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Tag: Executive Golf Guide

The Art of Business Golf in Colorado: Turning Bogeys Into Birds on the Green, and in the Office

You can take clients to Elway’s for steaks and compete with the text notifications blinking on their cell phones, or to a Nuggets game and irritate the diehard fans all around you by discussing ROI and A/B testing. But there’s nothing like time on the golf course. Four hours walking or riding fairways together, with long leisurely gaps between shots and the timeless tradition of the 19th hole at the end.

“It is special,” says Ryan Smith, the Colorado Golf Association’s chief development officer.

“I think it’s a really great way to build trust and get to know someone, because ultimately a good business relationship is built around what they’re interested in and what they want to invest in, especially corporate partners and corporate dollars, whether it’s sponsorship or just investment in an event or a program, and also private donors.

READ: How to Do Business on the Golf Course — Counting Penalty Strokes

“And they get to see what I’m passionate about and what I’m excited to share, whether that’s playing really well, or playing poorly, which is more often the case.”

Smith has spent most of his career in fundraising, including with Habitat for Humanity before joining the non-profit CGA. He’s not a scratch golfer, and his handicap bears no relevance to the topic at hand. Just as some in sales excel at reading a room, Smith has honed his skills at figuring a foursome. Last year, the CGA tapped him to be executive director of its do-good department, the Colorado Golf Foundation.

I’ve played with Smith, and it was a pleasure. I’ve also spent years writing about golf, playing with colleagues and supervisors more powerful than me and with players much, much (and another much) better than I am. I’m convinced there’s no correlation between golf skills and success when it comes to the game of business golf.

Here’s how it works.

The venue

Golf courses are all over Colorado and a private club membership is not required for showing a client or colleague a good time. Smith uses the CGA’s CommonGround as a host venue with a special caddie program that turns into a talking point; see the sidebar for a list of more Colorado daily fee courses that are a cut above the local muni. Just be sure to secure a tee time far enough in advance to pin down your guests.

READ: Colorado Gold Guide — Top 7 Upscale Public Golf Courses

The invitation

The generous host goes beyond “be my guest.” Those buzzwords, of course, make it clear who’s paying. But, are there any rules the guest should know? Like, are cargo shorts prohibited, or does the club use rulers to ensure skirts are not too high above the knee? Is there a locker room, or is it OK to change shoes in the parking lot? If a group is playing, how will the foursomes be arranged?

The acceptance

It behooves the guest to ask the questions the host hasn’t thought to answer, or to call the course for answers to some of the thornier ones for hosted guests – like, for instance, “Is my money good in the clubhouse? Whom should I expect to tip?” Smith recalls neglecting to bring cash to his first round at Colorado Golf Club. “We had a caddie who worked his butt o ,” he says. “I was the one guy in the group who didn’t plan ahead. You don’t want to be running into the clubhouse asking for an ATM.”

Walking, riding, caddies

Most golfers expect to ride, so the kind host will talk to the grateful guest up front about how they will travel around the course. Does the guest have an injury, or inability to walk 18 holes?

If so, the host who always walks the course should plan to ride this time. If walking, are there push carts? Motorized caddies? Or, wow, real caddies?

Know that places like CommonGround, the Broadmoor, even famed Ballyneal host special programs designed to groom young people with life skills and the chance at an Evans Scholarship to CU. Unlike the career caddies to be found at some of Denver’s venerable golf clubs, the kids don’t necessarily know much about golf, which is all part of the fun.

Match ’em up

The appreciative guest will not decide which cart to jump into. It’s up to the host to pair up players who are riding, and, yes, it’s an art. One might check the GHIN app to find out a player’s handicap, or rely on other factors. Smith once hosted a VIP he would have liked to have ridden with but was wise enough to pair that player with another guest, who has since shown appreciation in many ways. But, he says, “If I’m trying to close a sale with someone, I want to be in their cart.”

Tee time: Men

Are we playing the blacks? The blues? The member tees?

Few decisions correlate to enjoyment the way this one does.

