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A TIMELESS TRADITION, TRANSFORMED ROYAL LINKS GOLF CLUB LAS VEGAS, NV Honor the game’s history, heritage and heroes at Royal Links Golf Club, an unparalleled union of fabled holes - like the “Postage Stamp” at Royal Troon and the “Road Hole” at St. Andrews - from the Open Championship’s eleven challenging courses. At last, this once-in-a-lifetime and, for some, life-changing golf experience is no longer reserved for inspiring icons on the professional circuit: It only requires a passion for the game and a quick, five-minute jaunt from the renowned Las Vegas Strip.

Legends have walked these same hallowed holes. Footprints of famed players have maintained their marks on these courses for centuries, though the route to rewarding redemption demands as much grit as it does grace. Only the smoothest swings and the strongest, steadiest strides have blazed the prestigious path to becoming a name engraved on the Claret Jug. Until now. It’s your turn to march toward your own Claret Jug moment, and you’re on the tee.

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CONTENTS | Winter 2015

37

FEATURES

52 The Rio Life Thanks to 36 holes of redesigned golf, green energy initiatives and an exceedingly civic-minded membership, Arizona’s august Rio Verde Country Club is an ungated “active adult” community that doesn’t act its age.

By Jon Rizzi

58 10 Hidden Arizona Golf Treasures 58

DEPARTMENTS 8 Forethoughts

A Flighted Event

By Jon Rizzi

10 ’net Score

Justin and Jason, favorite Colorado holes, the CAGGYs.

Chase that little white ball down the roads less traveled and you’ll find some of the Grand Canyon State’s finest fairways and greens.

By Bill Huffman

37 Profile

Scrambling with the Avalanche’s Jarome Iginla. By Denny Dressman

SIDE BETS 41 Fareways

64 New Mexican Miracle Rockwind Community Links, located in the tiny town of Hobbs, is more than one of the country’s best municipal courses. It’s the blueprint for golf’s future.

By Jon Rizzi

12 Century Links

The 100-Year golf party.

1858 Restaurant at Seven Falls.

By Gary James

19 The Gallery

44 Tapping In

70

By Cody Gabbard

A Cabo Cliffhanger

Rare shots from The International, a historic junior golf agreement, Columbine’s new clubhouse, Hall of Fame inductees, more.

76 The Games of Golf

Pot describes more than a bunker style.

Best ales for winter.

48 Nice Drives

Cadillac ATS-V, Lexus RX and Ford Expedition EL.

By Isaac Bouchard

Could Jack Nicklaus’ Quivira be the most electrifying course you ever play?

By Tony Dear

PLAYER’S CORNER 29 Gift Guide

Ideas for every golfer.

32 Lesson

Get your game in balance.

By Elena King

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | Winter 2015

ON THE COVER White Wing Course, Rio Verde Country Club Photograph by Lonna Tucker/Courtesy of Rio Verde Country Club & Golf Community

4

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Winter 2015 | Volume 14, Number 7 publisher

A llen J. Walters editor

Jon Rizzi SALES, MARKETING & ADVERTISING associate publisher

Chris Phillips account manager

Vivian Keesling digital and social media manager

Michael Petrelli

office and operations manager

Cindy P. Nold

projects and special events manager

Ryan McLean

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ART & EDITORIAL art director

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Sam Adams, E.J. Carr, Tony Dear, Denny Dressman, Sue Drinker, Dick Durrance II, Chris Duthie, Gar y James, Ted Johnson, Kaye W. Kessler, Todd Langley, Kim D. McHugh, Jerr y Walters

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Colorado AvidGolfer (ISSN 1548-4335) is published eight times a year by Baker-Colorado Publishing, LLC, and printed by American Web, Inc. Volume 14, Number two. 7200 S. Alton Way #A-180, Centennial, CO 80112. 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 Š 2015 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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INTERNET

THE “30,000-FOOT view” has become as tired a business cliché as “low-hanging fruit,” “move the needle” and “connect the dots.” Yet 30,000 feet above the earth is literally where this column originates, and in my view, there’s nothing tired or cliché about the business of traveling, especially to play golf.

I’m flying home from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, laptop on tray table, having reported this issue’s cover story (page 52) on Rio Verde, a progressive, unpretentious private golf development northeast of Scottsdale. “Sustainability” not only defines Rio Verde’s approach to energy efficiency and resource management (it became the first in Arizona to receive the Audubon Green Community Award), but also the engagé, energetic lifestyle of its “active adult” membership—the majority of whom appear to be 10 years younger than their age.

Rio Verde’s two courses, which date to 1972, also seem to have been irrigated by the fountain of youth, thanks to a $6.5 million renovation by Tom Lehman and the agronomic efforts of Greenway Golf. However, despite winning the Arizona Women’s Golf Association’s GEM Award three years in a row and being voted the No. 1 “Private Golf Course” and “Active Adult Community” in a Ranking Arizona Opinion Poll, Rio Verde remains as unheralded as the courses Bill Huffman unearths in “10 Hidden Arizona Golf Treasures” (Page 58).

The Grand Canyon State, of course, abounds with courses worth playing and places worth staying (see coloradoavidgolfer.com/travel). So does the state due east of it. But I’ll wager few golfers would include the town of Hobbs on their New Mexico must-play lists. It sits on bleak, uninspired terrain in the state’s southeastern corner, a 90-minute drive from Roswell and Carlsbad and the Texas cities of Midland, Lubbock and Odessa.

Yet golfers from these locales—as well as those from Hobbs and its neighbors—are coming to Rockwind Community Links, Hobbs’ masterpiece of municipal golf that has galvanized both golfers and non-golfers alike. For perspective, Hobbs’ population of 36,000 compares to that of Brighton’s. But as celebrated as Riverdale Dunes is, how many people from Sterling or Cheyenne drive 90 minutes to play it?

Designed by Andy Staples, Rockwind Community Links occupies the site of the former Ocotillo Park Golf Course. It indeed links the entire community as a venue to play golf, picnic, drink and dine, get married, jog or gather with family and friends. It boasts one hell of a golf course to boot, replete with holes suggesting the influence of Seth Raynor as well as a spunky nine-hole par-3 layout that hosts a new chapter of The First Tee. Ultimately, I suppose it’s clichéd to say that travel educates us in ways we would otherwise never know. But as one of my favorite writers, the peripatetic Evelyn Waugh, once wrote, “I think to be oversensitive about clichés is like being oversensitive about table manners.” And even though they rarely serve meals on domestic flights these days, I’m sure his observation would apply to tray-table etiquette too.—JON RIZZI

fiberco@centurylink.com

The Fresh Prints As an expression of thanks for housing the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame for the last 10 years, the CGHOF recently presented to Brighton’s Riverdale Golf Courses two framed vintage Leland R. Gustavson prints from the collection of inductee Dan Hogan: “The Old Apple Tree Gang” and “Robert Tyre Jones, 1930.” From left: CGHOF President-elect Scott Radcliffe, Hogan, Riverdale Director of Maintenance D’Ann Kimbrel and PGA General Manager Steven Bruening.

Up to 1 Gbps speed is available to business customers in select areas only. Broadband speeds will vary due to conditions outside of network control, including customer location and equipment, and are not guaranteed. Services not available everywhere. CenturyLink may change or cancel services or substitute similar services at its sole discretion without notice. © 2015 CenturyLink. All Rights Reserved.

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | Winter 2015

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INFO | BLOGS | DIALOG

BOMB IT: The opening salvo at Willis Case.

Pro Golf’s J Days The 2015 season on the PGA Tour undoubtedly belonged to the talented young duo of Jordan Spieth (22) and Jason Day (28). Spieth’s historic year included victories at the Masters, U.S. Open, and Tour Championship, helping to propel him to both the FedExCup and Player of the Year honors. Day broke through at the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits for his first major in the midst of a streak that saw him win four out of six tournament starts.

The pair has taken turns holding the top spot in the Official World Golf Rankings and, along with Rory McIlroy among others, spearheaded a youth movement in professional golf. Spieth has endeared himself to fans with a humble All-American image paired with a steely competitive spirit, while Day has overcome a series of personal tragedies and hardships in his life. Day’s sponsor, RBC, put together “Never Say Die—The Jason Day Story” chronicling his remarkable journey. You can watch it at: https://youtu.be/V_SugpKp-bQ

No Holes Barred We gave away a copy of CAG Contributor Tony Dear’s new book, The Story of Golf in Fifty Holes (see page 30), to fans on our Facebook page telling us their favorite holes in Colorado. Read some of their favorites below and follow us on social media for more contests and giveaways.

“No. 16 at Flatirons in Boulder. Called the Hale Irwin hole, it’s a difficult Par 4 along water with slight dogleg to the left, the #2 handicap on the course. Even if you get on the green in regulation, it’s a sloped green that will always mess with you.

But it’s always fun!” – Jerry W. Lewis “Willis Case #1. Best way to start a round in Colorado. Bomb a big drive with the mountains in the background.” – Mario J. Carmosino “Hole #14 at Mariana Butte in Loveland.

It says 126 yards but plays closer to 95-100. Just a good wedge shot but what makes this hole for me is the view. Just a gorgeous view of the mountains from the tee box. Can’t beat it.” – Adam Laarsen

C CAGGY AWARDS

Cast Your Vote!

Time’s running short to vote in the annual CAGGY Awards celebrating the best in Colorado golf! There are 50+ categories, so pull the lever for your favorite courses, instructors, private clubs, practice facilities and more. Hurry!

Voting ends at midnight on December 31st! To vote in the CAGGY Awards, visit ColoradoAvidGolfer.com. We’ll reveal the winners in our Spring issue.

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | Winter 2015

“Willis Case and Cherry Hills: 1st holes with the mountains framing the tee shot; Denver CC #18: tee shot with clubhouse and Mt Evans in the view; Broadmoor East #18: 2nd shot over water to the iconic green with clubhouse behind; RedSky Norman: #18 2nd shot to green with lake fronting; City Park Denver: #18 tee shot over drawing ball around corner; Wellshire GC #7: 2nd shot to green with memories of Ben Hogan.” – Gary Potter

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Century Links

Golf’s Big Night

Jack Nicklaus and Tim Rosaforte

Emceed by Tom Green, Colorado’s long-awaited Century of Golf Gala took place November 14 at The Broadmoor with the great Jack Nicklaus as honored guest. Prompted

by The Golf Channel’s Tim Rosaforte, Nicklaus kept the audience of 1,250 rapt during a fireside chat that followed standing-ovation recognitions of Colorado’s People of the Century—Judy Bell, Hale Irwin, Vic Kline, Dennis Lyon, Barbara McIntire and Will F. Nicholson Jr. Photographs by E.J. Carr Will F. Nicholson Jr. Barbara and Jack Nicklaus

Dennis Lyon Vic Kline and Judy Bell

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | Winter 2015

Sally and Hale Irwin

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Cederedge Golf Club, Cedaredge

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Fitzsimons, Aurora EXCLUSIVE

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Fox Hollow, Lakewood

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Haymaker, Steamboat

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$77

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Any day after 11

Yes

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M-T after 12

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Heritage at Westmoor, Westminster

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M-T anytime, F-S-S after 1

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Heritage Eagle Bend, Aurora

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M-T anytime, F-S-S after 11

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Highland Meadows, Windsor*

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M-T anytime, F-S-S after 12

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Highlands Ranch Golf Club, Highlands Ranch $47/$58 $57/$68 $47/$58 M-T anytime, F-S-S after 12 Yes SS: 2,

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M-T anytime F-S-S after 12

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M-T before 8; after 1, F-S-S after 1

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Pelican Lake Golf Club, Windsor*

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$50

M-T anytime, F-S-S after 12

Yes

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Pine Creek, Colorado Springs

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M-T after 12, F-S-S after 2

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Pole Creek, Tabernash

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M-T after 11. F-S-S after 12

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$30

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$32

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The Gallery NEWS | NOTES | NAMES

Jack on the Bag Last issue’s cover story on Jack Nicklaus triggered a flood of memories for PGA Professional Jim Cook of Aspen, who took hundreds of blackand-white photographs of the PGA Tour pros during The International’s 21-year run at Castle Pines Golf Club. “I think the best (or luckiest) picture I ever took in my life was the shot of Jack carrying his own clubs,” Cook says. “The 1989 picture came about at the 10th hole just after Nicklaus’ group hit their tee shots to the downhill par-four when the weather siren sounded. A short discussion amongst the players soon had the caddies off to mark the balls rather than have everybody walk down. However, a short time after his caddie left, Jack suddenly changed his mind, picked up his own bag and went to finish the hole, as the rules allowed back then.”

