August/ September Colorado AvidGolfer Magazine

CE A L BA R R Y LE AV ES CU • MILE-HIGH GOLF AT $52.80

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Elevating the Game.

Two Kuhles

FOR SCHOOL

AVALANCHE OF ABILITY

Powerhouse Coaching Household

Can GABE LANDESKOG lead Colorado to another Cup?

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CONTENTS | August/September 2020

50 77

DEPARTMENTS 8 Forethoughts

The Siren Song of Competition

By Anthony Cotton

10 The CGA

Keep track of your handicap easily with the USGA’s new GHIN system.

13 The Gallery

What might have been—and will be—for the CoBank Colorado Open; Korn Ferry in CO; DU Golf men’s coach walks away for a new opportunity.

64 Blind Shot

City Park Golf Course through the years.

44

27 Profile

FEATURES

44 Sticking the Landy

By Theresa Smith

30 Lesson

Use this fine-tuning checklist to achieve your

Watershed Moment After almost three years of controversy and construction, one of Denver’s oldest courses reemerges with a completely new look.

By Jon Rizzi

50 Love and Basketball

62 Note to Self

and Golf

With an extended family of their DU women’s golf and Valor Christian HS boys’ hoops teams, the household of coaches Lindsay and AJ Kuhle doesn’t lack for competitive spirit. By Anthony Cotton

ON THE COVER

CU’s Ceal Barry is retiring and ready to golf.

56 City Park’s

After nine seasons in Colorado, Gabe Landeskog has gone from baby-faced wunderkind to the unquestioned leader of the Avalanche. By Adrian Dater

golf goals. By Dan Sniffin

SIDE BETS 35 Fareways

Find sweet summer relief at our favorite

local ice cream parlors. By John Lehndorff

38 Nice Drives

Thirty years ago, not long after scribbling down some thoughts, Hale Irwin made golf history that still stands.

By Dan O’Neill

Land Rover Defender 110 and McLaren 570S Spider. By Isaac Bouchard

SPECIAL SECTION

Gabe Landeskog at

21 MILE HIGH GOLF AT $52.80

Photograph by John Leyba

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COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | August/September 2020

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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

THANK YOU!

August/September 2020 | Volume 19, Number 5

The Rounds 4 Research program was designed to address a critical shortage in turfgrass research funding by auctioning donated rounds of golf online.

Through the support of golfers like you, funding helps grow the program and keep the future of our game green.

Rounds 4 Research is administered by the Environmental Institute for Golf. The GCSAA’s Rounds for Research auction took place this year July 20-26 and featured courses around the country.

Local prizes included twosomes or foursomes plus carts as courses such as CommonGround Golf Course, Meridian Golf Club, Pole Creek Golf Club, The Club at Flying Horse and Saddle Rock Golf Course, among many others.

president and group publisher

A llen J. Walters founding editor

Jon Rizzi

SALES, MARKETING & ADVERTISING associate publisher

Chris Phillips sales director

Mike Car ver digital strategist and content manager

Ben Champion

office and operations manager

Cindy Palmer

projects and special events manager

Melissa Holmberg ART & EDITORIAL editor

Anthony Cotton creative director

Jani Duncan Smith art director

Chelsea Oglesby editor - at- large

Tom Ferrell

automotive editor

Isaac Bouchard

In 2019, Rounds 4 Research raised $365,000 for turfgrass research. As of press time, the estimated total raised this year was between $350,000-$400,000.

Thanks to all who bid on and won rounds!

We hope you enjoy and we thank you for helping make the research for the future of golf possible.

style editor

Suzanne S. Brown contributors

Sam Adams, Andy Bigford, E.J. Carr, Clarkson Creative, Tony Dear, Denny Dressman, Sue Drinker, Dick Durrance, Chris Duthie, Neal Erickson, Scott Gardner, Garo Productions, Ted Johnson, Kaye Kessler, John Lehndorff, Kim McHugh PRINCIPALS Ray L . Baker, C. Don Baker, Dick B. Baker advertising inquiries : cindy@coloradoavidgolfer.com editorial inquiries and letters : anthony@coloradoavidgolfer.com customer service and subscriptions :

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Colorado AvidGolfer is available at more than 250 locations, or you can order your personal subscription by calling 720-493-1729. Subscriptions are available at the rate of $17.95 per year. Copyright © 2020 by Baker-Colorado Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Postmaster: Send address changes to Colorado AvidGolfer, 7200 S. Alton Way #A-180 Centennial, CO 80112. The magazine welcomes editorial submissions but assumes no responsibility for the safekeeping or return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, artwork or other material. magazine partner of choice :

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Forethoughts

Listen online or on your radio

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COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | August/September 2020

IT’S A TALE as old as time, or at least as old as sport—the great athlete who longs to jam and rock out in front of a soldout stadium, or the singer who can’t wait to take his cuts alongside big leaguers in a major league batting cage.

Is it some kind of wanderlust, a desire to travel away from the familiar and break boundaries? Is it competitiveness, or merely ego and stubbornness, a determination to prove there isn’t anything that—insert name here—can’t do? That’s how you get beloved StarFleet Captain James T. Kirk releasing “William Shatner Live” (a double-album, no less!)—which, not surprisingly, and equally regrettably, led to Mr. Spock’s (Leonard Nimoy) must-have version of “If I Had A Hammer.”

Then again, there are those who make double duties work surprisingly well. Steven Brault was a music major at Regis University in Denver and last year released a pretty compelling album covering songs from his favorite stage musicals. The title? “A Pitch at Broadway”—a subtle way of letting listeners in on the fact that, when he’s not hitting High Cs, Brault can be found hurling high cheese as a reliever for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

I don’t know the state of Brault’s golf game—or his three-point stroke for that matter.

But I am aware of someone who’s pretty good at both—Steph Curry. Anyone who’s been to a game at the Pepsi Center the last decade or so has certainly witnessed the latter.

The former also recently came tantalizingly close to being on display locally as well.

When the NBA decided all teams, not just playoff squads, would return to action in late July, it cost the CoBank Colorado Open the chance to include the Golden State Warriors’ star in its field. On page 13, we look at the negotiations that almost led to what would have been—sorry—a slam dunk for the local event. There’s also news of how the tournament, ahem, rebounded with another star attraction.

Although spectators weren’t allowed on the grounds at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club because of the novel coronavirus, word of Curry’s prowess on the links surely would have circulated across the state. Chances are he would have done pretty well in the tournament—Curry has acquitted himself well in events on the Korn Ferry Tour. In July, he finished fourth in the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship, although for Curry, the highlight was undoubtedly a final-round rally that allowed him to finish higher than his father Dell, thus winning their annual wager on who does better in the tournament.

Competition can indeed be a fierce motivator, between a father and son, or among NHL teammates, like Gabe Landeskog and fellow members of the Colorado Avalanche, who, when they aren’t working towards their own pandemic-necessitated restart, regularly engage in some pretty high-powered (and undoubtedly high-stakes) foursomes out on the links. We peek in on page 44.

Speaking of competition, there’s no shortage of it in the Kuhle household. Lindsay is the women’s golf coach at the University of Denver—AJ is the boys’ basketball coach at Valor Christian High School. Last spring, both of their teams seemed poised to do great things—then the virus hit. On page 50, read about how they plan to bounce back when the games begin anew, as well as why a bit of internal rivalry—on the golf course or in the gym—may not be a bad thing.

As long as it doesn’t lead to this ... Coming soon to a streaming platform near you: “Two Kuhles to You (with Love)—Lindsay and AJ Sing Their Favorite Sports Anthems.” ­—ANTHONY COTTON

8

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The CGA SERVING ALL COLORADO GOLFERS

POST UP: Since posting began in March, the Colorado Golf Association says more than 129,000 scores have been entered on the USGA GHIN handicapping system.

Score!

CGA members find keeping track of their golf game isn’t a handicap.

MEMBERSHIP MEANS MORE at the Colorado Golf Association. The CGA wants to thank the 62,000 Colorado golfers who continue to recognize the value of joining their state golf association. Not to mention we want to thank the clubs, leagues and PGA Professionals for continuing to organize and stay active, despite all the change golfers have been through this year. As facilities see large numbers of golfers, this has meant a record number of golfers posting scores on the USGA GHIN system with more than 129,000 scores entered since posting began on March 15th.

In a golf season filled with change, 2020 brought with it the World Handicap System (WHS). Our 62,000+ members enjoy access to the only USGA certified, peer-reviewed handicap system on the market. With seven months complete, we’ve heard many reviews from golfers around the state: • “With the new GHIN Mobile app on my phone, I now understand net double bogey!”

• “I love watching how my handicap changes from day to day.”

• “The instant gratification of seeing how your scores show my improvement is so rewarding.”

• “Being able to add friends and manage my playing partners in the app makes it fun for our group.”

• “I look forward to being able to take my handicap everywhere, especially when we’re able to head overseas for my bucket-list trip to Scotland.”

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | August/September 2020

• “The course rating calculator has allowed me to remain competitive against my scratch friends. Especially when my friends want to all play from the tips!”

• “The hole-by-hole scoring is so helpful and provides me with great analysis of my game and my season.”

The handicap system is a service offered by the USGA to golf associations worldwide. GHIN is one of the largest handicap management tools in the world, serving more than 2.3 million golfers and 15,000 golf clubs. Its services include the USGA Admin Portal for golfer management, score posting products for golfers and USGA Tournament Management. The CGA is the only licensed provider of this global scoring system.

The WHS brought with it an extra layer of responsibility for our 650+ leagues and clubs in Colorado. The USGA required a representative from all leagues to get certified on the rules of the system to manage their club handicap system. While this has certainly proved challenging in 2020, we have seen record participation from our clubs. We want to thank all the clubs and members for stepping up to the task to get certified.

If you have ever thought of starting your own golf club or league, the CGA can still get you organized and on your way. The CGA is launching new clubs with companies, recreation leagues, or just a group of friends.

We would love to help you get started, as golfers in Colorado can post scores from March 15th through November 15th. Contact the CGA at info@coloradogolf.org to get started.

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The Gallery

NEWS | NOTES | NAMES

CoBank Colorado Open Shoots for the Moon But Ends Up Among the Stars

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF PGA TOUR

RIMMED OUT: Officials at the CoBank Colorado Open thought they’d convinced Golden State Warriors star (and huge golf fan) Steph Curry to play at Green Valley Ranch last month, but his day job eventually took precedent.

STEPH CURRY spent the first weekend of July in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, playing in golf’s “major championship” for athletic overachievers, the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship.

Joining the likes of Terrell Davis, DeMarcus Ware, Tony Romo and Charles Barkley, Curry, the star guard for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, winner of three league championships and two Most Valuable Player awards, is an avid golfer and has played in numerous “legitimate” tournaments, including on the Korn Ferry Tour—last month, there were even rumors that he would be sponsoring an event on the PGA TOUR as early as next season.

In short, getting Curry to come around is a really big deal—which is why the CoBank Colorado Open is feeling, well, like a three-point shooter whose last-second, game-winning shot rimmed out at the buzzer.

When the NBA announced its return to play after being shutdown because of the novel coronavirus, the plan didn’t include teams outside of the playoff picture—that included Golden State, which had played most of the 2019-20 season without Curry, who had suffered a broken hand.

So, while teams like the Denver Nuggets were preparing for the league’s reboot, Curry, since recoloradoavidgolfer.com

covered, was just working out—and playing a lot of golf.

And that gave the Colorado Open Golf Foundation an opening. Twice organizers had invited Curry to play in the local event at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, and twice they’d been denied, in large part because Curry and the Warriors were just weeks removed from competing for the NBA championship.

This year was a different story. So when the third offer went out, negotiations began in earnest. For a time, it appeared the tournament would finally land its big fish; however, when the NBA decided to form an event for its non-playoff teams, like Golden State, Curry wriggled away once again.

“It came down to him having to do what he’s being paid to do, versus him doing what he loves to do when he’s not doing what he gets paid to do,” said Kevin Laura, CEO of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation.

This year’s event already had a great deal of star power, including local favorite Shane Bertsch and newly-minted Coloradan Chris DiMarco, the runner-up to Tiger Woods in the 2005 Masters.

But Laura says getting Curry—even in a tourna-

13

ment that was going to be played without fans because of the pandemic—would have been, to mix some sporting terminology, “a home run.”

“You certainly allow your mind to race a little bit; we’ve had people like (LPGA star) Lexi Thompson and (PGA TOUR veteran) Matt Kuchar host exhibitions for our kids in the First Tee program, and having Steph Curry, someone from the NBA world who they know and admire ... that crossover appeal, someone who’s great at both sports—it would have been tremendous.”

As organizers of events like the Celebrity Golf Championship would undoubtedly attest, there’s a lot more to getting someone like Curry to play in a tournament than just picking up the phone. In the case of the CoBank Colorado Open, Laura says the conversations with Curry’s people indeed ran the gamut from how he would get to and from Colorado to where he would be staying while he played in the event.