It used to be that if one guy said, “I want to play the whole course,” everyone went to the back tees with him. Now there’s more awareness of matching the length of the course to the length of your game. In business golf, though, it remains generally a group decision, so be prepared to roll with the flow.

READ: Revolutionizing Tee Time — GolfSnake App Offers Seamless Reservations for Denver Golfers

Tee time: Men and women

I checked in with Laura Robinson, former executive director of the Colorado Women’s Golf Association, about where the average woman golfer should tee up when playing a business round with three men.

The dilemma: play forward but miss the chitchat and camaraderie, or play back and suffer with your score.

“Always play from the right tee box,” Robinson declares. “I play with lots of guys and they are more impressed if I can get in par than which tee box I play from!”

And, for a man in the inverse situation: There is no rule against playing the forward tees. Smith does it!

Disguise your lack of skill

If you are a truly terrible golfer and cannot hope to finish out most holes with less than, say, a quadruple bogey, help the group move along quickly by pacing your play smartly. Lost two tee shots? “I’ll just drop my next one up there by (whomever hit it long and straight).” Just skulled your seventh shot over the green? “I’ll pick that up.” Then join the others on the green as they putt out, showing an interest in their games. There’s no need to apologize, ever: Golfers don’t care about your game, only their game. They might, however, watch to see how you handle adversity, so temper tantrums are not advised.

Don’t do the don’ts

Too many beers. Loud music. Slamming clubs, littering, cursing. Just don’t – you’re at a business meeting. Also, golfers will notice if you do not rake bunkers or ll divots or repair holes on the green. Score by cleaning up messes that aren’t even yours.

Know the rules of the game

No, not literally the Rules of Golf. Know which rules by which your group is playing. Are mulligans (aka do-overs) and gimmes encouraged? Is there any team game whereby you can pick up before holing out? If there’s a friendly wager, I strongly recommend participating with enthusiasm even if you are sure you are going to lose. This is a great opportunity to show sportsmanship and integrity.

If you’re playing by the Rules, count accordingly

Years ago I played with a woman who at the end of the day boasted of having broken 100. She’d taken so many mulligans and free drops, I could hardly keep from rolling my eyes. Ethics and integrity still have a place in the business world, don’t they? Well, they do on the golf course.

When to talk shop

On the golf course? Maybe. Over drinks and dinner at the 19th hole? Maybe. Some other day? Maybe. “I think that’s being sensitive to who you’re playing with,” Smith says. “I want to share about my background in golf and outside of golf and what my interests are. I think that’s just as important as it is to get to business. But sometimes four hours go by, and all you’ve done is talk business. I’ve also experienced the other side, where you conduct your business not even over a drink at the 19th hole but after the fact, because you’ve had that shared experience and now you can have a common language about what you’re trying to accomplish.” Of course, then there’s the matter of a tax deduction …

… Tax deductions? Forget about it!

Folks who actually work in golf might have the nerve to claim rounds or club memberships, but Congress did away with business entertainment, amusement and recreation deductions for most in 2017. What still works: As long as a business meal shows up separately on the tab, it’s a 50 percent deduction. However, remember to talk at least some “yadayada” to qualify your post-round drinks and dinner as a business meeting.

 

Susan Fornoff has covered golf for the San Francisco Chronicle, regional golf associations and her own GottaGoGolf.com. She is a member of the Overland Park Golf Course and Links at Highlands Ranch women’s clubs. This is her eighth Executive Golf Guide for ColoradoBiz

How to Do Business on the Golf Course: Counting Penalty Strokes

When you’re on the course hoping to seal a deal or pass the hiring exam, the rules of golf may not rank on a priority list with X’s, O’s and dollar signs. But they probably should.

“If you are presenting yourself in a position of wanting to do business with someone, wanting to develop trust, then the beauty of golf is that ability to play by the rules and to have a level of integrity that means you count all your strokes,” says Ryan Smith, executive director of the Colorado Golf Association’s foundation. “You don’t have to know all the rules, but if you do not hit it straight, if you’re dealing with water or with native areas, you’d better be ready. That’s just about respect for your host and the club itself.”

