular update, Dan Weitzel Golf, Western Slope Triple Play, No “Outlaws” in Colorado

80 Blind Shot

Voices of the Game

PLAYER’S CORNER 29 Play Away

A healthy outlook at Garden of the Gods Resort and Club. By Jon Rizzi

33 15th Club

A good walk spoiled? Not if you prepare yourself. By Dee Tidwell

54

36 Profile

Remembering Gene “The Rock” Torres

By Andy Bigford

FEATURES

54 Locked Out at

64

SIDE BETS

Visionaries

Home Plate

Coronavirus shut down baseball while infighting has kept it from returning.

Broadcaster Drew Goodman just wants to get back on the air. By Anthony Cotton

60

Right now, a computer (and an ever-ready credit card) are as essential as the latest equipment for mini-tour golfers like Nick Mason, who see their future selves playing someday on the PGA TOUR. By Anthony Cotton

The Rounds of Silence

ON THE COVER

For Colorado’s homegrown Tour players Mark Hubbard and Wyndham Clark, nothing’s healthier than competition—even if nobody’s coming to cheer them on. By Jon Rizzi

AT&T Sports Net Rocky Mountain announcer Drew Goodman at Coors Field. Photograph by John Leyba

39 Fareways

Smoke gets in your (chicken) thighs with this easy hack. By John Lehndorff

41 Nice Drives

Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro, Toyota

Rav4 XSE Hybrid, BMW 228i xDrive, Lexus GS F. By Isaac Bouchard

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF COLORADO OPEN GOLF FOUNDATION

SPECIAL SECTIONS 47 COBANK COLORADO OPEN After Jennifer Kupcho’s first pro victory, the men and senior golfers take center stage at Green Valley Ranch.

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | July 2020

69 GETAWAYS Adventure is calling—plan your summer return to Vail Valley and Summit County.

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July 2020 | Volume 19, Number 4 president and group publisher

A llen J. Walters founding editor

Jon Rizzi

SALES, MARKETING & ADVERTISING associate publisher

Chris Phillips

senior sales directors

Mike Car ver, Craig Hitchcock digital strategist and content manager

Ben Champion

office and operations manager

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AT ONE POINT, when pondering ideas for this issue, one of the stories being considered was a celebration of baseball— more specifically the Hall of Fame and the induction of Larry Walker, the Colorado Rockies’ superstar who was slated to enter Cooperstown later this month.

A lot has changed, of course, and the idea of celebrating seems like a chore that many of us, wearied by the novel coronavirus and more recently, social unrest, can’t muster the strength for. Even baseball, which at one point might have offered something of a respite from our collective malaise, is shuttered; its failure to launch not due so much to health concerns, but rather, money.

The tone-deaf optics generated by news of billionaires battling millionaires for a bigger slice of the pie isn’t cause for celebration, but rather consternation—even for some people who work in the industry.

People like Drew Goodman. Although he’s been the television voice of the Rockies for 19 years, at press time Goodman was no different than any other fan of the game, uncertain when—or if—it would return in 2020. On page 54, he shares some strong opinions, about that uncertainty, along with a number of other topics—including his response to social media critics who aren’t hesitant to share their opinions about his work.

As good of a player as Larry Walker was, he almost missed his chance at being recognized by the Hall of Fame, the pinnacle of a lifetime of achievement, because some voters found him lacking in comparison to some of baseball’s all-time greats. It’s a subjective argument that can be found in any sport, including golf. Does it come down to hard and fast numbers, like victories? Is it the impact that the work has on the lives of others, perhaps for generations? Or are you penalized for doing your best work away from the bright lights of the big city? On page 36 we look at a man, Gene Torres, who would seem to meet all of the criteria, and then some, for recognition. And yet, the native of Trinidad, who started with next to nothing, but went on to an esteemed career, both in Colorado and across the border in New Mexico—touching thousands of lives—has been found wanting when it comes to our state’s Golf Hall of Fame. It’s an injustice that hopefully can be rectified soon.

Of course, it’s a very easy cliché to say that someone who flashes even a momentary glimpse of talent is on a fast track to the Hall of Fame. But in the case of Jennifer Kupcho, the words seem more firmly grounded in substance than hype. The Westminster native, who won the NCAA championship in 2018 as a student at Wake Forest University, then took the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur the following year, has already made 2020 a special season—even with her playing opportunities severely curtailed by the pandemic.

In June, Kupcho, who is now based in Arizona, returned home to Colorado and showed skills that, while perhaps not quite worthy—yet—of the World Golf Hall of Fame, certainly will make her a name to be reckoned with on the LPGA for years to come. In an event that organizers say featured its strongest field ever, Kupcho emerged victorious in the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open, earning her first professional victory. On page 52, we look back at that win. We also take a look (page 64) at two men, Nick Mason of Parker and Sam Saunders—the defending CoBank Colorado Open’s men champ—who find themselves grinding it out week after week, not so much trying to reach the Hall of Fame as just gaining a toehold in the game.

It’s a decidedly nonglamorous, often frustrating and disappointing pursuit. But neither man is deterred; rather, they are determined that their talent will eventually take them places—maybe someday to an induction ceremony.

After all, even Larry Walker had to start somewhere. ­— ANTHONY COTTON

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The CGA SERVING ALL COLORADO GOLFERS

A Winner All-Around The CGA Dream Golf Vacation Raffle offers chances to win trips to premier golf venues while supporting community-outreach programs for juniors.

PHOTOGRAPH BY @BRIANORR

By Erin Gangloff

QUOTH THE RAVEN: An adventure at the Raven Golf Club at Three Peaks in Silverthorne is one of two dozen local golf packages available in the CGA Dream Golf Vacation Raffle.

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | July 2020

tickets online until Aug. 20 at 4 p.m. MST, with the random drawing taking place on Aug. 21.

But whether entrants win a prize or not, their $40-per-ticket raffle entry benefits CGA junior programs that are hard not to like: the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy, the Hale Irwin Player To purchase tickets for CGA Dream Golf Vacation Program and the association’s Community and Raffle, visit coloradogolf.org.

Wellness Programs.

“Our three flagship programs are really our conduit into the Colorado community, the metro Denver community—and our extension of (the CGA-owned) CommonGround Golf Course as ‘a place for all and all the game teaches,’” said Ryan Smith, the chief development officer for the CGA. “That is so important for us.

It’s really where we’re a cause for good in the community.

Our programs are doing great work, and the CGA staff members who lead that outreach are really committed to the children and the kids involved DON’T A(BANDON) HOPE: Even after taking the grand prize in the 2018 in all our programming. That’s CGA Dream Golf Vacation Raffle, Rich Winters (right), shown with playing what this raffle is supporting.” partner Mark Gilroy at Bandon Dunes, is itching for another win in 2020.

12

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PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF COLORADO GOLF ASSOCIATION

A YEAR AGO this month, Rich Winters took the golf trip of a lifetime to Bandon Dunes Resort after winning the grand prize in the CGA Dream Golf Vacation Raffle.

Recently, the Aurora resident perused some information about the 2020 raffle; he surely knew the long odds of landing a second grand prize— but that won’t keep him from giving it a go again.

“You bet I am,” Winters said when asked if he’ll enter the raffle for a fifth-consecutive year.

Indeed, with six donated grand prize stayand-play packages for two, at some stellar venues, it’s certainly enticing. They include Bandon Dunes in Oregon, Kohler in Wisconsin, Sand Valley in Wisconsin, Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic and two Robert Trent Jones Trail packages in Alabama—one in the northern part of the state and the other in the southern half. Also included is a $500 gift card for use toward travel, food and beverage, and complimentary Ship Sticks golf bag delivery.

Beyond that, there are more than two dozen Colorado golf packages—including at TPC Colorado, Boulder Country Club, The Club at Rolling Hills, The Ranch Country Club, Eisenhower Golf Club, River Valley Ranch, Raven Golf Club at Three Peaks in Silverthorne—and other prizes.

The CGA’s state-licensed raffle is offering

The beneficiaries are certainly part of the reason Winters has entered the CGA raffle each of the past four years it’s been held. “Way back in the day, my brother caddied in Chicago, and I knew the raffle benefited (the Solich Academy). I thought, we might as well throw some money at them and help the cause. It’s great what they do.

I haven’t hired a caddie yet at CommonGround, but I plan to.”

Over the past four years, the CGA Dream Golf Vacation Raffle has raised about $170,000, including $70,000 in 2019 alone. Smith said this year’s goal is $75,000.

Winners of the 2020 raffle grand prizes have until the late spring or even mid-summer of 2021—depending on the specific stay-andplay package—to take their trips. Given concerns some people have with traveling at present with the COVID-19 situation, that flexibility can offer peace of mind.

The courses that are part of the raffle grand prizes are very highly regarded. Just looking at Golf Digest’s “America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses”—considered in many ways the gold standard of course rankings in the U.S.—six courses included in raffle grand prizes are on the list. Plus, Teeth of the Dog at Casa de Campo is ranked 32nd in Golf Digest’s list of “World’s 100 Greatest Courses.” Whistling Straits, of course, will be the site of this year’s Ryder Cup matches, assuming no scheduling changes are made.

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“This two-day tournament is truly spectacular!

Experiencing the event is memorable; not to mention all the great prizes and player gifts. I look forward to participating every year!” –Marc Steron

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A two-day Colorado Golf Experience like no other!

To learn about the full experience or to register, visit coloradoavidgolfer.com/schomp-bmw-cup or contact Melissa Holmberg | 720-493-1729 ext. 15 | melissa@coloradoavidgolfer.com Activities subject to change due to COVID-19 precautions

Colorado Section

#coavidgolfer DIGITAL | SOCIAL MEDIA

An (App)reciation of Golf By this point, the effects of COVID-19 seem to be old news. We have recognized the impact, altered our ways of living, and have placed hope in the future as normalcy begins to return in waves. We are focusing less on how COVID will affect our beloved sport of golf and more on what innovations are rising to the surface because of it. Many of us have now experienced playing with flagsticks required to stay in the hole, adhering to single-rider cart restrictions and not having to rake bunkers (a new rule some may actually like!).

These modifications haven’t seemed to change the game that much; at least not in diminishing the joy that comes with a well-played back nine, smashing a perfectly straight drive into the middle of the fairway, or successfully sinking a 12-foot putt. However, the pandemic has forced some new ways of looking at things. For example, how do we host a charity tournament when social distancing is required? How do we maximize tee times and cover the demand for single-rider carts? These questions may have seemed frustrating at the beginning of this global challenge, but now, they’ve spurred on a number of new approaches. Many will likely transcend the pandemic and become integrated into the game entirely. Here are two examples—from a course and a company—that have leveraged digital strategies to better the game of golf.

WRITE YOUR SCORE NO MORE! Red Hawk Ridge Golf Course in Castle Rock, and now many others, are promoting their own smartphone app to enable golfers to keep score digitally. There’s no longer the need to grab a paper scorecard and miniature pencil before hitting the links. The app allows golfers to book tee times, track shots on the course via GPS, see updated driving range flag distances, and more. It also keeps a digital log of all scores so reviewing match history is effortless.

Red Hawk Ridge Golf Course app, available on iOS and Android

WHICH PRO WOULD YOU CHOOSE? Taking charity golf tournaments to the next level, TDJ Golf has developed an app that allows users to compete digitally against other golfers. Here’s the deal: not only can you play against golfers around the world, but you get to do so with a Tour pro on your side.

Golfers play their own golf course, add their scores to a team of drafted PGA TOUR pros, and participate for great prizes. TDJ’s newest tournament additions also allows courses to host virtual Charity Pro-Ams. The addition of virtual play with pros adds a new layer of entertainment to the traditional tournament format, while also conforming to COVID-safe practices during charity functions.

TDJ Golf app, available on iOS and Android

If you haven’t done so already, be a part of the Colorado AvidGolfer social media community by following our social media accounts and joining our newsletter. Tag and share your golf related content with us.

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TWO WAYS TO BUY! Purchase your Golf Passport online at coloradoavidgolfer.com/golf-passport or at a PGA TOUR Superstore location near you today!

Proud Sponsor of Great Drives Golf Passport Member Conditions: 2020 Member Privileges. All rates include a cart. Visit coloradoavidgolfer.com/golf-passport for complete details regarding rates, available tee times, number of rounds and reservation policy. Tee time requests are on a space available basis to Golf Passport members and participating courses’ rain check policies will apply. Unless otherwise stated, the golf offers are good from January 1, 2020 – December, 31 2020, excluding holidays, special events, tournaments or closure to environmental or economic conditions. Mountain seasons may vary slightly. The Golf Passport is limited to one per person and is non-transferable. Prices do not include sales tax. Some courses may require a credit card to secure a tee time prior to play. If a tee time is cancelled, the golf course may charge for its discounted fee. Colorado AvidGolfer reserves the right to make reasonable modifications to the Golf Passport, effective upon notice by e-mail or first class mail to the Golf Passport member. A Golf Passport member may reject any such modification by responding in writing to Colorado AvidGolfer and returning the Golf Passport within ten (10) days. The Golf Passport member will receive a prorated refund. However, no refund will be given if the Golf Passport Member received the Complimentary Two-Night Stay at CasaBlanca Resort and Two Rounds of Golf at CasaBlanca or The Palms Golf Club. The Golf Passport member agrees that he or she is not entitled to any additional compensation. Colorado AvidGolfer disclaims all liability for damage or loss of property or injury to any person occurring while using the Golf Passport. If ordered online, please allow up to 10 days for delivery of your Golf Passport. Golf Passport membership includes a digital subscription to Colorado AvidGolfer with the option to opt-in to the mailing subscription for an additional fee. Members will also be subscribed to the Colorado AvidGolfer weekly newsletter list and can unsubscribe at any time.

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The Gallery

NEWS | NOTES | NAMES

CREATURE COMFORTS: The men’s locker room at Castle Pines Golf Club has been updated and modernized.

MR. VICKERS: The redesigned clubhouse has a library dedicated to the Castle Pines Golf Club founder.

Castle Pines’ Grand (Re)Opening BACK IN THE day, when Jack and Kelly Vickers designed the clubhouse at Castle Pines Golf Club, the idea was to provide a home away from home for the membership.

And, as grand as that initial effort may have been, as is often the case with homes, the time has come for a face-lift.

“If you want to stay relevant in the golf market, you’ve got to stay on top of your course, you have to keep modernizing it,” says general manager Keith Schneider.

Just as Augusta National, long regarded as the inspiration for the club because of the connections between the Vickers and Jack Nicklaus, has continued to evolve through the years, the same can be said for the Castle Rock jewel. A pair of concurrent projects (work on the clubhouse started in 2018, the course the following fall; with both completed this spring) may be its boldest yet, stretching across the expanse of the property, from out on the course itself to inside the kitchens and locker rooms.

Five holes, Nos. 9, 14, 15, 16 and 17, were reworked by Nicklaus’ team, with efforts mainly involving reimagining the green and tee complexes. Included amongst the changes: a greenside pond/waterfall was added on 16, and the existing mountain stream on 14 was relocated. In addi-

tion, the mountain stream on 17 was enlarged, with new fairway and greenside bunkers added.

Meanwhile, a new back tee was added that can be used on both the ninth and 18th holes.

Jim Lipe, Nicklaus’ senior design consultant, told Golf Course Architecture magazine that the changes are part of an effort to “reflect Jack’s vision of shot variety and length.”

But even if the members come up short trying to live up to the Golden Bear’s standards out on the course, there will certainly be ample opportunities to soothe their wounds when their rounds are complete—although that much-needed comfort may be preceded by one final indignity.

“We created a cigar terrace over the 18th green,” Schneider says. “It’s kinda neat—you can be out there smoking a cigar and having a drink, and when your friends are finishing the 18th hole, there might be a lot of heckling—that’s been a big hit.”

Schneider says the divergence from the good old days can also be found in other areas.

“Jack Vickers was a scotch drinker,” Schneider says. “He didn’t promote wine, whereas our new leader, [club chairman and president] George Solich, loves it. Every club has something iconic that’s it’s known for—we recreated our tower, put in an elevator and made a 9,000-squarefoot wine cellar.