“Like all of us, he’s very sensitive about COVID-19 right now, and understandably he wants to take care of himself—so we had to make sure we had accommodations that were safe and clean and secure,” Laura says. “Men and women like them need and deserve security and comfort

August/September 2020 | COLORADO AVIDGOLFER

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF COLORADO OPEN GOLF FOUNDATION

The Gallery

BACK AT IT: 2020 CoBank Colorado Women’s Open champ Jennifer Kupcho replaced Curry in the field for the Men’s Open in July.

when doing these kinds of public outings. So that’s exactly what we were trying to work on.”

However, Laura and the tournament “rebounded” nicely from the loss of Curry, indeed sinking a buzzer-beater—and chances are, finding housing wasn’t going to be an issue.

Days before the event’s July 23 start, officials announced that 2020 CoBank Women’s Open champion Jennifer Kupcho, a native of Westminster, would be joining the field.

“She may not be a global icon like an NBA superstar, but locally she’s a hero who’s going to be winning LPGA tournaments for decades to come,” Laura said.

After losing Curry, Laura said a number of meetings were held to try and figure out who to invite to the event; some of the names being floated included former British Open champion David Duval, Kevin Stadler, the son of the former Masters champion Craig Stadler and a former CoBank Colorado Open winner himself, and Sam Saunders, the grandson of golf legend Arnold Palmer.

Eventually, tournament director Brandon Roll raised Kupcho’s name and the deal was done.

“Honestly, she should have been the first name we thought about,” Laura said.

As was the case with Curry, Kupcho’s presence in the field again allowed Laura’s mind to do some speed racing. For example, at press time, it was unknown whom she would be paired with—one option was to have a first-time, historic matchup of the three reigning CoBank Open champions: Kupcho, Sam Saunders (not Palmer’s grandson), who was defending his 2019 win, and Britt Pavelonis, who took the Senior Open title last year.

Another was a pairing that would truly be a family affair—Kupcho playing alongside Steven, who was entering the event in good form having won an event in Iowa on the Dakotas mini-tour in early July.

That wasn’t the only happy news for Steven Kupcho —the victory came just days after he was married.

Regardless of who she plays with, Laura said Kupcho’s addition to a field that includes DiMarco, Bertsch and Denver Broncos’ kicker Brandon McManus “is just the cherry on top of an already great sundae.” firstteegreenvalleyranch.org

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Embracing Discomfort instructor out of the University of Denver Golf Club in Highlands Ranch.

He returned to campus in 2012, initially working as an assistant for women’s coach Lindsay Kuhle. He was named the men’s head coach in 2014.

“I don’t think there’s ever a good time to stop coaching and doing the thing that you love to do, but I support him 100 percent,” Kuhle says. “He’s one of my best friends; I’ll still talk to him every other day and I probably will for the rest of my life.”

Billinger says that while he’ll miss the bonding and camaraderie that comes with leading a team, he also longed to ease up on the UP FOR THE CHALLENGE: Former DU coach Erik Billinger (left) says he’ll need the same qualities he brought to golf in his new job. amount of time he spent traveling as a coach. He and his wife Megan, palpable in his voice. “I think sometimes comfort a former DU lacrosse player, have three children. can be like the enemy—being comfortable isn’t “It’s tough to leave what you know and what you’ve done and where you have your so- always a good thing.

“I think you grow when you’re uncomfortable called area of expertise, but this is exciting and ... and I’m definitely leaving my comfort zone.” refreshing,” Billinger said, the excitement clearly

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF DU ATHLETICS

WITH A CAREER resume that includes a Colorado PGA Player of the Year award, a pair of Teacher of the Year awards and a collegiate conference championship, it’s safe to say that Erik Billinger likes competition.

Which is why his decision to leave the University of Denver, where he’s been the men’s golf coach for the last six years, may not be as surprising as one might think.

“It’s still competitive—it’s really competitive,” Billinger said of his new position with ACE Scholarships, a nonprofit organization that provides scholarships for low-income students in kindergarten to 12th grade. “You have to be competitive, you have to be gritty, you have to be persistent—a lot of the same qualities you need in golf, you can definitely apply to fundraising.”

Billinger has been around DU in one way or another since his days as a student athlete for the Pioneers. A two-time NCAA individual qualifier, and a Sun Belt Conference Individual Champion in 2001, Billinger graduated the following year after being named an Academic All-American. After spending a couple of years working with the school’s men’s and women’s teams, he spent the next decade working as an

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August/September 2020 | COLORADO AVIDGOLFER

The Gallery

Where There’s a Will

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF KORN FERRY TOUR

THE GOLF COACHES at Wake Forest University might want to consider opening an extension branch in Colorado, given the success its players are finding in the Centennial State. In June, Jennifer Kupcho, a 2019 grad, won her first professional tournament, shattering scoring records in winning the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open at Green Valley Ranch.

A month later, another Demon Deacon, Will Zalatoris, won a title in a much different fashion, riding a final-round roller coaster to eventually take the Korn Ferry Tour’s TPC Colorado Championship at Heron Lakes.

Zalatoris shot a final-round three-under-par 69 for a one-shot edge over Chase Johnson. Although he held at least a share of the lead in each of the tournament’s four rounds, Zalatoris wasn’t necessarily in total command of the event. During the Fourth of July finale, he was tied with Johnson as late as the 15th hole before birdieing the 128-yard par-3 16th to take the lead for good.

The win, his first in about four years by Zalatoris’ reckoning, was good for $108,000 and catapulted him to the top of the Korn Ferry Points list, moving him closer to gaining a berth on the PGA TOUR. At this point, that seems like an almost foregone conclusion. In his last three tournaments entering the Colorado stop, Zalatoris had finished tied for sixth, tied for third and fourth. pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour CHASER: In just his second start this season on the Korn Ferry Tour, Chase Johnson shot a course record 9-under-par 63 in the final round en route to a second place finish behind Zalatoris.

DISC OV ER

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Located just south of Denver, The Ridge at Castle Pines North is an award-winning example of Tom Weiskopf’s fluent, well-proportioned layout that presents players with roomy fairways, sculpted bunkers and large, rolling greens. The Ridge is recognized by various golf publications as one of Colorado’s top golf courses. More specifically, The Ridge has been voted as the top Denver region golf course, as well as the top golf course in Colorado multiple times by Colorado AvidGolfer.

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PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF KORN FERRY TOUR

STRIKE A POSE: Like fellow Wake Forest alum Jennifer Kupcho, Will Zalatoris found his first professional victory in Colorado. After holding at least a share of the lead in each of the four rounds, Zalatoris emerged victorious in the Korn Ferry Tour’s TPC Colorado Championship at Heron Lakes.

coloradoavidgolfer.com

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August/September 2020 | COLORADO AVIDGOLFER

The Gallery

Golf by Numbers A STUDY DONE back in 2012 says the average person has somewhere between a .001 and . 01 percent chance of getting struck by a ball while out on a golf course...pretty low odds—unless you’re one of the people applying the ice.

Of course, as in most things in life, there’s more than one way to be injured playing golf*. How does that compare to other sports? Glad you asked…

Injury Rates (per 1,000 people)†

5.3

1.8

General Exercise

Golf

(Running, Aerobics, Weightlifting)

3.1

3.3 1.5

Basketball

Hockey

Football

*According to the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the majority of these injuries occur in the lower back, which account for 15% to 34% of all golf injuries, followed by injuries to the elbow (7%-27%), shoulder (4%-19%) and wrist (10%). †Source: 2016 paper done by National Health Statistics.

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Mile High Golf

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Player’s Corner PROFILE

Ceal of Approval After almost four decades as a Hall of Fame coach and administrator, Ceal Barry is planning for life after CU. Hint: Golf will play a role.

By Theresa Smith

coloradoavidgolfer.com

NOTHING BUT NET: During her 22 years as the women’s basketball coach at the University of Colorado, Barry had a 427-242 record, took the Buffs to 12 NCAA tournaments and won four conference coach of the year awards.

Another of golf’s appeals, for Barry, are the lengthy conversations.

“I have a lot of friends in Denver and it’s an opportunity to come together, and it’s an opportunity not just for 30 minutes,’’ Barry said. “You are going to be together for five hours, so it is a great gathering opportunity for people. I play for the social benefit, to see my friends and to be outdoors. I take a lot of swings out there—I’m not that great.’’

Perhaps self-deprecatingly, Barry counts no

27

strengths in her game. In contrast, Kelly quickly identifies two pluses.

“Number one, Ceal’s really competitive, and number two, she is really determined,’’ Kelly said.

“And in retirement, with more time to work on her game, I think she’s going to turn into a pretty good golfer. She’s pretty close to breaking 90. And I think that will probably happen in her retirement.’’

Her purposeful yet relaxed retirement will include limited practice.

“I intend to practice, but I won’t go over-

August/September 2020 | COLORADO AVIDGOLFER

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO

LIKE LINING UP a putt, seeing it from all angles, Ceal Barry has strategized retirement. The University of Colorado icon envisioned a purposeful, yet relaxed next phase when she stepped down in July after 37 years at CU. A Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer, Barry served 22 years as the Buffs’ women’s basketball coach, leading them to 12 NCAA tournament appearances; she worked another 15 years in administration, the past two as deputy athletic director. Her tenure is the fifth-longest in CU athletic department history.

Barry’s retirement to-do list includes consulting with former players-turned-coaches, hiking, biking—and playing golf.

The latter is inspired by her mother and namesake, Adele. She introduced Adele Cecilia to golf.

“She tells me, ‘Ceal, don’t ever stop playing,’’’ Barry related. “‘You play golf as long as you can play.’’’

Due to the pandemic, Adele Barry, 95, is isolated in a Kentucky nursing home. She looks forward to phone calls from Ceal, peppering her daughter with questions about her days on the fairways.

Adele played golf until she was 88 years old.

Barry, 65, makes no bold predictions about matching her mom’s durability. However, when she was in her 40s, she made a pact with playing partners to walk every course—no cart riding— until they are 75.

Golf has always posed a catch-22 for Barry— it taps into her competitive core, yet the demands of coaching and administration prevented her from practicing and playing enough to excel.

“That’s been my lifelong struggle with golf, exactly,’’ Barry said. “I’m not that good of a golfer, and it’s hard, I think, to play something and not be very good at it but want to still go out and play all the time. But that’s the beauty of golf. You hit one good shot and it makes you think, If I can hit one good one—that’s the competitive side, one good shot—why couldn’t I hit two good shots a hole?’’

Amid Barry’s weekly walks with CU’s women’s golf coach Anne Kelly, their conversations often turn to golf. Kelly advised Barry to work on her short game, since she’s physically unable to drive the ball 200 yards.

“I’m kind of excited about working on that [short game], so I can score better,’’ Barry said.

“It really bothers me when I double bogey. It really bothers me.’’

Barry’s competitive nature stems from childhood, when she competed with her seven siblings, including five sports-crazed brothers.

Profile

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO

THEN AND NOW: Shelly Sheetz was an All-American player under Barry in 1995. Today, she stays in touch with her mentor as an assistant coach with Loyola University (MD).

athletes. They can play the game because they have the mindset. They have the bodies, they have the gear … You see women hitting the ball 200 yards; they’re good. It’s nice to see women and men enjoying the sport.’’

Barry’s appreciation of athletes and determination to help players and coaches is a hallmark of her time beneath the Flatirons, a legacy observed by Associate Athletic Director David Plati, in his 42nd year at CU. “She has a pure passion for anything she is involved with a certain calmness,’’ Plati said.

“When she shifted to an administrative role, she brought those same organizational and detail skills from her coaching days to her new roles.’’

In her 15 years in athletic administration, Barry secured an on-site locker room for the women’s tennis team, practice uniform laundry service for men’s and women’s Olympic sports, including golf, and product increases, including $30,000 from Nike for cleats and sports bras for women’s cross country and track and field.

Her stellar coaching record (427-242) gave her instant credibility among the coaches she oversaw as an associate athletics director and senior women’s administrator.

“She’s always been a mentor, a great per-

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | August/September 2020

28

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF CEAL BARRY

board,’’ Barry said. “I won’t practice every day, but I will get to the golf course a little bit earlier.

And I could go hit balls a bit more and prepare a bit better.’’

When the novel coronavirus eases, Barry plans a few golf vacations, including a trip to Florida to play with a former college teammate, a return to Brandon Dunes in Oregon, and enrollment in a golf school next winter in Arizona.

“I want to work on the parts of the game,’’ Barry said. “Make no mistake, I’m not going to compete, but I’d like to enjoy the game more. I play a lot. I’d like to enjoy it more by playing it a little bit better.’’

A member of Lake Valley Golf Club in north Boulder, Barry loves the quiet, peaceful, scenic setting. Her favorite hole is No. 7, site of her first hole-in-one, in 2004.

Over the years, the women Barry observes on golf courses have changed.