READ: Colorado Gold Guide —  Top 7 Upscale Public Golf Courses

Nobody knows all the rules inside and out — just ask any rules official, who will tell you his or her best friend is the radio, for calls for help. Laura Robinson, the former executive director of the Colorado Women’s Golf Association, volunteers these days as a rules official, and she touts the CGA’s rules card — a laminated bag tag of sorts — as a handy summary of key rules.

“Players won’t get into trouble if they follow the two principles of golf: Play the course as you find it and play the ball as it lies,” Robinson says via email. “But know where your ball is, because each of the ve areas of the course has di erent rules for relief for ‘when things happen.’ ”

fHere are just a few everyday rules scenarios and how they can be navigated and scored:

Your shot over the water (aka “penalty area”) splashed before it reached the green?

You can take one penalty stroke and replay the shot (now hitting your third), or you can take one penalty stroke and hit from between where you played and where you crossed into the penalty area. Most players go up to the edge of the water and play from there.

You sliced your tee shot into the woods, so you re-tee. Then you see that your original ball actually hit a tree and came back to the fairway?

Sticky one — just be sure whenever you retee to say why. “This is a provisional,” in case the original is found. “This is a mulligan,” if you’re not playing by the rules. Say nothing and the re-tee is in play, with a penalty stroke added.

Everyone’s on the green – what rules should you be sure to observe?

Try to stand out of the peripheral vision of the player whose turn it is. Try not to make footprints around the hole. Be ready when it’s your turn to putt, without circling as if it’s the U.S. Open. Follow your group’s preference for leaving the fagstick in, removing it, tending it. Be quiet when a player stands over a putt.

Your ball is right behind a tree (or, even, in a tree) and if you swing at it you’ll break your club?

The “foot wedge” is not appropriate if your group is playing by the Rules of Golf. You can call it an unplayable lie and move the ball two club lengths no closer to the hole, at a penalty of one stroke. But remember, there’s no rule that says you have to aim every shot at the green. Sometimes the safest way to save a stroke is sideways.

Your ball is sitting on a cart path, sprinkler head or drain?

Yay for you! Just drop within one club length of the nearest point of no interference, no closer to the hole. “If it doesn’t belong in the great outdoors of a golf course, a player will likely get ‘free’ relief,” says Robinson. “No penalty strokes. Remember where golf was born — fields of green with a hole for the ball.”

Check out the CGA’s library of rules videos for more — some of them are even entertaining.

Colorado Gold Guide: Top 7 Upscale Public Golf Courses

Here are seven of the state’s most upscale public-access golf courses for those who need a country club just for a day. By 2025, Rodeo Dunes, a project by the developers of Bandon Dunes and Sand Valley, could join the list.

In the meantime, expect outstanding course conditions, nifty golf apps and first-class service at all of these and an elevated food and beverage experience where noted.

READ: How Colorado’s Golf Heroes are Tackling Staffing Shortages, Inflation and Record Traffic to Keep Courses Lush and Green

Arrowhead Golf Club

To soak in the indigenous landscape of Colorado, music lovers go to a Red Rocks concert and golfers head south to Littleton to play Arrowhead. It’s indescribably breathtaking and we the public are lucky to have access to such a beautiful, wild-feeling yet well-maintained golf course. If you’re hosting out-of-town guests in the Denver area, this is your place. Takes reservations up to 30 days in advance at arrowheadcolorado.com.

The Golf Club at Bear Dance

The Colorado PGA section’s home course has a reputation for both its splendor and its difficulty, and the client who is an excellent golfer will want to play here. In Larkspur, it’s a bit of a ride south from Denver, and at 6,800 feet, it’s worth the wait until summer for the Pikes Peak views. The large practice facility and cozy restaurant offer lots of accessory talk time. Takes reservations up to 90 days in advance at beardancegolf.com.