INTERNATIONAL INCIDENTS: Nicklaus (above) carried on despite the weather sirens in 1989; a year later, Jim Gallagher Jr. (left) double-eagled the 17th for the tournament’s second albatross of the day—and its history—and was greeted on the 18th fairway (below) by a parachutist.

coloradoavidgolfer.com

19

Winter 2015 | COLORADO AVIDGOLFER

The Gallery

Craig Stadler

Hall That and More The Colorado Golf Hall of Fame will welcome two new members in 2016—Craig Stadler and Ann Finke.

PRESIDENTS’ COUP: Colorado PGA president Leslie CoreDrevecky and CGA president Phil Lane ink the accord.

As of January, the Colorado Junior Golf Association as we know it will cease to exist. And the state’s junior golf program will be much stronger as a result.

At October’s Colorado PGA Section’s Fall meeting, the Colorado Golf Association and Colorado Section PGA revealed they have teamed up to create a yet-to-be-named junior golf program that will incorporate their respective best practices. On the PGA side, those practices include Golf In Schools (which has reached 40,000 students in just five years) and the 60-team PGA Junior League. The CGA brings its time-honored expertise in running junior golf tournaments.

Chief among the changes is the creation of a Junior Tour, which will consist of 19 36-hole events, including four “majors”—Junior Stroke Play, Junior Match Play, Colorado PGA Junior Championship and the Tour Championship—in which both boys and girls will compete. CGA Executive Director Ed Mate said he expects the majors will generate excitement. “How cool will COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | Winter 2015

it be for kids to compete for a ‘grand slam’ in a calendar year?”

Junior Tour competitors must carry an 8.1 handicap index or lower. Players with higher handicaps can develop through the noncompetitive Junior Series.

All juniors and their parents can also expect a streamlined, one-stop-shop website that will not only serve as an event-registration portal, but will embrace all programs related to junior golf, as well as Golf in Schools, the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy, Drive, Chip & Putt Championship and others.

That site, as well as the name of the newly formed collaboration, will undergo a rebranding process that should be finalized before February’s G4 Golf Summit. “With the great things these two organizations have accomplished, just imagine now becoming one powerhouse where our focus is all going to be about the kids and the families,” said Colorado PGA Executive Director Eddie Ainsworth. “How can that not be great?”

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Ann Finke

coloradoavidgolfer.com

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF THE COLORADO SECTION PGA

Junior Achievement

Although he won the Masters in 1982, 12 years before moving to Colorado, Stadler captured three of his 13 PGA Tour titles and all nine of his Champions Tour championships (including two majors) while a Centennial State resident.

Stadler, who lives in Evergreen, counts among his many accomplishments winning the 1973 U.S. Amateur, leading the money lists on both the PGA Tour (1982) and Champions Tour (2004), being the first Champions Tour player ever to win a PGA Tour event (the 2004 B.C. Open) and codesigning the course at Grand Elk Ranch & Club in Granby.

The first female member of the Colorado PGA, Finke has taught at The Country Club of Colorado in Colorado Springs since joining the Section in 1985. During that time, she’s given more than 38,000 lessons, nearly half of them to juniors. She served 12 years as president of the Pikes Peak Junior Golf organization and another 12 as the development coordinator at the Professional Golf Management Program at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. In 2010 the PGA of America rewarded her influence with its prestigious national Junior Golf Leader Award.

They will be honored at the annual May awards banquet, as will Mike and Terri Knode, founders of the Western Golf Foundation (Distinguished Service Award); Dr. Homer McClintock, benefactor of the Evans Scholars House (Lifetime Achievement Award); and Jim Hajek, PGA head professional at Fossil Trace Golf Club (Golf Person of the Year). coloradogolfhalloffame.org

The Gallery

Columbine’s New Digs Having just celebrated its 60th anniversary, Columbine Country Club is giving itself a present: a new $20-million clubhouse and wellness center that will begin construction this spring, with an anticipated completion in the summer 2017.

Designed by Marsh and Associates and built by Hyder Construction, the overall 45,000-square-foot clubhouse will have “a European flair with a Colorado sensitivity,” according to Mike Marsh. A drive-up cobblestone auto courtyard with a central fountain and valet service will now greet members, and three interior dining areas will provide flexibility for large and small groups.

“Expansive windows will provide exterior

views of the course,” Marsh explains. “And operable glass walls will enhance the indoor/outdoor experience.” Highlighting that experience will be dramatic covered and uncovered outdoor dining spaces, with multiple water features and fire pits.

Interior enhancements include an upper floor men’s locker room overlooking the golf course with bar and indoor/outdoor dining facilities; a first-floor ladies locker room with indoor/outdoor patio dining and view of the golf course; and a dedicated space for family dining with access to the members’ recreational lawn area.

COO/General Manager Michael Bratcher says the most talked-about member amenity will be a 4,000–square-foot state-of-the-art wellness

Your express flight to and from the finest courses.

center featuring massage, physical therapy, cardio and weight spaces, and expansive views of the outside grounds. Wellness programs and a diverse offering of fitness classes will be offered.

A highly finished lower level of the clubhouse will include a recreation lounge, golf simulators and an extensive children’s center.

The new clubhouse comes 11 years after Ron Forse’s acclaimed renovation of the 1955 Henry Hughes-designed course on which Don January won the 1967 PGA Championship.

Concurrent with construction on the clubhouse, Columbine will expand its driving range and plans to build a new golf practice facility to complement its short-game-sharpening ninehole par-3 course. Plans also call for renovation of Columbine’s swim and tennis facilities this winter to be ready for reopening by Memorial Day 2016, in time to handle the club’s robust junior programs in golf, tennis and swimming. columbinecountryclub.org

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The Gallery

Doug Roars Again Doug Rohrbaugh, the PGA Director of Golf at Ironbridge Golf Club in Glenwood Springs, is on the verge of history, having won in August his third consecutive Colorado PGA Professional Championship.

Rohrbaugh’s 5-under-par 211 in the three-round event at Meridian Golf Club nipped by two strokes the hard-charging Barry Milstead of Valley Country Club. Rohrbaugh joins Ron Vlosich (1991-1993) and Ken Krieger (1996-1998) as the only players to notch three straight victories in the event. One more will tie him with the legendary Denver Country Club pro, Fred Wampler Jr., who won the event a record four times (1966, ’68, ’73 and ’74). Rohrbaugh, who this year earned conditional status on the Champions Tour, has made the cut in four of his nine starts on the senior circuit this season. coloradopga.com

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | Winter 2015

24

Mulligan The photographs of Garth Hystad (above) and Dave King for “The Home-Course Advantage” (August, 2015) were taken by Joseph Roybal.

coloradoavidgolfer.com

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY COLORADO SECTION PGA (ROHRBAUGH) AND BY JOSEPH ROYBAL (HYSTAD).

THREE-PEATER: Doug Rohrbaugh.

The Gallery

3

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF DRIVE, CHIP AND PUTT CHAMPIONSHIP

Golf by Numbers

AUGUSTA BOUND: Caitlyn Chin, Luke Trujillo, Arielle Keating (clockwise from left).

Colorado juniors have earned an invitation to Augusta National Golf Club to compete in the third annual Drive, Chip and Putt Championship National Finals on April 3, 2016. They are Caitlyn Chin of Greenwood Village (Girls ages 7-9), Arielle Keating (Girls 14-15) and Luke Trujillo (Boys ages 14-15), both of Colorado Springs.

The three advanced from local qualifiers in May and June to an August 30 sub-regional qualifier at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora. The three went on to win their division in the regional qualifier at La Jolla’s Torrey Pines Golf Course.

In all, 80 finalists—10 in each of the eight divisions—earned a place in the National Finals, which will be broadcast live on Golf Channel. drivechipandputt.com

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | Winter 2015 Vanguard - CAG half page spread.indd 1

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coloradoavidgolfer.com

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JON RIZZI (FROST CREEK) AND BRIAN DRUMM (ORAEE)

127 new members have joined Frost Creek Club since a March ownership change brought a new name, vision and pricing structure to what had been Adam’s Mountain Golf Club in Eagle. “We had 33 members at the time of the sale and now we have 160,” says General Manager Joe Cranston. Whereas it cost as much as $150,000 to join when Adam’s Mountain opened in 2006, initiation at Frost Creek for non-Eagle County resident owners now runs $15,000, with $5,000 in annual dues; Eagle County residents pay $20,000 and $7,500. Membership Director Kevin Denton says the price will tick up this winter. Tom Weiskopf, the course architect, met with many of the members in September to share his excitement over Frost Creek’s future, which looks exceedingly bright, even on the real estate front. “All the spec homes have been sold and 12 homesites are under contract,” reports Cranston. “We anticipate selling more than 20 properties by the end of the year.”frostcreek.com

coloradoavidgolfer.com

4

GAME ON: This Frost Creek member now has lots of company.

golfers have earned 2015 Colorado Golf Association Player of the Year honors. David Oraee, the former CU star who made it to the Round of 16 in the U.S. Amateur, was low amateur in the HealthONE Colorado Open and qualified as an individual for the NCAA Nationals, was named Les Fowler Player of the Year. Chris Thayer, a runnerup in both the CGA Mid-Amateur Match and Stroke Play Championships, won Mid-Amateur Player of the Year. Senior Player of the Year went to David Delich, winner of the CGA Senior Match Play and runner-up in the U.S Mid-Am Qualifier.

Coby Welch, winner of three CJGA events, earned Junior Boys Player of the Year. Awards are based on a point system found at coloradogolf.org. The Colorado Women’s Golf Association will announce its Players of the Year this spring. coloradogolf.org

STRONG FINISHER: P.O.Y. David Oraee

27

Winter 2015 | COLORADO AVIDGOLFER 11/10/15 3:50 PM

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Player’s Corner GIFT GUIDE

PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID OTTENSTEIN

extended to my wife Winnie and good fortu me ne to visit the birthplac whenever we had developed the e of the gam a fondness for the wea e. I even And, mos ther! t recently, the exciting experience of donning and rewa rding the robe and university drew me kneeling into as the profound its honored and age-old company in a ceremony. dear to my I will alwa heart. ys hold that

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A

NV ERSA CO T

WITH

HOW ARD When you are doing something it is neater really cool, than neat . — Dr. H. Giles of great peop le. — Dr. H. Giles

IO N

MAN OF LETTERS: Joshua Evenson with his masterwork.

in 1960. Even though The some of its luster in the Open Championsh ip had lost perfect sens post-World e for me to War II year go for that s, it made especially since I was cherished Claret Jug, to partner US team with Sam in the ann Snead as ual Canada World Cup the Cup, now , which was known as scheduled Ireland the the at Portmar wee nock in Championsh k before players qual ified for The ip, and part the venue icularly sinc Open that year. e St Andrews It was a mem I won the was orable trip.

Canada Cup Sam , and I just Open, losin and missed winn g to ing the the golf cour Kel Nagle by a stro ke, but St se Andrews, and the Scot and the town, the country of tish peop Scotland, le won me that I had that summer to come back . I knew fellow Ame and that I had to conv rican pros how importa ince my perhaps win nt it was to the hallowed play in and my father had impresse Open Championsh ip, just as d on me in I won the years past next two .

Opens— Troon—and at Royal Birk I like to thin dale and led to mos k that my t American trailblazing players of effo champion rts note addi ship ng the Championsh to their schedules, restoring ip to its righ The Open major tour tful place naments as one of in the wor the four an integral ld of prof part of the essional golf professio inadvertentl and nal Grand y “invente Slam that d” on my first trip abro I had way to Irela ad. nd on that What won derful mem first look ories I have at the town of St And and my first rews. My golf links. experiences My Scottish on caddie, colo who prov ed invaluab rful Tip And a true le to me for erson, my playing many year schedule s wheneve took me to Rusacks Hot r Europe. My el that bord stays at eighteenth ered the cour fairway. The se’s incompa the all, I recall unpredictab rable the great le weather kindness . Most of people of all walks of life

GILE S

Howdy Gile s, unofficia (the phra l field gene se was coin ral in “Arn ed by ie’s Army” saying that “Life is mad James Dodson), is known for e up of doin neat peop le, and it g neat thin does not gs with things with get any bett Arnold Palm er than doin “unofficia er.” Howdy l official” became Palm g photographe a million er’s r long ago. photos and A quarter nearly fifty he remains of years of frien Palmer’s No. 1 fan. dship later Dr. Giles , learned to love golf Palmer on from watc television hing Arnold at a time becoming when the attractive sport was to people backgrou of all ages nd or dem , regardle ographic. after rece ss of He became iving a kind a fan in 1965 smile and King. He , a photogr played in aph from his first in Novemb The er 1973; Palm Bay Hill Member– Guest even Calcutta for er bought t Howdy’s $650. Imp team in the assioned strong—t to win, the hen finished team start sixty-thir ed d out of sixty -four.