“You can go up the elevator and on to a platform that’s 90 feet

in the air and looks out on to great views of all the surrounding mountains; then you can go back down into a private dining room and have a great meal with a great bottle of wine, with 9,000 to choose from.”

Afterwards, should the competitive mood return, there’s always the new 14,000-squarefoot putting course that abuts the fire pit outside the clubhouse.

“It’s going to be lit at night; we think the members are going to have some fun with it,” Schneider says.

There are also nods to history throughout the premises; a library has been named after Jack Vickers, its space filled with memorabilia and photographs of the club’s late founder with luminaries like John Elway, Peyton Manning and former PGA TOUR commissioners Deane Beman and Tim Finchem. There’s also a new board room named after Nicklaus.

“It’s all kind of the reopening of Castle Pines,” Schneider says.

To that end, about the only thing missing is a swanky party to show everything off to the world. While such a soiree has been scheduled and rescheduled because of the novel coronavirus, Schneider says the hope is it will happen when the time is right.

“We’ll take a shot at it this fall, but if COVID is still there, it might be next year.” castlepinesgolfclub.club PHOTOGRAPHS BY E.J. CARR

IN AND OUT: The reconfigured, expanded clubhouse opened up more space, allowing the outside to come indoors.

coloradoavidgolfer.com

WE SALUTE YOU: A new addition to Castle Pines Golf Club is an outdoor amphitheater for concerts and entertainment.

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July 2020 | COLORADO AVIDGOLFER

The Gallery

When it Comes to the Perfect Fit, Dan Weitzel isn’t the Retiring Type

PHOTOGRAPHS BY E.J. CARR

IF A MARKETING guru happened to scope out Dan Weitzel Golf, he or she would probably point out all the things the Highlands Ranch club maker is doing wrong: There’s a website, but Weitzel admits it’s in serious need of updating. He also has a base of about 1,500 people who receive emails from him, touting his work—but the potential clientele would only need to check about once every six months for them.

“I just don’t believe in saturating people’s inboxes,” he says.

And yet Weitzel, who makes custom-fitted Callaway and Mizuno clubs, is busier today than he’s ever been. At any given time, there are anywhere from six to eight sets of clubs in various stages of production; and he sells enough, he says, to make him a national Top 100 dealer of both brands.

“I probably don't charge enough for what I do,” Weitzel says. “My pricing is comparable to what the stores do, but what I build, it's much more precise than what you’d ever get from the manufacturers.”

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TAILORED TINKERER: Once a competitive player himself, Dan Weitzel now builds clubs for winners ranging from junior golf to the college ranks. He started tinkering with clubs more than 40 years ago.

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PHOTOGRAPHS BY E.J. CARR

about two weeks for the set of clubs to be finished.

The only spin rate most folks, even avid golfers, are interested in is how often they have to take the car out to go to the grocery store—which is why, Weitzel admits, his services aren’t for everyone.

“It’s a different way to look at the game; there are people who are fairly serious, care about their games but don’t know what GIVING TREE: Weitzel uses donated clubs and financial contributions to they’re missing, and others create sets for youth players in the Denver area. just don’t care,” he says.

“I say about 50 percent of busiest months, as golfers begin to emerge the people who come to see me do it because from hibernation and get the itch to return to they know what I can do; about 30 percent come the course, along with a desire to improve their because they can appreciate the idea of it, but game. When a player visits Weitzel, he begins by they aren’t sure how it works, and about 20 perlooking at their current set of clubs, initiating a cent are ‘Just tell me what I need.’” conversation about their game and why the sticks Weitzel says he works with the University of currently being used may not match what he’s Denver golf teams, which are based at the nearby hearing. That’s followed by what he describes DU Golf Club; he’s also beginning to reach an as a series of geometric measurements: club even younger crowd, making sets for high school length, lie angle, grip size, head size and shaft and junior golfers. Those sets often begin with requirement. At that point, the player would used clubs, or donations from some of his more proceed to the hitting bay, where Weitzel well-off players. measures data like launch angles and spin rates.

“There’s no way I want to try and make A fitting can take two to three hours, or even money off of kids; so, when somebody comes stretch out to multiple sessions. It usually takes in and has a decent set of clubs and they want

something new, I'm going to just encourage him to give me the old stuff,” he says. “And then, also when someone can plainly afford a little more than the normal retail price, and they want to chip in 100 bucks or whatever, we’re encouraging them to do that.

“I really want to connect with the [Colorado Golf Association] about (perhaps starting a program); it’s something that I want to keep doing— even when I’m done fitting neurotic adults.”

A competitive player back in the day, Weitzel says he’s been tinkering around with clubs for more than 40 years, in part because there were times when he needed work done on his clubs but realized there wasn’t anywhere capable of doing the job.

“We lived in Iowa for four years and there wasn’t anybody within 100 miles, so I really had to learn,” he says.

Back then, Weitzel built his clientele through word of mouth—“It had to be—there was no internet!” he cracks. Today, be it casual conversations or the World Wide Web, business is booming to the point where Weitzel actually finds himself turning down potential customers in order to actually see for himself how his clubs work on the course.

“I’m starting to take more time off,” he says.

“Actually scheduling golf instead of just trying to go out if I happen to have a free morning.

After all, he adds, “This is my retirement business.” weitzelgolf.com

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July 2020 | COLORADO AVIDGOLFER 3/1/16 12:08 PM

Outlaw Tour Unable to Make Clean Getaway COLORADO’S GOLF landscape has been understandably littered with canceled tournaments and other events due to the novel coronavirus—but where some saw double bogeys, Mike O’Leary saw an opportunity to soar with eagles.

O’Leary is the executive director of the OutlawTour, a mini-circuit based in Arizona that gives golfers a chance to compete in the winter and early spring before heading out to larger venues like the Korn Ferry or Canadian Tours. Those options were more important than ever this year because of the pandemic, and so, rather than end the season as scheduled in April, he extended it by about a month.

Then he had an even bigger idea—bring the Outlaw Tour to Colorado for a series of events.

“There were so many events being canceled and postponed all around the country, it seemed like there was a great need for places for players to compete, and Colorado seemed like such a great fit,” O’Leary said.

The idea was to sandwich about three tournaments into the window between Korn Ferry’s TPC Colorado Championship at Heron Lakes on July 1-4, and the CoBank Colorado Open, July 23-26.

“There was definitely a strong desire; we have quite a few players from Colorado who come down to Arizona and play with us over the winter,” O’Leary said. “We knew we had a strong base to start from and we were really excited to put something out there.”

Alas, the plan eventually fizzled, the circumstances why underscoring just how tough it is for tournament directors trying to line up events— especially on short notice. O’Leary started by reaching out to Colorado players, gathering suggestions on where the Outlaw stops might take place—“obviously, we wanted to play on championship-style golf courses; I looked at the venues where the Colorado Open was holding its qualifying, because they had to be good.”

But when O’Leary started reaching out to the facilities, things didn’t go as smoothly as he’d hoped.

“They don’t know me, and I don’t have relationships with them, so I have to explain to them what we're looking for and give them a rundown of the history of who we are and what we do,” he said. “And then of course, that particular person has to go and talk to either their head pro or general manager, or whoever it might be—and

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF COLORADO OPEN GOLF FOUNDATION

The Gallery

Sam Saunders

then they try and figure out if the dates will work because we don't just want one day, we want multiple days.

“So what would happen was, a Monday might be open, but Tuesday was unavailable; obviously we don't want to impact the weekend, which are busier times for them—it just seemed like we kept hitting roadblocks.”

Indeed, a number of players with Colorado ties, including Nick Mason of Parker, Steven Kupcho of Westminster and defending CoBank Colorado Open champion Sam Saunders have found success during the Outlaw Tour’s 2019-20 season. Apart from a couple of smaller events, O’Leary says the schedule is likely completed... although, he adds, there may be a chance to go to Utah later this summer…. outlawtour.golf

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Triple Play Heading for Home?

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF WESTERN SLOPE TRIPLE PLAY

THE WESTERN SLOPE Triple Play, a three-day women’s tournament, has long been a drawing card for players from across the state and region.

But this year’s event almost became undone when a number of the organizers went on a weekend jaunt to Moab, Utah.

“There wasn’t a soul wearing a face mask in any of the stores and restaurants,” said Vicky

Riley. “They were all tourists, heading in and out of town and we were all like, ‘Oh no….’”

The idea of a similar tableau playing out in the Grand Junction area, which Riley says hasn’t been affected by the novel coronavirus as much as other parts of the state, was enough to warrant a conversation about canceling the event. Eventually, the decision was made to proceed, although an email was sent to the 130 players scheduled to attend the sold-out July 24-26 event, saying the decision could change should the COVID-19 numbers spike.

“It’s not unsettling because of the fact that you can’t do anything about it,” said Riley.

“I don’t know about you, but I had a mother who worried about everything and very little of it ever came to pass—worrying doesn’t do you any good. We’re just kind of chilling out until we know more.”

At press time, Riley said only four players had canceled their registration; there were still another 20 on the waiting list TRIPLE THREAT: Redlands Mesa, Tiara Rado and Adobe Creek will for the Triple Play, which calls host the Western Slope’s annual three-day Triple Play golf tournament.

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itself “Colorado’s only three-day women’s golf tournament.” The event is played at a trio of the area’s most iconic courses—Redlands Mesa, Tiara Rado and Adobe Creek—with proceeds going to Hilltop’s Latimer House, which combats sexual violence and domestic assault.

Unlike other tournaments in Colorado, which have moved away from shotgun starts, the Triple Play still plans on using the format.

“Here’s our problem—on the Western Slope in July, it’s hotter than heck,” Riley said. “You don’t want to penalize anyone by having them start after 8 a.m.—it’s just too hot. And the women want to get off the course early before it gets so blistering hot.”

That’s not to say there won’t be other concessions made to the coronavirus—social distancing guidelines will certainly be used, as well as the now de rigeur ban on touching flagsticks.

Also, instead of the evening post-round dinners, Riley said players will likely be given vouchers to area restaurants, so that any gathering would come in smaller groups.

“We want the girls to wear their face masks when they’re out in public, at the stores or wineries, or wherever,” Riley said. “We'll keep them safe and they need to keep us safe.” westernslopetripleplay.com

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Player’s Corner

SUNSPOT: After going through the paces at the STRATA Spa and Wellness Center, visitors to Garden of the Gods Resort and Club can make time for some self-reflection.

PLAY AWAY

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF GARDEN OF THE GODS RESORT AND CLUB

A Healthy Outlook Thanks to the holistic approach of its owners, all is very well at the Garden of the Gods Resort and Club. By Jon Rizzi THE SANDSTONE SPIRES and fins have stood tall for more than 70 million years, but the sight of them never gets old. You get that sensation immediately upon entering the Garden of the Gods Resort and Club, where the floor-to-ceiling windows in the Grand View Dining Room and The Rocks Lounge reveal the 1,300-acre “garden” of roseate formations from which this Colorado Springs redoubt—and the renowned park it overlooks—takes its name. From dawn until dusk, the sun limns these ancient monoliths, creating chiaroscuros of multi-hued ridges, craters and crags that seem to change shape and color every 30 minutes.

This natural spectacle not only inspires wonder but also a sense of spiritual and physical wellbeing. It’s a combination that has drawn visitors to Colorado Springs since the late 1800s and prompted Texas oilman Al Hill to buy the 330 acres on which he built the private Garden of the Gods Club in 1951. It also explains why all 27 holes of the resort’s Kissing Camels Golf Club offer glimpses of the namesake sandstone smoochers, and why every one of the resort’s 56 coloradoavidgolfer.com

exquisite guest rooms and suites faces the red rocks, with a walk-out patio or terrace to bring them that much closer.

“When you walk on the property, it just kind of takes you to that zen,” says Colorado Springs businesswomen Judy Mackey, who joined the club in 1989. “You naturally relax.”

NEW OWNERS, NEW APPROACHES In 2013, Mackey and her friend Brenda Smith were looking to start a holistic wellness center and wanted to rent space at the Garden of the Gods Resort and Club from Sunrise Company, which had purchased the property from the Hill family in 2007. Instead, the two women wound up buying the entire resort and club.

In the nearly seven years since taking over, they have gloriously revamped the 90,000-squarefoot clubhouse/lodge, which, Mackey claims, “was like going into an assisted-living facility; the energy was dead.” They also expanded the lodging options by developing Vermilion, a community of six cottages, 14 casitas and 17 currentlyunder-construction villas—all impeccably ap-

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pointed and featuring flexible configurations for one to three bedrooms. (The resort owns the cottages and rents the others for private owners.)

In part a response to the insurgence of VRBO and Airbnb, these luxury residences pair all the independence and comforts of home with the refined food, services and amenities in the main resort. The result is cosseting indulgence, which in every cottage and guest room expresses itself most conspicuously in the form of a high-tech Plum wine dispenser preloaded with bottles of your favorite red or white varietal to savor by the glass at the precisely correct temperature.

A DIFFERENT STRATUM Without a doubt, however, the property’s most significant upgrade is the 31,000-square-foot realization of Mackey’s and Smith’s vision: the STRATA Spa and Wellness Center.

Initially called the International Health and Wellness Center, STRATA focuses on personalized, holistic wellbeing programs tailored by more than 20 physicians, therapists and clinicians to produce optimal physical, emotional, intellectual, July 2020 | COLORADO AVIDGOLFER

Play Away social, environmental, spiritual and mental health.

The successful integration of these layers, or strata, suggests a process similar to that which produces the geological marvels in the Garden of the Gods.

Headed by Dr. Mike Barber, a board-certified cardiologist, internist and electrophysiologist, STRATA brings together the complimentary talents of topflight naturopaths, psychologists, osteopaths, chiropractors, dieticians, clinicians, nurse practitioners, kinesiologists, acupuncturists, fitness experts, massage therapists, estheticians and other specialists.

“This is multidisciplinary medicine at its finest,” summarizes Grant Jones, STRATA’s Vice President of Wellness. “A collective powerhouse of modern wellness expertise.”

STRATA divides into four basic areas: STRATA Med (Medical Center), STRATA Body (Spa), STRATA Salon (Esthetics) and STRATA Fit (Fitness). The Wellness Center building houses all but STRATA Fit, which occupies the south end of the main lodge. At press time, due to COVID-19 precautions, both STRATA Body and Fit were offering limited services.

A calming, relaxed energy permeates the STRATA building. When a client arrives, a wellness concierge screens him or her and schedules an initial consulting session with a personalized team of medical specialists to assess the course of action. “We work together on this to make recommendations and a program that addresses the underlying causes of any health concerns,” Barber says. “We’re not just going to put paint on rotting wood.”

The clinicians possess the tools to perform numerous types of assessments (including genetic-testing analysis), and the range of treatments and therapies comprises everything from naturopathic tinctures and IV nutritional and hormonal therapy to massage, acupuncture and cupping to halotherapy (sauna with Himalayan salt blocks that emit negative ions to counteract the

positive ones radiated by computers), meditation and a weightless cocooning in a Haslauer Pure Sense Soft Pack Bed. The center has numerous programs specifically designed for women and for men, as well as multiple proactive wellness and fitness curricula, including a year-long Concierge Wellness Membership, available to the public. For an annual fee of $2,950 ($246 per month), you receive primary provider care, a baseline physical exam and access to medical massage, acupuncture, chiropractic treatment, nutritional consultation and much more.

TPI AND TEE TIMES STRATA also takes special care of golfers with its TPI Body Workshop. Run by Kissing Camels Golf Club PGA Director of Golf Rich Parker, Dr. Shane Wells and Fitness and Lifestyle Instructor Tracy Iverson—all of whom are TPI Certified—the “Body-Swing Connection” sessions help players discover the most efficient swing for their individual body.

Beyond the workshop, Wells says that integrating the TPI fitness and PGA instruction with different STRATA disciplines is akin to “giving the average golfer the same kind of ‘team’ resources the PGA TOUR pros have.”

“The TPI protocols for the golf and fitness screenings quantify, validate and inform golf and fitness instruction,” Parker concurs. “But the data also can indicate issues that may benefit from medical intervention.”