CommonGround Golf Course

The home course of the CGA, in Aurora just over the line from Denver, has a lot going for it. With an acclaimed design by Tom Doak overseen by award-winning superintendent Mitch Savage and a renovated clubhouse opening this spring, the course stands strong as the only walker-friendly layout on this list. And the big plus for business golfers: CommonGround’s free caddie program of middle and high school students creates a wonderful mentoring opportunity for them and a possible source of future interns and employees for you. Takes reservations as far out as 90 days at commongroundgc.com.

Fossil Trace Golf Club

It’s the northern equivalent of Arrowhead, in Golden, with easy access to both Boulder and Denver. But here, beyond lovely views of Table Mountain, there’s a more explicit history, of dinosaurs, no less, and an actual outdoor fossil museum that’s worth a pause after playing the 12th hole. The Jim Engh design is fun for all levels, and Footprints might be the best golf course restaurant in the state. Would love to research that further. Come the first of March, advance tee times will open for the season at fossiltrace.com.

Green Valley Ranch Golf Club

Here’s a unique idea for business travelers with conventions and meetings in Denver. Meet up at Denver International Airport and head for Green Valley Ranch for four blissful hours of golf before you get to the city or, after your hectic business time, reverse the process. Try to include time for the only golf course TrackMan range in the state before the round and Green Valley Smokehouse and Oyster Bar after. Tee times are available up to 90 days in advance at GVRgolf.com.

The Golf Club at Redlands

The Golf Club at Redlands Mesa: Let’s not forget the hard-working folks on the Western Slope, who deserve the occasional fairway business meeting. Redlands Mesa wins national awards, including past recognition as the top public course in the state, and it’s a treat to play. With 11 of the 18 tees elevated atop pristine fairways and greens, vistas include the neighboring and towering Colorado National Monument. Dinner at Ocotillo Restaurant and Bar stands a good chance at sealing that deal. Tee times are available two weeks out at redlandsmesa.com or (970) 255-7400.

The Ridge at Castle Pines North

As the Denver area’s only Troon-managed public course, the well-staffed Ridge offers coun- try-club level service from the moment you drop off your clubs until… well, it’s a stunning 19th hole but you have to walk to the window to order. Like Fossil Trace, the layout is fun for all levels – provided you play from the tee that matches your game. Negotiate that carefully as you stand looking down at the first fairway. It’s as close as many will get to playing the neighboring privates: Castle Pines Golf Club, the Country Club at Castle Pines and the Sanctuary. Tee times are available up to 90 days in advance at playtheridge.com.

If you’re wondering why Berthoud’s TPC-Colorado, Windsor’s acclaimed Pelican Lakes and Colorado’s newest course, RainDance National, didn’t make the list, that’s only because as semi-private clubs they’re difficult to reserve in advance unless you have a group of 12.

For overnight business meetings, Colorado’s most fantastic guest-only golf destinations include the Broadmoor, Flying Horse and Garden of the Gods — all in Colorado Springs. Rain Dance has plans to emulate their exclusive access of members and resort guests in the years to come.

The Power of eClub Membership in the Colorado Golfing World: Reviving the Colorado Golf Association

When Colorado Golf Association membership growth landed in a bunker around about 2000, it couldn’t climb out. Ho, hum, 18 years of stagnation. Then came the 2020 pandemic and the golf explosion. By then, the CGA was ready to roll into high gear with its high-tech tool, the eClub membership.

“It used to be, you’d have to go into a golf shop, ask a grumpy pro shop employee, ‘How do I establish a handicap?’” says CGA Executive Director Ed Mate. “You’d get a very surly, not simple answer like, ‘See that box over there? There are forms there, I think.’ And you’d fill out a form and hope it stuck. Now, it’s so simple.”

You could join the CGA in those days, but most members joined the CGA by joining a golf club, either a private club or the men’s or women’s club at their local public course. CGA Chief Marketing Officer Erin Gangloff says it wasn’t until 2019 that the CGA began promoting eClub, which allows players to go online and assign themselves to one of five Regional eClubs for a membership fee of $59.95. 

READ: Inside Colorado’s Post-Pandemic Golf Goldrush

Through 2022, eClub enrollment had reached nearly 10,000. It’s the prime driver in overall CGA growth, from 59,000 in 2018 to 76,000 heading into this year.