Golf is full

A

rnold Palm er said of Howard “Ho Giles, auth wdy” or of The King and Unlikely Jour I: An ney from Fan to Frien “How often d: have you heard som described about ever ebody as ‘one of ybody has a kind ’? I think hung such or two of just a tagline their acqu on aint a pers anceship. nobody has on I know that ever fit that I have. Yet Giles. Beca description use his bou better than ndless enth chord with Howdy usiaum stru me, I enco ck a special uraged him a fan.” to be a frien d as well as

19

A Most Beautiful Golf Book Denver resident Joshua Evenson couldn’t have graduated with a business degree from CU at a worse time than 2008. So instead of competing for jobs with unemployed MBAs, the lifelong golf fanatic set his sights on St. Andrews—a university town and the historic home of golf—to continue his education. While earning a master’s in international strategy and economics, he volunteered at the British Golf Museum, where he catalogued documents from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Then, as the university neared its 600th anniversary in 2013, he saw that St. Andrews’ endowment was less than 10 percent that of Cambridge’s. He parlayed his passions into a job fundraising for the school around golf. His pet project, the St. Andrews 600—a once-in-a-lifetime, $10,000-per-person Sunday tournament held in 2013—generated more than £3 million.

“Every golfer wants a piece of St. Andrews,” he reasoned.

With that in mind, he says, “and while I was still young enough to take a risk,” he then set out to create the most glorious homage to the Auld Grey Toon he could. The result, Links to St. Andrews: Love Letters to the Home of Golf—a strapping six-pound, 320-page celebration handsomely designed by Carol Haralson— gushes with lush artwork from the British Golf Museum, as well as commissioned pieces from Lee Wybranski, Michael Klein, Aaron Damon Porter and other artists. Historic travel posters graphically counterpoint a chocolate box of rare photos and hero shots of the course, the town, the food and people.

The “love letters” are crisp and evocative, never treacly or repetitive. Evenson solicited contributions from a stunning list of 100 St. Andrews admirers—from such immortals as Arnold Palmcoloradoavidgolfer.com

ch

moves ife rarely er hav would nev t, l ran in the vib Glasgow of d En ng co engineeri d ed St An a season now be historic er of the t a memb a threeap, and w dic han 8 Course ient Old the anc d golf l Scotlan tu successfu and sts twi have a few brought m t tha change facto work of constant I re dream. forgotten ing their sell s, consider al pet dog their loy Co f the Old and gol int led o I stumb th article in saw an ay r-d fou about a m caddie by then uld enj wo I t tha n ama was a kee pe com putting dlers. T still tod an un through slowl parents pless that hel ab vit ine the n distractio

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Golf it be fat—

223

And while utilitarian workwear certainly defined the dress of the day, Morris and many others did appropriate one specific style that caught on like wildfire and could even be argued as the sport’s first true fashion “trend.”

In the early 20th century players began donning Norfolk jackets to play golf. The belted-back and box-pleated coats, originally designed for increased mobility while hunting, freed up the arms and made for the perfect piece of outerwear for lashing one’s gutty around the links. Utilitarianism would continue to inspire golf style through the modern era, but by the 1920s two influential Americans emerged to run the table at The Open Championship for the following decade. They began to elevate the game’s aesthetic from its humble heritage to more sophisticated standing.

Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen combined won seven Claret Jugs between the years of 1921 to 1930. Their successes across the Atlantic officially heralded golf as an international game, and their discernibly high-society style defined the look of golf during the interwar years.

Jones, the gentleman amateur from Georgia, and Hagen, a professional golfer although you wouldn’t know it by looking at him, were not of working-class backgrounds. Unusual for the time, they both dressed more like the men they were off the course than those who had preceded them on it. The shirt and tie remained a prominent factor of the links look, but soft, more comfortable vee-neck sweaters replaced many tweed country coats. Coarse woolen trousers and leather boots gave way to gabardine plus-fours, delicate hosiery, and the game’s first spiked golf shoe. Full-cut, billowy bottoms were a mark of affluence, as fabric was expensive, but this detail didn’t seem to concern some of the game’s most distinguished players as they strode the

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er, Jack Nicklaus, Annika Sorenstam, Judy Bell and Nick Faldo to architects like Tom Doak, Pete Dye and David McLay Kidd. Words and images from scores of other shapers of the game (including Joe Louis Barrow, Jackie Burke and Jim Nantz) also grace the pages.

The original signatures of all 100 contributors will also grace 100 sheets of parchment specially infused with blades of grass from the Old Course. Once Evenson gets every sheet signed— he’s already traveled 13,000 miles culling them— he will enclose them in leather-bound editions of Links to St. Andrews and auction off these rare collector’s items for charity, giving back to the place and the game that indelibly shaped him. $150. Available only at linkstostandrews.com

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Winter 2015 | COLORADO AVIDGOLFER

Player’s Corner GIFT GUIDE

Dissecting Your Swing At roughly the size of an ink cartridge and sporting a well-known imaging brand on the box, the Epson M-Tracer MT500GII Golf Swing Analyzer suggests printing, not playing. But Epson, a leader in sensing sports and fitness technologies, has produced a device that gives golfers unprecedented insights and feedback into every element of their swing. It mounts on the club shaft and saves data for up to 200 swings wirelessly to an app on your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or Android. You’ll see your full swing path in 3D and rotational views, complete with comprehensive graphical analysis of the impact zone, shaft rotation, club speed and swing tempo. You can freeze the frame at any point in the swing and compare it to Henrik Stenson’s.

Although we’d like to see a few other pros, we loved the M-Tracer. It was easy to set up and brimming with visual details and measurables—so many stats, in fact, it probably requires a PGA pro to interpret them. Then, armed with that knowledge, you’ll groove a statistically sustainable swing that’s the same each time—like pages from a printer. $250. epson.com

Easy Glider

The Holes Truth With titles like Every Golf Question You Ever Wanted Answered and Good Golf Made Easy, CAG contributor Tony Dear clearly delights in making bold promises—and he keeps them with authority, wit and erudition. His latest, The Story of Golf in Fifty Holes, continues the trend. Starting with the 11th at the Old Course at St. Andrews, Dear cleverly spins a 600-year history of golf that embraces course architecture (the original Redan and Biarritz holes), golf lore (Atlantic City’s 10th, where the term “birdie” was first used), iconic shots (Arnie on no. 1 at Cherry Hills), blowups (Van DeVelde on 18 at Carnoustie) and the game’s global appeal (holes from Australia, South Africa, Japan and China). Classic illustration and vintage photography highlight each entry. Some of the picks (16 at Cypress, 13 at Pine Valley) are obvious, but anyone looking for stories from the 17th at Pebble will have to wait for the sequel. $30. fireflybooks.com.

Any golfer who has breezed through an airport with a Sun Mountain ClubGlider will no doubt love the new ClubGlider luggage line. The pieces come in carry-on and suitcase sizes, and feature the identical ballistic-quality nylon construction and the same extendable legs and wheels as the ClubGlider Meridian golf travel bag. Multiple pockets and handles, an expandable main compartment and a TSA-approved lock make the 17-pound suitcase ($350) and eight-pound carry-on ($240) an easy lift. sunmountain.com For a list of other great holiday gift ideas, visit coloradoavidgolfer.com/gifts.

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | Winter 2015

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coloradoavidgolfer.com

速

Player’s Corner LESSON

Playing on the Road

Heading south for the winter? Don’t leave your swing in the balance.

WINTER CAN TURN the most avid player into a fair-weather golfer. Fewer rounds can lead to greater rust on your game, tempering the excitement of a golf vacation with a healthy dose of self-doubt: What if I can’t hit it? Did my swing leave me? Should I try one of the many swing thoughts I’ve heard?

Before you go giving yourself a golf lesson, get some balance in your life. Seriously. Balance is a crucial element of the golf swing; if you swing out of balance, it will affect your weight transfer and throw off your timing.

To improve your balance, start with a small chip and work up from there. Finishing in balance is more important than how big or hard you can swing.

Pre-swing: Feel your weight balanced left-to-right and heel-to-toe.

2.

3.

1. If you are back on your heels, you will tend to swing under plane. 2. If you are up on your toes, you will tend to swing over the plane. 3. If you don’t transfer your weight properly, you throw off your timing.

In-swing: Be present with your balance. Really feel it. This will help eliminate any chatter or self-correcting behavior.

Finish: Get in the habit of holding your finish in balance with your weight on your target-side foot with your chest facing the target. Hold it for a count of three. Stick the finish!

PHOTOGRAPHS BY EJ CARR

TRY THESE DRILLS

1.

By Elena King

...and on one leg only, alternating legs...

Swing with your feet together... ...and with your eyes closed.

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | Winter 2015

32

LPGA Class A Professional Elena King is the founder of Experience Golf and the winner of top instructor awards from Golf Digest, Colorado AvidGolfer and the LPGA Central Section. Teaching at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora and Meridian Golf Club in Englewood, she integrates physical and mental components with current technologies and techniques to help her students excel.

303-503-0330; experiencegolf.biz. coloradoavidgolfer.com

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Player’s Corner PROFILE

Scrambling with Jarome Iginla The strong leadership and stickhandling skills he brings to the Avalanche make this future Hall of Famer an even better teammate on the golf course.

By Denny Dressman Photographs by Michael Martin On the first hole for Jarome Iginla’s team in the shotgun start to September’s annual Colorado Avalanche Charity Golf Tournament at The Ridge at Castle Pines North, all four of his playing partners missed their mark on the downhill, 169-yard par-three 14th.

This explains the cheers that broke out on the tee box when their famous teammate, a likely Hall of Famer after his hockey career ends, struck his first shot.

“We found out who we were playing with when he drove up to the tee box,” said Dave Tolson, a Castle Pines North resident who plays The Ridge regularly. “I thought, ‘This is awesome!’”

“He said, ‘Hi, I’m Jarome,’” added Brian Toerber of Parker. “It took about three seconds for it to sink in, then the reality factor hit. I thought, ‘This is the real deal. This is Jarome Iginla, one of the premier hockey players in the world!’ It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Little wonder, then, that no one in the group made a good swing.

“They all had first-tee jitters, threw them all into the bushes,” Iginla said. “I’m like, ‘Oh, God. C’mon, please.’ I got lucky. It wasn’t that close, but I put it on the green.”

It didn’t matter that Iginla’s ball was about 30 feet from the hole. Hitting the green meant the group had at least an outside chance at birdie— the minimum competitive score in any scramble.

Tolson, Toerber, Mike Miller of Denver and coloradoavidgolfer.com

WINGMAN: Iginla’s deft stickwork took the pressure off partner Mike Miller.

Erik Olson of Fort Collins all made valiant attempts with their putters, but all missed. Then came Iginla’s turn, and what can only be described as a jaw-dropping moment right out of the closing hole of a PGA Tour tournament.

The Avs’ leading scorer last season with 29 goals and 59 points crouched slightly, paused, then stroked his putt. It rolled determinedly toward the hole, proceeding slowly or so it seemed, until it disappeared into the cup.

Tolson thought: “It’s going to be a good day.

We’re not going to have to do much.” Toerber, Miller and Olson had similar reactions, a mixture of surprise, relief and sudden hope at the birdie start.

“We were in trouble,” Olson said. But Iginla, ever the clutch competitor, bailed them out.

“Their putts weren’t that close,” Jarome said, “and I didn’t expect to be close, either.

When it went in, they were excited. I was thinking, ‘That’s just one, guys.’”

The Jarome Iginla team didn’t win the tournament that day. But by all accounts, it was a great round with a truly great guy.

“When you play golf with someone who’s famous for what they do,” Tolson explained, “you expect them to be less approachable. He was very gracious, very humble. He was interested in who we were. It was like you picked up someone at the course who was just out to play a round.”

“We were talking about it afterwards,” said

37

Iginla’s partners all made valiant attempts with their putters but missed. Then came Iginla’s turn, and what can only be described as a jaw-dropping moment from the closing hole of a PGA tournament.

Winter 2015 | COLORADO AVIDGOLFER

Player’s Corner

fight for different reasons, whether it’s to earn your own space, to help a teammate, to protect a teammate, or you’re responding to a cheap shot. Or sometimes you just get mad. That’s just competing.

“If you don’t like a guy on the ice, it doesn’t mean you won’t like him off the ice.”

When Iginla talked during the tournament round about being a role model for the Avs’ younger players, it had particular meaning for Olson, himself a pro athlete after earning all-conference honors for Sonny Lubick on Colorado State’s firstever Mountain West football champions in 1999.

“He reminds me of guys I looked up to,” said Olson, a safety for the Jacksonville Jaguars between 2000 and 2002 before an injury ended his playing days. “He shows the young guys how to carry themselves, how to prepare, how to be a professional.”