An avid golfer and chiropractor, Wells explains that if a golfer can’t do a deep overhead squat—one of the 16 TPI screening assessments—it can indicate lack of pelvic stability, requiring exercises to strengthen the core. “But it can also indicate a neurophysiological problem, and that’s where I come in,” he says. “We have the resources to go deeper when the testing reveals biomechanical flaws that exercise alone may not correct.”

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF GARDEN OF THE GODS RESORT AND CLUB

KISS A CAMEL: Resort guests are welcome to tee it up at the Kissing Camels Golf Club, and can further enhance the experience with an autonomous caddie. Noted designer Press Maxwell created the first 18 holes in 1961.

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | July 2020

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Play Away

Stan Fenn & Doug Perry

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: The Garden of the Gods Resort and Club turns 70 next year. It was purchased by Judy Mackey and Brenda Smith in 2013 and has undergone extensive renovations over the last seven years.

EVERY SATURDAY 7-9 a.m.

FEAST LIKE A GOD While golfers enjoy wings, burgers and beers at Kissing Camels, the restaurants at the main re-

sort across the street make a point of integrating health-consciousness into the menus.

Food and Beverage Vice President Dan Daughtry and Executive Chef Thomas Hartwell seek out local producers for the freshest meats, fruits, vegetables, mushrooms and roasted coffee.

Changing menus with the season, they regularly consult with STRATA dietician Charlene Wang on scrumptious “Wellness Options” for breakfast, lunch and dinner that go way beyond the standard “spa cuisine” of smoothies, salads and skinless chicken breasts. A recent lunch followed a cup of anti-inflammatory Ginger, Turmeric and Carrot Bisque with a robust Superfood Club.

The Grand View dining room also serves sensibly and delectably prepared “Comfort Food” favorites such as four-cheese tortellini, pan-seared bison flat iron steaks and Reuben sandwiches.

Add-ons and sides range from the wellnessoriented hydrated chia seeds and quinoa pilaf to the more traditional loaded baked potato.

A NEW ERA The Garden of the Gods Resort and Club turns 70 next year. Like the adjacent outcroppings that are a million times as old and the STRATA clients who benefit from the state-of-the-art treatments, the resort has aged with extraordinary grace.

The once-private enclave of privilege has redefined itself by valuing wellness above material wealth. That isn’t to say that the lodging, dining and golf are inexpensive; nor that STRATA, a direct-pay provider, will bill your insurance carrier.

But the august property now attracts people in search of something more worthwhile than status or a bag tag. STRATA is open to the public, not only to club members and resort guests, and the owners have even made it accessible and affordable to everyone on the resort and club staff. As the post-pandemic world cautiously takes shape, it’s both exciting and reassuring that a stunning, historic property so close to home touts health and wellness among its chief amenities.

Jon Rizzi is the founding editor of Colorado AvidGolfer. For more on Garden of the Gods Resort and Club and STRATA, visit gardenofthegodsresort.com or call 800-923-8838.

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PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF GARDEN OF THE GODS RESORT AND CLUB

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Correcting a flawed perception of the club also proves challenging. “For years, we were that exclusive country club on the hill that only allowed members and their guests,” Garden of the Gods Club Director of Marketing Les Pedersen says of Kissing Camels Golf Club. “These days, prearrival, we educate resort guests that the golf course is there for them to play.”

The immaculate layout comprises 18 parkland holes designed by Press Maxwell in 1961, with another nine added 36 years later by Mark Rathert. Though carts are available, all 27 holes are walkable, with the added benefit this year of the ClubCar Tempo Walk—a hands-free autonomous caddie that follows four feet behind and features all the bells and whistles (bag holder, GPS, coolers, USB ports and other accessories) of a luxury riding cart.

The Kissing Camels clubhouse grille, aptly named the Grand View, offers vistas as colorful as the history of a club known to import live dromedaries for the annual events like the Smoochers Ladies’ Invitational, Camel Drivers Men’s Invitational and the Sheiks and Shebas Couples Invitational.

The club’s longtime golf instructor, Shirley Englehorn, won 11 events on the LPGA Tour, including the 1970 LPGA Championship, but the woman forever identified with Kissing Camels is Lyda Hill. The eldest daughter of club founders Al and Margaret Hill served as president of the club for decades and competed in a dozen U.S. Women’s Amateurs. On her watch, Kissing Camels hosted the 1982 U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur won by Edean Ihlanfeldt.

After selling the club in 2007, Hill became one of the members of the investment group, led

by Smith and Mackey, that purchased the club six years later.

Player’s Corner 15TH CLUB

Summertime…and the Golf Fitness is Easy A good walk spoiled? Not if you prepare yourself—before and during your round. By Dee Tidwell WHEN GOLF RETURNED in the wake of the novel coronavirus, more often than not carts were not available, forcing individuals to walk the course if they wanted to play. Now that those restrictions have (largely) been relaxed, carts are available—but perhaps you’ve decided you want to continue hoofing it, as it were. Congratulations—medical conditions aside, you should never pass up the chance for exercise, even as spring turns to summer, with its heat and energy-sapping potential.

One of the things I tell my clients is that they aren’t “golfers”—rather, they’re athletes who golf. This creates an understanding that if you want to play good golf consistently and improve and play well into your golden years, you must prioritize your overall fitness and health.

Pre-Game Prep for Lower Scores Here are some easy on-range drills you can do before you hit that first ball.

PELVIC TILTS Start in your 5-iron golf posture. Arch your back, then tuck your butt, and repeat this alternation.

Perform this sequence without moving any other part of your body, like knees or upper back, just the pelvis. You can hold onto a golf club with both hands to make it easier. 20 reps.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHAD CHISHOLM

Arch

Tuck

PELVIS ROTATIONS In the same 5-iron golf posture, cross your arms over your chest, then turn your pelvis right and left. Be sure to do the same range on both sides and let the opposite knee follow the pelvis. 20 reps each side.

Let’s look at some habits (besides regular gym work) to set you on the pathway to becoming healthier and more athletic—and get your playing partners wondering why you’re still as fresh as a daisy on the back nine while they’re wilting in the sun.

FIRST: TO CARRY OR NOT TO CARRY, THAT IS THE QUESTION. For twenty years now, my answer has been to push and not to carry. I’ve preached this to young and old and even to heads of private golf courses (where the use of carts can be discouraged) and officials with the Colorado Junior Golf Association (on behalf of kids).

Yes, I’ve heard plenty of scoffing, from young golfers to my seniors, about how it may not be “cool” or the thing to do, but the facts state a different case.

• Carrying zaps your body’s postural energy stores. When your posture gets fatigued, the power part of your swing has nothing to stabilize against in order to create speed. If you lose stability, you also lose consistency.

• Carrying limits your ability to bring more “stuff” like food and water.

• Carrying creates poor physical habits and positions that will affect you on and off the course, especially for kids learning the game and seniors who tend to have less-than-ideal posture due to age. This will limit normal spinal angles, breathing mechanics and optimal movement, which will affect the initial point on this list.

My recommendation? Push—it’ll change your game.

(Continued on page 34)

Start coloradoavidgolfer.com

Rotate right

Rotate left

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July 2020 | COLORADO AVIDGOLFER

15th Club

SPINAL TRANSLATIONS WITH SIDE BENDS Stand with your feet about two feet wider than your hips, turn your feet in as far as they can. Tuck your butt like you did in the pelvic tilt drill and HOLD throughout entire exercise. Then place arms above shoulder joints, keeping elbows straight, and translate your chest to one side (by moving your rib cage laterally). 6-8 reps on each side. After those reps, simply add a side bend, where you do the lateral translation, then side bend so you are reaching toward your knee, and perform both sides 6-8 times.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHAD CHISHOLM

SECOND: YOU’VE GOT TO EAT! As a professional conditioning coach for the last 30 years to professional motocrossers, Winter X-Games athletes, pro snowboarders, mountain bikers, Olympians, collegiate golf teams and PGA TOUR players, I think one of the biggest surprises I encountered with all of them was that they did not eat regularly during competition—including my PGA TOUR players.

So, one of the first things we worked on, besides getting rid of their pain, was to have them eat regularly scheduled snacks that they brought with them during their rounds, rather than relying on what might be available “at the turn.”

(Oh, and here’s another shocker… what do you think the PGA supplies the players “at the turn” for food and drink? More recently than you might think, it was oranges, bananas, doughnuts and soda and water! I thought for sure they’d have turkey or roast beef sandwiches, fruit and a few healthy bar choices. Nah, just straight up sugar.)

At that point the “bell went off” and it made clear sense why my tour players and my amateurs experienced fatigue starting as early as the 12th hole. Yes, everyone has different elements of fatigue, but in general, players experience either mental or physical fatigue, and not surprisingly, a majority experience both.

Taking those facts to heart, you now understand that you must eat well to play well.

Here are my suggestions:

Start

Lateral translation

Side bend

KNEE AND ANKLE PROPRIOCEPTIONS These are “old school” ankle and knee circles and figure eights. Stand with feet together and hands on knees. Then “draw” a circle with your knees, starting with small circles and working to big circles. Do the same the other direction. Repeat again, this time with figure eight movements, working from small to large figure eights. Do both sides, about 10 circles and figure eights in both directions.

• Eat a meal 1-2 hours before you tee off.

• Eat a snack with a good source of carbs, protein and fat at the 6th and 12th holes.

• Drink water. The average person should drink about 8-12 ounces per hole during summer rounds.

• On hot days, drink at least 16-32 ounces of water within two hours of finishing your round.

• Eat a meal when finished playing —a healthy one!

THIRD: WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU DON’T WARM UP? “OMGolly if I have to explain the importance of a ‘body warm up’ to another golfer I’m going to puke,” said a colleague of mine about a year ago. I agreed with him.

How is it that in all other sports you see athletes warming up before they play or compete, but not in golf? Please do one thing this year and start physically warming up before you hit the range to practice!

Now that your body is properly warmed up (and fortified), go out there and show your buddies how to seize the day!

Start

Circle left

Circle right

Figure eight both directions

Dee Tidwell owns the Colorado Golf Fitness Club in Greenwood Village. He is a Level Three Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) Certified Golf Fitness Pro, Golf Fitness Instructor, Junior Coach and Medical Coach. A three-time CAGGY Award winner, he recently ranked as one of Golf Digest’s 50 Best Golf Fitness Professionals. Reach him at dee@coloradogolffitnessclub.com or 303-883-0435.

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | July 2020

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Player’s Corner PROFILE

Remembering “The Rock” A self-taught Trinidad native, Gene Torres was a short-game wizard who dominated Southwest pro golf in the 1970s and ’80s and inspired thousands of students. By Andy Bigford

GOLF IS FULL of legendary rags-to-riches tales, from Sam Snead learning the game with a club carved from a tree limb to Lee Trevino growing up in a shack without plumbing or electricity. Then there’s Gene “The Rock” Torres, one of Colorado’s most decorated professionals ever with 80-plus wins, who got his start in the game by shoveling coal.

Growing up in hardscrabble Trinidad in the 1940s, the son of an electrician, Torres found a job feeding the furnace in the winter at the Trinidad muni, which he parlayed into hauling double bags out on the course when summer arrived.

One of the regulars gave him a secondhand club and he taught himself the game, forging a career that would include four decades of teaching, coaching, mentoring and winning golf tournaments in Colorado and all over the Southwest.

Torres would settle 120 miles south of the state line in Las Vegas, N.M., where he spent 43 years as the pro at the New Mexico Highlands University’s nine-hole course, which is now named after him; as a professor of COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | July 2020

Physical Education; as the NMHU golf coach; and as a mentor to thousands of golfers, from professionals to newcomers.

In his spare time, he compiled an eyepopping playing record, winning the New Mexico Open four years in a row (until Trevino, fresh off wins in the British and U.S. opens, ended his streak—by one shot); winning the Colorado Open in 1972 (after having blown a seven-shot lead to Dave Hill, a three-time Ryder Cup member, the previous year); the Wyoming Open in 1974; and generally going low around the country, including a record-setting 62 at Pinehurst, N.C., in the 250team 1971 National Pro-Am. He won the Conrad Hilton Open and San Juan Open four times each, was the six-time Sun Country PGA Section champion (incorporating New Mexico and El Paso, Texas), and is believed to be the first New Mexican to win a U.S. Open regional qualifier in 1973 when he earned a spot in the Open held at Oakmont.

Despite all the accomplishments on the course and practice tee, Torres, who passed away in 2005, has not been inducted into the New

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LIKE A ROCK: After teaching himself how to play with a secondhand club, Gene Torres of Trinidad went on to win more than 80 tournaments during his career.

Mexico Sports Hall of Fame (the state has no stand-alone golf hall) or the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, though he has been nominated for both.

“I thought he was deserving. I don’t understand it,” says Colorado native Larry Webb, who won the 1980 Colorado Open and was inducted into the Colorado Hall in 2000. “One of my favorite people in the world. He was a major part of Colorado golf back when I started playing.” Webb, now the head pro at Gillette Golf Club in Wyoming, recalls Torres as a true gentleman who was always eager to help. “I loved competing with him, and I loved having him teach me.”

Starting with that single hand-me-down club, Torres idolized Ben Hogan, often playing alone with two balls: His own and Hogan’s. “I never beat Hogan,” he would say. Torres won the Colorado High School Association state championship in 1956 (before size classifications) coloradoavidgolfer.com

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READ ’EM AND WEEP: Torres won four straight New Mexico Opens, then triumphed in the 1972 Colorado Open. He qualified for the PGA Championship that same year.

and would also expand his horizons, traveling to Columbus, Ga., to finish tied for 10th in the National Jaycees Youth Tournament with a kid named Jack Nicklaus. He attended Adams State College in Alamosa for a semester but struggled to make ends meet and ultimately joined the Navy.

The admiral at boot camp saw Torres’ golf record and made him a sort of base ambassador, allowing him to tour and put on exhibitions. When he was assigned permanent duty, there was a new admiral in charge, and he spent almost four years at sea aboard the USS Shangri-La. Out of the Navy, Torres had the good fortune to connect with Thomas C. Donnelly, the new president at NMHU and an avid golfer. Donnelly wanted to start a golf team at NMHU, and he also wanted to offer instruction to a wider swath of students. Torres stepped into the role in 1962, and though the golf team was disbanded in 1987, he worked tirelessly at the course, and at teaching, almost until his death.

It was never easy, especially after Donnelly left; at times Torres did everything, including cutting the greens, typically working seven days a week. (His wife Dodie often ran the pro shop, and three of their four kids also pitched in.) In 1972, Torres qualified for the PGA Championship at Oakland Hills outside Detroit. He played a practice round with his friend Trevino, who gave him a couple putters and encouraged him to keep grinding. Torres made the cut and qualified for the next PGA stop in Westchester, N.Y., but opted to head home, where he would be hosting the Rough Riders event at his home course. “This tournament comes first,” Torres told the media.

The Rough Riders was a prestigious amateur tournament that Torres founded on the NMHU course. Even though it was only a nine-holer with push-up greens, the course was cut out of swamp bottoms and required long, accurate carries along with a deft short game.

Torres would double cut and roll the greens, so COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | July 2020

the course played hard and fast. “You wanted to win the tournament because Gene was in charge,” says Tom Verlande, who competed there as an amateur and then against Torres as a professional and is now the head pro at Black Mesa Country Club in Española, New Mexico.

“He was—by far—the best player in the state.”

Torres was not a straight driver of the ball, but he was an uncanny escape artist; his son Gene “Geno” Torres says that while his dad idolized Hogan, his style resembled Seve Ballesteros.

Verlande recalls seeing him in the final round of the Conrad Hilton Open in Sacorro, N.M., where Torres hit just four greens in regulation but shot a 71 to hang on for the win.

“It was the most amazing chipping exhibition that I’ve ever seen.”

Torres was a Class A PGA member despite never having taken a formal lesson, and an untenured professor despite only having completed one semester of college. The NMHU golf team never had much of a budget and Torres would often fund travel out of his pocket, but they compiled a winning record and once beat the University of Colorado when its team was ranked 12th nationally.