“They’re predominantly men over the age of 50 who do not have loyalty to a club or a facility,” says Mate. “And they’re golfers who have no interest in joining a men’s club, a women’s club or any other type of club. They just play golf with their friends. Historically, that type of golfer was on the outside looking in. They really were not welcome, because they didn’t fit. That’s now changed.”

Mate says the USGA, the national governing body of golf, jump-started the CGA’s efforts by abandoning its long-held marketing strategy of imploring golfers to “join a club” and instead promoting a link on its website that said, “GET A HANDICAP.” A Colorado resident is then directed to the CGA website.

So far, the main benefits of eClub are an official handicap, reduced green fees at CommonGround, CGA tournament eligibility and access to CGA member play days, which have consisted of recreational rounds at some otherwise private courses. With research showing the state has 250,000 core and avid golfers, the CGA is continuing to look at adding member benefits to attract the 174,000 outsiders.

Says Mate, “If we’re smart and we continue to build reasons to join and tell our story, I don’t see any reason why we can’t be at at least 120,000 members in the next 10 years.”

 

Susan Fornoff has covered golf for the San Francisco Chronicle, regional golf associations and her own GottaGoGolf.com. She is a member of the Overland Park Golf Course and Links at Highlands Ranch women’s clubs. This is her seventh Executive Golf Guide for ColoradoBiz.

How Colorado’s Golf Heroes are Tackling Staffing Shortages, Inflation and Record Traffic to Keep Courses Lush Despite Challenges

First, they had to grow grass despite a drought. Then, they worked through a pandemic. Now, they’re facing staffing shortages and inflation, with record numbers of feet trampling their work every day.

“It’s absolutely amazing to me the condition golf courses are in,” says Colorado Golf Association Executive Director Ed Mate. “I think about how hard it is to maintain my lawn, which is three inches of rough, with nobody walking on it or taking big, gouging divots out of it, no carts driving across it. And I can’t keep it green or even healthy. And these guys and gals are able to keep acres and acres of maintained turf pristine, despite people attacking it all the time.”

READ: 6 Indoor Golfing Spaces to Book Your Tee Time in 2023

The state’s golf heroes these days aren’t the players breaking par but the superintendents and maintenance workers who are on the job long before the golfers tee off. Golf courses all around the state were in impeccable condition last summer and well into the fall, until the late-December snowstorm that shut everyone down through January and promises an equally lush 2023.

Denver Golf Director of Agronomy Pam Smith says the pandemic’s early days gave the crews a lesson in what could be.

“We were shut down for six weeks and had the maintenance staff reporting, so we had the luxury of doing a lot of deferred maintenance, aerification and fertility,” Smith says. “And the lack of traffic had the courses in probably the best shape they’ve ever been in.”

READ: Inside Colorado’s Post-Pandemic Golf Goldrush

After that, says Smith, three seasons of increasingly nonstop, dawn-to-dark traffic raised new challenges: “How do we work while people are playing golf? How do we get our jobs done?”

Mitch Savage, superintendent at CGA-owned and operated CommonGround, credits his board with coming to the rescue with new machinery. “From there,” he says, “it was really about getting creative. A small example might be mowing a new walkway through a little native area where you’re not as worried about people beating down a nicely maintained turf area. We look for ways to help people and carts maneuver their way through the golf course without sacrificing the golf course.”

CommonGround incorporates maintenance blocks twice a month, clearing the tee sheet for three or four hours first thing in the morning so that crews can accomplish things without golfers in the way. Denver’s municipal courses, expected to bring in revenue while also providing their communities with recreational opportunities, don’t have that luxury.  

“So we have the philosophy that we want to get out ahead of golfers, get our greens mowed, cups cut,” Smith says. “Each golf course is different in how they do it, but we throw a lot of labor at those early morning jobs to get out and ahead of golfers.”

Which is not so easy with Denver golfers teeing off on both the front and back nines at sunrise.