“What I see are athletes out there that are women,’’ she said. “They’re strong. I see them on the driving range. I see them in videos; GOLFTEC. These women, you can tell they’re not just former collegiate women golfers, but former collegiate athletes. They are 30-, 35-, 40-year-olds.

They’re the beneficiaries of Title IX, and they are

son for advice, and always willing to help any of the other coaches,’’ Kelly said. “She is someone who loves CU so much and wants everyone to be successful.’’

Plati pointed to her relatability to athletes.

“She was always looking out for the best interest of the student-athlete,’’ he said. “She took great pride in that, and I believe that is backed up by what her former players think of her and how much they credit her with who they are today.”

Northern Colorado basketball coach Jenny Huth, née Roulier, was a three-time All-Big Eight selection for the Buffs. She is among several former CU players who are coaching college basketball and seeking advice from their sagacious former coach.

“We have a lot of the same reference points,’’ Huth said. “It has been great to bounce things off of her, whether it is a coaching decision, a personnel decision, or strategically planning. Throughout the COVID time, we hit aspects of coaching that you don’t always have the time to do. The first thing we worked on was maximizing practice time. So I spent three weeks [on Zoom] picking her brain.’’

Barry says the time she spends consulting with ex-players-turned-coaches like Huth, Raegan (Scott) Pebley (Texas Christian University) and Shelly Sheetz (Loyola University Maryland), is like retirement heaven.

“Retirement is this label and it is a label that you don’t want to buy into,’’ Barry says firmly.

“Really, it’s transitioning from a 10-hour-per-day commitment to doing other things with your time.

But it doesn’t mean you are going to sit in the rocking chair.’’

Nor does it mean that Barry is yearning for a swanky post-COVID retirement sendoff. She counts her Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Knoxville, Tennessee in June 2018 as her retirement party. She was feted by her hometown family—carloads of relatives and friends attended from nearby Louisville, Ky.—and by her adopted family, friends and colleagues from Colorado who made the journey to the festivities.

“I don’t need any more retirement parties,’’ Barry said, smiling. “I am very happy.’’

LOVE OF THE GAME: Barry learned how to play golf from her mother Adele, who played until she was 88.

Among Ceal Barry’s retirement plans is attending a golf school to help improve her game.

A former sportswriter with the Denver Post, Theresa Smith is a long-time contributor to Colorado AvidGolfer. coloradoavidgolfer.com

Player’s Corner LESSON

Fine-Tune Your Summer Game Not reaching your golf goals this season? Raise your awareness by using this checklist to put your game back on track. By Dan Sniffin MOST GOLFERS who are struggling with their game tend to focus their attention on “fixes” that have little or no impact on their skills or their scores. They think they might have stumbled across something that works, only to have it disappoint them during their next round. In most cases, I’ve found the primary issue is that golfers jump to conclusions and fill their minds with

“fuzzy” golf thoughts that don’t actually address the problem—instead of focusing on the important pieces that will actually transform their game.

In this article, I’m going to outline some common problems that I see on a daily basis, along with some solutions that you may not have considered. A quick note about improving: It is unlikely that anybody can improve if they are

not sure what the problem is—my first suggestion for all of these ideas is to quit jumping to conclusions about what your body or swing did, and instead ask yourself what the club actually did to the ball and turf. If you want to improve quickly and effectively, use some of these feedback tools to improve your awareness so you can make lasting corrections.

TEE SHOTS Problem: Lack of accuracy, losing too many golf balls or playing from the rough The clubface was 2 degrees or trees too often.

CLOSED in this shot, and Fuzzy Golf Solutions: Most players who hit a poor tee shot are quick to the ball finished 25 yards blame it on things that don’t necessarily have anything to do with the shot. I LEFT of target. hear things like: “I swung too fast” or “I didn’t get through it” or even “I just need to focus on the ball.” I know you’ve said some if not all of them! But none of them actually have any direct influence on what the club did to the ball.

Actual Solutions: If you struggle with unwanted curve or direction with your tee shots, you should be asking yourself these questions: 1. Where did the ball contact the clubface?

The clubface was 2 degrees 2. Which direction was the face likely pointing?

OPEN in this shot, and First off, if you don’t hit it reasonably close to the center, you will likely the ball finished 25 yards RIGHT of target. see more curve than desired—a slice or fade curve if contact was on the heel, a hook or draw curve if it was on the toe, low and spinning if it was near the bottom, and possibly pop-ups if it hit near the top.

Fine-Tuning Point 1: Become aware of where you hit it on the clubface.

Use some foot powder spray to spray the face, then hit a few shots. Is there a FACE THE FACTS: The direction the face points at impact is both very pattern? Is it toe or heel? Low or High? Take this information and use it to make important and very sensitive, note how just a 4 degree difference in the face some reasonable adjustments. Experiment with different tee heights, adjust direction creates a 50 yard difference in where the ball ends up. your distance from the ball, or change your intention. For example, if you hit the heel constantly, actively try to hit the toe until you actually do.

Fine-Tuning Point 2: If the contact is solid but the ball is curving too much or the wrong way, you will need to do things to adjust the direction the clubface is pointing at impact to straighten it out. You can experiment with your grip, with your arm and hand action, and where the ball is in your stance to see if any of those make a difference. Remember, the ball will tell you which way the face was pointed as long as you strike the face close to the sweet spot.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY E.J. CARR

STRIPE IT: Using foot powder, set up a series of golf balls to see what your pattern looks like (left). From top to bottom: three examples of good shots, a chunk, and a topped ball that resulted in the ball digging into the turf.

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | August/September 2020

IRON SHOTS Problem: Poor contact, chunks, thin shots, shanks.

Fuzzy Golf Solutions: When a player tops or blades a shot off the ground, they will likely jump to the granddaddy king of all fuzzy golf thoughts: I must have picked my head up. I hear this tried and not-true saying all the time, not only from players, but from parents, spouses, and well-intentioned playing partners.

Actual Solutions: You likely struggle with consistently striking the ground in the correct place—just at or after the golf ball. You follow up chunked shots with thin shots and vice versa. Quit worrying about staying down, and instead spend some time fine-tuning your awareness with that skill. Side note: every club in the bag is a different length, and many lies on the golf course are not on flat ground, so it is a skill worth improving!

Fine-Tuning Point: Draw a line in grass with the same foot powder spray, place a series of golf balls on it, and give them a swing. Pay special attention to the contact with the ball and with the turf. Are you hitting the ground every time? Is your divot or scuff mark happening close to the line? Can you do it with multiple clubs? Just becoming aware of what is happening is your first step to improving. You can adjust ball position, weight distribution, or intention by looking at a spot in front of the ball, or making sure your practice swing gets just the right amount of turf at the ball.

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Lesson

PUTTING Problem: Missing short putts from close range.

Fuzzy Golf Solutions: Most players hate “giving the hole away” with their aim—and are also afraid to leave close putts short. This results in putts that are usually hit too hard, and often aimed too low, which results in lip-outs and long come-back putts.

Actual Solution: Focus first on your speed control, even on short putts. Sure, we want to get the ball to the hole, but that doesn’t mean we need to slam it into the back of the cup. Remember this: The faster the ball is rolling, the smaller the hole actually is. The fancy term for it is “Capture Size” and it basically says the faster a ball is rolling, the more dead-center of the cup it has to hit to go in. If you’d rather putt to big cups instead of tiny cups, practice your skill of rolling the ball gently into the hole. You’ll have many more putts go in or even lip-in, and the ones you miss will be easy to tap in.

Side Note: If a short putt has some significant slope, go ahead and aim outside the cup and trust the break you see instead of aiming at a point inside the cup and trying to overcome the break with more speed.

6"

12"

24"

36"

SPEED RACER: These cutouts represent the hole’s capture size, which gets smaller the faster the ball is going. For example, if the ball is rolling at a pace that would end up 6-12 inches past the hole, the hole is still fairly large. However, if you roll it with a pace that finishes 3 feet past the hole, you will need to be much more precise with your aim since you will need to basically hit the dead center of the cup.

BUNKER Problem: Poor contact, leaving it in the bunker or sending it out flying hopelessly past the hole.

Fuzzy Golf Solutions: Most players blame the bunker, the condition of the sand or their lie for their poor shot, instead of solving the problem.

Actual Solutions: Bad shots in the bunker all have one thing in common: they feel terrible! Your job as a player who wants to improve is to figure out what kind of terrible you’re dealing with.

This is where awareness comes in. Get in the practice bunker and draw an ellipse around your ball, about the size of a small plate or mini-football. Then hit the shot and look at the mark you made in the sand. Note if the blast mark is biased toward the heel or toe (resulting in a heel or toe shank) or if the splash mark enters the sand to far before or after the ball. If you see a problem here, you can address it with things like ball position, weight distribution or distance from the ball. If the splash mark is centered but the shot was still poor, then you can experiment with opening/closing the clubface a bit (opening it for more shallow splashes or higher ball flight, closing it for deeper marks and lower ball flight) or with varying your speed. I find players often hit the right spot but don’t give the shot enough speed to escape the bunker.

MAKING YOUR MARK: Note the splash marks outlined in white.

From top to bottom, here is an example of a good shot, a chunk, a bladed shot and a shank. What do yours look like? The only way to make corrections is to know your tendencies!

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | August/September 2020

SHORT GAME Problem: Poor contact, chunks, thin shots, shanks.

Fuzzy Golf Solutions: Players oftentimes try to take their arms and hands out of the short game in an effort to reduce moving parts. All I can say is, watch the best in the world on TV and you’ll generally see more wrist action, softer hands and less rigid and stiff motions than you might think.

Actual Solutions: Make sure you turn on your awareness before the shot, look closely at the lie. If you’re in the rough, how deep is it sitting? Which way is the grass growing? If it is on the fringe or fairway, make some swings and find out if the ground is soggy, spongy, or rock hard. In the rough, make sure the practice swing reflects the depth you need to get the leading edge of your club below the ball before you swing. From short grass, ensure you are sweeping the turf in the place where you want to play the ball before you step in to hit it.

Once you’ve made sure your practice swings actually reflect what you want to do, then go ahead and execute. I find it helpful for most players if they focus only on the turf contact during their swing as opposed to thinking about the ball, the target or anything else until this skill is honed.

(DON’T) DIG IT: Hit some pitches from the fairway or fringe and take a look at the type of marks you are leaving. Are they smooth scuff marks (good) or are there sharp, inconsistent divots? If the latter, consider slightly opening the club and make sure you can hit the turf without the leading edge of the club digging in.

CONCLUSION You can improve your skills and your scores if you take a moment to improve your awareness using the above feedback tools. I’ve found that my players who focus on their awareness are much better at self-correcting in practice and during rounds of golf as opposed to the players who cycle through their library of fuzzy golf thoughts in the hopes of stumbling across one that produces a good shot every once in awhile.

Dan Sniffin is the 2018 Colorado PGA Teacher of the Year and Director of Instruction at Omni Interlocken Resort and Golf Club. He has been listed as a top instructor in Colorado by Golf Digest and has been featured in Golf Business Magazine. dansniffingolf.com

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Side Bets FAREWAYS

PHOTOGRAPH BY HARRY WARTERS/LITTLE MAN ICE CREAM

CHURNING OUT THE FLAVOR: The distinctive facade at LoHi’s Little Man Ice Cream may catch the eye, but your taste buds will be wholly focused on the shop’s enticing flavors, like Buttermilk Cupcake ice cream.

Colorado’s Chill Destinations Find sweet summer relief at our favorite homegrown ice cream parlors.

PHOTOGRAPH BY FROM THE HIP PHOTO/SHERRY’S SODA SHOPPE (SUNDAE); COURTESY OF SWEET COW

By John Lehndorff

coloradoavidgolfer.com

COLORADO HAS RECENTLY birthed a bumper crop of shops serving ice cream, frozen yogurt and chill variations to satisfy our cravings.

However, only a few of these sweet spots qualify as true ice cream parlors. When your kid brother begged on a hot summer night: “Let’s go out for ice cream!” the ice cream parlor was the family destination as you piled in the car.

“Wherever you grew up there almost always is a classic ice cream parlor on Main Street.

For me it was the ice cream shop in Breckenridge when I was a kid that was the center of everything— after school, after sports, on dates,” says chef Ian Kleinman.

He now pushes the ice cream envelope at Denver’s Inventing Room Dessert Shop.

Great ice cream parlors are full of sparkling stainless steel, the aroma of waffle cones and warm caramel, the whirring of shake mixers, TOWERING CREATIONS: A specialty sundae from Sherry’s Soda Shoppe and two Sammies from Sweet Cow—Cookies and Cream and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough on Chocolate Chip Cookies.

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off-the-wall sweet and savory flavor combinations and lots of sprinkles. A scoop of Rocky Road in a chocolate-dipped waffle cone is summer encapsulated in one cool, people-watching encounter.

“It’s an escape that the generations can safely share, especially now. It’s great to work surrounded by whipped cream and cherries in a place where you make people happy,” says Lisa Paugh, co-owner of the pleasantly haunted Walrus Ice Cream in Fort Collins.