“Gene was a great player and an even better person,” says Denver native Joe Pinson, who was recruited to NMHU by Torres. “I basically went there blind without seeing the town or the golf course. I remember taking the exit off I-25 into Las Vegas and thinking, ‘What in the hell did I get myself into?’ It was the best four years and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. He was such a good player, teacher, shotmaker, mentor, and the imagination he had for picturing and hitting golf shots was amazing.” Pinson is the long-tenured head pro at Overland Park Golf Course (he had grown up across the street), and now says, “A lot of my teaching methods came from my years with Gene.”

Golfers traveled from Arizona and Colorado seeking his instruction. Through thick and thin (mostly the latter), Torres kept the course running, often arriving by 7 a.m. and closing at 9 p.m. “All the kids loved him,” Verlande says. “The only thing keeping that course open was him.”

“He shed his blood and tears to keep it going,” says his wife, Dodie. They met in high school in Trinidad, where she hailed from a ranching family; Dodie eventually learned the game herself and became a multiple city champion.

Their son Geno caddied for his dad in his younger years, would become the head pro at

Santa Fe Country Club, and dabbled with the minitours, once qualifying for a Nike event. He could never match his dad, who he recalls once told him that after spending almost four years on that Navy ship, he never recovered his putting stroke or touch. Geno also unraveled the origins of that “La Piedra” nickname: Everyone knew of and wanted to talk to his dad, but Gene didn’t know most of them...so he called everyone “Rock.” When asked why, he’d enthusiastically reply, “’Cause you got a rock-solid game.” Verlande remembers it well: “Everybody was Rock, and everybody would call him Rock.”

Torres did line up sponsors for PGA TOUR runs on a couple of occasions, but in those days that meant mostly Monday qualifiers, and he never stuck with it past a few months. He always stayed in good shape, but never mounted a Champions Tour effort either, though he did win numerous senior and super senior state tournaments. Geno says his dad never had much time to practice, and that he considered “hitting a large bucket of balls” as tournament prep. When asked why he didn’t practice more, Torres would say, “It’s all in my head.” But fellow pro Webb says Torres certainly knew how to keep his game sharp, including chipping around those turtle-back greens on the NMHU course when he had a free moment. (The course was completely redesigned in 2008.)

Verlande will never forget Trevino and Torres dueling in the final round in that 1972 New Mexico Open, when Trevino made a birdie down the stretch to pull ahead. Both were charismatic gallery favorites, but Torres was always diplomatic —fierce but friendly. “The Rock’s way of talking [smack] was just beating you,” Verlande says.

There were exceptions. Webb recalls going down to Las Vegas to say goodbye to his old friend in the final days, when Torres’s battle with stomach cancer had withered him to 120 lbs. “He leaned over to me and said, ‘Webby, I’ll take you out and beat you right now,’” Webb recalls. “He was a great man.”

Dodie Torres finally gave up several years ago on the effort to get her husband into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame. Gene did earn the Lifetime Achievement Award from the PGA, its highest honor, and was inducted into the NMHU Hall of Honor. Fellow pro Verlande, bothered by the lack of recognition, founded a Northern New Mexico Golf Hall of Fame and made The Rock its first inductee. Bernie Mares, a Trinidad native who had followed Torres career closely from a young age, led the unsuccessful effort to get him enshrined in the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame back in 2008.

“He didn’t live in Colorado,” was the Hall’s logic, he recalls. “That’s bull.”

Like many others, Mares remains captivated by Torres’ golf, which he describes as “Tiger-esque,” and even more so with his impact on people. “My life would be complete if I could see Gene inducted into the Hall.”

Andy Bigford, a Colorado AvidGolfer contributor, is working on the third installment in the Ski Inc. book series with Chris Diamond.

SHORT GAME WIZARDRY: Rarely accurate off the tee, Torres made up for it with a devastating short game that some compared to Masters champion Seve Ballesteros of Spain.

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coloradoavidgolfer.com

Side Bets FAREWAYS

MELTING POT: A happy family skewer, marinated with a Cuban-style mojo, is like a global festival exploding in your mouth.

Smoke Gets in Your (Chicken) Thighs Easy hacks infuse a little more oomph into summer backyard fare.

By John Lehndorff WE ALL HAVE those helpful neighbors. You know the type–eager to share their expertise about literally everything, especially your barbecue.

Consider this recent Facebook comment on a barbecue food page: “There are two types of people in this world: those who grill over charcoal, and those who are wrong.”

Frankly, the grill snobs can stick it in their Traeger smoker. On hot summer weekdays when I finally make it home, I’m not pursuing a hobby.

I need to make something good to eat.

I’m as fascinated by fire as the next dude.

I love the crackle, the sizzle and the char on food. I just don’t always have time after work to coddle the coals and babysit a slab of meat until it reaches nirvana.

I do crave that essential smokiness in my food and that perfume in the air. A gas grill is my answer with one small hack: a wood chip puck or chimney. There are small metal smoking pucks available commercially, but I make an aluminum foil chimney.

Start with a 1-foot-square rectangle of heavy-duty aluminum foil, preferably a double layer. Add a handful of wood chips but only in one coloradoavidgolfer.com

layer. Leave room to fold the foil over the edges in the shape of a thin pillow. Poke three or four holes in the top. The puck or chimney can be placed between the grill and the burners or on top of the grill from the moment you light the grill so it’s smoking when you add the food.

Hickory is traditional, apple and cherry woods are sweeter and milder, and mesquite is heavy smoke-wise. Don’t soak the wood chips in water beforehand. That just makes steam and slows the smoke. Keep a tight lid on the grill to concentrate the smoke. You can use the wood puck or chimney repeatedly until it no longer produces smoke. Then, replace the chips.

KISS COMPLICATED GRILLING GOODBYE When it comes to weeknights, I want a KISS–a Keep It Simple Supper. I like adaptable dishes that are quick to pull together, big on flavor and use great Colorado ingredients.

Start with Happy Family Skewers, named after the great Chinese-American dish that combines chicken, seafood and veggies. They are marinated in a Cuban-style mojo made with grilled citrus juice and served on a Grilled Romaine Salad.

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The menu features Colorado-made bratwurst with local chilies and onions and grilled corn on the cob—elote-style. For dessert, fresh ripe berries and peaches simmered on the grill.

This is the kind of meal where you need a timeline more than a recipe. From the moment you light it until after you turn off the gas, the grill is always full of stuff. To begin, add a wood

A Shake of Tabletop Smoke An easy way to add smokiness, minus the horror that is Liquid Smoke, is to sprinkle on Whiskey Barrel Smoked Black Pepper, Whiskey Barrel Smoked Sugar and Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt from Colorado’s Savory Spice Shops. They are simply top shelf pepper, sugar and salt that have been cold smoked. savoryspiceshop.com

July 2020 | COLORADO AVIDGOLFER

Fareways

Happy Family Skewers with Grilled Citrus Mojo Ingredients: • 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thigh, cut in strips • 1 lb. medium shrimp, deveined, shell-on • 1 lb. sea scallops, grilled (large ones can be halved) • 3 (to 4) Navel oranges, halved and grilled • 2 (to 3) limes, halved and grilled • 1 lemon, halved and grilled • 1/2 cup (approx.) extra virgin olive oil • 1/2 cup fresh oregano, finely chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried oregano) • 6 to 10 garlic cloves, very finely chopped • 2 fresh jalapeños, seeded, sliced in rounds • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions: Grill halved oranges, limes and lemons over high heat until seared. When cool, juice. You should have about 2½ cups of citrus juice.

If you need more liquid, add orange juice.

Combine juice, oil, oregano, garlic, jalapeños, cumin and salt in a bowl and mix well. Taste the marinade and tweak the seasonings as needed. Set aside 1 cup marinade for sauce.

Place chicken and seafood in a dish with remaining marinade. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Can be made up to two days ahead.

To Serve: Remove chicken, seafood and jalapeño rings from marinade and place on metal or bamboo skewers. Grill skewers. Pour remaining marinade (at room temperature) over skewers just before serving.

Note: Adjust meat and seafood quantities as needed. This recipe is designed to be flexible. The marinade also works well with pork, beef and portobello mushrooms. Grapefruit, tangelos and other citrus fruits can be substituted.

Grilled citrus juice also makes an excellent addition to various cocktails.

John Lehndorff is the former Dining Critic of the Rocky Mountain News and Food Editor of the Boulder Daily Camera. He hosts Radio Nibbles on KGNU (kgnu.org). Blog site: johnlehndorff.wordpress.com COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | July 2020

HO, HO, HO: Santa may not fit down these wood chip chimneys, but the big man would likely pass on the cookies in appreciation of how they enhance the flavor of your meats. Try them with hickory, apple or cherry woods.

chip puck or chimney. Light it and place citrus fruit halves face down on the clean, oiled grates.

When the grill is hot and smoking, place a whole head of Romaine lettuce or multiple leaves brushed with olive oil. Singe them a little but don’t wilt them completely. Set aside.

While the citrus is grilling, assemble the ingredients for the Happy Family Skewers with Grilled Citrus Mojo (see sidebar recipe). When the fruit is seared, juice it and prepare the marinade. As soon as there is room on the grill, add thick slices of Colorado yellow onions and whole Pueblo chilies brushed with olive oil.

LINKS TO BIGGER BRAT FLAVOR There are two kinds of sausage and both types should be cooked or heated before they are grilled. Many sausages come pre-cooked, including my favorite bratwurst from Denver’s River Bear American Meats. Other links are sold fresh, including most chorizo and Italian sausages. They should be simmered in a little water or broth first before going on the fire.

Don’t use beer as it leaves links tasting bitter, not beer-y. Pre-cooked sausages can be butterflied—sliced lengthwise leaving a hinge before grilling. That exposes more surface area that can get charred. After grilling, place links in a pan with strips of grilled, skinned and seeded chilies and chopped onions and keep warm.

SIMPLE FROM SALAD TO DESSERT To assemble the salad, cover a platter with grilled Romaine leaves.

Top with your favorite veggies—I like halved grape tomatoes, snow pea pods, English cucumber and red bell pepper. Dress the salad with some of the marinade.

Meanwhile, grill sweet corn on the cob without husks. Turn it into elote—Mexican street corn—by coating hot grilled ears with chipotle mayo, sprinkling with crumbled cotija cheese and adding a spritz of lime juice. Hot sauce optional.

When everything else is ready, grill the skewers and serve with the remaining mojo marinade atop the salad. Pair it with a good loaf

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of crusty bread, a local pale ale and a slab of watermelon.

When you turn off the grill, warm up the dessert. Seal fresh berries and ripe sliced peaches with a little sugar or honey and vanilla in a pan or foil container and leave in the grill. Serve it over pound cake with sour cream or fresh whipped cream.

SMOKE GETS IN YOUR MANHATTAN The idea is to not waste any of that grill heat or wood smoke. Since your wood chip puck or aluminum foil chimney is belching flavor anyway, always fill the available grill space and infuse other foods with woodsy goodness.

I like to smoke stem-on fresh Bing or Montmorency cherries (on a piece of foil) and use them in summer cocktails. Also easy are whole vegetables such as large green onions, halved baby artichokes, garlic heads, tiny purple potatoes and thin Asian eggplant. They can be used later in various dishes.

After spending the winter and spring cooped up in the kitchen trying to bake sourdough bread, isn’t it a joy to be smoking in the backyard again?

The over-the-fence experts may still be dishing advice, but you’re dishing mouthfuls of yum.

NO HUSK REQUIRED: Grilled corn—elote style—is a welcome addition to the grill. Step one: Coat hot ears with chipotle mayo.

coloradoavidgolfer.com

Side Bets NICE DRIVES

Where We Go From Here Toyota’s Past, Present and Future

By Isaac Bouchard

Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro

2020 TOYOTA 4RUNNER TRD PRO EPA Ratings: 16/19/17mpg 0-60mph: 7.5 sec Price as tested: $52,147

2020 TOYOTA RAV4 XSE HYBRID EPA Ratings: 41/38/40mpg 0-60mph: 7.6 sec Price as tested: $38,074

THE TOYOTA 4RUNNER has become an institution. Not only is it one of the most reliable machines ever made, but it holds resale like few other vehicles. It is also that rare vehicle that appeals widely across different demographics. But this iteration is basically over a decade old, having debuted in 2009, and it is starting to show a few gray hairs. Does the new RAV4 Hybrid, despite being a crossover and not a traditional bodyon-frame SUV, tell us anything about how the 4Runner can continue to remain relevant?

It certainly does. Start with styling, where the RAV4 (especially in Adventure and TRD Off Road trims) exploits much of the tough-guy angularity of the 4Runner to hide its unibody platform.

Inside, the number of soft-touch surfaces is up substantially over older Toyotas like the 4Runner, adding a welcome touch of luxury. And we have already seen the RAV4’s larger touch screen interface, with Android/Apple compatibility, migrate to the 4Runner for 2020. This is one of the most important updates the SUV has received—the other is the inclusion of autonomous emergency brakcoloradoavidgolfer.com

Toyota RAV4 XSE Hybrid

ing, adaptive cruise control and lane assist, all of which work great in both vehicles, and makes the bigger rig feel much more modern.

The areas where the 4Runner is showing its age the most are its powertrain and dynamics.

Slow steering, ponderous body motions and at times rough ride hearken back to the early days of SUVs. The TRD Pro is about 50 percent better than other 4Runners in these respects, thanks to its custom dampers (see the Shocking Truth About Shocks), but it would never see which way a well-driven RAV4 XSE Hybrid went on a tight, twisty road. That one, like all that Toyota has built on their global TNGA architecture is fun and responsive. They also have good steering accuracy, decent body control and pleasant ride. The new T1 truck architecture, which we should see under all forthcoming Toyota trucks, will hopefully share these traits, while continuing the rep the current Prado chassis—which is under the 4Runner—has earned for being nigh-on indestructible.

About the only knock on the new, revised RAV4 has been its powertrain, which can be harsh sounding and sluggish under hard acceleration.

The Hybrid neatly fixes these issues, making it faster and consistently netting low-30s to low-40s mpg, which is quite astonishing. It has two electric motors (one for each axle); combined with the gasoline engine, it can hit 60 mph in 7.4 seconds, over half a sec quicker than the gas-only RAV4 at sea level. At Colorado’s altitude, the improvement is even larger. And it mutes the machinations of the CVT-style transmission and thrashy engine to a large degree. Independent tests show the Hybrid

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to be 3 decibels quieter at highway speeds than the normal version, which subjectively is half as loud. The 4Runner does the 0-60 dash in about the same time, but you know how hard it is work-

The Shocking Truth About Shocks The improvement in the TRD Pro’s ability to shirk off bumps of all sizes, handle with more predictability and simply kill it off-road, comes mainly down to its use of custom-valved, internal-bypass, 2.5in Fox shocks, with external reservoirs on the rears. But just what does all that mean? Basically, a shock (which should properly be called a damper), controls the movement of the vehicle’s body that happens when it turns into a corner or hits a bump, causing its springs to compress and then rebound. Normal vehicles’ dampers cost roughly $20-50 each, and their internals reflect this. High-end aftermarket dampers for serious off-roading, such as those from Fox, can cost ten to twenty times that.

That’s reflected in their ability to keep the body of an SUV or truck from moving too much on big hits or tight corners, or pogoing around when the bumps come one right after the other. The remote reservoirs allow the oil that flows through the dampers’ various valves and orifices to have a place to go if it gets hot or aerated. And the bigger, stiffer pistons and bodies of the Fox dampers give it more strength.

July 2020 | COLORADO AVIDGOLFER

Nice Drives ing to do so. A brief comparison with a new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited illustrates this quickly. The Jeep’s V6 is more sonorous, and hooked to a gearbox with three more gears than the 4Runner’s antiquated five speed auto, making it less stressed.