Jarome Arthur-Leigh Adekunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla should pass Bobby Hull’s career goal total of 610 this season and maybe even Joe Sakic’s total of 625. Most hockey experts agree that he is

PROFILE

FANS FOR LIFE: Toerber (left) and Miller both rave about Iginla’s golf game and his graciousness.

Toerber. “We all felt it was the best experience we ever had. He’s got a fan for life.”

“I just look back fondly on the experience,” Miller says. “Weren’t we lucky to be playing with Jarome!”

A hockey star for more than two decades (counting juniors in Canada), Iginla is the Calgary Flames’ all-time leader in goals, points and games played over 16 seasons; a six-time National Hockey League all-star; a three-time Olympian with gold medals in 2002 and 2010; a member of three world championship teams, all at different levels from junior to pro; and 19th in the NHL alltime in goals scored with 589 starting the 201516 season.

What his playing partners all quickly learned is that Jarome is not only a great hockey player and “a world-class human being,” as Tolson puts it, but also an outstanding golfer.

“We asked, ‘What’s your handicap, what kind of player are you?’” Toerber said. “He said, ‘I’m okay, a six.’ He was being modest. He’s every bit a six. He didn’t hit a bad shot all day.”

“We talked about it at other points in the round,” added Miller. “If you’re a gifted athlete, you can excel at a lot of sports. His athleticism transferred to golf.”

Iginla became a golfer around the same time he started his NHL career, and it’s no coincidence.

“I started playing when I was about 18,” Jarome says. “But it was expensive. Once I got in the NHL and had a contract, I could afford to play more.”

He’s a big believer in lessons.

“When I started, probably being a little macho, I thought, ‘I’ll just teach myself, and maybe get some books and read about how to play.’ So for a lot of years I didn’t have lessons. I got better, but only so much.

“I had some buddies, and they took lessons, so I tried it. I wish I hadn’t been so stubborn earlier, because I feel like I wouldn’t have developed bad habits that I had to break over time in lesCOLORADO AVIDGOLFER | Winter 2015

sons—things you really don’t understand until you learn the right way.”

Now 38, Iginla signed for three years with Colorado before the 2014-15 season. Still feeling the pain of losing Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Finals to Tampa Bay in 2004, he was attracted to the Avalanche by the core of young talent assembled by Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy, who are hoping to do again off-ice what they did on-ice in 1996 and 2001.

“I really think the Stanley Cup is within reach,” Iginla said. “Not many teams have the young stars that are here. MacKinnon, Duchene, Landeskog—their speed and skill is very impressive. There are so many young stars here; it’s very exciting to be around them and to play with them.”

Throughout the golf round, Iginla and his foursome chatted about many things: how he started playing hockey at the age of 8—a little late in Canada—but had caught up with his age group, and maybe even passed most of his peers, by the end of the first year; how much he and his family are enjoying Colorado, especially—somewhat to their surprise—its weather; how his three children, daughter Jade and sons Tij and Joe, enjoy sports, particularly hockey; and how, as the oldest player and one of only three on the 64-man training camp roster born in the 1970s, he serves as a role model. His message: play hard and have fun.

“His persona in hockey is a gritty forward,” said Toerber, noting a clear contrast. “He couldn’t have been nicer.”

An unofficial statistic dubbed the “Gordie Howe Hat Trick” defines the persona Toerber had in mind. It consists of a goal, an assist and a fight in the same game. In what seems a monumental contradiction, likeable Jarome Iginla—honored repeatedly for his many humanitarian and charitable endeavors—is among the NHL’s active leaders in Gordie Howe Hat Tricks.

“On the ice it’s a fierce game, sort of like football,” Iginla explains. “You’re battling. You want to win. Fighting is part of our game. You

38

destined to join the likes of Gretzky, Orr, Lemieux, Richard, Howe and, yes, Roy and Sakic, in the Hockey Hall of Fame. But that’s hardly crossed his mind at this point.

“Honestly, the goal right now is to win the Stanley Cup,” he said during his 19th NHL training camp. “That’s where my focus is. We have good chemistry here that I believe is going to translate into some wins. We have a very good team. I think we do have a shot in the next couple years.”

As good as his golf game is, Iginla expects it to become much better once he trades his skates for full-time golf shoes.

“When I’m done, I’d like to play golf a lot more,” he said, “get in some weekly groups where you keep that camaraderie and also the competitiveness—compete and have fun. I have a goal of one day getting to scratch.”

Imagine being his scramble partner then.

Colorado AvidGolfer Contributor Denny Dressman’s piece on North Dakota’s Lewis and Clark Golf Trail (May 2014) won the 2015 Colorado Authors League Award for Feature Articles. His latest book, Heard But Not Seen, is available at comservbooks.com. coloradoavidgolfer.com

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Side Bets | FAREWAYS FOOD | BEER | CARS

ABOUT A TROUT: 1858’s Cast Iron Classic

Pan-Frying for Gold The Broadmoor hits pay dirt with Restaurant 1858 at Seven Falls.

By Gary James PHOTOGRAPH BY GARY JAMES

Known as “Colorado’s Grandest Mile of Scenery,” Seven Falls is one of the oldest natural attractions in the Pikes Peak Region and the only popular destination in Colorado to make National Geographic’s list of International Waterfalls.

The historic site took a serious blow in 2013—it closed after destructive flash floods ruined the road into and trails around South Cheyenne Canyon, tore down trees, and ripped out lights that illuminated the seven drops of the majestic 181foot waterfall.

Last year, the Broadmoor purchased Seven Falls from the Hill family, who had owned it for nearly seven decades. The Anschutz Corporation, the Broadmoor’s owner/caretaker, has poured millions into restoration, repair and upgrades, including a zipline course and a new eating place. Just five minutes from the iconic Broadmoor Hotel, Restaurant 1858 is hemmed in by the sheer granite walls at the base of the waterfall. A Seven Falls ticket is required to access the establishment.

There’s no on-site parking; free shuttles leave from the hotel’s east lot. Although there’s another shuttle at the entrance waiting to whisk you to the restaurant, a beautiful hike into the park helps coloradoavidgolfer.com

work up an appetite—it’s the alpine equivalent of a bar serving salted nuts to make you drink more.

The ambience transports patrons to the Colorado Gold Rush of 1858, with rustic facets like massive wooden beams, reclaimed barn wood, rough-hewn stone, custom lantern light fixtures and hardwood floors—elegance and simplicity perfectly balanced. Throughout the indoor dining room (there’s also an open patio), historic photographs and Western art from the Broadmoor’s vast collection hang from the wood plank walls.

The Colorado cuisine pays tribute to the French, German, and Creole origins of the early miners and fortune seekers. Driven by chef de cuisine Katie Symons, who has worked for Nobu in Las Vegas and West Virgina’s famous Greenbrier resort, the 1858 menu presents an impressive range of game meats, all farm-raised to meet USDA inspection standards. “I want even more protein on the menu, like elk,” Symons allows.

“And I’d love to do squab—it’s such a meaty bird.”

The housemade Wild Boar Green Chili— Pueblo green chili, corn and tomatillo (the secret ingredient in any great bowl of green)—also

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comes slathered on the Chili con Queso Nachos for a group. Of the other starters, everyone from staff to regulars proselytize the BBQ Colorado Trout Fritters, and you will come to testify to their awesomeness—extra crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, loaded with big chunks of house smoked trout and sweet corn and served with creamy Creole mustard sauce for dipping.

The Vidalia Onion Rings arrive accompanied by jalapeños, red onion and ranch dressing—the latter homemade, as it has to be, according to our server Leanne, a Southern girl (Atlanta) who knows her food. The dressing is creamy without being heavy, with the kick of fresh herbs and an understated garlic aspect, so much more vivid than the bottled glop using chemicals and preservatives. And what’s that savory component in the breading? It’s the proprietary barbecue seasoning, a blend that includes the subtle, smoky flavor of Spanish paprika.

The entrees reflect Symons’ passion for Colorado-centric dishes. The 1858 Mixed Grill gathers Eagles Nest Ranch quail, bison roast and venison sausage with black pepper roasted garlic spaetzle (traditional German dumplings) and tasty Winter 2015 | COLORADO AVIDGOLFER

Side Bets | FAREWAYS

pole beans. The Longmont 8 oz. Bison Burger is juicy and full of flavor—best served medium rare with sharp cheddar, BBQ mayonnaise and fries. The Low Country Shrimp & Grits is made to 1858’s fancy—Symons takes the Southern style dish (said to have begun as a fisherman’s breakfast) to another level by using stone-ground grits and adding smoked bacon, scallions and hot sauce. It’s as flavor-packed as fare on any menu between Charleston and Savannah.

But 1858 hits the mother lode with Colorado Rocky Mountain Trout, prepared in a variety of ways. On the lunch menu, there’s the Cast Iron Classic, with hickory smoked bacon, brown butter, lemon and parsley, as well as the Barbecue (1858 sauce, pickled jalapeños and red onion) and Creole (blackened). For supper, you can enjoy the freshwater fish several other ways—Crispy Southern Fried (cornmeal and buttermilk breaded with lemon mayonnaise), Low Country (crispy Vidalia onion rings and caramelized onion butter)

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | Winter 2015

42

and Simply Grilled. The standout is Back East— trout wrapped in Virginia country ham, baked and served with grilled brandied peaches.

Of course, save room for something sweet.

The Palisade Peach Cobbler is a killer home-style dessert, as is the Huckleberry, Blackberry Pie—a chance to wrap your taste buds around some fresh huckleberries, smaller and sweeter than commercially raised blueberries.

All told, Restaurant 1858 is a great place for a game of Symons says. “It’s a wonderful feeling,” she notes, “to be a part of the classic Broadmoor experience—and to cook for people from all over the world.”

6 Lake Avenue 844-843-1858; sevenfalls.com/1858-restaurant Gary James is a Boulder-based food and music writer. Read more of his restaurant writeups in the Lifestyle section of coloradoavidgolfer.com.

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PHOTOGRAPHS BY JON RIZZI (CENTER) AND COURTESY OF THE BROADMOOR.

GOLD RUSH: 1858’s canyon setting; trout fritters and dining room.

Side Bets | TAPPING IN

HOPPY HOLIDAYS: Old Rasputin possesses dark, mystic qualities.

Downhill Chasers ’tis the season to curl up with some rich, flavorful brews.

By Cody Gabbard As with many Colorado avid golfers, the winter months challenge me with a different kind of slope than the ones rated on courses. And like the 19th hole that caps off the previous four hours, a full day of skiing crescendos into my favorite winter pastime—the après-ski.

Despite having enjoyed freshly made draughts of local beers out of stoneware in Belgium, or samples of straight bourbon in Kentucky distilleries, I can hardly remember the names of those beverages. But I’ll be damned if I can’t recall the destinations and beverages shared at hole-in-the-wall establishments following a day on the mountain.

One winter staple of mine is New Belgium’s Cocoa Molé. My first sip of this beer came after a particularly cold and blustery day of skiing in Steamboat Springs several years ago. It was still too cold to enjoy our après-ski on the outdoor patio, so we made a beeline for the local liquor store.

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | Winter 2015

I hate to admit to being swayed by a pretty label, but on that particularly gloomy, chilly day the festive sugar skull printed on the bottle definitely influenced my purchasing decision.

The chocolate, cinnamon, and chilies meld together in a perfect harmony of warmth (or maybe that’s the 9% abv). A hint of sweetness balances out the spicy heat, and was a perfect accompaniment for that day, and I still seek out this mariachi band in a bottle every winter.

Ska Brewing out of Durango has its own molé beer, Autumnal Molé Stout, available in the fall. Autumnal Molé is lighter at 5.8% abv, which helps accentuate the spices, especially the heat. Being a stout, there’s a bit more roast than you will find in New Belgium’s Cocoa Molé, but with less body and not as rich.

Beer snobs may thumb their nose at pumpkin beers, but there’s a reason just about every brewery makes one, and their popularity

44

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seems to have no bounds. Pumpkins and their amber-hued beer companions provide visual reminders of the season, and the deep, rich flavors offer the warmth we seek during the colder months. Many breweries will overload their pumpkin beers with myriad spices, rendering the brew much too muddied in flavor or overly sweet.

What makes a perfect pumpkin beer though, is one that has balance, and also stands out in a sea of over-spiced ambers. Still reigning supreme in my opinion is Southern Tier’s Pumking out of Lakewood, NY. The beer is lusciously smooth, and drinks like a pumpkin pie. Vanilla, buttery crust, a hint of pie spices and some roastiness provide a mélange of flavors that make this 8.6% abv beer hard not to overindulge in. And lucky for us, it’s available in Colorado just before the beginning of autumn.