A new generation of artisan ice cream artists in Colorado have opened eye-catching venues (with multiple locations) scooping everything from high butterfat ice cream to silky frozen custard to intensely flavored gelato and numerous international variations. Researching the state’s great ice cream palaces was a tasty privilege and it was stunning to discover how many different yummy ways “chocolate ice cream” can taste.

If you follow the Colorado ice cream parlor trail, you’ll end up with a smile on your face (under your mask). Most spots offer vegan, gluten- and dairy-free variations and sorbets, too. All are locations where you can safely enjoy a scoop or two sitting outside or at nearby parks.

August/September 2020 | COLORADO AVIDGOLFER

Fareways

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF SWEET COW PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF THE INVENTING ROOM PHOTOGRAPH BY REBECCA STUMPF/SUNDAE

NO BAD CHOICES: From top: A root beer float featuring Super Delicious Vanilla ice cream from Sweet Cow; a Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream Sundae from The Inventing Room; Blueberry, Strawberry, Vegan Avocado Coconut, Mango Sorbet and Mint Cocoa Nib Chip scoops with a handmade waffle cone from Sundae.

LITTLE MAN ICE CREAM There is no mistaking a Little Man Ice Cream location because you can see it in the distance.

Little Man’s original spot in Denver’s LoHi neighborhood is dominated by a 28-foot-tall cream can. The Constellation Ice Cream shop sits under a life-sized gleaming recreation of an airliner fuselage, while the Little Man Ice Cream Factory is a fantasy 6,000-square-foot tasting room and bakery experience. Luckily, the ice cream at Little Man is as captivating as the eye candy architecture. The staff churns high butterfat ice cream variations ranging from Mint Chocolate Chip and Butterscotch to Lemon Meringue Pie in cones, sundaes and shakes. Our Little Man favorites include Purple Cow—berry-rich black raspberry ice cream with dark and white chocolate bits, and the unforgettable Red Velvet Cookie Sandwich with Cream Cheese Ice Cream.

Locations in Denver and Fort Collins; littlemanicecream.com THE INVENTING ROOM DESSERT SHOP This is not your normal scoop shop. Chefs Ian and Stacey Kleinman’s steampunk-meets-Willie Wonka wonderland near Sloan’s Lake is built around ice cream made with clouds of liquid nitrogen. During this unusual summer, the shop is offering a unique Golden Ticket. “The Science of Dessert” is a highly entertaining, 30-minute science demo and tasting for up to ten guests inside the shop. It’s a show and a class with lessons and tastes built around liquid nitrogen, candy-making and crystals, and a glowin-the-dark room featuring edible glowing cotton candy. The menu includes super-frozen Cheetos, sweet “space foam,” and finishes with this totally Instagrammable sundae: nitro double chocolate ice cream rolled in Oreo crumbs with toasted marshmallow, whipped cream and nitro chocolate.

The Kleinmans also cater socially-distanced nitro ice cream events and will deliver by drone (where allowed) for special occasions.

Denver; Reservations required (no walk-ins); tirdenver.com SHERRY’S SODA SHOPPE The newest stop on the ice cream trail is also the one that is the most traditional. Opened by Joshua Pollack next to his Rosenberg’s Bagels & Deli in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood, Sherry’s Soda Shoppe is like the coolest mini-museum you’ve ever visited, except you get to taste the exhibits.

Sample history in the form of malteds, egg creams (with U-Bet Syrup), refreshing “phosphates” and 20 flavors of soda made to order using scratchmade syrups. Located literally yards from an RTD Light Rail station, the small shop scoops eggless, high butterfat ice cream in unmistakable flavors from true Pistachio to Caramelized Maple Bacon and Space Junkie—fudge and marshmallow swirled into red raspberry ice cream. A personal favorite, Sherry’s Cherry, is like pie à la mode, and the Chocolate Hazelnut ice cream is better than Nutella. The vegan choices are outstanding, especially the Toasted Coconut in a pretzel cone. Don’t miss the house-baked NY black & white cookie sandwich middled with Vanilla Bean ice cream.

Denver; sherryssodashoppe.com SWEET COW ICE CREAM Sweet Cow Ice Cream doesn’t mess around with fancy architecture or wacky concoctions, focusing

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | August/September 2020

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instead on some of the purest flavors in the local ice cream world. The 24 flavors available daily at the Sweet Cow scoop shop locations go the extra mile in terms of quality. For instance, locally roasted organic espresso beans are soaked in milk, cream and sugar for 18 hours before being strained and churned into Ozo Coffee Ice Cream, a true cone of java joy. The Orange Creamsicle is crafted simply with pure orange extract to taste like its nostalgic namesake and Oatmeal Cookie is an ice cream sandwich in every bite. Sweet Cow’s Cookie Dough ice cream outshines its Ben & Jerry’s equivalent.

We highly recommend pairing the extra-dark Dutch Chocolate ice cream with the best dark chocolate hot fudge we’ve sampled. If you don’t want to go out, Sweet Cow’s cute ice cream truck will come to your family gathering.

Locations in Aurora, Boulder, Denver and Louisville; sweetcowicecream.com THE WALRUS ICE CREAM The Walrus has it all as an old-school ice cream parlor: Tons of ice cream flavors, crepes, overthe-top sundaes, huge banana splits, milkshakes, malts and floats made with Coopersmith Brewery’s spicy root beer. The Walrus also has Charlie Dinneback, a ghost who haunts the basement.

Fortunately, Dinneback—who owned a former business in the building, is more like Casper than Beetlejuice, a good thing since the Old Town Fort Collins institution is famously kid-friendly. Coowner Lisa Paugh encountered the spirit as soon as she started working in the building. “Charlie is a friendly spirit who’s into some shenanigans.

He changes the music and moves things around.

I say ‘Hi’ to him every day when I go down to the office in the basement,” she says. Ghost hunters occasionally tour the basement to check out the spectral presence and order black Activated Charcoal ice cream.

The ghost is not responsible for the scary good flavors the staff comes up with. The Walrus boasts dozens of flavors available daily, among the largest selections at local ice cream shops, including ten chocolate ice cream variations daily like Mocha Almond Fudge. Adults can revel in edgier ice cream flavors like Licorice, Lemon Ricotta and Caramel Sea Salt while the kids turn their tongues blue with Blue Moon, which tastes precisely like Fruit Loops cereal milk.

Fort Collins; walrusicecream.com SUNDAE ICE CREAM There are few summer activities more dread-worthy than descending I-70 East from the mountains on a Sunday afternoon. That’s why it was a relief recently to exit at the town of Edwards and discover Sundae, an oasis of super-premium ice cream.

While the menu does include chai ice cream, grapefruit sorbet and modern flavors, the scoopers at Sundae brag that their classics—vanilla, chocolate and strawberry—are the best “ever.” Honestly, after sampling all three perfect flavors in a cup, we tend to agree.

Given its name, Sundae is also the place to let loose and order something indulgent like very dark chocolate ice cream topped with peanut brittle, peanut sauce, roasted peanuts, real whipped cream and a cherry. If you need additional oomph before driving again, prescribe yourself two scoops of Sundae’s edgy Ground Espresso Bean ice cream. Since Sundae has several outposts along coloradoavidgolfer.com

I-70, you can do a serial tasting including another unlikely bestseller, the pretty-good-for-you Avocado Coconut churned with coconut cream, fresh avocado and sugar.

Locations in Edwards, Glenwood Springs and Vail; sundaeicecream.com

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF THE INVENTING ROOM

JOSH & JOHN’S ICE CREAM Josh & John’s first opened in 1986 and keeps scooping at four locations with a thoroughly local philosophy that includes focusing on natural ingredients and taking unusual flavor cues from the community. For instance, Josh & John’s popular Malted Mazel Toff was created for a wedding featuring malted vanilla ice cream laced with Heath bar bits. While it looks and sounds odd, the violet-hued Purple Mountain Majesty—gluten-free taro root ice cream with raspberry truffles—is wildly popular. It was created for the 100th Pikes Peak Climb road race. Other favorites range from Almond Joy (chunked with chocolate-covered almonds, coconut and chocolate chips) to the kid-favorite Yellow Cake, pudding-flavored ice cream with tons of vanilla wafers.

Locations in Colorado Springs and Fort Collins; joshandjohns.com

GLOWING REVIEWS: Chef Ian Kleinman will drop some knowledge—and some sweet treats­ — during Glow in the Dark demos at The Inventing Room.

DID YOU KNOW?

Denver owns a small piece of ice cream history. In about 1870, candymaker Otto Baur claims to have served the very first ice cream soda.

He later featured it at Baur’s Confectionary and soda fountain whose final location is now home to the Downtown Denver jazz club, Dazzle at Baur’s.

Sammies from Sherry’s Soda Shoppe

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF THE WALRUS (LEFT); BY FROM THE HIP PHOTO/SHERRY’S SODA SHOPPE (ABOVE)

Other Destination Flavors Worth Screaming About Gelato Boy Banana Split Gelato Boulder, gelatoboy.com Kiwi International Delights Dulce de Leche Ice Cream Avon, kiwiinternationaldelights.com Frozen Matter Butter Pecan Ice Cream Denver, frozenmatter.com Glacier Coffee Toffee Gelato Boulder & Denver, glaciericecream.com Smith & Cannon Dew Sabi Ice Cream Denver, smithcanon.com High Point Cornbread Strawberry Jam Buttermilk Ice Cream Denver, highpointcreamery.com

Darth Walrus activated charcoal ice cream from The Walrus

John Lehndorff is the former Dining Critic of the Rocky Mountain News and Chief Judge at the National Pie Championships. He hosts Radio Nibbles on KGNU. johnlehndorff.wordpress.com coloradoavidgolfer.com

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August/September 2020 | COLORADO AVIDGOLFER

Side Bets NICE DRIVES

Land Rover Goes on the Offensive Its iconic Defender gets a welcome update; McLaren’s Spider will snare you in its alluring web. By Isaac Bouchard 2020 LAND ROVER DEFENDER 110 EPA ratings:17/22 /19 0-60mph: 7.0sec (est) Price as tested: $75,065

THE DEFENDER is an icon, in the same way as the Porsche 911 and the original Jeep. Unlike the 911 and Jeep though, it hasn’t undergone continuous development. Its design was basically frozen in amber in the late ’90s, and despite its popularity around the world, it wasn’t until this year that a fully contemporary update happened. Expectations were certainly high, and not everyone is likely to be satisfied with the results—just like Porschephiles aren’t by each change in their beloved sport car—but by and large, Land Rover has done a terrific job of imbuing the new Defender with the essence of its predecessors.

The new one comes in 2- and 4-door configurations, dubbed 90 and 110 after the wheelbases of the classic models. The design is thoughtful insofar as it melds many classic cues with the needs of 21st century crash legislation, aerodynamics and the overall Land Rover family. Cool details are notable everywhere: the faux step plates on the hood, the square LED taillights, the “alpine” roof windows—all help differentiate the Defender from most everything else on the road yet insure it is contemporary. The interior is even better, melding practical details with high-end design. A good example is the dash, with grab handles built into its ends, the use of a magnesium cross beam as a structural and design element, and an integral shelf for odds and ends. A fast response, 10-inch touch screen and slim but powerful HVAC vents integrate gracefully with vintage shout-outs like exposed hex headed bolts. The infotainment system is new; dubbed “Pivi Pro,” it is Apple and Android compliant and more powerful and intuitive than other Rovers. It also allows for over-the-air updating, helping ensure the Defender’s tech doesn’t age out. The controls, like the twin “focus rings,” are related to other Rovers, but modified for heavy duty usage.

There is a lovely simplicity and elegance to the detailing inside the Defender and it is also very practical. You can even get a “jump” seat in the front row for a third passenger in lieu of a tradition center console. The first two rows of seats are supportive and upright in that classic SUV way; the third row in the 110 is actually usable by humans of many statures as well. Folded flat, there is copious cargo room. And there is also the ability to fit all kinds of useful gadgets, like an electric compressor pump to raise tire pressures back up after they’ve been aired down for certain off-road conditions, like dune running.

The Defender 110 drives in a contemporary

Land Rover Defender

manner, with accurate, direct steering and decent body control. It rides smoothly and reminds one dynamically of the late, great Land Rover LR4.

There are two available engines for now, both turbocharged: a 296hp 4-cylinder and a 395hp inline 6-clyinder with 48 volt mild hybrid boost.

Both channel their output through the industry-standard ZF 8-speed automatic and all wheel drive. About the only weakness is their relative lack of refined running; mash the throttle pedal and they’re quite vocal and have a gritty delivery. While this isn’t enough to undermine the Defender’s case—and they are certainly better than about any engine that ever came in the old model—they could use a bit more time in finishing school. Otherwise the 110 is a quiet cruiser, imparting a much more luxurious vibe than a Jeep Wrangler, one of the only vehicles that can match it off pavement.