And you can get the Jeep with a turbocharged four that is much faster in Colorado or a cool V6 diesel for hybrid-like economy and massive towing torque. The single biggest improvement Toyota could do would be to offer the next 4Runner with combos like that, or even a hybrid one, since they have never sold diesel 4Runners or trucks Stateside. Otherwise the 4Runner remains a modern classic. And on a nice day when you power down the rear window, open the large sunroof and let it all hang out, you’ll have no doubt that choosing it was a wise decision. Likewise, the RAV4 Hybrid, whose combination of fun to drive chassis, frugal and potent powertrain and stylish, quality interior stand it apart from many crossover competitors.

2020 BMW 228i xDRIVE EPA Ratings: 23/33/27mpg 0-60mph: 5.1 sec Price as tested: $47,845

2020 LEXUS GS F

EPA Ratings: 16/24/19mpg 0-60mph: 4.7 sec Price as tested: $89,510 BMW’S REPUTATION FOR great drivers’ cars began in the states with the upright 2002. Though its comparatively small 2-liter engine lacked power compared to American V8s, it steered better and outhandled the portly domestic dinosaurs of the day. In contrast, Lexus began as a luxury company in 1989, dedicated to making the finest attainable cars one could buy and own.

My how times have changed; while the idea of a front-wheel drive BMW was anathema for decades, now it is here, in the form of the 2-series.

Never mind that the test vehicle has xDrive AWD

BMW 228i xDrive

hardware; it’s still built on a front wheel drive component set, shared with BMW’s Mini division.

The 228i, especially in M Sport trim, looks sharky and svelte, but has ample room in front, extremely supportive seats and decent trunk capacity. The angled trapezoids that are its defining style motif are the epitome of modernism and this theme continues inside a cockpit comprised of some really avant-garde materials, including incised (as opposed to leather texture) for the dash molding, all highlighted by trim that has blue backlighting at night. The iDrive infotainment screens respond instantly to input and are the bar by which others should be judged.

The Lexus GS F commemorates when CEO Akio Toyoda, chairman of parent company Toyota, decided all Lexi should be good to drive as well as reliable, durable and comfortable. An accomplished racer, he oversaw the transformation of the company into one that embraces steering feel and response rate, body control and balance, brake linearity and power, and engines that are technological masterpieces, and which boast very high specific output—which means the amount of power they make for their size. In all these areas the GS F excels; it is superb dynamically, with an adjustable rear differential that lets the driver dial

Lexus GS F

in the amount of sideways action they might want to indulge in, multi-piston brake calipers grasping expensive, slotted rotors and other race tech that allows this Lexus to dance like a BMW M5 of a few generations ago. Also like that machine, the Lexus’ normally-aspirated 5-liter V8 lacks low-end torque, meaning accessing the 467 horses takes copious revs and empty roads on which to wind it out. Ironically, the early days of the COVID-19 lockdown, which dramatically thinned traffic, allowed the GS F to really stretch its legs. There was bittersweet irony indulging in its talents, though, as word came down that it was going to be discontinued for the next model year. This wasn’t really a surprise; the age we live in prizes turbocharged low end oomph and fast processors for our user interfaces more than the minutiae of steering feel and burgeoning, linear power from atmospheric engines. Also, the GS F doesn’t offer AWD like its competitors; engineering this low volume car for it just wasn’t in the cards. Those of us who relish the kind of talkative helm, bellowing high-end induction howl and gratuitous power slides that the GS F lives for will miss it. A future classic.

Sadly, many of those same traits don’t apply to the BMW 228i. It is fast—thanks, Mr. Turbo!—with its 228hp/258lb-ft engine getting it to 60mph in 5.1 seconds. And its chassis allows one to pummel a twisty road into submission, with ultrafast—but slightly numb—steering, rigid body control and even an exploitable amount of rear end rotation to set the BMW where one wants.

The 228i lacks polish though; its ride can be punishing and noisy over some roads. Its brakes don’t feel up to task either, though in this one way, it reminds of older BMWs, whose stoppers never matched their performance. This isn’t to say the 2-series isn’t a good car; it undoubtedly is, with performance and tech that would humble that 2002—and even the original Lexus LS—and all weather, all-season bandwidth that the Lexus doesn’t serve up. The BMW also has a much better electronics suite, which is more and more important these days. And now that we are returning to more normal conditions full of distracted drivers and congested roads, its merits fit the times better. But we probably won’t see it sharing lawn space at a concourse (or even cars and coffee) with a 2002—or Lexus GS F.

Automotive Editor Isaac Bouchard owns Denver-based Bespoke Autos (isaac@bespokeautos.com; 303-475-1462). Read more of his automotive writing, reviews and recommendations on coloradoavidgolfer.com and bespokeautos.com.

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | July 2020

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There's a new game in town.... introducing...DOUBLES GOLF!

Co-founded by Jack Nicklaus and the originators of Junior League Golf, Doubles Golf® is the first format in the history of the game created in the USA. This relaxing format is a rebranding of the two-player scramble, which allows for a less stressful approach to golf in both recreational and competitive play.

Golf courses across Colorado will host Doubles Golf® Club Championships in Men’s, Women’s, Senior and Mixed Divisions, which is the first step in qualifying for the 2020 US Doubles Golf® Am Championships in November!

Doubles Golf® teams can also post their scores to see where they rank at their course, statewide, and nationally once they register on the Doubles Golf® Mobile Scoring System found at DoublesGolf.com.

DoublesGolf.com

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Introducing the inaugural US Doubles Golf Am Championships, hosted by Jack Nicklaus, at The

Bears Club in Jupiter, FL, November 3-5, 2020.

Qualify for a chance to play in the Colorado Section Doubles Golf Championships

held at The Golf Club at Bear Dance on October 8, 2020

How can you join the fun? #1 Register your team at DoublesGolf.com #2 Compete in a Doubles Golf Club Championship at your local golf course #3 Winning teams will advance to the Colorado Section Doubles Golf Championships, where all champions will qualify for the 2020 US Doubles Golf Am Championships!

Visit DoublesGolf.com and click on Team Registration to get started

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+27

Yards

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The

th

WHERE LEGENDS BEGIN®

GREEN VALLEY RANCH GOLF CLUB, DENVER

JULY 23-26, 2020

JENNIFER KUPCHO, CHAMPION 2020 COBANK COLORADO WOMEN’S OPEN

2019 COBANK COLORADO SENIOR OPEN

coloradoavidgolfer.com

2019 CHAMPION SAM SAUNDERS 47

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF COLORADO OPEN GOLF FOUNDATION

BRITT PAVELONIS, CHAMPION

July 2020 | COLORADO AVIDGOLFER

JULY 23-26, 2020

GREEN VALLEY RANCH GOLF CLUB, Denver

A BATTLE ROYALE

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF COLORADO OPEN GOLF FOUNDATION

Both golf elites and up-and-comers will make the 2020 CoBank Colorado Open at Green Valley Ranch one of the best events of the season. was likely all that stood between DiMarco and the green jacket ceremony in the Augusta National clubhouse.

DiMarco, who now makes Colorado his home, along with another longtime resident, Shane Bertsch of Parker, may be among the star attractions this year, but there are scores of eager—and talented—players ready to make a name for themselves by besting them over the three-day event. That list would have to include Sahith Theegala. Last year, in an abbreviated 2020 season at Pepperdine, Theegala was the collegiate player of the IN FOCUS: Sam Saunders has a second- and first-place finish in the last two CoBank Colorado year and was named an AllOpens. The native of New Mexico calls the event a major championship among State Opens.

American for the third time.

Theegala was scheduled FOUR PLAYERS FINISHED in a tie for 19th to make his professional debut earlier this month at the PGA TOUR’S Rocket Mortgage place at the PGA TOUR’s 2020 restart, last Classic in Detroit. month’s Charles Schwab Challenge. Earning “It could arguably be our best field a tick under $100,000 for the week, they likeever,” says Kevin Laura, the chief executive ly left Fort Worth, Texas disappointed with officer for the Colorado Open Golf Foundatheir financial recompense. tion. “I’m only hesitant to say it is for sure, beChances are, that won’t be the sentiment cause back in 1978 (when the U.S. Open was expressed on July 26, when, following the final round of the CoBank Colorado Open, played at nearby Cherry Hills Country Club), the 2020 champion will happily accept a we had 35 major championship wins in it.”

One of the attractions this year is just check for that same amount. providing players an outlet to compete in “It’s my biggest win, and probably the the wake of the novel coronavirus. While most memorable experience I’ve had in golf,” says Sam Saunders, who, after finishing sec- the PGA TOUR, along with its minor-league feeder Korn Ferry Tour, have indeed resumed ond in 2018 (despite shooting a final-round their schedules, players who were looking for 60), returned to Green Valley Ranch last year opportunities to test their games against othand won the championship. er similarly skilled talents were likely to jump But just as important as the money, Saunders says, was the knowledge that his on the chance to come to Colorado.

“There are so many players who were game was steady enough to win in a field displaced because of the pandemic; they that often features names more accustomed to indeed being on PGA TOUR leaderboards. might not have otherwise looked at us—they would have been playing in other, higherThat will certainly be the case this year. The 2018 champion, Dru Love, son of golf legend level events,” Laura said. “The guys who Davis Love III, will be back after missing last would have to shoot a 62 or 63 in Monday year’s tournament. Also in the field is Chris qualifying to get into a Korn Ferry event are coming here to play.”

DiMarco—as in the savvy PGA veteran who Last month’s CoBank Colorado Women’s has three PGA TOUR wins, along with three second-place finishes in major championships. Open was played without fans, each player was basically allowed a “gallery” of three That of course famously includes the 2005 Masters when a miracle chip by Tiger Woods people, including a caddie. In addition, they COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | July 2020

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had to ride carts during their rounds, because with social distancing, shuttles couldn’t be used to bring them back to the clubhouse in the event of weather delays.

On the two such occasions when that happened last month, the players had to adjourn to their cars out in the parking lot as opposed to the clubhouse, and when play resumed they returned directly to the course and picked up where they left off, without the benefit of a warm-up session.

The tournament also featured dedicated volunteers who pulled flags at each hole as well as raked greenside bunkers. At press time, Laura and tournament organizers were uncertain whether the same measures would be in place for the men’s tournament this month, saying they were awaiting guidance from Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock.

The hope is, of course, that by the time of the CoBank Colorado Senior Open, August 26-28, also at Green Valley Ranch, is played, we’ll be well on our way to a “new normal” that includes, if not handshakes, galleries of fans.

Such was the case last year, when Britt Pavelonis of Harrisburg, Ill. went wire-towire, winning the tournament with a score of 14-under-par, 202. Pavelonis is expected to return to defend his title; while there’s no word on whether DiMarco, now eligible for Champions Tour play, will compete, there has been an early commitment from Jeff Gallagher. A one-time PGA TOUR player, Gallagher is the younger brother of Jim Gallagher, a five-time tour winner.

NO MUSS, NO FUSS: Britt Pavelonis took the lead in the opening round and stayed in front of the field for the entire 2019 CoBank Colorado Senior Open. He finished at 14-under-par 202 for the week.

coloradoavidgolfer.com

A G R E AT S TAT E D E S E R V E S A G R E AT O P E N

CoBank is proud to be the title sponsor for the Colorado Open Championships.

As the state’s largest financial services institution, we look forward to continuing a great Colorado tradition – where legends begin.

COBANK COLORADO WOMEN’S OPEN: June 3-5, 2020

800-542-8072 www.cobank.com

COBANK COLORADO OPEN: July 22-26, 2020

COBANK COLORADO SENIOR OPEN: August 26-28, 2020

JULY 23-26, 2020

GREEN VALLEY RANCH GOLF CLUB, Denver

PRIDE AND POISE

While golf is certainly part of the program (with a bit of hula-hooping thrown in as well), participants in the First Tee at Green Valley Ranch score some more enduring life skills.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JULIE BRYANT

PROUD MOM: Julie Bryant flanked by children Emma and Davis.

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | July 2020

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF THE FIRST TEE

LISTENING TO HER son Davis during a recent interview, Julie Bryant marveled at how articulate and measured her son, an AllAmerican golfer at Colorado State University, sounded. Speaking to him later, she asked about the source of his poise.

“He said, ‘I learned that from the First Tee,’ Bryant recalled. “I said, ‘I’m your Mother —didn’t you get any of it from me?’”

Julie Bryant can probably take some solace in the fact that it might actually be pretty hard to divine where the lines that separate heart and home for the Bryants run. Davis and his sister Emma, a star golfer at Eaglecrest High School in Aurora who’s already earned a scholarship to the University of Denver, practically grew up in the First Tee program at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club.

Their father Matt, is the director of golf at the Denver facility, and Julie is the executive director of the First Tee program there.

Besides, if her confidence really needs boosting, she could listen to Stacy Rodriguez.

Her son Joaquin, a rising freshman at Riverdale Ridge High School in Thornton has been a regular at the First Tee since he was five.

Stacy says that’s due in large part to Bryant.

“The program has these nine core values; things like honesty, respect and confidence, and you can tell she lives them herself and makes sure that the kids are living up to them too,” Rodriguez says.

In fact, like Davis Bryant, Joaquin says the First Tee has become something of a North Star: “Really, I find myself thinking about [those values] every day—on the golf course, off the golf course, at school—the program has taught me you have to have integrity in life.”

One reason why parents like Rodriguez appreciate what she does is because Bryant

GIVE AND TAKE: Joaquin Rodriguez asks Jennifer Kupcho a question (above), then gets some swing advice during her visit to the First Tee.

approaches the work, well, like she was looking out for her own children.

“It’s like, what would I want to see if I were a parent bringing my kid in? You want to know that they’re organized and they kind of have everything together,” she says. “And hopefully this is something that goes beyond golf for them, because there’s lots of skills they pick up here that they can use in their lives—whether it’s interacting with the donors who come out to play with them on our par3 course, or volunteering and helping out during our championship events; that’s something they can use outside of here, whether it’s learning how to talking with a teacher or developing the self confidence to cope with things like bullying with their peers.”

And you never know where that selfconfidence might lead someday. A couple of years ago, Jennifer Kupcho—at the time a student at Wake Forest, not that far removed from First Tee eligibility herself—stopped in for a chat with the kids.

At one point during a question-andanswer session, Joaquin decided he could do a better job engaging Kupcho than the moderator, Altitude sportscaster Vic Lombardi, and essentially took over the interview.

“He just wanted to know more about some of the stuff that was going on in golf at the time,” Stacy says.

Because of the novel coronavirus, this year’s First Tee program was pushed back

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by almost a month; since reopening, officials have curtailed the number of attendees by about 20 percent, the better to adhere with the current social distancing guidelines.

Stacy Rodriguez says she’s seen the impact of the pandemic firsthand because of her work as a nurse. She adds that there was never a doubt that, if and when the program reopened, Joaquin would be front and center.

“It’s not like basketball, where the players are always making contact with each other—golf is pretty safe when it comes to things like social distancing,” she says.

“Everything else was being paused and canceled and everybody was being quarantined, but I was never really afraid to go back,” Joaquin adds. “It was a little weird, because it was the first time we were all seeing each other again, but it was great to be back out on the course again.”

Bryant said watching the Rodriguezes (Joaquin’s younger brother, seven-year-old Sam, is also in the program) and other kids cavorting across Green Valley Ranch recently made it clear to her that the decision to reopen was the right one.

“We went back and forth for a long time—’Should we, shouldn’t we?’—it was nervewracking and scary, but then you look out there and you a kid who was super shy and now he’s laughing and volunteering and jumping right in there, and it makes you feel so good, that you know you made the right choice.” coloradoavidgolfer.com

OFFICIAL BEER SPONSOR OF THE PGA TOUR ENJOY RESPONSIBLY © 2020 Anheuser-Busch, Michelob Ultra® Light Beer, St. Louis, MO | 95 calories, 2.6g carbs, 0.6g protein and 0.0g fat, per 12 oz.

JULY 23-26, 2020

GREEN VALLEY RANCH GOLF CLUB, Denver

HOME SWEET HOME Although the coronavirus made it a different tournament, in the end, former Colorado resident Jennifer Kupcho’s game triumphed over that as well as a stellar field.

BIG MONEY: In February, Kupcho won $600 in a makeshift event at her Arizona golf club. Her check for winning at GVR was substantially larger.