For a more local, but no less elusive pumpkin beer, Avery’s Rumpkin provides both the powerful flavors and high gravity to help you relax on the most bone-chilling of winter days.

Loads of maltiness are evident in this 15-18% abv beer, but are smoothed out from an extensive aging period of six months in dark rum barrels.

Roasted pumpkins from Boulder add even more body to this bold beer, along with some spice and roastiness.

Stouts typically dominate the lineup of taps during winter, and no other compares in terms

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of range and depth of flavor than North Coast Brewing’s Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout out of Fort Bragg, Calif.

Russian Imperial Stouts are brewed at higher gravities and bitterness levels than their dark counterparts. Their name comes from allegedly being favored by the Russian Imperial Court of the 1800s. Old Rasputin maxes out the categorical limits of this style, with intense flavors of roast, burnt sugars, bitter chocolate, and a hopping level of 75 IBUs. The beer pours as black as the soul of its namesake and leaves legs on the inside of a glass worthy of the most eloquent of wines.

If finding Old Rasputin proves as difficult as killing the mad monk was, Epic’s Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stout out of Denver will ably fill in. Baptist takes Rasputin’s Russian imperial stout style and increases every parameter with the addition of cocoa nibs, coffee, and whiskeybarrel aging.

The coffee adds another element of roast to the beer without running the risk of developing a burnt or acrid flavor from the use of too many highly-kilned malts. It’s not bitter, and the whiskey flavors reveal themselves from the barrel aging, including that unmistakable boozy tang and smooth vanilla from the oak.

It’s difficult to stray from tradition, mostly due to the comfort it provides knowing that we are likely to have or share a positive experience from days past. There is nothing as powerful as the first instance in a tradition, so be resolute in trying something new, even if it’s just a slight variation in what you decide to pair with your family’s holiday dinner or where to grab that wellearned pint at the bottom of the mountain.

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Home-brewer and freelance beer writer Cody Gabbard contributes regularly to Colorado AvidGolfer and the Boulder Weekly. coloradoavidgolfer.com

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Winter 2015 | COLORADO AVIDGOLFER

Side Bets | NICE DRIVES

The New and the Improved Cadillac zooms ahead, Lexus redesigns and Ford climbs fast. By Isaac Bouchard 2016 CADILLAC ATS-V

EPA ratings: 17/23mpg; 19mpg 0-60mph: 3.9 seconds Price as tested: $74,140 Remember when Wile E. Coyote would climb aboard a lit rocket to catch the Road Runner? That first insane rush of accelerative force is what it feels like when the new Cadillac ATS-V’s twin turbos hit boost and you’re thrust back into the tight embrace of the supportive Recaro seat. The huge rear Pilot SuperSports light up and the car shoots forward with barely contained fury, on its way to 60mph in less than four seconds.

There’s nothing cartoony about this epic new vehicle. It has the depth of talent needed to match or beat anything it’s likely to encounter on road or track. A rigid structure and amazing magnetic dampers mean each of the ATS-V’s suspension settings is appropriate. Its ride is unobjectionable in the softer mode and correctly firm for track-type use in Race. The 14.5-inch front brakes are proper items, with the discs pinned to the hats for heat expansion; there is no need for an expensive carbon option to overcome the inadequacies of a “standard” setup.

The tester’s manual transmission was a joy, with accurate, tight throws; rev-matching could be engaged when needed; otherwise superb pedal placement and control weighting made heel-toe antics easy. The steering feedback easily beat the BMW M3/4. There wasn’t the snappy waywardness to the Cadillac’s tail that afflicts the German, yet gorgeous drifts were only a toe-twitch away. Too bad the ATS-V COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | Winter 2015

doesn’t offer compelling aural engagement; the sounds it makes run from anodyne to industrial.

Cadillac still has some way to go on the interior; many frequently used buttons feel cheap and the CUE interface still needs work. But just when aggravation sets in you realize how many pleasing features the American has, like available remote start, easy-exit memory seating and the amazing traction management software that makes drivers of any level faster and smoother.

That the ATS-V is also less expensive and looks better than competitors seals the deal.

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2016 LEXUS RX

EPA rating: RX350: 19/26mpg; 22mpg 0-60mph: RX350: 7.5 seconds (est) Price range: $41,900-$59,975 The boldest—and potentially riskiest— redesign of the year is the all-new, 2016 Lexus RX. Given the model is the company’s bestseller and the leader in the luxury crossover class it helped create, getting the new look right was imperative.

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The look appears at first radically overdone, but with familiarity it strikes me more and more as the correct choice. Both gasoline RX350 and hybrid RX450h are available with the even sportier looking—and hot selling—F Sport trim. Inside, quality is even better, and the newer infotainment interface is bigger and clearer, if still saddled with a touchpad that’s hard to use on the move.

To drive, neither strays far from the RX formula. Bigger antiroll bars and softer springs don’t compromise the Lexus’ smooth ride, and both handle better and have more direct steering. The F Sport’s are even better, with adjustable dampers that handle rough roads with panache. Hooked to a standard eight-speed automatic, the RX350 is faster, as its 3.5-liter V6

pecially if mountain driving is a regular part of your repertoire.

The Ford’s had a heart transplant; 3.5 liters of twin turbo fury now reside behind the fresh grill and headlights. Its 365hp and 420lbft of torque are much less affected by altitude than the V8s in the various GMs, which means it rips up any pass you can imagine.

The Expedition EL showed its copious talents during a 1,000-mile-plus odyssey pitting me against many of the most demanding stretches of pavement in Colorado’s great backyard. In addition to blitzing 12,000-foot passes—while passing everything in sight—it showed superb chassis tuning. The ride on the gorgeous 22-inch rims was excellent, the handling engaging and predictable.

now has direct injection and produces 25 more horsepower (for a total of 295). The hybrid has more total system power too, though the difference in performance from the outgoing model is less obvious.

As radical as the 2016 RX looks, it still has all the Lexus attributes that have made it a pillar of the company’s success: comfort, quality materials and the right technologies. Combined with its new, much more assertive look and its greater emphasis on driver involvement, it should keep the loyalists happy and attract new customers.

Accurate steering made approaching the high cornering limits easy, and the brakes were indefatigable. While the Platinum tester had lots of nice features, such as heated and cooled seats covered in high-end hide, Ford’s penchant for cost-cutting showed in the cheap, hard plastics that make up most moldings— GM does it much better. But the three rows afforded plenty of comfort and room for my five passengers and their gear.

The Expedition EL’s six-speed automatic was much more adroit at getting to the meat of the EcoBoost’s output than GMs’ transmission, and our average of 19mpg was also very impressive, based upon the types or roads and frequently matted throttle employed to maintain near-record low elapsed times. With better ride and handling than the GMs—as well as a higher tow rating—the Ford is certainly worth a drive before dropping seventy-large on a Suburban.

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COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | Winter 2015

EPA ratings: 14/20mpg; 16mpg 0-60mph: 6.5 seconds Price as tested: $68,090

With all the attention focused on the new GM fullsize SUVs, Ford’s Expedition and long wheelbase EL version have been overlooked.

But a thorough mechanical refresh for 2015 makes it a compelling seven-passenger ride, es-

50

Read more of Contributor Isaac Bouchard’s automotive writing at coloradoavidgolfer.com/list/ drives. coloradoavidgolfer.com

The

Rio Life Thanks to 36 holes of redesigned golf, green energy initiatives and an energetic, civic-minded membership, Arizona’s Rio Verde Country Club is an “active adult” community that doesn’t act its age. BY JON RIZZI

O

NE MORE SPIN AROUND the sun and I’ll qualify for “active adult” living. Will I soon find myself humming that silly jingle from The Villages commercial? Probably not, but I’d be whistling a different tune if The Verdes—specifically Rio Verde—had one. About 150 Coloradans currently live there at least part-time, and having recently visited, I completely understand why they do.

“AN OASIS” Although it’s a 45-minute drive from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport and Fashion Square, you can’t beat the location. The oldest of The Verdes developments, Rio Verde occupies 735 acres of stunning desert terrain eight miles north of Fountain Hills.

Protected lands encircle it. Directly east spread the 2.9 million acres of Tonto National Forest, a pine-studded hiker’s paradise that includes Four Peaks Wilderness and large parts of the Superstition and Mazatzal Mountain ranges. Adjacent to the west is the 21,000-acre recreation mecca of McDowell Mountain Regional Park. The groves of pecan trees on Rio Verde’s southern border belong to the 24,000-acre Fort

CASA BONITA: This 4,396 sf home on the White Wing course’s “Gold Coast” is one of Rio Verde’s larger abodes.

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Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2015

coloradoav idgo lf e r.c o m

CLUBBING UP: Members gather at the club’s nightly bonfire; Quail Run’s back doubles as a par-3 course.

McDowell Yavapai Nation. The other Verdes developments—the gated Tonto Verde and recently rebranded Trilogy at Verde River— lie directly north.

“It’s an oasis that’s protected,” says Rio Verde Community Association president Gary Holcomb, who arrived with his wife Michelle 13 years ago. “Development will never encroach.”

MIDWESTERN VALUES With no present or future development possible, Rio Verde also remains an anomaly among private golf communities in that no gates or security booth bar the entrance.

“We’ve never felt the need for gates,” Holcomb’s wife, Michelle, says during a tour of the neighborhood. “They send the wrong message about who we are.”

Who are they? Although Rio Verde counts highly accomplished individuals among its residents, they are not the types to ask, “Do you know who I am?” when demanding a table at a crowded restaurant.

“There’s an unwritten rule here that you don’t talk about what you did,” members Helen Heele and Ann Lewis—Coloradans both—explain over coffee in Rio Verde’s 27,000-square-foot clubhouse. “We have very Midwestern values. The members all prefer the staff to call them by their first names. It’s very easygoing and welcoming.”

Rio Verde owes its Midwestern openness and informality directly to the group of Minnesota businessmen—Ken Glaser, John Mooty, Rudy Luther and Ray King—who developed it as a snowbird community in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

They, their wives and friends cultivated the membership. Friends would invite friends, co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m

and enfold them into the community. John and Jane Mooty, for example, would host weeklong tours of folks from Minnesota, Wisconsin and other Midwest locations.

They would have new members over for dinner when they arrived.

“I’ve met more people in two months here than I did in 15 years at Colorado Springs Country Club,” says retired software executive Kelly Lipp, who learned about Rio Verde through the Private Club Network (privateclubnetwork.com)—a reciprocal-play affiliation comprised of approximately 200 clubs (including 12 in Colorado).

“Less than six months after we arrived, I attended a town hall meeting,” Gary Holcomb remembers. “I counted 93 people I already knew on a first-name basis.”

The easy familiarity extends to the Rio Verde staff. “They have your drink in front of you before you order it,” says Iowan Elisa Verhille, who moved in with her father at Rio

Verde five years ago. She tells me this over a perfectly portioned Chicken Scallopine served by Jane, who has worked there 13 years and has a son named Christian. “A lot of the members went to his high-school basketball games,” Verhille says.

ACTIVE ADULTS Far from just spectators, Rio Verde members stay active on the property’s six tennis courts, two pickleball courts, bocce pitch and swimming pool. The community center houses an art studio, library, fitness studio and a state-of-the-art gym. Kirsten Sundahl directs a full slate of fitness classes including strength training, body sculpting, water and chair aerobics, yoga, Zumba, tai chi and dancing.

Mountain and road biking are natural draws, and hiking the tangle of trails in the surrounding wilderness rates as the most popular activity. “I love walking in

UNHITCHED HIKERS: Wild Mustangs frolic in nearby Tonto National Forest.

Winter 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

53

ONE-SHOTTER: White Wing’s five par 3s are as tough as any you’ll play.

the desert,” says Nancy Werner, a retired economist and banker who recently climbed to the base camp at Mount Everest. “The only reason I like golf is because I can walk.”

GOLF AND MORE Far from flat, both Rio Verde courses— White Wing and Quail Run—are eminently walkable. Both are tree-lined parkland layouts, not target-golf desert tracks, and both underwent major renovations by Tom Lehman in 2007 and 2008.

I play White Wing first with Lipp, Holcomb and Jake Leinenkugel, the retired brewing magnate behind the popular Summer Shandy—as well as the Snowdrift Vanilla Porter I would down at the 19th hole.

Measuring 6,535 yards, the course plays tough, with grabby Bermuda in the rough, deep, grass-faced bunkers and tight lies on the mounds surrounding the ample, breaking greens.

Putts become more decipherable when you learn they break towards the Four Peaks and not away from the mountain as they traditionally do in Colorado. Even with that knowledge, the back nine presents more challenge than the front, starting with the uphill par-5 10th and continuing through some treacherous water holes and a pair of testy par 3s on 14 and 16.