And of course, this is what the Defender is really designed to excel at. With locking differentials and up to 11.5 inches of ground clearance from its independent, air-sprung suspension, there isn’t anything it can’t crush off-road. A plethora of electronic driver aids such as traction management systems and cameras that show under and around the Defender mean even neophyte adventurers will be able to go places beyond most anything imaginable, in comfort and style as well.

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | August/September 2020

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2020 MCLAREN 570S SPIDER EPA ratings: 15/23/18mpg 0-60mph: 3.0sec (indep. test) Price as tested: $233,780

BARELY MORE THAN a decade ago, the celebrated Formula 1 constructor McLaren decided to go all-in on supercars for street use. While their first effort, the MC4-12C, was a technological masterpiece, in some ways it drove in as coldly analytical a manner as its name. But such was the unrelenting improvements McLaren made to continually update their sexy, midengined machines that they quickly became some of the best drivers cars extant. The 570S Spider, part of their “entry level” Sports Series lineup, exemplifies this.

Its steering uses hydraulic power assist—not electric, like most all modern cars—to impart a level of detailed, granular feedback that almost nothing else now possesses. Combined with a nigh-on perfect driving position that places the pilot right behind the front wheels, behind a curved window and low fenders that impart a panoramic visual, it sucks one into proceedings like almost nothing else that can be licensed for street use.

This unimpeded view is also very helpful when the 3.8-liter, twin turbo V8 hits full boost. All 562 horses, channeled through one of the fastest recoloradoavidgolfer.com

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Nice Drives

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$125/player Shamble McLaren 570S Spider

acting transmissions ever, easily have their way with the McLaren’s svelte “MonoCell II” carbon fiber structure and catapult it forward as if Han Solo had just engaged hyperdrive in the Millennium Falcon. 0-60mph takes a scant 3 seconds and the relentless shove doesn’t abate, even well into three figures. Thankfully the huge carbon brakes are the equal of the power; they haul the 570S up as if it’s an F-14 that’s been snagged by the cable on an aircraft carrier.

While plenty of modern muscle cars can match it for straight line speed, the McLaren is multidimensional in a way few can equal. The aforementioned steering is part of this: it is linear, talkative and provides just the right amount of feedback, allowing the driver to place the 570S just where one wants on corner entry, and dial it down to a corner’s apex with ease. Once the turn begins to open up, a deep flex of the right foot rolls on the boost, which is almost perfectly contained by the rear tires, thanks to the powertrain’s mass being placed over them. While they might squirm or even spin up slightly, they do so in a predictable manner, inspiring huge confidence.

McLaren has also learned well how to use electronics to aid the driver; there are three modes for both the chassis and powertrain, each independently and easily accessible through aluminum selector switches barely a hand’s-breadth away. In mild mode the McLaren rides like a luxury car, smoothing away all but the worst road imperfections, yet feeding back needed info to the driver.

The dual clutch transmission automatically slurs shifts perfectly and the stability control keeps everything in check. Click through from comfort to full attack mode and things just get better. Fully lit, though, the 570S rips through its ratios almost faster than one can pull the lovely, one-piece shift paddle mechanism (which allows up- or downshifts from both paddles, thanks to its center-

pivot design), while the suspension firms up, imbuing the Macca with stellar chassis control.

Most everything inside is bespoke and the design is gorgeous; only a few nits stand out. Fingers easily slip off the aluminum turn signal stalk, and the IRIS infotainment system’s screen washes out when one wears polarized sunglasses (but the digital instrument screen doesn’t). The cantilevered doors open up vertically and out slightly, making ingress and egress more graceful than it otherwise might be over the relatively high sills, but space is still tight for humans and their detritus. Also, the hydraulic lift mechanism that raises the nose a few inches takes a full six or seven seconds to work, unlike competitors that do so almost instantaneously. This means that gorgeous McLaren nose, chock-full of carbon fiber bits to channel airflow, can grind its underside on steep driveway entries and other obstacles. About the only other thing that might be criticized about the 570S is the relatively anodyne exhaust note, a result of an engine designed for maximum efficiency and potency, not sonorous serenading of those it blasts past, in the manner of a Ferrari.

Make no doubt though that these are minor items in an otherwise technological masterpiece.

The 570S carbon and aluminum structure means it weighs almost a quarter ton less than a Porsche 911 4S cabrio, and the folding metal roof structure in no way compromises rigidity; one ends up with the combination of a flex-free sports car and convertible all in one. There is even a decent amount of luggage space up front, offering up the possibility of longer road trips, which the McLaren seems to love.

That all this excellence is part of their entry level line helps explain why the company is growing by leaps and bounds all around the world, and why Colorado is one of the company’s top markets.

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. coloradoavidgolfer.com

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August/September 2020 | COLORADO AVIDGOLFER

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August/September 2020 | COLORADO AVIDGOLFER

Sticking

the

Landy After nine seasons in Colorado, GABE LANDESKOG has gone from baby-faced wunderkind to the unquestioned leader of the Avalanche.

By ADRIAN DATER Photographs by JOHN LEYBA

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | August/September 2020

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coloradoavidgolfer.com

BUNKER DOWN: Landeskog was once derided by some Avalanche veterans for his boyishness. At age 19, he became the team’s permanent captain in 2012.

coloradoavidgolfer.com

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August/September 2020 | COLORADO AVIDGOLFER

THIS WAY TO THE CUP: In August, Landeskog was scheduled to trade his golf clubs for hockey sticks. The NHL season and quest for the Stanley Cup—halted in March because of the pandemic—was slated to resume in Canada.

IN HOCKEY, the alphabet starts at A, just like anywhere else, but ends at C. There are up to three alternate captains allowed in the sport, but only one player gets to wear the C on the top left of his uniform. Aside from taking a swig out of the Stanley Cup as a champion, there is no bigger honor for a hockey player than being a team captain—something Gabe Landeskog has been for the Colorado Avalanche since Sept. 4, 2012.

At 19 years, 286 days old, he became the youngest permanent captain in National Hockey League history, besting Sidney Crosby by 11 days. (Connor McDavid has since become the youngest ever, having the C bestowed on him by the Edmonton Oilers at 19 years, 266 days old.)

With his blond hair and blue eyes, with his winning smile and fluency in both Swedish and English, “Landy” has always seemed straight out of Central Casting as the perfect ambassador for a team. But it wasn’t all that easy at first.

During his first, lockout-shortened season as Avs captain, 2012-13, the team finished 16-25-7 and there were some veterans who privately snickered at having a captain who was a decade or more their junior. In the “prove-it-to-me-kid, pay-yourdues” world of the NHL, Landeskog was seen by some teammates as just not worthy yet of wearing the hallowed C. The Landeskog of Summer 2020 doesn’t look much older than the teenager of eight years prior. The blond head of hair is still full and flowing, the jaw still chiseled, the demeanor still polished. There is an upper tooth missing now, though, a casualty of the 2019-20 regular season that was shut down March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

And yet, there are signs of time marching on—Landeskog and his wife, Melissa, became parents of a girl, Linnea, last November. When she was born, Landeskog was sidelined with a lower-body injury, so he got to spend a lot of quality time with

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | August/September 2020

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her that an in-season pro athlete normally wouldn’t get. Then came the pandemic, but that allowed for more quality time.

The family went back to Toronto, where Melissa’s family is from, and quarantined like everyone else.

When Toronto lifted some shelterin-place restrictions in May, the first place Landeskog went was a golf course. For him and many of his teammates, golf outings have become precious getaways that, if they didn’t fully appreciate them before the pandemic, they do now.

“Just to get out of the house and get some fresh air and walk around—wow, was that great,” Landeskog says.

In June, the family moved back to Colorado, where Landeskog took part in informal NHL “Phase 2” practices at the Pepsi Center with Avs teammates. The time not spent with family at home and teammates on the ice has mostly been filled with teammates at various local golf courses.

Landeskog is a member of the Cherry Creek Country Club, but he also has played at the Broadmoor, at Castle Pines, at Sanctuary and at The Ridge. As of early July, he carried a 6.9 handicap, which placed him roughly third on the Avalanche behind Nathan MacKinnon (a 2 or a 3) and Andre Burakovsky (a 4). Those three, along with teammate Nazem Kadri, form a regular foursome that squares off 2-on-2, with Kadri and MacKinnon on one side and Landeskog and Burakovsky on the other.

“It’s all pretty fun and lots of smiles, until we get to 18,” Landeskog says. “Then, it’s very competitive. The smiles go away, and the curses come out. None of us like to lose, at all.”

MacKinnon, the true household name of the Avs, is an obsessive golfer. He has hinted he might want to make a run at a PGA card when his hockey days are through.

But Landeskog, when talking about recent competitions with his next-locker-over friend and teammate, is quick to add, “You might want to confirm this with him, but the last two times I think I’ve beaten him.”

Landeskog is a left-handed shooter on a hockey rink, but is right-handed in every other aspect of his life, including his golf swing. Why is that?

“My dad (Tony, a former Swedish pro hockey player) was a righty and so all his clubs were for righties, and I just kind of went along with the program when I started hitting some golf balls back when I was a kid,” he said. “Otherwise, I don’t really know why.” coloradoavidgolfer.com

BACK TO BUSINESS Soon however, it will be time for Landeskog to trade his golf sticks for something a little more familiar. From Aug. 2, when the Avs were slated to play the St. Louis Blues in the first of three round-robin seeding games in Edmonton, until as late as early October, Landeskog’s main focus will be on winning his first Stanley Cup. The Avs, who will be one of the top four seeds in the Western Conference regardless of the round-robin outcome, will be holed up together at the J.W. Marriott, right next to Rogers Place, for as long as they last in the four-round, best-of-seven playoffs.

Players will have their own rooms, but will be prohibited from visiting any teammates’ rooms because of safety precautions. There will be no fans in the stands the whole time.

If the Avs are in overtime of the seventh game of the Stanley Cup Finals, the only sounds Landeskog or any other player will hear are those on the ice.

Which begs the question: Could the winner of this season’s Stanley Cup go to the team that was best able to handle the mental aspects of playing in such odd surroundings, even more than the physical grind? Players are often spurred on by the

crowd. But not this time. Will finding ways to internally motivate oneself be the secret to Stanley Cup success in this once-in-alifetime (hopefully) environment?

“It’s a good question,” says Landeskog, the NHL’s rookie of the year in 2011-12.

“Everybody gets motivated on certain things, whether it’s outside or inside of you. The crowd is a huge part of the atmosphere. Without them, it’ll certainly be very different.

“I’m sure it’ll be pretty weird at the start, but once you get into elimination games, third period, situations where the next goal wins—it doesn’t matter if it’s a scrimmage or a practice—it gets pretty heated. It’s still gonna be us versus whoever. Everybody wants to win so bad. It’s gonna be real competitive, once you get over that there’s no fans in the stands. It’ll be different, but everything in this world is different right now. We won’t even be able to shake hands after any playoff series.”

UNQUESTIONED LEADER In a sense, the Landy of 2020 now looks more like the hockey veteran who truly has paid his dues. Only Erik Johnson has more tenure on the Avs than the 27-year-old

native of Stockholm, Sweden. Nobody in the dressing room questions his credentials anymore as captain of the Avalanche, and it is him that younger teammates such as Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar will look to for leadership when the team ventures to Edmonton, Alberta, for a potential two-month, dystopian, postseason odyssey brought about by the pandemic.

“Gabe, he’s kind of like a big brother to guys like me,” says Rantanen. “He’s only a few years older than me, but he seems older— in a smarter, wiser kind of way. He’s very smart and always curious about learning new things.”

That includes matters of social justice.

The NHL has always been the major North American pro sport with the fewest number of players of color, and Landeskog wants to do something about that. At the very least, he wants to be a person who is part of a bigger societal solution to matters of racial injustice that were brought more to the world’s consciousness after the George Floyd tragedy in Minnesota.

“These words aren’t perfect, but I felt the need to try,” Landeskog said, in a post to his Instagram account following the tragedy.

“I don’t want my silence to be misunderstood

BOYS WILL BE BOYS: Landeskog is one of a group of Avalanche players, including Mikko Rantanen, who regularly play golf at courses around the Front Range. “It’s all pretty fun ... until we get to 18.

Then it’s very competitive. The smiles go away,” he says.

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PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL MARTIN/COURTESY COLORADO AVALANCHE

SHARP-EDGED MAN: In nine seasons with the Avalanche, Landeskog has scored 198 goals with 262 assists.

for ignorance. As a privileged white man, I do not know what black men and women go through every day, and I will not pretend like I do. I watched along with all of you how George Floyd was murdered and I am just like you, furious and frustrated. I do not have all the answers, but the one answer I do have is to open our hearts and listen. We need to educate ourselves so we can be better. We need to learn how we got to this point, so we can be better. Racism needs to stop. I want to raise my daughter in a world where love is stronger than hate. Where color does not matter. #Blacklivesmatter.”