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | July 2020

In February, Kupcho won $600 for finishing second in a makeshift event put together by members at her club— in Denver she would be playing for a $50,000 first-place prize.

“It's definitely going to be really weird,” Kupcho said. “I know I’ve been playing well when I go out and play, but it’s just a different feeling standing on the first tee at a tournament. It’s just a whole different type of experience.”

During the third and final round, everything—the anticipation of what the tournament could be, the nerves, the quality of play, even a sizable, (sort of) socially-distanced gallery—coalesced into a glorious afternoon that reminded everyone on the grounds of how special golf, played at the highest level, can be.

In the final stroke of the tournament, Kupcho tapped in a putt from much closer than three feet, the kick-in par delivering her first professional win and a lifetime of memories.

STANDING TALL: A former resident of Westminster, Kupcho shattered the “It’s really exciting,” Kupcho said.

CoBank Colorado Women’s Open scoring record for her first pro victory.

“Just to be back in my home state and playing well—the field was really strong, Indeed, the day—and the championto win this was great.”

Kupcho shot a 16-under-par 272, shat- ship—came down to the 545-yard, par-5 18th hole, with Ciganda needing to make eagle to tering the tournament scoring record by five strokes; even so, the triumph was far from have any chance of winning. Hitting her second shot from about 270 yards out, the ball assured headed into the final hole. While ended up in a hazard; Ciganda eventually her play was clearly stellar, and seemingly perched to run away from the field, that never bogeyed the hole, finishing in second place, happened—largely because of another LPGA three shots behind Kupcho.

“That’s how you want to feel, having that veteran, Carlota Ciganda of Spain. While Kupcho held all the local cachet, it was Cigan- adrenaline—that’s why you play golf,” Ciganda who was actually the higher-ranked play- da said about the tournament’s final hole.

“You want that option to win—I knew I needed er, entering the event No. 15 in the world. the eagle, so I went for it. It was great; it was When Kupcho birdied the second and third holes of the final round to take a five- a great match and [Kupcho] played great— shot lead over Ciganda, it seemed time for she deserved to win.”

Kaufman, the first-round leader, finished the calligrapher to start etching the name of in a tie for third place behind Kupcho and Huffer’s successor, but Ciganda came firing Ciganda at 11-under, while former Universiback, birdieing four of the final six holes on ty of Colorado star Jenny Coleman was fifth. the front to put the pressure back on Kupcho.

Huffer, who was solidly in the top 10 after “I would never think I had it locked up— the first day, tweaked her back early in the and especially against Carlota,” Kupcho second round and struggled physically for the said afterwards. “I mean, I’ve seen her shoot nine-under on a back nine, so you never know rest of the tournament. She eventually gutted her way to finish tied for 26th. what’s going to happen.”

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PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF COLORADO OPEN GOLF FOUNDATION

AFTER ALL THE precautions and best practices, the sanitized carts, dedicated bunker rakers—and lack of spectators—there was still the matter of what the actual golf would look like at the 2020 CoBank Colorado Women’s Open. After all, despite a field that tournament organizers called “unquestionably” its best ever, the truth was, because of the novel coronavirus, other than the random skins game at their local club, not many of the participants had played a lot of golf in the days and months preceding the event.

Becca Huffer, the defending champion, confessed that her clubs were all but gathering mothballs at her family home in Monument. Kim Kaufman, an LPGA veteran from Fort Worth, Texas, longed to do something more than beat up on the guys at her home course, saying she got excited to pull out her suitcase for the trip to Colorado and a chance to tee it up for three rounds.

That feeling was shared by most of the 120 players in the field.

“It’ll be a little different standing over a three-foot putt,” said Jennifer Kupcho.

Now based in Arizona, Kupcho has enjoyed a magical run of late, including an NCAA championship as well as victory in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

After turning pro, the Westminster native has amassed a handful of top-10 finishes, including a second in a major championship.

But entering last month’s tournament at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, Kupcho admitted she wasn’t sure where her game stood, particularly when it came to competing under pressure against high-caliber players.

Locked Out at Home Plate

Coronavirus shut down baseball while infighting has kept it from returning.

Broadcaster DREW GOODMAN just wants to get back on the air.

By ANTHONY COTTON | Photographs by JOHN LEYBA COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | July 2020

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coloradoavidgolfer.com

SILENCED: After 18 years as the television play-by-play voice of the Colorado Rockies, 2020 has been a challenge for Drew Goodman.

DREW GOODMAN is telling a story—a not-too-surprising occurrence, given the countless tales he’s woven over his 18plus years as the television play-by-play voice of the Colorado Rockies. This one is about the Bloom family of Loveland—in particular the three children of Larry and Charlene.

“How about those kids?” Goodman exclaims, before settling into the easy banter of a man chatting with the folks at home sitting in front of their wide-screen televisions and waiting for the starting pitcher to complete his warm-up tosses.

“Jeremy was an Olympian and played in the NFL—you know the first time he touched the ball he went 94 yards for a touchdown? And Molly, she was the subject of that movie; Molly’s Game. And the third kid, [ Jordan] went to Harvard and is a cardiothoracic surgeon in Boston….”

If only it were so—not the clearly incredibly impressive Blooms—but rather, the baseball part. On this particular day, Goodman was not talking with viewers on an AT&T Rocky Mountain Sportsnet telecast; instead he was speaking to one of his playing partners on the tee box at South Suburban Golf Course in Centennial.

Meanwhile, the other two members of the foursome...well, let’s just say they were less than impressed by the constant patter.

“Daaaaaaaaddddd...you don’t have to tell the story right now— this is why it takes so long to play with you,” says Goodman’s middle son Zach, a rising junior at Webster University in Missouri. “You’ve got five minutes to walk to your next shot—talk about it then.”

Undaunted, or perhaps in a feeble attempt to show who’s in charge, Goodman continues. “You know Molly graduated with a 3.89 from CU….”

“Well, we could have been a family like that too if you guys had kept up your end,” snaps Jacob, Goodman’s oldest, who indeed recently walked down the virtual aisle himself after completing his senior year at CU-Boulder.

Sufficiently chastened, Drew Goodman takes the hint and stalks towards his drive.

“It’s like The Hunger Games in this family,” he mutters under his breath.

While it’s clear that playing the beleaguered Dad, blistering under the barrage of non-stop verbal abuse from his three sons

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July 2020 | COLORADO AVIDGOLFER

(Gabe, the youngest, will be a senior at Arapahoe High School in the fall), is a way of life for Goodman, the truth is, were it not for the novel coronavirus, it really wouldn’t be hard to imagine him waxing on about the Blooms. Chances are, he wouldn’t have been on a golf course at all, but rather sitting in his booth at Coors Field, preparing for that night’s game.

But as April turned to May, and May to June, and then July, baseball hadn’t returned.

Today, Tiger, Rory and the rest of the PGA TOUR are back in action, while both the NBA and NHL have announced their paths to return later this month. But Major League Baseball, with its pitched history of labor strife and mistrust between owners and players, seemed more interested in profits and losses rather than balls and strikes— to the point where there were legitimate questions whether an accord would be reached, allowing games to resume. Even the suggestion of not playing has caused resentment towards the sport—which has already seen declining interest (attendance has dropped for at least six straight seasons)— to spike even higher.

The apparent shortsightedness between the two sides was enough to make Goodman come thisclose to not only biting, but making an entire meal of the hand that feeds him.

“Given the national and global economic situation, with hundreds of thousands of people out of work and trying to put food on their tables, just the optics of it—the squabbling, the idea that they may not play in 2020—would just be horrendous for the game and truly potentially cause irreparable damage,” he says. “I figured the negotiations would be contentious, but I thought they’d also find some middle ground, and that ultimately, the thinking would be, ‘Let’s get out there and play.’

“Because the alternatives...let’s just say this hasn’t been flattering for the game.”

As close as he’s been to the sport, both personally and professionally, in many ways these days, Goodman is no different from the guy walking his dog outside the padlocked gates of Coors Field. Like the countless people who have lost jobs or been furloughed, Goodman is technically out of work—contrary to what critics may think, he’s not an employee of the Rockies—and while AT&T provided a month’s salary at the start of spring training, there hasn’t been anything since. As a result, apart from a couple of side hustles—a weekly program, The Drew Goodman Podcast (co-hosted by COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | July 2020

MR. VERSATILE: While he inherited his love of baseball from his father, and remembers watching the Mets win the 1969 World Series as a six-year-old, Goodman grew up in suburban New York City playing all sports, including golf.

local broadcaster Julie Browman) and a gig as an assistant coach on a local youth travel ball team—like many others amid the pandemic, money is tight.

“I’ve always taken great pride in the fact that I work in the entertainment industry, a highly competitive industry, and I’ve been fortunate and privileged enough to never have been out of work,” Goodman says.

“At some point in time, baseball will come back, and knock on wood, [AT&T] will have me back...but it is a strange feeling, knowing where you’ve got to make a lot of adjustments—all of a sudden—in your life, where suddenly, you literally don't have money coming in.

“We’re sitting here today, hoping that baseball will be played in 2020, but if it doesn’t happen, all I can say is that it’s not gonna be a fun nine months until it does come back.”

CHANGING THE GAME It’s something of a cruel irony, where the absence of baseball actually provides more time to think about the game, creating an even greater longing to have it return. At one point, it was the sport played by the “Boys of Summer”—part of a mythology crafted in the ’50s and ’60s by writers like Roger Kahn and Roger Angell that somehow saw the hopes and dreams of America reflected on the diamond. In turn, that helped baseball

56

become the national pastime, a place on the collective athletic hierarchy that has long been ceded to football and perhaps even basketball.

But the 57-year-old Goodman is of an era which retains hope baseball will someday return to that prominence, that despite the craven battle over finances that currently threatens to destroy it from the inside, somehow the focus will return to the simplicity of the contest played all across the country, from pockmarked dirt fields to glistening palaces—the dance between hitter and pitcher.

That’s how it was for Goodman when he was growing up in a melting pot neighborhood in suburban New York City; a love of the game passed down from his father that nurtured him through his youth and playing career in high school and briefly in college and was shared with his sons, as well as the children of like-minded parents that he’s coached through the years.

During a broadcast career that has spanned more than 30 years, Goodman has been behind the mic, making the call for a number of sports, but nothing has come close to capturing his head—and heart—like baseball.

“I can remember watching the [World champion] ’69 Mets with my Dad when I was six years old,” he says. “I played all the sports but it’s just something about baseball—the coloradoavidgolfer.com

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rhythm of an at-bat; it’s just a very cerebral game, you’re constantly thinking it—‘What will I do if the ball is hit here? The last time I batted, the pitcher threw me this pitch in a 2-1 count—what’s he going to do this time?’

“I love being able to discuss those things as a broadcaster...I love being around the sport; I love playing catch—Jacob’s career is over but we still play catch and take ground balls—a perfect day for me is getting up and going for a run but coming back and throwing some batting practice and maybe taking a few swings myself.

“I may be 57, but I wish I was 21 and still out there.”

As is the case with most pro sports broadcasts these days, Goodman works with people who have played the game at the highest level, analysts who have also moved into the booth following their own major league careers. Ryan Spillborghs, an outfielder on the Rockies’ 2007 World Series team, is part of the AT&T crew. He says that even though Goodman never wore an MLB uniform, his insight to the game is at an allstar level.

“I tell him; I tell Jenny [Cavnar, another member of the AT&T team who, in 2018 substituted for Goodman and became the first woman in a quarter-century to do the play-by-play call of an MLB game] that even though they didn’t play, it doesn’t mean they

can’t know the game. Jenny’s Dad [Steve] was a high school baseball coach; Drew coached all three of his kids and all three either played or will play in college.

“Drew is a tremendous baseball guy; there are times when I may not share the same opinion that he has...and when that happens, I just tell him, ‘No, that’s not right.’”

One of the great pities of baseball’s deferred season is viewers missing out on an ongoing disagreement between the two.

For a while now, Goodman and Spillborghs have been engaged in a discussion on what baseball might do to draw back those fans, and perhaps attract younger people to the game. If 2020 is destined to be a season unlike any other, why not conduct a few experiments, come up with some unorthodox changes to goose things up?

Goodman’s idea was something of a wild-card—literally.

“I used to be such a purist, thinking that you can’t mess with any part of the game,” he says, “but guess what? Times change and you have to evolve or you get left behind...I never would have said this 10 years ago, or even five years ago, but what if we did something to further promote the stars of the game, the Mike Trouts and Nolan Arenados?

“Typically, they get four at-bats in a game; maybe they make a nice play defensively—that’s their body of work for the evening. But how ’bout this— what if, say in the seventh inning on, the team’s manager can play a hitters’ card. The Rockies are down 5-2, with the bases loaded with two outs in the eighth inning, and the No. 8 hitter is due up. “[Rockies’ manager] Bud Black walks out to home plate and says, ‘Timeout—I’m playing my hitters’ card.’ So here comes Nolan Arenado, who’s not due up for five spots. He gets to hit again there—one time.

Would fans not hang in there? All of a sudden, here comes a superstar player with a chance to impact the game. There’s drama to it and there’s the intellectual angle of playing along with the manager, trying to figure out when he’s going to use it.”

A chuckling Spillborghs says Goodman’s idea “is just stupid.” Then again, this opinion is coming from a guy whose alternative to Goodman’s take—allowing a hitter who makes an out in a crucial situation, like the SO CLOSE: As much as he likes golf, Goodman says the delayed 2020 baseball season has given him too much time to play. one described above, a “do-over,” as COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | July 2020

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in taking the at-bat over again—may actually register a notch higher on the guffaw scale.

EVERYBODY’S A CRITIC Chances are, even if Goodman came up with a resolution to the dispute between management and players, created a dozen great ideas to bring fans back to the ballpark and delivered the most stirring rendition of the national anthem from behind home plate at Coors Field before the first game was played, someone’s voice would still cut through the night—or more likely on Twitter the following day: “Goodman’s a bum!” “@DrewGoodman42 @RyanSpilborghs Been watching baseball for over 50 years. The call on Crawford’s game-winner was pathetic.

Go back and listen to some unbiased announcers like Scully and Greenwald to get some tips how to call good plays by the opposing team. Geez.”

—@JimCraib “Drew pisses me off because he treats the audience like we’re stupid. Better explain every joke! Better explain for the hundredth time that pitchers are athletes too! He’s also a homer in the worst way. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him genuinely give credit to an opposing player for a nice piece of hitting or a good at bat. His analysis is shallow and vapid. Also I hate his voice and his face.” —Gastrox Spillborghs says he loves Twitter, to the point where he’ll go online to ask his followers for their thoughts about his on-air work, saying, “As an athlete that’s a question I asked all the time—‘How do I get better’— because I never want to stay the same.

“But it does hurt sometimes; who wants to hear that you stink? I’m all for constructive criticism, but if all I did was make every adjustment that someone on Twitter asked me to, I’d be making adjustments every day for a year.”

When he played baseball, Goodman said he did so “with a football player’s mentality”—as in more likely to use brute force rather than the cerebral approach that he so admires about the game. Because of that, there are times when he admits it’s all he can do to not engage with the Twitterati, lest his competitive instincts lead him into a fight he knows he can never win.

“Social media has been maybe the single biggest change in how the whole world’s evolved, right? Everybody has an opinion; everybody could do somebody’s job better than they can,” Goodman says.

“It’s all so subjective—Joe Buck, Bob Costas, Al Michaels [regarded as three of the best all-time announcers] all take a great deal coloradoavidgolfer.com

of criticism...as amazing as it may be to me, there are some people who weren’t fans of [iconic broadcaster] Vin Scully when he was doing the Dodgers—they’re probably few and far between, but you could find those people.

“My natural inclination is to engage them—I’m a competitive SOB and I’ll want to fight you—but that’s really what the trolls want, so if you’re going to allow that to affect you to that extent, then shame on you.

You have to be strong and confident in who you are and how you prepare to do your job and truly doing the best that you can each day. I believe that I’m good at what I do, and I can put my head on the pillow every night knowing I’m not worried about what Billy Bob in Aurora thinks.”