“The par 3s are as tough as those at Pine Valley and Pinehurst,” says Holcomb, a 4, from beneath the brim of a cap bearing the logo of the venerable New Jersey club. “I honestly enjoy playing here as much as the nicest course I’ve played.”

The following day, Head PGA Professional Darryl Janisse joins Werner, member Patti Rogers and me on Quail

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Run. Janisse recently celebrated his 22-year anniversary with the club, which, given his boyish mien, means he must have started while in middle school.

I’m suddenly reminded of what Lipp told me a day earlier: “When I guess people’s age here, I’m always off by 10 years. If I think a guy’s 60, he’s usually 70. This place keeps you young. We had a member’s 100th birthday party the other day. Hazel Peterson.

She’s amazing. She still drives!”

No matter their age, 55 percent of Rio Verde’s 460 country club members prefer Quail Run to White Wing, perhaps because the greens have less movement. Quail’s narrow, meandering fairways (Rogers, who lives off the first green, finds Srixon “Easter eggs” in her yard every morning) lead to fringed greens surrounded by rough. Sand extends to the top of the faces of bunkers that drop deeper than those on White Wing.

Adding to the charm of Quail Run are the far-forward tees on holes 10-18 that create the 1,350- yard par-3 RoadRunner nine.

Small wonder, then, that Ranking Arizona rated Rio Verde 2015’s #1 Active Adult Community and #1 Private Golf Course in Arizona. The club also won the Arizona Women’s Golf Association’s GEM (Golf Endorsed by Members) Award in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

TOURNAMENT TESTED In 2011, the year after Lehman completed his renovation, Quail Run hosted the 22nd National Amputee Tournament, and this February both courses will welcome players from the 17 top NCAA Division II women’s college golf teams as they compete

in the 13th Annual Rio Verde Invitational hosted by Western Michigan University.

Showing their reputation for hospitality, residents and club members open their homes to the players, their parents and coaches. “For a week Rio Verde is young again,” says Michelle Holcomb. “They’re bubbly, talented young girls. We’ve hosted the same girl three years in a row.”

Receptions and parties take place at the clubhouse and at the property’s Box Bar Ranch, a working ranch on the Verde River that regularly stages member cookouts and also serves as base camp for the horses of members in the Rio Verde Saddle Club.

Even more impressive than staging Rio Verde Invitational is the manner in which the “retirement” community retired the debt for the $6 million in renovations to the courses.

In 2010, in the midst of the Recession , instead of assessing members and paying crippling interest, the board instituted a “Patron Program,” in which members and nonmembers voluntarily contributed anywhere from $25,000 to $100,000 in exchange for seven years of as much as $1,400 per year in prepaid club credits towards everything but member dues.

By the end of the campaign, thanks to the generosity of 140 Patrons and other residents, the bank note went up in flames at a celebration on the driving range.

“I was so impressed that people put their money where their mouth was,” says Nancy Werner. “It just speaks volumes about the incredible community spirit and the love of the club.”

COMMUNITY AND SUSTAINABILITY Rio Verde’s many other activities speak volumes about the community’s values.

During the last 19 years, the club has built 20 Habitat for Humanity homes in the Phoenix area without a dime of corporate sponsorship. A Rio Verde Santa annually provides presents for underprivileged local children on Christmas Eve. More than three tons of the grapefruit, oranges and other citrus that grows in residents’ yards get donated to local Food Banks. There’s also VerdeCares, a trained volunteer service that provides area residents non-medical companion care, resource assistance (driving to appointments, picking up prescriptions), educational programs and professional support forums.

Environmentally, the club installed solar panels on the community center, resulting in annual savings of more than 250,000 kWh Continued on page 74 coloradoav idgo lf e r.c o m

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Scottsdale might be one city, but it has two distinctly different stories to tell. On one hand, you have the luxury and excitement of Scottsdale’s energized urban core that combines hip resorts and hotels with spectacular golf, unique events and one of the nation’s most vibrant nightlife scenes.

On the other, world-class resorts and celebrated golf courses showcase the tranquil beauty and exotic landscapes of the Sonoran Desert.

Golfers looking to stay and play in Scottsdale’s urban oasis can find exceptional lodging choices minutes from

some of the city’s best tracks. The iconic Hotel Valley Ho boasts an undeniable mid-century modern cool that feels charmingly retro, though smartly current at the same time. Nearby, W Scottsdale Hotel, located in the heart of Scottsdale’s entertainment district, offers guests insider access to exciting nightlife, fine dining, restaurants, designer shops and exhilarating art galleries, all within walking distance.

If downtown Scottsdale is base camp for your next adventure, make sure to play the manicured perfection

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of The Phoenician Golf Club’s breathtaking 27 holes, and McCormick Ranch Golf Club’s two outstanding 18-hole championship-caliber courses.

While other areas of the country are covered with snow and salt, Scottsdale’s winter weather gives Jack Frost a break with sunshine and temperatures averaging 72 degrees. The gorgeous climate attracts over 500,000 people annually to TPC Scottsdale, home of the Waste Management Phoenix Open and the thrilling 16th hole – an experience that should be on every golfer’s bucket list.

The easy climate also brings Spring Training Baseball to Scottsdale. Salt River Fields – home to National League West Rivals, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies – sits adjacent to Talking Stick Golf Club. Home to 36 holes of outstanding golf, Talking Stick Golf Club has accumulated numerous awards including “Golfweek’s Top 100 Resort Courses.”

If you would like to experience a true desert getaway, turn to North Scottsdale where the name of the game is Southwestern-inspired luxury and relaxation far away

from the city lights. And no place pegs the needle for those requirements quite like Boulders Resort & Spa and the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North. Each offers a spectacular natural setting imbued with quiet sophistication.

World-class spas, luxurious accommodations and inventive dining are par for the course at both of these standout properties. And each provides easy access to some of the state’s best desert golf courses.

The Boulders Golf Club features two acclaimed courses that are laced among otherworldly rock formations along the foothills of Black Mountain. Nearby Troon North Golf Club stands as the hallmark of the desert golf experience, with two 18-hole golf courses stretching through the natural ravines and hills of the high Sonoran Desert in the shadows of Pinnacle Peak.

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3. Los Caballeros Golf Club 4. OakCreek Country Club 5. Antelope Hills 6. Rio Rico Country Club 7. Tubac Golf Resort 8. Emerald Canyon Golf Course 9. Laughlin Ranch Golf Club 10. Elephant Rocks Golf Course

Los Caballeros

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ARIZONA’S

TOP 10

Hidden TREASURES If you chase that little white ball down the roads less traveled, you’re bound to find some of the Grand Canyon State’s finest fairways and greens.

BY BILL HUFFMAN

G

OLF IN ARIZONA has long been known for its tip-top conditioning and jaw-dropping views. That’s especially true in well-known bastions of the sport like Scottsdale, Phoenix and Tucson, where the best public golf has a country club-like feel to it.

Yet from cowboy towns like Wickenburg and Prescott to artisan communities such as Sedona and Tubac to river cities like Parker and Laughlin to mountain-top settings such as Rio Rico and Williams, Arizona offers a gold mine of nuggets that are not always easy to find, but invariably worth the trip.

1. Wickenburg Ranch Golf & Social Club, Wickenburg wickenburgranch.com; 928-668-5535 Located on the outskirts of Wickenburg, smack dab on what once was Merv Griffith’s dude ranch, it’s hard not to “Tell The Truth” about Wickenburg Ranch. The brainchild of two amateur architects—Wendell Pickett and William Brownlee—the Ranch took seven years to build and groom to perfection. No wonder it opened to rave reviews in 2015 (Golf Digest ranked it sixth among Best New Courses). And no wonder the club was sold out for its first 100 straight days. “The Price is Right,” too, as you will pay about half what it costs in Scottsdale for a similar round. Plus, it’s good stuff right from the get-go, as Wickenburg Ranch boasts a panoramic practice range with big-time views, an amenity that earned it the honor of being the No. 3 most interesting range in America in a recent poll by golf.com.

The club, which plans to go private in the near future, currently has no restaurant. Solid in-town choices include the Spurs and Horseshoe cafes, but

co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m

you’ll find the best cuisine in Wickenburg at the other golf course, Los Caballeros. Same with lodging, as nobody does it better than Los Cab .

2. Sedona Golf Resort, Oak Creek sedonagolfresort.com; 928-284-9355 Golf on the red rocks doesn’t get any better than this, which is why the best shot you might take on your next Arizona golf vacation will come with your iPhone at Sedona Golf Resort. This Gary Panks-designed links plays gracefully up and then down the mountain with views that are to die for in every direction. In fact, you won’t get any better “ohs and ah’s” on a Pink Jeep Tour. The best of the bunch is the 200-yard, par-3 10th hole, where several iconic landmarks come into play including Cathedral Rock. Just be sure and save a halfhour for the 19th hole and yet a final gawk at Bell Rock out its mammoth picture window.

Oh, yes, Sedona Golf Resort is not really in Sedona; it’s in the wee town of Oak Creek, which is on your way into Sedona from Interstate 17. Sedona abounds in great eateries and retreats, but the Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock at the course is solid. Or relax at Los Abrigados Resort and Spa (losabrigados.com) and eat at its Steak and Sticks. The best Mexican fare—although you’ll wait an hour to get in—is Elote (elotecafe.com).

3. Los Caballeros Golf Club, Wickenburg loscaballerosgolf; 928-684-2704 Yet another course in Wickenburg that will knock your golf socks off, Los Caballeros is—believe it or not!— the former site of another dude ranch that moved into the Winter 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

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Wickenburg Ranch

4. OakCreek Country Club, Oak Creek oakcreekcc.com; 888-284-1660 Located in the little suburb of Sedona with the same name, OakCreek CC is the work of celebrated architect Robert Trent Jones and his son, Junior. Who designed the front nine and who designed the back has always been up for debate, although the elongated tee boxes, dogleg fairways and elevated, well-bunkered greens exude all of Senior’s trademarks. And the holes also reflect his “hard par or an easy bogey” approach. Not as

6. Rio Rico Country Club, Rio Rico rioricogolfclub.com, 520-281-8567 Robert Trent Jones carved Rio Rico Country Club out of the Santa Cruz River Valley way back in 1971, and it remains one of the best-kept secrets in Arizona, only about 20 miles north of the U.S.-Mexican border.

The layout has some incredible par 3s and

Antelope Hills

OakCreek

scenic as Sedona Golf Resort, but definitely more strategic, OakCreek makes for a great one-two punch as the two layouts are within a mile of each other. The closest retreat is the Bell Rock Inn (diamondresorts.com/BellRock-Inn), with Javelina Cantina and Barking Frog right in the ’hood. Hey, there is a good chance you’ll want to play this classic again.

Tubac

5. Antelope Hills (North and South Courses), Prescott antelopehillsgolf.com; 928-776-7888 The address says Prescott but Antelope Hills is out there in the hinterland near an Arizona landmark called the Granite Dells.

When you do find it, the North and South

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ALL COURSE PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF THE GOLF COURSES

golf arena with aplomb. Arizona architects Greg Nash and Jeff Hardin were just young apprentices with a heavy influence from their master, Red Lawrence, when they built this incredible roller coaster of a golf course under the nearby landmark known as Vulture’s Peak. Lawrence, nicknamed “the Desert Fox” for his earlier efforts at fabled Desert Forest, taught his pupils well. Certainly you will never forget the 598-yard, par-5 13th hole that takes you over three distinct hilltops on your way to the green. It’s a backbreaker of a hole that will certainly get the vultures swirling! Plus, play at Los Cab, stay at Los Cab. Rancho de los Caballeros (ranchodeloscaballeros.com; 800-684-5030) is fabulous right down to the home-style service.

courses are both “must play” opportunities that sit side by side. The North, which was built in 1956 by legendary architect Lawrence Hughes (the same guy who did Paradise Valley Country Club) is old-fashioned, tree-lined golf with small greens and ribbon-like fairways that play up and down the hills. The Gary Panks-designed South is the modern version that sports big, bluegrass fairways and greens. If you only have time to play one (what a shame!), opt for the North.

Stay downtown on the square at any of the historic retreats—Grand Highland (grandhighlandhotel.com), St. Michael (stmichaelhotel.com) or the Hassayampa Inn (hassayampainn.com), which supposedly is haunted. Prescott Brewing Company (prescottbrewingcompany.com) is good for lunch, and Hassayampa’s Peacock Room is best for dinner.

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par 5s, and is challenging enough that PGA Tour qualifying was held there. It has undergone some hard times in recent years, condition-wise, but the RTJ’s layout is so darn good that it’s worthy of taking the gamble.