Those who have been around Landeskog for a while knew those words weren’t just get-ahead-of-the-subject PR for his image. Despite all the gifts he’s been bestowed in life, Landeskog has never portrayed any spoiled airs about him. Reporters who approach him can oftentimes get earnest questions asked back at them, and he can talk about other things besides getting pucks deep or getting traffic at the net. A couple of weeks after his Instagram post, Landeskog reflected further on the subject.

“It’s about time racism stops and I’m sure it is a long road there, but I am glad this conversation is being had,” Landeskog said.

“I think it’s important. It’s a tough topic to

speak about whether you are black or white, but I do think that everybody needs to make sure they have an open heart on this matter and listen. Some people say that you are going to listen is a ‘follower-type’ of move or whatever. But in my opinion, it is Step 1 to understand, and understanding love is going to be very important moving forward. At the end of the day, it does matter what your skin color is. We’re all people and we should all be treated the same.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had a problem inside of our locker room. Or I know we have never had a problem inside of our locker room when it comes to race. You look across the room and you see one of your teammates. It doesn’t matter what color they are or what background they have. It’s nothing that I have seen as a problem inside our locker room. I think it’s important. You look around the league and see some of the statements that were put out by guys, and it’s important that guys speak up.”

If some of his initial, playing-out-thestring Avs teammates weren’t impressed by Landeskog’s leadership potential, other elder hockey people were. Longtime former NHL general manager Brian Burke said recently that Landeskog was the most “impressive interview” of a potential draft prospect he’s ever encountered. Avalanche GM Joe Sakic

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is just as ebullient.

“Great kid, smart, focused,” Sakic says of Landeskog.

WHAT’S NEXT? Landeskog’s contract is up after next season, which means the Avs can start negotiating with him already on a potential extension.

Otherwise, he’d become an unrestricted free agent. During those bad first couple of years, team-wise, it might have been forgivable if Landeskog ever thought, Get me out of here.

Not that he ever did, but talking with him now, it seems inconceivable he and the Avs will be parting ways anytime soon.

He’s still in his 20s, on a team considered one of the most talented in the league, with more room to grow. Not a chance does Landeskog not want to try and see through what he started as that teenage captain eight years ago.

“I love being a member of this organization, and part of this community,” Landeskog says. “I have come to appreciate being here more and more, the more I’ve been here.”

Adrian Dater has covered the Colorado Avalanche and NHL since 1995 for the Denver Post, Sports Illustrated and Bleacher Report, and today is owner and editor of Colorado Hockey Now. coloradoavidgolfer.com

2020 Range Rover Evoque

No cart path required.

Love and Basketball

and Golf

With an extended family of their DU women’s golf and Valor Christian High School boys’ hoops teams included in the mix, the household of coaches LINDSAY and AJ KUHLE doesn’t lack for competitive spirit.

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WHO’S NO. 1?: Lindsay and AJ Kuhle have been known to go after it hard, whether on the basketball court or the golf course. But both say they appreciate bouncing ideas off of and getting feedback from each other regarding their respective squads.

By ANTHONY COTTON Photographs by JAMIE SCHWABEROW/ CLARKSON CREATIVE coloradoavidgolfer.com

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LINDSAY KUHLE is the women’s golf coach at the University of Denver, but she also played two years of high school basketball at Heritage High School in Littleton—more than enough qualification, she believes, for her to lend a hand and pass along her thoughts and observations of the boys’ basketball team at Valor Christian High School to the coach, her husband AJ. As in AJ Kuhle, the all-conference basketball player who ended his career at the United States Air Force Academy ranked in the all-time top 10 in assists and steals, followed by a brief NBA summer league stint with the San Antonio Spurs, the team coached by Gregg Popovich.

Like Kuhle, Popovich is a former assistant coach at the Academy who, it is said, knows a little bit about hoops.

“I’ll write out my notes on who I thought did whatever well, and what we need to work on and why, and give him feedback—whether or not he asks for it,” Lindsay says.

“And then I share it with the guys on our team,” says AJ. “They love it.”

And, upping her creds just a little bit more, Lindsay’s quick to reference the time when she took Mr. Big Shot College Hoops Dude to school out on the court, beating him in a three-point shoot-out.

“When we first started dating, we’d go to DU and play HORSE or have shooting competitions,” she says. “When I played, I was known for my shooting ... and I beat him.

“He won’t admit it, but you can ask him.”

AJ’s retort begins with a lengthy, mirthfilled chuckle.

“She’s a good shooter, that’s for sure, but I’ve heard that as we get older, our memories start to fade,” he says. “I’m sure she’s beaten me in basketball, just like I’ve beaten her in golf.

“Yeah, right.”

Both Kuhles are quick to point out the similarities between their sports—things like the need for feel and touch and the ability to repeat a technique over and over again. The athletic dovetailing is as good a metaphor as anything to explain their lives—despite a mind-numbing swirl of parenting two young children and managing two high-powered programs with the subsequent pressures that accompany them, the Kuhles (pronounced Cool) give every impression of well, having it made in the shade. That’s in part because their shared experiences allow them to pull on the rope from the same end, realize that success is a product of “less me and more we,” or whatever jockish testimony to collaboration resonates.

MUTUAL ADMIRATION SOCIETY: Both AJ and Lindsay Kuhle say they have an appreciation for their spouse’s sport, pointing out that basketball and golf both require the ability to repeat technique over and over again.

“Being former athletes, we definitely have that competitive nature in us, but I think it’s moved from that to more of teamwork,” AJ says. “We both want to see each other have great success with our groups of young people and we want to influence them in a very positive way. Now, our competitiveness drives us to help our teams be successful.”

In his first year at Valor, AJ’s squad was poised to possibly win the school’s second state championship, securing a berth in the Final Four. Meanwhile, Lindsay’s Pioneers were in the midst of a historic season, setting team and individual scoring records and finishing fourth or better in each tournament in which they played.

“And we were peaking at the right time, you know?” she says. “I think we could have gone to the national championships.”

But everything—including cutting down nets and hoisting trophies—was scuttled by the novel coronavirus. With it, DU’s season came to an abrupt end; Valor never got the opportunity to take the court in the state semifinal.

“We both were just so excited about everything that was coming up,” AJ says.

“What we were doing at Valor, the success of her team ... we were just so anxious to see what would happen, to see those groups have the level of success we thought they’d have.

“And beyond that, it was also the loss of the physical interactions you have with the teams, the people on them. There are so many relationships that go into success—the dynamics, how people step up and lift each

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other up. And then you have a meeting and tell them that the season has to end, and you don’t see them again for two months—it’s all Zoom meetings and FaceTime.”

Both Kuhles say they’re keen on making sure the people they coach are more than golfers and basketball players; it’s important to integrate them into their lives away from the action as well. One reason is to give their two children, Lucy and Jordan, examples to aspire to, showing what might be possible if they put the work in and are great people to boot. So it’s not uncommon that, as she’s scribbling her critiques, Lindsay has Lucy and Jordan by her side in the stands.

Similarly, when the Pioneers are playing locally, the two kids are getting plenty of fairway frolicking as well.

“We want our kids to be around our players a lot,” Lindsay says.

“It’s because they’re amazing people,” adds AJ. “In a way, we’re trying to coach and teach the young kids in our house how to be like her college golfers or the guys on my team.”

EVERY NIGHT’S A TUTORIAL There are times, perhaps a small group around an LPGA or PGA TOUR putting green, or inside a locker room, maybe at a dinner table in a restaurant following a basketball game, when players or coaches get together and talk the game, and those fortunate enough to witness it are invariably amazed at the depth and passion of those conversations.

For the Kuhles, those talks can be held coloradoavidgolfer.com

FAMILY AFFAIR: Lindsay and AJ say it’s important for them to have the athletes they coach spend time around their children, Jordan and Lucy.

at the dining room table, the two finding themselves excitedly sharing and exchanging ideas and observations, which in turn are often passed along to their respective teams.

“He’ll send me profiles of players, or golf websites and go, ‘You need to recruit this girl,’ or ‘Anna (Zanusso, a native of Italy and a freshman sensation for DU last season) needs to try to qualify for the Women’s British Open,’” Lindsay says. “So it works both ways; we give each other advice and our relationship is such that, even when the other isn’t asking for it, we can give each other feedback in a healthy way.”

One thing Lindsay says she’s picked up from AJ is his chill personality. Although much of his basketball career has been spent playing for and coaching with Joe Scott, the intense Air Force coach who at times, has a way with words that would cause a sailor to recoil in embarrassment, AJ says he largely takes his cues from the likes of his father, who coached him in youth ball, and Popovich, whom AJ considers a mentor, to the point that he’s used the Hall of Famer as a reference when applying for jobs.

“At Valor, I’m fortunate to work with (former DU head coach and NHL Tampa Bay Lightning assistant) George Gwozdecky, who’s very measured in his approach. I’ve read somewhere that you make better decisions when you’re not moving up and down (emotionally), so that’s why I try to stay level-headed.”

It is an approach that’s rubbed off on Lindsay—and there’s a non-zero chance it might even stick.

“He’s my calming influence; he tells me not to worry so much, that things will

work out in the end—that, and to put my work away,” she says. “He doesn’t stress about anything, where I’m always thinking through stuff, whether it’s about the kids or the team or whatever ... if something’s missing in the house, he’s all ‘Don’t worry, it’ll turn up’-and me, I’m not doing anything but thinking about it until I find it.

“So when I’m talking to him, and telling him, ‘This is what I’m worried about, this is what I’m thinking, what should I do,’ and he gives me that advice, that response, it’s comforting to me—it puts my mind at ease.”

Throughout her career, both playing (after Heritage, she played collegiately at Tulane in part because she didn’t want to follow in the footsteps of her older brother John Hulwick, who played golf at DU) and coaching, Lindsay admits to being something of a control freak, and that there have been times in her career when she may have been guilty of micromanaging her players and staff. She would like that to change, perhaps even dialing down her natural obsessiveness in the process.

“I’m the type of person that plans and has structure and likes to know what my future holds and to have control over it; and anybody who knows me will tell you I have always been really driven with reaching my goals and working hard—almost to a point where it’s too much,” she says. “And that’s something I wanted to focus on this year anyways; every year, I have a goal and I have one word that I like to focus on.

“This year, it was balance. Balance with, just my personal life, my family, and with my work and to really give all three equal attention. In the past, I’ve been all about work and my family’s come second ... it’s been important for me to do the work, in part to show Lucy that it can be done, you can work and be a Mom, but one thing the pandemic has done, spending the last 16 weeks together as a family—no one’s been traveling—is enable us to grow so much as a family.”

THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY Lindsay Kuhle is certain that the new, nonobsessed, more inclusive, yes, mellower, coach will still be able to deliver the goods for the Pioneers—as in lead the team to an NCAA title. Because of the pandemic, senior athletes, in essence deprived of their final seasons, were granted another year of eligibility. For DU, that means Mary Weinstein, the school’s all-time leader in scoring average (73.07) will return.

“This last year was one of our best

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ever; and I know that with the players coming back, and with the new teammates coming in next year, we’ll be even stronger next year,” Weinstein says. “Obviously, we don’t know what’s going to happen with COVID-19 and how it will impact our sport, but whenever we come back, I’m certain we’ll be competing for a national championship.”

In some ways, Weinstein has been the poster child for her coach’s journey to Zen enlightenment. Not surprisingly for someone who wants to be in control of every possible variable, Lindsay Kuhle is a big fan of analytics, forever poring over data that measures items like launch angles and spin rates, then passing the information on to her players, who are, in turn, expected to incorporate it into their games.

To put it kindly, Weinstein is not a big fan.

“She likes looking at every little thing—how we did on the par-3s, what our putting numbers are like,” Weinstein says.

“Personally, I’m not into all those things, stuff like Trackman (a software product that measures golf performance in a variety of areas). We have individual meetings with coaches after each tournament and we’re encouraged to look at the numbers; and I do that, but I don’t go as in-depth with it as some of the others—it’s just who I am as a player.”

So, as challenging as that may be for Kuhle, the mother with the two precocious, adorable kids has learned to channel the lyrics to the song from Frozen that’s sung to children everywhere these days and “Let it Go.” “She’s the first to admit that she’s not totally obsessed with golf, but Mary just has a switch that, when it’s time to play and compete, she flips it and she’s right there,” Kuhle says. “If a player doesn’t want to use the statistics, doesn’t want to spend hours on their mental game, I’m not gonna force it on them—I’m going to try to sell them on it, try to show them the benefits of it—but if they don’t see it as another tool to help them get better, I won’t force it.

“And that’s what I’ve done with Mary.

She’s very independent; she knows what she needs to practice on, and how long she needs to practice on them, and for her, less is more ... This is who I am, and I try to recruit players who are like me in terms of personality, but if they’re not, I’m the one who has to adapt ... I just try to slip stuff in every now and then.”

You’d expect nothing less from a true competitor.

Anthony Cotton is the editor of Colorado AvidGolfer. coloradoavidgolfer.com

City Park’s

Watershed Moment After almost three years of controversy and construction, one of Denver’s oldest courses reemerges with a completely new look.