A DIFFERENT KIND OF SEASON The question is, will Goodman get a chance to prove that in 2020? In early June, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said he was “100 percent certain” games would be played— before walking that quote back less than 48 hours later. At this point, you, me or the guy walking his dog past Coors Field probably knows as much as any baseball official about whether the season will be played.

But like pitchers throwing bullpen

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FAMILY AFFAIR: A former player himself, Goodman has coached each of his three sons, Zach (left), Jacob (right) and Gabe (not pictured) during their baseball careers. But they often take Dad to school out on the golf course.

sessions to their wives in the backyard, or hitters slamming baseballs in makeshift batting cages in the basement, all Goodman can do right now is hope that the phone will ring and the voice on the other end of the line will bellow—“Play Ball!”

“It’s going to be a challenge, calling games off of monitors when the team is on the road, or at Coors where there are no fans and the ambiance is entirely different, but

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you have to look at it like a chapter of your career that you have to embrace,” he says.

“It’s still Major League Baseball; it’s still Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story, the best players in the world.

“It’s not ideal, but you know what? I can’t wait for that day to happen.”

Anthony Cotton is the editor of Colorado AvidGolfer.

July 2020 | COLORADO AVIDGOLFER

The of

Rounds

Silence

For Colorado’s homegrown PGA TOUR players MARK HUBBARD and WYNDHAM CLARK, nothing’s healthier than competition— even if nobody’s coming to cheer them on.

By JON RIZZI

PHOTOGRAPH BY JUSTIN TAFOYA/CLARKSON CREATIVE

GOOD TO BE BACK: Mark Hubbard (shown here at TPC Colorado in 2019) says playing golf with friends for fun during the pandemic and tournament golf on the PGA TOUR are “two completely different sports.”

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lives minutes from the Waste Management Phoenix Open’s home at TPC Scottsdale. “I feed off it.” In the opening round, he did just that, carding a blistering 11-under 61 to lead the field before cooling off to tie for 34th at 9-under.

A month later, however, neither golfer would find himself playing in front of anyone except maybe a swing coach and a few buddies. The COVID-19 pandemic would shut down the PGA TOUR for 91 days, leading to the postponement of 15 tournaments—including the Masters, PGA Championship and U.S. Open—as well as the outright cancellation of the British Open, the Players (the “fifth major”) and another 10 championships.

During that time, both golfers worked out at home and kept their games sharp.

Hubbard frequented The Woodlands Country Club, where his longtime coach, the 2019 PGA of America Teacher of the Year Kevin Kirk, is based; Clark practiced and played mostly at TPC Scottsdale

and Whisper Rock and worked with his instructor, Boyd Summerhays, at McDowell Mountain Golf Club.

Both focused primarily on their short games and putting.

“Your full swing doesn’t change too much when you take time off,” Clark says.

“It’s your chipping distances and your putting that need work.”

RETURN TO ACTION Clark and Hubbard resumed their seasons June 11-14 at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, an event Hubbard normally likes because “of the younger crowds. There are a lot of colleges nearby and a lot of energy. It’s easy to feed off them—whether they’re riding you or behind you. It’s only the one guy yelling that’s ever the problem.”

But instead of being greeted by fans, there were only healthcare workers with spit cups and 6-inch cotton nasopharyngeal swabs. “Those swabs were brutal,” Clark

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF PXG

BACK IN FEBRUARY, Denver’s Mark Hubbard and Wyndham Clark found themselves paired in the opening rounds of the PGA TOUR’s annual bacchanal known as the Waste Management Phoenix Open—a tournament so popular (a record 719,179 turned out in 2018) that the organizers no longer release attendance figures.

But you can always count on the 20,000 rowdies who mob the makeshift stadium surrounding the 16th green to create a bread-and-circus atmosphere that would make Marcus Aurelius proud.

Both players relished the experience.

“I love that energy,” Hubbard, who finished T9 at 11-under, says. “If you grew up playing team sports, you get it. I played basketball for Colorado Academy, and I miss that buzz of playing on the road, going into hostile environments….”

“Playing in front of fans is one of my favorite things,” concurs Clark, a star at Valor Christian before heading to Oklahoma State and the University of Oregon. He now

RAISING ARIZONA: Wyndham Clark (shown here at Scottsdale National Golf Club in 2017) says while his full swing stayed sharp, he focused on his short game during the PGA TOUR’S hiatus due to the coronavirus.

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PHOTOGRAPH BY JUSTIN TAFOYA/CLARKSON CREATIVE (LEFT); COURTESY OF MARK HUBBARD (RIGHT)

of fans proved problematic in in October’s Houston Open, he has already ways Hubbard didn’t experience. won $1,412,840, which is almost $200,000 “For guys like me who are taking more than he totaled between 2014 and 2017. different lines, on certain holes As a rookie in 2018-2019, Clark finished you rely on fans to show you 64th in the final FedExCup ranking and this where that ball is,” he said. “We season has earned $726,253, bringing his did have an issue with finding career earnings to $2,288,177. golf balls in the Bermuda rough, As both players look for their first PGA particularly when they ricocheted TOUR victory, Hubbard says he draws off trees and the one spotter on motivation from the prospect of competing the hole was on the opposite side in the FedExCup playoffs and in the PGA of the fairway.” The good news Championship at TPC Harding Park in San was he didn’t lose any balls, “and Francisco. our pace of play was really good.”

“I’m pretty close to qualifying,” he says Clark adds it was “weird” of the PGA. “It would be my first major, and watching the grouping of Jon it’s not far from where I went to college at Rahm, Rory McIlroy and Brooks San Jose State and a lot of friends.” However, STRANGER THINGS: Wyndham Clark says it was “weird” watching Koepka tee off in silence, as well it now appears none of them—or any other featured pairings tee off in silence when the PGA TOUR returned to action last month at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas. as doing it himself. “I really do fans—will be allowed to attend. miss the fans,” he says. “You hit a What amps up Clark is “Jack’s event,” concedes. None of the 148 players or caddies shot close, you can build a lot of momentum The Memorial at Muirfield Village, in which in the field—a group larger in size than the off their reaction. If you can get on the right he has yet to compete as a professional (last gallery at the event—tested positive for side of that kind of momentum, you can year he was an alternate). After initially COVID-19. scratch out a couple more birdies. One of counted among the events at which no The only test considered positive came the weirdest things, too, is you sometimes fans would be allowed, The Memorial when they finally got to tee off against the depend on the fan reaction to know the ( July 14-19) will be the first PGA TOUR stiffest competition they’d faced in months. result of shot you hit. If there are no claps, it’s event to welcome patrons under strict “I was just so happy to be back in action,” ‘oh crap.’ On one of the par 5s at Colonial I CDC protocols (including temperatureHubbard admits. “A good part of living almost made a double eagle and didn’t know taking, mask-wearing, social distancing, where I live is that I have decent guys to it ’til I got to the green.” cashless concessions, one-way corridors and play with. I felt relatively ready. I worked on Had he unknowingly jarred it, he controlled corrals). my putting the most. But not being able to wouldn’t have been alone. On the 162-yard “If I could choose to do it in front of a compete for that long is tough. Even if you’re 13th, Sung Kang struck a brilliant 9-iron huge gallery, I would,” he says of earning his not picking up putts, you realize golf for fun and had already grabbed his putter from first tour victory. “But it would be awesome, and tournament golf are two completely his caddie when they reached the green no matter what.” different sports. Making a three-foot putt and learned about his hole-in-one. Socially A win for either player during for a beer is different than making it for distant high fives followed on highlight reels this condensed stretch of events would hundreds of thousands of dollars, whether around the world. mean a November tee time in a Masters there are fans there or not.”

Tournament that will mark the end, rather At Colonial, which he concedes, “felt THE FUTURE than the beginning, of an upside-down golf a little like a Korn Ferry event,” Hubbard’s At press time, Hubbard was making the season. putting and chipping served him well, most of his second go-round on the PGA compensating for some poor ball-striking. TOUR. He ranked 36th in the FedExCup Jon Rizzi is the founding editor of He scrambled well enough to find himself standings, and thanks to a runner-up finish Colorado AvidGolfer. just five shots off the lead in 16th place at 8-under after three rounds. Sunday, however, brought a 4-over 74, dropping him to T43.

“All in all, I’m pretty happy to see where my game is,” the 30-year-old says.

“I was super pumped to be back— everyone was excited,” enthuses Clark, who admits to having had first-tee jitters.

Although his 1-over total after Round 2 left him two shots below the cut line, the 26-year-old said he felt sharper with every hole. Like Hubbard, he said he felt “rusty off the tee … and some of my yardages weren’t as accurate as usual.”

For Clark, who generates greater ball STANDING TALL: A second-place in the Houston Open has Mark Hubbard in the top-50 in the PGA TOUR’S speed and distance than Hubbard, the lack FedExCup standings. He’s already earned $1.4 million this season—more than he made in 2014 to ’17 combined.

AFTER A COLLEGIATE golf career that included being named to a pair of all-America teams and a runnerup finish in the NCAA tournament his senior year, Nick Mason’s vision board of his future was pretty well laid out in his head. It included lots of photographs of him hoisting trophies—sure, a couple were from mini- and feeder tours, but undoubtedly, there was a Wannamaker, maybe a Claret Jug sprinkled in as well.

More than a decade later, however, it’s safe to say life hasn’t turned out exactly like Mason hoped: not in 2005, 2010, or 2015—and most definitely not in 2020, when he anticipated a schedule populated with Monday qualifiers for Korn Ferry and PGA TOUR events (which, of course, were accompanied by the corresponding dreams of berths, and maybe a win or two, in big-money events on the latter circuit). Instead, those plans have been coronavirus-scrambled, leaving Mason clawing to find spots to tee it up in any given week. Early in the 2020 season, that meant competing on the Outlaw Tour, a minor-league circuit based mainly in Arizona, playing in events where a top-10 finish might barely cover travel expenses. Mason is by no means complaining; he has nothing but love for those who gave him a chance to compete during a time when golf was all but shut down during the pandemic.

It’s just that, at age 36, Mason’s at a point, athletically speaking, that should be lending itself to golden parachutes rather than entry-level positions.

“That tour is great; they do a great job,” he says, “But it doesn’t get you anywhere—it’s not a stepping stone to another tour, or any World Golf Rankings or anything like that. Yeah, you can make a little money and keep your game tight, but for me at 36, that’s not what I’m really looking to do.

“And especially with my game being good right now [In March, Mason shot a 60 during an Outlaw Tour round.]—you just want to play in bigger events...I’m making a living, but it doesn’t get you anywhere in the long run.”

That’s one reason why Colorado holds a special place for Mason, a resident of Parker, as well as in the hearts of aspiring golfers everywhere. On July 23-26, Green Valley Ranch Golf Club hosts the CoBank Colorado Open, which may not put the winner on a direct path to the PGA TOUR, but its $100,000 firstCOLORADO AVIDGOLFER | July 2020

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isionaries

Right now, a computer (and an ever-ready credit card) are as essential as the latest equipment for mini-tour golfers like NICK MASON, who see their future selves playing on the PGA TOUR.

By ANTHONY COTTON Photograph by CHAD CHISHOLM

IN CHARGE: Nick Mason’s golf scorecard includes more than pars and bogeys. Surviving on the minitour circuit means accounting for every penny and promoting tournaments at far-flung locales.

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place check will definitely make the financial burdens of trying to get there a lot easier.

“Yeah, that kind of money will do something for your life for sure,” Mason chuckles.

In the 2018 Open, Sam Saunders shot a final-round 12-under-par 60 to draw into a tie for first, but lost a subsequent playoff to Dru Love, son of golf icon Davis Love III. Last year, he was 10 shots worse in the final round, but still came away with $80,000 more than the year before, winning the championship.

Like Mason, Saunders’ life hasn’t gone exactly as he planned in the aftermath of that win. But he also says the GVR event is far more than another stop on the mini-tour merry-go-round.

“It has the biggest purse and the best field, so that’s like the closest you can get to playing on the PGA TOUR from where [we’re] at,” says Saunders. “It’s like one of the major championships of all the State Opens—it might not be the same as a PGA TOUR win, but it’s the best we’ve got.”

A victory this year might actually come pretty close to an elite victory. Chris DiMarco, runner-up to Tiger Woods in the 2015 Masters, a newly-minted resident of the state, is expected to play, as is Sahith Theegala. In his abbreviated 2020 senior year at Pepperdine, Theegala was the collegiate player of the year and became an All-American for the third time. He’s expected to try to play his way onto the PGA TOUR later this season.

That was Mason’s and Saunders’ earlyseason plan for this year as well. Mason ended the 2019 season winning his last three tournaments, putting him in a good place, he says, for the season. In January, Saunders left his home in Albuquerque and went out to California to try and qualify for some early PGA TOUR events. While he was ultimately unsuccessful, he said he returned home thinking his game was coming around enough that he would be a factor in the spring when the season picked up.

Then the coronavirus hit. Saunders said he didn’t touch a golf club for five weeks, but when the itch to play returned, he was stymied because New Mexico was one of the last states in the U.S. to reopen for golf.

Eventually, he hopped into his car and drove to Phoenix, like Mason, hooking up with the Outlaw Tour.

That’s the simplified version of the story.

Life on the far, far outskirts of professional golf, according to Mason, is well, actually something akin to living as a desperado.

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | July 2020

“You’re scrambling; scrambling to make money, scrambling to play—I feel like I haven’t sat still in three months, even though that’s what everyone was supposed to be doing because of the virus,” he says.

Part of the hustle is becoming an ambassador for the game in ways that even the guy on the lowest rungs of the PGA TOUR money list would never, ever dream of. Before he decides to play in an event, Mason says he often has to make a series of phone calls—like, to tournament directors, ensuring that the event will indeed go on as scheduled.

Then he reaches out to other players.

“You have to promote it,” he says, “because the more players there are the better the purses. And then, you’re looking at other events; you’re talking to all of them, going, ‘Tell me if this is a good event? Is the course any good?’”

“I don’t think anyone that’s played for as long as I have, especially for your only source of income, can say that they love golf, because the game is nasty and beats you to death.”

LIVIN’ THE DREAM About 10 years ago or so, Mason decided he was through with that golf life; wearied from the nomadic, trunk-slamming existence of putting hundreds of miles on his car driving from one mini-tour event to the next, hoping to make the cut and earn enough to get him to the next week—all the while hoping against hope that when he arrived, the tournament would actually be taking place and not canceled unexpectedly.

And so, literally feeling spent—both financially and mentally—he decided to join an insurance firm with a starting annual salary of about $48,000. The figure wasn’t a princely sum—at least not compared to the millions that he had at one time assumed he’d be chasing as a member of the PGA TOUR—but it represented a welcome, reliable paycheck.

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After agreeing to the gig, all that was standing between Mason and his new corporate, 9-to-5 existence were two tournaments—a farewell to golf as it were.

One more excursion: an event in Arizona, hop in the car and drive to Utah for the second—six rounds (hopefully), over-andout.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the actuary tables—Mason won both events, pocketing about $35,000 in the process.

“I called up the guy who’d hired me, and he was a little upset when I told him that I thought I wanted to keep playing, because he had gone through hoops to get me the job,” Mason said. “But as we talked, he eventually saw it; he said ‘If you want to keep playing, go for it.’

“I haven’t stopped since—and the funny thing is, he and I are good friends—he loves that I’m doing this.”

So today, he presses on in his current position—President and CEO of Nick Mason Inc. While the “company” is fictitious, the effort Mason, Saunders and other golfers put in trying to climb golf ’s corporate ladder might put a “real” exec to shame. Mason’s financials won’t be found on the pages of Forbes Magazine, or on a spreadsheet monitored by a team of accountants—in fact, it largely exists solely on the monthly statement of a credit card that is dedicated to his golf expenses.

And, just like any titan of industry, Mason has to keep on top of what comes in and what’s going out. But in his case, that often means trying to figure out how to make sure the check from an earlier event gets picked up in the mail and deposited into his bank account in order to cover the entry fees and travel for a future event—all while he’s out on the road, ostensibly playing well enough in some far-flung locale to make that week’s cut.