The sixth (an uphill par 3), seventh (a rambling, downhill par 5) and eighth holes (dogleg, downhill par 4 over water) are one of the best stretches of golf in all of Arizona.

There are no easy pars, which is just the way Jones liked it. Best place to crash is the nearby Esplendor Resort (esplendor-resort.com), which also has an excellent dining room although most of the locals head for San Cayetano or Las Trankas de Rio Rico, the real deals in Mexican cuisine.

Sedona

Tubac

Laughlin Ranch

7. Tubac Golf Resort, Tubac tubacgolfresort.com; 520-398-2211 Located less than 10 miles from Rio Rico, Tubac Golf Resort is where part of the movie Tin Cup was filmed. Another course built by Red Lawrence, Tubac Golf Resort weaves its way through the mesquite groves between the Tumacacori and Santa Rita mountain ranges with a river running through it. While Lawrence did the original 18 in 1960, Arizona architect Ken Kavanaugh added nine more holes in the 21st Century.

Coupled with the regal resort of the same name and the eclectic local art community of Tubac, you can spend a week down there like Kevin Costner and Cheech Marin once did. Best of all, you’re already at the place you “must stay,” as Tubac Resort’s rooms and cuisine are the best of the best, although two small cafes—Elvira’s (elvirasrestaurant.com) and Shelby’s (shelbysbistro.com)—are quite good.

8. Emerald Canyon Golf Course, Parker co.la-paz.az.us/golf.html; 928-667-3366 Another treasure is Emerald Canyon, which runs through a series of Old West-looking canyons on the edge of the Colorado River near Parker. Guaranteed, you will never for-

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get it. Raw and rugged with steep canyon walls and craggy cliffs, it is appropriate that Emerald Canyon sits in the shadow of the Buckskin Mountains because it can, literally, tan your hide. It’s Ricochet Rabbit-style golf where you can bounce the ball off canyon walls and still have a shot. No wonder they sell T-shirts in the pro shop that proclaim: “I Survived Emerald Canyon!” But you’ll be fine if you decide to stay and dine after your round at the nearby Bluewater Resort and Casino (bluewaterfun.com).

9. Laughlin Ranch Golf Club, Bullhead City laughlinranch.com; 866-684-4653 Just upriver from Emerald Canyon is another course that features lots of elevation; Laughlin Ranch drops over 600 feet from top to bottom. Modern-day architect David Druzisky carved out this desert oasis by conquering the ubiquitous arroyos and cliffs, not to mention the 120-degree heat that nearby Bullhead City sometimes emanates. The course’s covered bridges and rustic, ranchstyle clubhouse bring everything together for a “Wild, Wild West” persona. Even though Laughlin Ranch is closer to Bullhead City,

10. Elephant Rocks Golf Course, Williams elephant-rocks.com; 928-635-4935 Located in the cool Ponderosa pines near the sleepy high-country town of Williams, Elephant Rocks originally resulted from the effort of 1920s railroad workers.

Those first nine holes were very special, and then 75 years later, Gary Panks added nine more interesting characters to what the locals call “the Rocks.” The pristine layout sits 7,000 feet above sea level and brims with history as well as some gorgeous bentgrass greens. Adding to the lore are the namesake pachyderms—elephant-shaped rocks that guard the course’s entrance, the gift of those railroad workers from yesteryear who brought them there from all over the country. And, yes, the 19th hole sells Elephant Beer, although you’ll want to dine at either the Red Raven (redravenrestaurant.com) or Kicks on Route 66 (williamsazrestaurant.com).

Should you decide to stay in Williams (and not in nearby Flagstaff or closer to the Grand Canyon), two excellent choices are the venerable and historic Grand Canyon Hotel (thegrandcanyonhotel.com) and the Sheridan House Inn (grandcanyonbedandbreakfast.com).

Bill Huffman is the editor of the Arizona Golf Insider. coloradoav idgo lf e r.c o m

ALL COURSE PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF THE GOLF COURSES

drive the 10 minutes to Laughlin across the Colorado River in Nevada, where any riverfront hotel is pretty good. Bumbleberry Flats at the Pioneer Hotel (pioneerlaughlin.com) is best for breakfast. Try Saltgrass Steak House (saltgrass.com) for dinner.

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New Mexican

Miracle Rockwind Community Links, located in the tiny town of Hobbs, is more than one of the country’s best municipal courses. It’s the blueprint for golf’s future.

BY JON RIZZI | COURSE PHOTOGRAPHY BY TONY ROBERTS

T

“

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HE PUMPJACKS WERE our trees,” remembers Stan Sayers of the oil-rich badlands near his hometown of Hobbs, New Mexico. He laughs. “That sounds like it could be right out of a Jason Aldean song.”

The town in which Sayers, the 2009 Colorado Section PGA Teacher of the Year, first learned his profession sits 10 minutes by pickup from the Texas border and 90 minutes from Lubbock, Midland and Odessa. This is Friday Night Lights country, as one look at Watson Memorial Stadium suggests.

The home of the Hobbs High Eagles football team holds 15,000—ten times the student body and nearly half the town’s total population. Yet Hobbs’ two state championships on the gridiron pale in comparison to its 17 in boys’ hoops—more than any 5A school in New Mexico history, with the most recent coming last spring.

Hobbs, however, is also golf country.

In 2012, the Hobbs High boy’s team won its sixth state title—an impressive feat when you consider the team’s home course, the 6,700yard municipal Ocotillo Park, dated to 1955.

It may have sported “the only trees in Hobbs, but you could blast it anywhere and score,” says the team’s coach, Victor Rotunno. “The

Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2015

pushup greens were super-small and flat.”

Sayers, who played “hundreds of rounds” at Ocotillo before leaving Hobbs more than 30 years ago, says two qualities defined that course. One was the cementlike caliche that was so ubiquitous that “everyone knew the course as ‘The Rock.’”

The other was the wind. “From February 15th to May 15th you’d wake up to a perfect day,” he recalls, “and by 9:15 A.M. the leaves would start to move and before long it would be blowing 20 miles an hour until dark.”

How appropriate, then, that after the Hobbs city council approved funds for a sorely needed renovation of Ocotillo in 2012, it soon rechristened the course, which would open for play last May, “Rockwind.”

In addition to a new name, the $12.5 million revamp brought a wholesale overhaul of the facility—the course layout, irrigation, clubhouse, restaurant and golf shop—and, significantly, a philosophical change in how the community views a golf course.

The result, Rockwind Community Links, is beyond anything Stan Sayers or anyone who’d previously played the “the Rock” could ever have imagined.

At Ocotillo, for example, they’d never

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have seen a young family enjoying a picnic at a table by the fifth tee, or men and women walking a 3.3-mile trail along the course’s perimeter.

They’d never have watched 16 people simultaneously practicing on the range because the one at Ocotillo only had five spaces.

Nor could they have imagined the gratification that comes from having a separate, challenging nine-hole par-3 course (Li’l Rock) and a city-funded chapter of The First Tee. They wouldn’t have delighted in the Three Pig Sandwiches, blackened tilapia wraps and loaded sidewinder fries dished up in the Rockwind Grill. Nor would they have seen the groups of families coming from church for a late breakfast.

Their wildest dreams could not have included Rockwind’s spacious golf shop, appointed by PGA Head Professional Linda Howell and brimming with brand merchandise and a welcoming atmosphere worthy of a top-flight resort.

And they most decidedly could not have envisioned a layout Fred Couples, Natalie Gulbis and Lee Trevino all described as

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“phenomenal” and Golf Digest ranked as one of the 10 Best New Courses of 2015.

All this and more (including concerts and activities on the many open green spaces) transpires at Rockwind Community Links on a regular basis.

In the same spirit that St. Andrews becomes a public park on Sundays, Rockwind serves as an asset to the entire population, not just the 10 percent of residents who play golf.

“We’re not saying that we’ve invented something new,” explains Andy Staples, the Scottsdale-based course architect who trademarked the phrase “Community Links.” “We’re saying this is a forgotten part of golf—what it means to a city and a community.”

Staples arrived in Hobbs at the invitation of Ocotillo Superintendent Matt Hughes, with whom he had worked at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah. Repairing more than 300 leaks a year on an annual basis, Hughes had been pushing hard for a less wasteful irrigation system. He knew that Staples, in addition to being an extremely gifted golf architect, had a strong background in sustainability, energy

OLD SCHOOL: Touches like “chocolate drops” and a rock wall add a classic character to Rockwind’s 16th.

Winter 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

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dime of debt, which, Hughes says, “takes so much of the financial pressure off.”

Rockwind’s rates reflect that. Depending on the time of day, 18-hole non-resident adult rates run $20-$30; seniors pay $20-$24 and juniors, $12. For Hobbs residents it’s 50 percent less. Rockwind encourages walking; carts cost $11-$16 per person.

The course is a magnificent walk and ride, with short distances between each hole’s bentgrass greens and five teeing areas.

Staples based his routing on Muirfield, The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, where the front nine loops the perimeter in a clockwise direction, cordoning a back nine that routes counterclockwise and incorporates a 14-million-gallon lake on holes 10, 11 and 18. The lake connects to a a latticework of irrigation streams threading through the course.

“The routing affords flexibility,” Staples says. “You easily can do a six-hole loop using holes 1, 2, 15, 16, 17 and 18, or a nine-holer by crossing the channel between holes 4 and 14.” Rockwind also features far-forward

RARE BIRD: The 245yard par-3 15th is the No. 1 handicap hole.

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PHOTOGRAPH BY JON RIZZI

efficiency and water conservation.

“Andy came and met with the city manager ( J. J. Murphy) and pitched him on the Community Links idea,” Hughes remembers. “He hooked him on it like a big ol’ bass.”

“I basically said he should be looking at this comprehensively, that golf is integral to the quality of life. Here was an opportunity to grow the game and provide a reason why someone might move to Hobbs,” Staples remembers. “Every time we went in front of the city council, it was a 7-0 vote.”

Rockwind represents Staples’ first completed Community Links project.

During his initial foray in Los Alamos, northwest of Santa Fe, he converted “a room full of tomato-throwers and anti-treemovers” but the project ran out of funding.

That wouldn’t happen in Hobbs, which, according to Hughes, brings in $5-6 million a month in gross receipts and has $100 million in reserves. “It’s the third strongest economy in New Mexico,” he boasts. The city built Rockwind without incurring a

ROCKING THE ROCK: The 561-yard 4th; assistant pro Camren Bergman with charge Kelen Owensby.

“Express Tees” on each hole. Based on the idea that beginners who only have 60 percent the swing speed of experienced players, these tees cut each hole by 40 percent. “This allows a beginner to experience the course as he or she would when he or she become accomplished,” he explains.

Staples combined this progressive approach with old-school touches like “chocolate drops” behind the 16th green (à la Garden City Golf Club) and multiple “coffin bunkers” (St. Andrews). A punchbowl green funnels your approach on the fifth, and the influences of Golden Age architects like Charles Blair Macdonald and Seth Raynor and the underappreciated Midwestern duo of William Langford and Theodore Moreau appear throughout.

Rather than fight the rocks and wind, Staples embraced both and deftly wove them into the design.

He stacked the chunks of excavated caliche into low rock walls that appear throughout the course. Some border holes, others define them. One serves as a “viewing bench” on the first tee; another strategically bisects the fairway on the short par-5 16th. coloradoav idgo lf e r.c o m

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HOBBS HUB: Rockwind’s modest clubhouse now buzzes with social activity.

“It’s funny; if it’s not perfectly stacked, people think it’s historic,” Staples muses.

Studying the prevailing wind patterns, he routed six holes to play with the wind, another six to play against it, and six with different directions of crosswind. To keep sand from blowing out, he designed flatbottomed bunkers with grass faces. Believing “golf is more fun when it’s a ground game,” even the holes with water carries, such as the par-3 10th offer bailout areas.

Speaking of Par 3s, Staples purposely sited the 998-yard nine-hole Li’l Rock course right at the entrance to Rockwind so “the first thing people see are kids and families playing.” The holes range between 65 and 187 yards, and a round sets non-residents back $9 and residents $6. Juniors pay $4 and

$3, with replays running $1 to $4. It’s a blast.

Both the Hobbs High School and New Mexico Junior College teams practice at Rockwind, affording invaluable experience as they prepare for state tournaments. Their presence also encourages kids in The First Tee of Southeastern New Mexico.

For Parks and Recreation Director Doug McDaniel and Rockwind Golf Professional Camren Bergman—both of whom grew up playing Ocotillo—the new course couldn’t be a better selling point for residents and visitors.

“I haven’t heard one negative comment about the golf course from anyone,” McDaniel says during an after-work gettogether on Rockwind’s patio.