By JON RIZZI | Photographs by E.J. CARR

TO THE HOUSE: The 18th hole at City Park Golf Course gives the illusion of the new clubhouse sitting just off the green— possibly putting broken glass into the minds of golfers making their approach shots. In reality, the building is about 100 yards away.

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IF ANYONE SHOULD have felt uneasy about the City of Denver’s renovation of City Park Golf Course as a stormwater-detention site, it was Tom Woodard. From the age of 10, the future member of both the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame and the National Black Golf Hall of Fame logged thousands of rounds as both a caddie and a player on the 1913 Tom Bendelowdesigned layout. After competing on the PGA TOUR, Woodard returned as City Park’s head PGA professional and, later, as director of golf for the City of Denver, where he established The First Tee of Denver at City Park before moving on to his current job running the golf operation at Foothills Park & Recreation District.

“I was initially apprehensive— like, ‘What do they want to do to City Park?’” the 64-year-old Woodard remembers upon hearing the news in 2016. A conversation with Happy Haynes, the Executive Director of Parks and Recreation for the City and County of Denver, assured him that the course—which lies in a flood plain and could help mitigate flooding to the north—would emerge as the flagship for the city’s golf program.

“And that’s exactly what happened,” Woodard enthused after a recent visit to the new City Park Golf Course, which on August 29 and 30 will host the Denver City Men’s Amateur Championship—the first rounds played there in 34 months.

“Time marches on,” he said when asked if he’ll mourn the old layout. “I will miss 18, one of the best finishing holes in state—the downhill, doglegleft par 4. That’s where I sank a 20-foot putt to tie the course record of 61.”

Woodard, among others, made more than putts on 18. “A lot of money changed hands on that hole,” he added with a laugh, referring to the many high-stakes matches for which the course had developed an almost mythic reputation.

Of course, many thought the biggest gamble concerning City Park came in 2016 when Mayor Michael Hancock’s administration made the political equivalent of an aloha press

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when it proposed utilizing the 135acre golf course to capture and then release floodwaters. The plan, part of the $200 million “Platte to Park Hill” project, called for a drainage basin capable of holding 74 million gallons of stormwater and then releasing it within eight hours to keep the course playable. It also required the removal of hundreds of mature trees, relocation of the clubhouse, more than two years of earthmoving and the involvement of numerous city agencies.

Despite vocal opposition from neighborhood activists—who mainly objected to the mass arboricide, the potential health risks of stagnant water and the environmental impact on plants and wildlife—the City Park renovation began November 1, 2017. It ultimately cost $46.2 million and, combined with the subsequent closures of Park Hill Golf Club and Fitzsimons Golf Course, sent hundreds of displaced Denver golfers scrambling to find affordable tee times for nearly three full years.

WELCOME BACK When those golfers return to the new City Park Golf Course, they’ll find their patience richly rewarded.

The difference begins at the new entrance at 23rd Avenue between York Street and Colorado Boulevard.

You’ll be tempted to head towards the clubhouse-looking structure to the immediate right, but that’s actually “one of the top three maintenance facilities I’ve ever seen,” says Todd Schoeder, the course architect responsible for the redesign.

To the left stands the clubhouse.

Whereas City Park’s former clubhouse previously occupied the lowest point of the property—the corner of York Street and 26th Avenue—the new 11,000-square-foot structure now commands a lofty perch in the middle of the property above the first tee and 18th green.

Designed by the Denver-based firm of Johnson Nathan Strohe, the sleek modernist building—which also serves as an event space and operations center for The First Tee of Denver— combines metal, glass, stone and wood.

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Its high, west-facing, floor-to-ceiling windows treat those in the bar and restaurant to a spectacular panorama of the course and Denver skyline set against the Rocky Mountains.

“It’s an unbelievable showcase for the City of Denver, not just City of Denver Golf,” Colorado Golf Association CEO and Executive Director Ed Mate says. “If someone hadn’t been to Colorado before, this is the first place I would take them.”

“So would I,” echoes City Park Head Golf Professional Susie Helmerich. “And I was the pro at Arrowhead,” she says, alluding to the Roxborough Park course famous for its photogenic geological grandeur.

Mate, a Denver native who calls City Park “my St. Andrews, my golf birthplace,” adds that he smiles when he thinks of “all the little Ed Mates” who’ll be playing the four-hole par-3 course adjacent to the clubhouse that’s dedicated to The First Tee program.

The First Tee formerly made use of some holes retrofitted within striking distance of the 16th hole and near a driving range that measured only 80 yards wide and 260 yards long.

The range at the new City Park, which sprawls across seven acres to the east of the clubhouse, stretches 310 yards, and its 150-yard width can accommodate as many as 30 players at a time.

Another new benefit to golfers is City Park’s returning nines. Having the front and back nines begin and end at the clubhouse allows Helmerich’s staff the ability to start groups on holes one and 10 to get more golfers on the course during peak times.

SPEAKING OF THE COURSE… The Tetris-like challenge of puzzling together the above elements—including a massive stormwater basin and 6,800 yards of championship golf—fell to Todd Schoeder, a Broomfield-based course designer whose experience includes collaborations with Phil Mickelson, Tom Lehman, Bob Cupp and Colorado’s own Hale Irwin.

Schoeder had teamed up with Irwin on the new Mountain Course at Durango’s Glacier Club and he had

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previously enjoyed. The closely mown green surrounds yield tight lies and roll-offs but also the opportunity for creative shot-making from off the green with clubs other than a wedge.

The 23 greenside bunkers are a mix of oldschool pots, coffins and kidneys without any washA LITTLE PINCH: While less than a third of the out-prone flashing or great existing 825 trees were chopped in the new design, depth. Nor will you see the 430-yard, par-4 first has two clusters of survivors, the fingers, lobes, tongues creating a narrow, intimidating look from the tee. and “other fun shapes that require hand-mowing recently completed a similar stormwater and drive up the cost of maintenance,” detention project at the municipal Legion Schoeder explains. “We wanted to stick to Memorial Golf Course in Everett, Wash. the charm and character that existed, and That combination, coupled with a plan we’re proud of that.” that honored the character of the original While many loved the back-to-front Bendelow layout, won him the bid to re- predictability of City Park’s small greens, design City Park. With Irwin as a design each of the new putting surfaces has its own consultant, Schoeder’s GrassRoots Golf personality. Appearing in numerous styles, Design worked hand-in-glove with lead with multiple tiers and occasional false general contractor Saunders Construction, fronts, they measure an average of 5,558 engineers from Martin/Martin and repre- square feet, 30 percent larger than before, sentatives from multiple Denver agencies to providing bigger targets and myriad pin solve the stormwater issue while producing placements. a golf experience that’s democratically challenging, highly memorable and enjoyable.

DIGGING THE NEW HOLES “I like ‘sporty,’” the architect said during The day the city closed City Park Golf a tour of the course in June. “That’s a term Course for reconstruction happened to be Tom Bendelow used to describe his courses. El Día de Los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, He defined sporty as ‘good, solid, enjoyable which prompted hundreds of protesters to courses’ that could test the better players but hold a candlelight requiem for the soon-tocould also promote participation by as many be “murdered” trees. In the end, however, people as possible and be maintained at a fewer than one-third of the property’s 825 reasonable expense.”

Schoeder’s respect for Bendelow’s philosophy manifests itself throughout the layout.

Low-handicap players, who can stretch the course to 6,809 yards, have to make strategic decisions to find the best angle to the greens, while beginners or mixed-skilled foursomes can play the 4,195-yard “Family Fun” tees.

Players of all levels will welcome the increased fairway widths—which will appear even wider when “striped” to create a checkerboard pattern. “It adds about three minutes of maintenance a hole to stripe the fairways,” Schoeder admits. “But Hale and I believe it makes the holes look more RISK-REWARD: A large irrigation pond fronts expansive and accessible.” the green on the 558-yard, par-5 ninth, perhaps The fairways may be broad but are giving pause to golfers with designs on reaching no longer the boards they were. Dramatic the putting surface in two shots. On the other hand, the fairway is the widest on the course. grading has undulated the flat lies players COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | August/September 2020

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trees got the axe, and the city planted more than 700 new ones for a net gain of more than 500.

Two clusters of those survivors pinch the fairway on the 430-yard par-4 opener, which shares the same spectacular cityscape view as the clubhouse. “The hole looks much more intimidating from the tee than it actually is,” Schoeder says. “A normal drive will carry those trees, and there’s a ton of width beyond.”

The first hole finishes on a Biarritz green, its center swale serving notice that the old City Park greens are a distant memory.

The greatest distance between green and tee comes after the par-3 second hole, but the trip rewards veteran City Park players with a whiff of nostalgia on the third tee. “Holes three, four, five and six are the old two, three, four and five,” says Mate. “It’s like memory lane, but with nice upgrades.”

Those upgrades include nearly doubling the green sizes and the optical illusion of a greenside bunker on the Redan-style par-3 5th that in reality is 40 yards shy of the green.

Another illusion awaits on the closing hole of the par-34 front nine—a 558-yard par 5 with the fairway curling around a large irrigation pond fronting the green. From the back tee, what appears to be a sliver of short grass is actually the course’s widest fairway.

When told the hole has the risk-reward earmarks of a classic finishing hole, Schoeder admits, “There was a lot of debate between which nine should be the front and which should be the back. You can interchange them. There are pluses and minuses to both.”

Having the current par-4 18th play

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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

THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS: A stream snakes around holes 11 (pictured here), 13 and 14. Officials say rather than running through pipes, water is filtered out in the open before making its way to the Platte River. The channel has already attracted wildlife.

uphill towards rear of the clubhouse— where the bar and restaurant are located—is certainly a plus. Schoeder, a big believer in the community aspect of muni golf, foresees players holing out in front of informal galleries watching on and taking selfies from the green with one of the best views in Colorado behind them.

But what he says he “devilishly” likes about the 18th is the illusion of “having the glass façade of the clubhouse appear so close to the green. That can scare some golfers who think, ‘I’m going to hit it thin and blade it and it’s going to go through that.’”

The building stands about 100 yards from the putting surface, and from research he conducted, he estimates the furthest a skulled shot would travel is about 50 yards.

“But,” he says, “it’s not going to be unheard of that somebody hits it one day.”

That would presumably be a minus.

SWINGING IN THE BATHTUB Stormwater detention, the reason for the entire renovation project, comes into focus as you cross from the front nine, which culminates on the property’s higher east side, to the back nine on the much lower western half.

After negotiating the shortish par-4 10th, you begin the descent towards what Schoeder calls “the bathtub holes.”

“Everything in the area we’re about to enter is in the bathtub,” he says, looking from the elevated tee on the par-4 11th.

“Right now we’re on the rim of the tub.”

The “tub” comprises the 20 acres west of the 11th tee. In the case of a 100-year flood event, “the entire area we’re about to come to will fill up like a bathtub, literally, up to 12 feet deep—with greens and most

tees set above that level,” Schoeder explains.

“The course is designed to drain within eight hours of the event.”

The course drains through a subterranean network of pipes leading either to the irrigation pond back on the ninth hole or the vast concrete basin (or “forebay”) to the right of the 11th fairway. Protected by a guardrail, the forebay also receives stormwater from the surrounding watershed via a 102-inch-diameter pipe.

This forebay fills with stormwater and then releases it into a stream that snakes between holes 11, 13 and 14. The stream— technically a 2,000-linear-foot “natural treatment channel”—“daylights” the water, according to Nancy Kuhn of Denver Water.

Rather than running it through pipes, the daylighting process filters the water before it outflows between the 16th green and 17th tee, eventually making its way to the Platte River. That channel has already attracted egrets, herons and other waterfowl and become a wildlife corridor for foxes and deer.

“When the course drains, you will pick up some debris and trash, and then it’s playable again,” Schoeder says. “That’s how it works. We have had 10-year events out here already, where the stream crests at the top of the bank, and it’s been fine.”

For the best angle into the 11th green, golfers need to hit their tee shot as close as they comfortably can to the forebay guardrail. “It’s an intimidating shot,” the architect admits.

An even more intimidating one comes on the 13th—a short (472 yards from the tips) par 5 cape hole with the stream and OB (to prevent players from taking a shortcut via the adjacent 14th fairway) running along the left side, and the forebay encroaching from

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the right. Again, flirting with the forebay affords the best approach, but with a fairway that necks from 40 to 18 yards, you need to control your length. “Aim for the outflow for the stormwater,” Schoeder advises. “And then lay up.”

The opposite of the 13th is the 15th, a deceptively straightforward par 4 with tournament tees that stretch it to 503 yards.

Its successor, the right-dogleg par-5 16th, clocks in at 601 yards, making it the longest hole on the course.

(Then again, the original layout included a 633-yard par 5, designed to be played—107 years ago—with a brassie and guttie.)

TESTING THE WATERS “When you start cutting into an old golf course, you risk sucking the charm right out of it,” the architect Jim Engh once said.