No, direct deposit usually isn’t an option.

“And the thing about that is, you really need that money,” Mason says. “People don’t know that you have to sign up for Monday qualifiers and stuff like that way in advance— so that’s like $450 out the door, way before the tournament is played.

“That’s the problem a lot of guys run into; you have to put it out there in front of you, but you won’t see a return on it for awhile—like, I signed up for the Colorado Open nine months in advance.”

Mason figures he spends about $60,000 a year on golf, often maxing out coloradoavidgolfer.com

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF COLORADO OPEN GOLF FOUNDATION

BLUE ICE: Sam Saunders rebounded from a playoff loss in the 2018 CoBank Colorado Open to win the title—and the $100,000 first-place check—last year at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club.

that credit card on travel, entry fees and food—“everything that has to do with my professional golf.” A recent devotee to exercise, he credits training at Viking Power Fitness in Denver with the uptick in his play, even at his relatively advanced age.

“It’s been a game-changer. It’s expensive, but it’s been incredible for me...it’s the one thing I don’t have a problem spending money on; I’ll go without that new pair of shoes or clothes—I’ll cut costs anywhere else to be able to afford that.”

Given his outgo, Mason figures his input has to be almost twice as high in order to stay solvent.

“Brass tacks, you really need to be in the mid-$100,000s,” says Mason, who—did we forget to mention—missed most of the last three years battling injuries, which meant his income was basically next to nothing. “With that you can make a decent living and live comfortably—but that’s having a really great year; I mean, winning three or four times and never finishing outside the top-10—that’s hard to do.”

A NASTY GAME It’s at this point, given all the hard knocks, injuries and financial issues—let alone the missed cuts and wayward shots that accompany any given tournament—that you might be tempted to wax poetic about Nick Mason’s obvious love of golf.

That would be a mistake. Did Glenn Close love Michael Douglas when she boiled the rabbit in Fatal Attraction? No, at coloradoavidgolfer.com

this point, it’s not passion for the game that drives Mason as much as his refusal to be denied.

“I wish that were true, but no, I don’t love golf,” he says. “I guess I would say I like the game, but the way I look at it is, if I can’t go out and play by myself and enjoy it, then no, I don’t love it. I don’t think anyone that’s played for as long as I have, especially for your only source of income, can say that they love golf, because the game is nasty and beats you to death. And so, you could you try and love it, but it’s just it’s so cruel to you that you’re just like, ‘It’s so hard…’

“My mom will get mad at me for saying this, but I can’t go out and play golf without there being money on the line; there has to be some wager on it, I have to be gambling at all times, I have to be competing.... So I can’t really tell you that I love golf; I absolutely love tournament golf, to compete and to beat buddies and all that stuff—I absolutely am addicted to it. But the actual game? No, I don’t love it.”

Perhaps Nick Mason comes by his obstinacy naturally. His father, Ray, took his family around the world, part and parcel of the life of an Army General. (It’s only a slight exaggeration to say there have been entire months in Nick Mason’s career where the ratings of the dives he stayed in during tournaments didn’t match the three stars on his Dad’s uniform).

“Yeah, he decided to go a different way,” Ray Mason says with a laugh. “But my dad really didn’t make me take his path—he

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guided me but said, ‘Look you make your own choice’—that’s what I tried to do with Nick.

“I mean, we knew what a tough go it was; Nick and I and my wife talked it through with him and he wanted to pursue it ... he’s had some real ups and some real downs ... I mean it was a roller coaster ride— it continues to be a bit of a roller coaster ride obviously. But I admire his stamina and perseverance—I don’t know if I would have that same perseverance.”

But Dad also acknowledges that he’s partly to blame. When Nick was in high school, living in Virginia, in the shadow of the Pentagon in nearby Washington, D.C., the idea was that he would become the next Brooks Robinson, not Brooks Koepka.

“That’s where I thought he’d end up— he was pretty good at baseball,” Ray says.

“He played golf his junior year, but it wasn’t anything serious.”

That changed before his senior year, when Ray was transferred to Hawaii, and what was just a passing fancy for his son became something of an obsession.

“The place where we lived was on a golf course; and I didn't have any friends or anything,” Nick says. “My mom said I took my clubs outside one day and just never came back; it was what I did every day before school, and after school, even during school—I mean that’s all I did.”

Mason says he improved by 10 strokes within that first year, his scores plummeting from the upper-70s into the low 60s; eventually he set the state high school scoring record. His game continued to evolve collegiately at Hawaii-Hilo, to the point where the decision to turn pro, even with the inherent challenges, made sense.

And while the path he laid out for himself almost a decade and a half ago hasn’t played out exactly like he envisioned, he’s still not selling insurance either.

Neither is Sam Saunders. At one time he considered joining his father in running a golf store in New Mexico, but who wants a normal life when, with a couple of successful weeks, the PGA TOUR could come calling?

At 28, Saunders is eight years younger than Nick Mason. Ask him if he’d still be scrambling to find a place in the game eight years from now, like his mini-tour counterpart, and he doesn’t hesitate.

“Honestly, I’ll do this until I die,” he says.

Anthony Cotton is the editor of Colorado AvidGolfer.

July 2020 | COLORADO AVIDGOLFER

2020

Cordillera GOLF EXPERIENCE A Colorado AvidGolfer Event

PRESENTED BY

Mountain Golf is Calling... and I Must Go! The Club at Cordillera | September 12th & 13th

The Ultimate Golf Weekend •

Two Rounds of Golf at The Club at Cordillera’s Summit and Valley Courses •

Luxury Accommodations at The Park Hyatt Beaver Creek •

•

Mountainside Cocktail Party & Dinner

Amazing On-Course Food, Wine, Craft Cocktails & Beer Both Days Player Gift Bags, Prizes and Contests, including a Chance to Win a Two Year Lease on a Jaguar or Land Rover •

For All Players & All Levels!

Tournament adheres to COVID-safe protocol

REGISTER TODAY!

For complete information or to make your reservation today contact Melissa at 720-493-1729 x15 or melissa@coloradoavidgolfer.com coloradoavidgolfer.com/cordillera-experience

Activities subject to change due to COVID-19 precautions

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VAIL VALLEY • SUMMIT COUNTY PRESENTED BY

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Find summer love in the Vail Valley

The Club at Cordillera

SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS

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VAIL VALLEY Valley Grrrr

The Club at Cordillera’s Valley course (left) has a longer playing season than the Mountain and Summit courses, giving you more chances to solve its mysterious slopes and undulations. cordillera-vail.com

Choices, Choices No matter where you play, each course at Cordillera has its own dining option. The Chaparral (below) now offers updated Mexican American offerings.

Bon appétit! cordillera-vail.com Valley Course

THREE COURSES,

endless challenges

The names—Nicklaus, Irwin, Fazio—are golf design royalty. Is there any wonder then why The Club at Cordillera is home to some of the most memorable golf possible— in the mountains or anywhere else? With elevations that begin at 7,200-feet above

sea level, rising to an almost unfathomable 9,000 feet, the 7,046-yard Valley (Fazio), 7,450-yard Mountain (Irwin) and 7,518yard Summit (Nicklaus) courses will take your game to unforgettable heights and leave you panting for more. cordillera-vail.com

The Chaparral

Happy Trails To You EAGER BEAVER

Park Hyatt Beaver Creek

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | July 2020

Whether it’s private balconies offering sweeping mountain views, or countless other charming features, Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa will certainly respond to whatever your senses are craving. Besides its 190 luxurious rooms including 23 suites, guests can also escape to 54 holes of golf at nearby Beaver Creek and Red Sky golf clubs. Great fly-fishing, rafting and hiking are also minutes away. parkhyattbeavercreek.com

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Beaver Lake Trail is a 6.3-mile hike located within the Beaver Creek Ski Area near Avon. vailvalleypartnership.com

Hiking in Beaver Creek

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Luxury ski-in, ski-out resort Breathtaking views of Vail and Central Colorado Exhale Spa – Voted USA Today Top 10 Reader’s Choice Spa Indoor and majestic outdoor meeting spaces 8100 Mountainside Bar & Grill

WITH AN UNBEATABLE LOCATION overlooking scenic Beaver Creek Mountain, Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort & Spa delivers luxury, adventure and excitement 365 days a year.

Enjoy direct ski-in/ski-out access to the slopes in the wintertime and golfing, hiking and dream-come-true fly fishing adventures in the spring, summer and fall – all while being surrounded by breathtaking views of the Rocky Mountains. After a day of meetings or play, relax in our spacious guestrooms and suites or treat yourself to our award-winning Exhale Spa, voted top 10 spa by USA Today. Indulge in an authentic Colorado Mountain dining experience at 8100 Mountainside Bar & Grill and toast marshmallows in the warm glow of our fire pits under night skies. Your rejuvenating experience that is truly unforgettable begins here at Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort & Spa.

136 East Thomas Place, Beaver Creek, CO 81620

| 970.949.1234 | ParkHyattBeaverCreek.com

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VAIL VALLEY

A “FROSTY” ANNIVERSARY

Five years and going strong

Founded in 2015, Frost Creek is situated on more than 1,100 acres just west of Vail.

While the heart of the community may be its 40,000-square-foot clubhouse that includes fine dining, a spa and a fitness center, its soul just might be found in its gorgeous, Tom Weiskopf-designed golf

course. Spread out over 285 acres, the 7,155-yard track features eight man-made lakes, bringing water into play on 10 of its holes. Especially challenging is the 486yard, par-4 sixth hole, that features a double dogleg that might leave you pleased to walk away with bogey. frostcreek.com

Fishing at Frost Creek

CASTING ABOUT After depositing a few balls into the manmade lakes on the golf course, you may decide that if you can’t beat the water, it’s best to just join it. In that case, you’ll be in luck—Frost Creek features more than two miles of deep pools that accommodate all kinds of fishing disciplines. There’s even paddleboarding on one of the 10 on-site ponds. frostcreek.com

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF LGTRI VIA FACEBOOK

Tour de Eagle

Frost Creek

VIVE LA FRANCE! The Tour de France isn’t until August, but you can get a head start on the iconic bike race with the Tour de Eagle Mountain Bike Ride. There are two different ride options and the July 10 celebration includes food and music afterwards. lgtri.com

Off-season? What Off-season?

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | July 2020

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF EPIC DISCOVERY

Forest Flying Mountain Coaster

As hard as it may be for golfers to realize, winter is considered “the” time to be in the Vail Valley—but that’s not to say summer visitors won’t find plenty of activities to enjoy. Epic Discovery is an opportunity to, well, discover a different approach to the mountains. Visitors can engage in Adventure Courses, Ziplines, a Mountain Coaster, Tubing Hills, a Climbing Wall and Bungee Trampoline among other options. vail.com

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Mother Nature is one heck of a designer

Nestled in a quiet stretch of Brush Creek Valley, surrounded by pristine Colorado Wilderness, awaits a truly extraordinary golf experience. Frost Creek, envisioned by Tom Weiskopf and shaped by nature itself, is a combination of focused shotmaking, stunning vistas and pure tranquility Are you ready to explore?

CLUB MEMBERSHIP

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MEMBER CABINS

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REAL ESTATE OPPORTUNITIES

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FROSTCREEK.COM

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970.328.2326

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VAIL VALLEY

ELEVATE YOUR GAME 18 Hole Championship Course Par 3 Course & Practice Facility Golf Grill & Clubhouse Spectacular Rocky Mountain Views at 7650 Feet Audobon Society Certification for Environmental Excellence

EagleVail Golf Club Live, Play, Relax, Enjoy. www.EagleVailGolfClub.com COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | July 2020

Eagle Ranch Golf Club

MARCH ALONG WITH

Arnie’s Army

Designed by the King himself, Arnold Palmer, Eagle Ranch Golf Club opened in 2001 and has been a mountain golf mainstay ever since. The 7,461-yard, par-72 course will host a qualifying tournament for the 2020 CoBank Colorado Open—which speaks to its inherent challenges. It has also been a CAGGY winner for best mountain golf course, although at an elevation of about 6,000 feet above sea level, it sits a bit lower than some of its nearby counterparts. The course features five sets of tees on each hole, wide fairways and large greens with gentle slopes. You’ll want to check out the unique, “alternate green” on the par-5 12th hole. eagleranchgolf.com

SEE BIRDIES, MAKE BIRDIES: Recently certified as a cooperative sanctuary by Audubon International, it makes sense that the EagleVail Golf Club offers an integration of rivers, streams, ponds, wetlands, forests, and gardens—along with some mighty fine golf.

Created in the 1970s by Bruce Devlin and Robert Von Hagge, the course provides a true mountain golf experience, especially on its plunging par-3 10th. Spanning 6,538 yards and featuring intense elevation changes, the course promises 18 holes of pristine, chalEagleVail Golf Club lenging golf at an affordable price.

There are also “Ladies on the Links” golf clinics (with complimentary drinks afterwards) every Monday evening during the summer. eaglevailgolfclub.com

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Mountain Golf at its Level Best

Eagle Ranch Golf Club is located in the beautiful small town of Eagle, Colorado, just 30 minutes from Vail. The majestic Colorado Rocky Mountains provide a spectacular setting for this Arnold Palmer Signature Design Course. The course opened in 2001 as part of the master-planned residential community Eagle Ranch. Our unique Western golf club features an 18-hole course, including a terrific practice facility, grille and patio.

For golfers also interested in dining at the Eagle Ranch Grille, ask about our $85 golf and lunch special for tee times booked after 12:00 noon. For more information, visit us online at EagleRanchGolf.com to book a tee time or call 970.328.2882.

0050 Lime Park Drive | Eagle, CO 81631 | 970.328.2882 | EagleRanchGolf.com

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SUMMIT COUNTY

Beaver Run Resort and Conference Center

Hot stone massage

WHAT, ME WORRY?

Mountain vacationers want fun and sun—and stress shouldn’t be part of the package.

That’s why Beaver Run Resort and Conference Center is offering what it calls a “No Risk, No Worry” stay. Between now and September, guests can change or cancel their reservations, without penalty, up until 4 p.m. the day before their scheduled arrival. Once there, the only worry will be choosing between the myriad activities offered; the premises include 9 hot tubs, 2 pools, a fitness center, on-site restaurants and casual dining spots, a spa, bars and even an arcade and indoor miniature golf course. Hiking trails are literally just steps away and a short walk will take you to downtown Breckenridge. There’s also fishing, biking, hot-air ballooning, off-road adventures, and of course, golf—all there for the taking. beaverrun.com

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF COUNTRY BOY MINE

No stress at Beaver Run Country Boy Mine

Golden Moments

Country Boy Mine says it’s Breckenridge’s “only real gold mine.” You can start with a tour, burrowing 1,000 feet deep, before doing some panning in Eureka Creek, where you just might strike it rich! countryboymine.com

STEPPING OUT WITH YOUR BABY

Clay Hand Building Class

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | July 2020

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Breckenridge Creative Arts features an abundance of activities—classes, festivals, exhibitions and workshops—throughout the summer. One of the monthly attractions is simply called “Date Nights.”

Described as a monthly program of romance and the arts, the collective says couples (okay, singles can come too) are welcome to bring a picnic and hang out and enjoy some “hands-on” entertainment. breckcreate.org coloradoavidgolfer.com

STAY & PLAY Come play Breckenridge’s 27 hole golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus.

After a day of teeing off stay at Beaver Run Resort, nestled between mountain and Main Street.

Beaver Run Resort has everything you need for your Rocky Mountain escape.

25% OFF SUMMER LODGING FOR CO AVIDGOLFER READERS! ENTER CODE AVID when booking online.*

* Offer valid through 9/30/2020.

Some blackout dates and restrictions apply.

BeaverRun.com 970.453.6000

Blind Shot THE UNSEEN GAME

Voices of the Game

Clockwise from top right: USGA and LPGA on Twitter; Mike McAllister on PGATOUR.com; Tiger Woods on Twitter; Jerry Tarde on GolfDigest.com; Damon Hack on GolfChannel.com

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | July 2020

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Open for Reservations We are thrilled to safely and warmly welcome you back to our dining room and patio!

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