Bergman, who starred at Hobbs High

and played collegiately at New Mexico JC and UNM, loves the facility’s transformation and the opportunity to mentor young players like 9-year-old Kelen Owensby, who joined us for a Friday afternoon round.

“Pride is the best way to put it,” Bergman says. “When we grew up we had nowhere to go to get better. There was a cap. These kids will have every option we never had. That’s why I’m so passionate about this project.”

Citing the number of visitors who come to eat, get married and not even play golf, Bergman jokes that “We’ve quickly become the most scenic place in Hobbs.”

Still, is it worth making the trip from Colorado? The answer is an enthusiastic yes. The town’s best restaurant, Pacific Rim, is owned and operated by the same folks, Joe and Sarah Yue, who run the Rockwind Grill.

Carlsbad Caverns and the UFO Museum in Roswell are easy drives. And after a Friday round in the fall, just follow the bright lights to the football stadium.

Best of all, you’ll play a challenging course and see a model for golf ’s future. You don’t even have to have grown up there, like Stan Sayers did, to appreciate it.

Jon Rizzi is the editor of Colorado AvidGolfer. rockwindgolfcourse.com; 575-397-9297.

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2650 S. Havana, Aurora CO • (303) 337-1734 | 7715 Wadsworth, Arvada CO • (303) 420-0885 | 8100 W. Crestline Ave., Littleton CO • (303) 948-7550 8691 Park Meadows Center Dr, Lone Tree CO • (720) 328-7402 | 2454 Montebello Sq. Dr., Colorado Springs CO • (719) 268-9522

For store hours and more information visit www.coloradoskiandgolf.com

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Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2015

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1st Place is Your Choice

THE BEST IN COLORADO GOLF

50+ categories (courses, clubs, instructors, travel and more)

Cast your vote at ColoradoAvidGolfer.com Polls close December 31st.

Results revealed in the Spring issue.

OCEAN’S 13: Quivira’s par-3 13th doesn’t get nearly the attention the 5th and 6th do, but it’s fair to say it would get plenty on any other course.

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Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2015

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A Cabo Cliff hanger Could Jack Nicklaus’ Quivira be the most electrifying course you ever play?

BY TONY DEAR

E

VEN DURING THE BOOM years of golf course construction, when faceless new facilities with formulaic names opened every week, Jack Nicklaus designs always attracted a lot of attention. After the economic bubble burst, however, and new course openings slowed to a trickle, news of an original, signature, mega-bucks Nicklaus project became disproportionately momentous.

Progress at Quivira Golf Club, located on the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula and Nicklaus’s sixth project in the Los Cabos area, was therefore monitored closely— partly because there was little else for travel editors and course reviewers to write about, but also because images of the holes being built, specifically those on the cliffs overlooking the powerful Pacific Ocean surf, were nothing short of sensational.

Shortly before Quivira’s October 1, 2014 opening, however, Hurricane Odile blasted over the peninsula with 140-mph winds that caused more than $1 billion of damage.

Thankfully, no one working on the course− or anywhere on the 1,850-acre Quivira community that houses two luxury Pueblo Bonito resorts and three private residential neighborhoods−was hurt, though the course itself did not survive fully intact.

Odile did its best to set the development back years, even destroy it entirely. But the best it could do was postpone the course’s opening just a few weeks. The ribbon was finally cut on December 4th, by which time areas of vegetation lost to the wind had been replanted, bunker sand replaced, and the drainage infrastructure repaired.

“Odile did a lot of damage to the golf

co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m

course and our resort properties,” says José Luis Mogollón, Chief Development Officer of Pueblo Bonito Oceanfront Resorts and Spas, which was founded in 1985 by Ernesto Coppel and owns four luxury resorts in Cabo San Lucas and two in Mazatlán.

“We had hundreds of people working on removing the mess the hurricane left behind.

Several tons of sand had been blown out of the bunkers and off the dunes, and scattered over the fairways and greens. It was a battle with time, because that much sand covering the grass would have had a very detrimental effect.”

When Quivira did eventually open, the world got to see just how sensational those cliff holes were. The 5th was a short par 4 of just 310 yards from the back tee where the boldest (or craziest?) golfer might take a driver, aim out to sea, and take on the green set in the cliffs well below. The prudent approach was to position a hybrid or long iron on the fairway and follow it with a sand wedge that fell 50 or 60 feet to the now visible putting surface with the ocean beyond.

It was a breathtaking prospect. But quite honestly, the 5th was merely a taster, an alluring prelude to the time-stopping, heart-jumping, wow-inducing spectacle of the 180-yard par-3 6th hole where golfers would tread a chiseled path between the tee and green, set on a leveled terrace with cliffs rising to the right and plunging quickly to the water on the left.

Playing these two holes is incredibly exhilarating, but while you marvel at the view you also ask yourself how Nicklaus and his staff could possibly have built them. Senior

Winter 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

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CLIFF DIVER: The short par-4 5th plunges towards the Pacific.

Design Associate Chris Cochran explains.

“We built walls on the low side of the fifth fairway, the green and back tee, and another to hold up the tees at the sixth,” he says. “And we installed gabions (rock-filled metal cages) on the low side of the sixth green before any major earthworks began. As for machines, we really only needed two large excavators, a couple dozers and a few off-road trucks.

Smaller tractors were used for the finish.”

The look and style of the course was dictated very much by what Nicklaus found there. “The entire site is sand with some rock outcroppings,” says Cochran. “Therefore it was a natural fit to continue with the sandy look throughout the property, and expose the rock when we found it.”

Nicklaus’ willingness to retain as many of the natural characteristics of the land as possible rather than dynamite the place to create an alien environment won him the job over Tom Fazio—the only other candidate.

“Nicklaus and Fazio raise real estate values better than anyone,” says Mogollón.

“But we felt Nicklaus would be more disposed to using whatever the land offered.

So he was our first choice.”

The obvious danger at a course like Quivira is that so much time, attention and money is allocated to so few holes (Nos 5, 6, and the equally enthralling par-3 13th) that the remainder of the course turns out mediocre at best, and that a golfer’s only lasting memories are forged at what the

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Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2015

SQUEEZE PLAY: The green at the par-4 14th nestles in the dunes.

marketers deem to be the “signature” holes.

Nicklaus is well aware the aforementioned trio will always be front and center in people’s minds and editorial content. But he was careful not to make them the whole story.

“Actually, I think Quivira has an abundance of exciting holes,” he says. “I think of Pebble Beach, which is the course I’d choose if I only had one more round. If Pebble had 18 holes that played along the water, it would risk getting monotonous.

When you have inland holes that work their way back to the ocean, you not only give the course variety but create a great sense of anticipation.”

The same could be said of Quivira, Nicklaus contends “There are some great inland holes that stand up on their own,” he adds. “They are full of strategy, playability, excitement, and great vistas which make golfers eager to return to the ocean.”

While Nicklaus won’t commit to naming a favorite hole, others are only too happy to offer their picks. “Besides the cliff holes, the 18th provides a really beautiful finish,” says Cochran. “And the right-angle dogleg par-5 10th, the par-5 12th which swoops down to the beach, and the downhill par-4 16th are also great fun to play.”

Director of Golf Antonio Reynante Vega, a native of Chihuahua but a graduate of the Professional Golfers Career College in Temecula, Calif., also mentions 18, saying it

is a strong closing hole as it plays directly into the prevailing onshore breeze. “The infinity-edge green is a wonderful place to conclude an amazing round,” he adds.

The golf course is an amenity for guests of the two magnificent Pueblo Bonito resorts at Quivira—Sunset Beach and the adult-only, all-inclusive Pacifica, which opened in 2005 and has been named among Condé Nast Traveler’s Best Places in the World to Stay four times since 2008.

Also highly decorated is the resort’s flagship restaurant—Siempre, where the head chef, Mexico City native Edgar Román Chávez, creates “Mediterranean-style cuisine infused with distinctive Mexican flavors.” Before coming to Quivira, Chávez oversaw five restaurants in town, each specializing in something different. He says the ceviches, and shrimp/lobster dishes are Siempre’s most popular, but his favorite dish to make is Catch of the Day mixed with Mexican herbs and served with sautéed tagliatelle with organic Tubers/Huitlacoche (corn mushroom) purée, and beet sauce scented with mandarin essence.

Like Quivira Golf Club, Chávez’s signature dish is truly special and a worthy addition to your “Must visit/play/eat/do before it’s too late” list. Indeed, the whole property is exceptional and a testimony to developer Ernesto Coppel’s flair, acumen, determination, and vision.

In 1998, Coppel penned a book, The Road to Paradise, in which he detailed his great-grandfather Isaak’s journey from Poland to New York City in 1854, and the family’s subsequent migration to Mexico.

He wasn’t writing about Quivira obviously, but if he had been, the title would have been entirely appropriate.

Contributor Tony Dear’s most recent book is The Story of Golf in Fifty Holes (Firefly).For more information on Quivira, visit quiviragolfclub.com or call 800-990- 8250.

OVER THE EDGE: The superb finisher ends on a rolling, infinity-edge green. coloradoav idgo lf e r.c o m

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Chance to win a golf vacation.Plan a golf vacation

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www.denvergolfexpo.com

The Rio Life Continued from page 74

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Colorado AvidGolfer | Winter 2015

and $28,000. It restored to desert 15 acres of turf on the golf courses, and created a nativeplant landscaping palette for the club and community. The club also conducts regular seminars on living green, and it recently diminished greatly its energy consumption by converting to all-LED lighting in and around the clubhouse.

For these and other continued efforts in long-term sustainability, Rio Verde became the first Audubon International Certified Sustainable Community west of the Mississippi River, and only the fifth in the country. “Our focus on preservation, conservation and sustainability will certainly benefit our current residents as well as those who will follow in their footsteps,” Gary Holcomb said upon receiving the award on behalf of the Community Association.

The 980 homes in the Rio Verde development range in price from $250,000 to well over $1 million, with the average home occupying 2,500 square feet and costing $450,000. The comfortable one in which I stayed is part of the Discovery Package, which costs $500 to $750 per couple for a four-night stay, includes a round of golf on each course, lunch at the clubhouse and a realtor tour.

Like its residents and golf courses, Rio Verde’s real estate doesn’t look its age.

The 40-year-old development’s homes are cheery, offer ample outdoor living spaces and upgraded floor plans, finishes and appliances.

Approximately half the residents are members of the country club, though all homeowners have social-member privileges.

New homeowners have 90 days from time of purchase to join the country club without paying the $25,000 initiation. Monthly golf dues run $700 and association dues are $3,200 per year.

“It’s not uncommon for people to buy three or four houses in Rio Verde,” Michelle Holcomb says as we tour a home for sale.

“They upsize, they downsize. We call it the Rio Verde Shuffle.”

I may not be chronologically or financially ready to shuffle into Rio Verde, but the golf is fabulous, and its friendly, energetic, community-minded and green values certainly align with mine. Good neighbors don’t need gates.

Jon Rizzi is the editor of Colorado AvidGolfer. For more on Rio Verde Country Club and community, visit rioverdearizona.com or call 877-746-8373. coloradoav idgo lf e r.c o m

The Games of Golf TRIVIA | PUZZLERS

How Are They Rolling Today?

Even with legalized marijuana filling Colorado’s coffers with leaves of cash, don’t expect to play a 4/20-friendly golf course anytime soon. (Although if one gets built, it would only be appropriate to have as the designer Florida architect Bobby Weed.)

Since this is our annual travel issue, we spanned the globe to find courses with names suggesting the wacky tobacky. There’s no endorsement here; we’re just having some fun.

During the 1960s and 1970s, for example, mining executives in Liberia piped drives at the

Bong Golf Course. A continent away, a war raged in Vietnam, a country in which one now requires a bóng golf (translation: golf ball) to ply the Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail.

Today’s player might consider Thor’s Hammer Club in Minnesota, which younger members know as T.H.C.—or they would if the club actually existed.

That said, below are clubs both real and pipedreams. Your job is to decide which is which.

For the answers, visit coloradoavidgolfer.com.

TRUE or FALSE? (circle your answers)

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER | Winter 2015

1. Bairnsdale Golf and Bowls Club True False

10. Potholes Golf Course True False

2. Cannonball Golf Club True False

11. Roach Municipal Links

3. Gahn-Ja Golf Resort True False

12. Smoke Rise Country Club True False

4. Golf Club le Pôt True False

13. Spliff Golf and Country Club True False

5. High Valley Golf Course

True False

14. Stoner Creek Golf Course True False

6. Joint Services Golf Club

True False

15. Stoney Links Golf Course True False

True False

7. Peace Pipe Golf Course True False

16. Sweetgrass Club

8. Pipestone Golf Club True False

17. Tok City Golf Course True False

9. Pot O’ Gold Club & Resort

18. Weed Golf Club

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True False

True False

True False

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