At City Park, the charm not only remains; it’s enhanced. A redesign prompted by controlling floodwater has yielded a par70 layout that Tom Bendelow himself might well have considered “sporty,” and that Tom Woodard now calls “a real championship course in the middle of a landlocked city.”

It’s easy to see why, even before the course opened, Schoeder’s effort received the American Society of Golf Course Architects’ (ASGCA) 2018 Design Excellence Award and 2019 ASGCA Environmental Excellence Award.

“It’s no longer just ‘hit it down the middle, hope you’re in between the trees and hit it to the green,’” Schoeder says. “I think it’s completely different. Whether or not people feel that, that’s what I’m anxious to see.”

He won’t need to wait long. After hosting the Denver Amateur and an Aug. 31 fundraiser for The First Tee of Denver, the course will open only for limited rounds this fall to protect the turf. A thousand-player deluge could cause more damage than a 100-year flood.

In the meantime, “the People’s Course,” as one of the many displays in the clubhouse calls it, already benefits golfers and nongolfers who live upstream and downstream. And those neighborhood residents who objected to the renovation? They now have more trees, an improved facility, better viewsheds and higher home values.

Jon Rizzi is the founding editor of Colorado AvidGolfer. After September 1, visit cityofdenvergolf.com/city_park for tee time information. coloradoavidgolfer.com

The 2020 St. Jude Car Show

We regret to inform you that We’ve been forced to cancel this year’s st. Jude car shoW because of corona virus While we’re frustrated by this situation, we all understand that some things just are the way they are.

But the kids don’t stop needing our help. Cancer doesn’t stop because of Corona Virus.

St. Jude is still fundraising, and we’re still doing what we can to help. The St. Jude Dreamhome Giveaway is still going full steam, and as part of our commitment we’ve donated A NEW 2020 LINCOLN CORSAIR to their fundraiser! They’re doing a special bonus prize give-away on Friday, August 21st, 2020 to those who purchase their tickets before then.

If you’re able, we invite you to please donate to the St. Jude Children’s Hospital fund raiser by purchasing tickets to their Dreamhome fundraiser. You can do so by going to www.DreamHome.org, calling (800) 276-7695, or by scanning this QR code with your phone → In all things we ask that you please be safe, take care of one another, and if able please try to help out if you are able to.

We feel fortunate and blessed that we are able to continue to help, and want to say thank you to those who are also able to help.

God bless you, and God bless our country!

Landmark Lincoln 5000 S Broadway Englewood, CO 80113 www.LandmarkLincoln.com 303-761-1560

Note to Self…

Thirty years ago, not long after scribbling down some thoughts, HALE IRWIN made golf history that still stands. By DAN O’NEILL

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PHOTOGRAPH BY AP PHOTO/CHARLES BENNETT

IN HIS DESK in St. Louis, his office in Paradise Valley, Ariz., he became a two-time All Big Eight Conference defensive back. his closets, his drawers … Hale Irwin has searched everywhere, Years later, he was named to Colorado’s 25-man All Century looking for a thin legal pad, yellow paper that changed his life 30 Football Team. years ago—and changed golf history as well.

“I kept it, I hid it and I cannot find it,” Irwin said. “I’ve looked all over and I cannot find it, but if I do, I’d put it in the Hall of Fame, because I really do think it’s something that inspired me. It got me thinking what was possible again.”

In late 1989, Irwin sat down with a pen and that pad of paper. After winning The Memorial in 1985, Irwin started a golf course design business, which had become more and more engrossing. At the same time, his golf had become less and less rewarding.

More than four years had passed since that last PGA Tour win. Ten years had passed since his second U.S. Open victory at the Inverness in 1979.

Over the previous five seasons, a man with 17 wins, 41 top-3s and 141 top-10s had collected just two top-3s and nine top-10s. A man declining in the late innings of a robust career, sat down with that paper and pen, and reflected.

“I was still hitting the golf shots, that wasn’t a problem,” Irwin recalled. “It was remembering how to play, how to go out and put one good shot after another together. So after five years of frustration, I kind of thought, ‘You know, I’m enjoying the design work and all of that … this is going to have to be a different year, or I’m hanging it up, because this is no fun.

“I wrote down all that stuff, all the things I could remember about the tournaments I won. And what I couldn’t remember about a particular tournament, VICTORY LAP: After sinking a 45-foot putt on the 72nd hole that sent him to a playoff in the I would set it aside and come back to it. Anyway, it 1990 U.S. Open, Hale Irwin, a former University of Colorado football player, channeled his got me thinking about playing again, how to go out inner defensive back and exploded in joy, circling the green fist-pumping and sharing highand become the player that I hopefully was before. fives with the gallery at Medinah Country Club in suburban Chicago.

“And I could feel once the season got started, there was a little more bounce to my step … I felt closer to what I was trying to accomplish as a player. So as the ONE FOR THE AGELESS season went on, I could feel it coming together.”

Thus, what Irwin set in motion with a pad of paper can be Reinvention was nothing new for Irwin. In 1963, the standout considered improbable, not impossible. What he achieved 30 years athlete from Boulder High School came to the University of ago, shortly after his 45th birthday in 1990, was unprecedented, not Colorado set on playing quarterback and golf. But as a sophomore unthinkable. With 72 holes of regulation and 19 holes of overtime, in 1964, his football aspirations stalled when coach Eddie Crowder his third U.S. Open victory was not for the ages, it was for the turned to Bernie McCall behind center. Irwin had a choice—change ageless. positions, or punt football to focus on golf. He chose the former.

“Was the win at Medinah a shocker?” Irwin asked rhetorically, And over the next two school years, when he wasn’t setting the “No. Was it a surprise? Well, yeah, because you never think you’re school’s single-season record for stroke average (which still stands), going to win. You hope to win, but … In my mind, the tables were when he wasn’t winning an NCAA individual golf championship, set to do something around that time period because I could feel

coloradoavidgolfer.com

it coming. And it just happened to be that week, when it all came together.”

Irwin already stood among golf ’s tall timber. His two aforementioned wins were the “Massacre at Winged Foot” in 1974— where his winning score was 7-over par— and another at Inverness in 1979. He threatened a third at Winged Foot in 1984, taking a one-shot lead into the final round.

But his father was dying from prostate cancer, a narrative that became overbearing and Irwin collapsed under a final round 79.

“Here I was 10 years removed from the ’74 win, leading going into the last round and thinking, Wouldn’t it be great to win another one, selfishly for me and even more so for my dad. I just built that thing up to something that I couldn’t sustain.”

Six years later at Medinah, Irwin was four strokes and 17 players behind after the third round. Even Sir Edmund Hillary would find that a tough climb.

That evening in Chicago, Irwin went to dinner with his wife Sally and daughter Becky. Sunday would be Father’s Day, and 18-year-old Becky presented her dad with a tie. The gift proved prophetic. “I never throw out a tie, so I still have it somewhere,” Irwin said. “I can’t remember, couldn’t tell you which one it is. But I’m sure Becky could go to my closet right now and pick it out.”

The next day, switching to a heavier putter, Irwin found something midway through the final round. He birdied four in a row, five of the last eight and covered nine holes in 31 swings. As he stood over an imposing 45-foot putt for a birdie at 18, he was 7-under, believing 8-under would have a chance. The long roll dropped in, perfectly paced, perfectly placed.

The gallery exploded. Normally stolid, Irwin channeled his football past, took it to the house and celebrated in the end zone.

He circled the ropes, high-fived spectators, pumped his fists and blew a two-handed kiss. “After all these years, you would be shocked by how many people have come up and said, ‘Hey, I high-fived you in 1990,’” Irwin said, laughing. “I mean if you go back and look at how many I actually high-fived it was … oh, let’s say, seven or eight people.”

An hour behind in the last pairing, 34-year-old Mike Donald validated all the excitement and the Father’s Day tie. Leading by one, Donald bogeyed No. 16 to drop into a knot with Irwin. Moments later, on the 18th green, his 40-foot putt to win outright expired agonizingly short of the hole. The championship went to a playoff.

In today’s world, things would have coloradoavidgolfer.com

been decided promptly, with a two-hole playoff format adopted in 2018. But in 1990, it was the full Monty—or the full Monday—18 holes long. When it arrived, neither of the nervous combatants was especially sharp.

With three holes remaining, it appeared Donald was in command, 1-over par and two shots better.

Irwin birdied 16 with a sensational 2-iron and the difference was one. At 18, Donald still led by one when he hit driver off the tee, hooking it into the trees. When his 18-foot putt narrowly failed to save par, the playoff went to sudden death—the first in U.S. Open history.

The players returned to No. 1, a hole Donald had birdied three consecutive times.

But this time, his wedge settled 25 feet short of the flag, leaving a door open. Irwin’s 103yard approach landed 10 feet from home.

Donald’s long putt went wide right, Irwin’s disappeared in the hole.

Fifteen days after his 45th birthday, one day after his high-five trot, Hale Irwin was again the U.S. Open champion.

There would be more highlights to come, and quickly. Six days later in Harrison, N.Y., an exhausted Irwin edged Paul Azinger to win the Buick Classic, becoming the first since Billy Casper to follow a U.S. Open win with a victory in the next tournament. Irwin would win one more PGA Tour event at age 48 and then dominate the Senior Tour (now PGA Tour Champions), becoming the career leader with 45 wins.

CHANGING THE GAME Now 75, Irwin continues his design business, where he recently collaborated with Broomfield-based iConGolf Studio on a $45 million renovation of Denver’s iconic City Park Golf Course. He also is involved in a new multimedia digital project, entitled Keeler1930. His playing career has dwindled to an occasional Champions appearance. That said, he enjoys reminiscing about his “Miracle at Medinah,” or any of his successes.

Irwin always has been among the more cerebral figures in sports. He recognizes the physicality of today’s game, as well as the financial parameters, have changed. His distinction as the oldest winner in U.S. Open history has enjoyed a long shelf life. He would not be surprised if it lasts longer still.

“I mean it’s just slam it, and chase it, and hit another wedge and make a putt,” Irwin said. “Physically, the way they swing at the ball now, with the pressure and the leverage they’re putting on joints … I don’t know if they are physically going to be there at 45.

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DOMINANCE: Irwin is the career leader on the Champions Tour with 45 victories.

“There’s talent there, but I don’t know if the interest level will be there. It’s almost like it’s a short-term thing. The kids are going to go out there and, whatever it takes for 10 years, they’re going to do it. By the time they’re 35-years-old they might not have it anymore. Add another 10 years to that, you’re 45 and I don’t know.”

The game—like seemingly everything else in our culture—has been altered even more dramatically this year. The championship Irwin captured three times has been moved from its traditional June home to a tentative Sept. 17-20 slot. It has eliminated qualifying and filled its field with exemptions.

And as the novel coronavirus pandemic persists and precautions prevail, you can bet there won’t be any emotional high fives with galleries at Winged Foot this time. There might not be any galleries at all.

“I find it very disheartening,” said Irwin, whose son, Steve, a long time Colorado amateur, qualified into the 2011 U.S. Open.

“I often call it our national Open and to call it ‘Open’ now is a misnomer. How do you have a U.S. Open in New York, one of the hot spots in our game, and have no people out there?

“It’s going to be really, really odd. The USGA, I’m sure, and all of the golfers around the world are just agonizing over this … You get so much energy from the galleries and the crowds and the cheering. It just seems so misplaced.”

Speaking of misplaced, somewhere there exists a pad of yellow paper, paper that changed Hale Irwin’s life 30 years ago, and gave the U.S. Open one of its defining stories.

“I know it’s around somewhere,” Irwin said. “I’d love to see it again. One of these days, I will.”

Dan O’Neill has been a golf writer for 32 years. He writes for Morning Read and works with Fox Golf as an editorial consultant.

August/September 2020 | COLORADO AVIDGOLFER

Blind Shot THE UNSEEN GAME

Todd Schoeder’s revamped design, completed in 2020

A Walk in the Park

City Park Golf Course through the years THOMAS BENDELOW was a typesetter by trade, the story goes, hired at the New York Herald in 1892 some time after immigrating from Scotland.

However, Bendelow was also passionate about golf, which duffers in Denver have appreciated for more than 100 years.

Bendelow was the architect of City Park Golf Course, the selfproclaimed “People’s Course,” which over the last century has indeed seen everything from wholesome family fare to big-money hustles take place on its grounds.

Denver businessman and local golf legend Will Kellum told the Denver Post in 2008 that as recently as the start of that decade that “City Park was the No. 1 place (in the country) to go to find a money game.”

After a three-year hiatus due to a massive course renovation, City Park is planning on reopening later this summer. Here’s a look at the current design, what the course looked like before the 2017 project began and the original Bendelow design for the course, which was built on a former dairy farm. ­— Anthony Cotton

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY TODD SCHOEDER/GRASSROOTS GOLF DESIGN

City Park’s layout until temporarily closing in 2017

Thomas Bendelow’s original layout in a 1916 rendering

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