“We’re starting maybe a half-hour or hour in the dark,” Smith says. “And that is extremely challenging and sometimes even dangerous for our staff to be operating mowing equipment in the dark. If you have a hydraulic leak, you sometimes don’t know it and it can lead to turf damage … It takes a special person to work maintenance these days for those reasons.”

Meet Kelly Huff: Colorado’s Unconventional Golf Instructor with a TrackMan Advantage

With staffing shortages continuing for businesses around the state, even golf course jobs — which may come with perks like free golf, flexible days and great scenery – are vacant. “You could say 50 percent of our on-call positions go unfilled at any given time at any golf course,” says Smith.

She’s working on restructuring job categories to attract more applicants. Savage has maintained his workforce with a “just say yes” approach to inquiries. “If somebody expresses an interest but says, ‘Well, I really only want to work a few days a week,’ I don’t even bat an eye. I just say, yeah, come on in and fill out an application and we’ll figure things out.”

As these superstars of Colorado golf continue to figure out how to keep courses covered in lush, mowed grass, there’s one thing we golfers can do to show some love: When they’re in the way of the next shot, give them a friendly wave instead of the stinkeye.

“We’re trying to be like Navy Seals out there,” says Savage. “We just want to get in and get our job done and get out, without being seen.”

DENVER GOLF ROUNDS AND REVENUE

2020

374,476  

$10,187,141

2021

405,414

$10,257,205

2022 

414,497 

$11,324,118

 

Susan Fornoff has covered golf for the San Francisco Chronicle, regional golf associations and her own GottaGoGolf.com. She is a member of the Overland Park Golf Course and Links at Highlands Ranch women’s clubs. This is her seventh Executive Golf Guide for ColoradoBiz.

Your 2021 Executive Golf Guide

Golf,course,fairway,in,colorful,morning,light

On the lovely almost-spring 2020 day when the governor of Colorado ordered, “Stay home,” most of the state’s golf courses shut down. After all, how could they keep players and staff safe in a pandemic, when everyone was supposed to stay home?

Oh, but, “FORE!,” said the state’s half a million golfers. The game is played outdoors at safe-distance tee-time intervals. With a recent rule change, players don’t even have to move the flagstick when they putt. Most cart-riders can walk, if they really have to. We’ll bring our own water. Please, please, please, we’re going crazy. Can’t we play?

With the advocacy of the Colorado Golf Coalition and advice from health experts including 2019 U.S. Senior Amateur qualifier Dr. Owen Ellis, the answer quickly became, “Please do.” And the game that annually reports flat participation suddenly experienced an overall rise of 20% in rounds and revenue. Nationally, it’s estimated that 500,000 newbies took up the game. Locally, well, let’s just say “be careful what you wish for.”

“All of a sudden, you couldn’t play an emergency nine,” says Castle Rock attorney Juliet Miner, who recorded 164 rounds last year in a state with only a 265-day season. “You couldn’t get on in the afternoon. You couldn’t get a weekend time if you didn’t plan ahead. You had to be very industrious.”

The Denver municipal golf courses closed in March and reopened in May to capacity for the rest of the season, said City and County Director of Golf Scott Rethlake: Rounds were up 25% across the board. The Broadmoor Golf Club closed in March and did not open until July; yet, rounds passed 2019 full-season totals. At Colorado Golf Association’s CommonGround Golf Course, rounds increased by a third and, on the family-friendly par-3 course, revenue soared by 112%.

“The pandemic,” said CGA executive director Ed Mate, “was golf’s stimulus plan. No one saw this one coming. Now the question is: Can we keep it up, or is this just going to be a blip and we retreat back to business as usual?”

Young,boy,while,playing,golf,on,a,background,of,green

Early panic eases

The courses that opened after only a day or two included the independently owned public courses, like Littleton’s Deer Creek and Longmont’s Saddleback, and private operations. At first, carts were not allowed because of the touch points – and good luck buying a pushcart, with demand high and manufacturing stalled. Also eliminated: water coolers, bunker rakes, sand bottles, ball washers. Superintendents raised the lip on the cup so that golf balls ricocheted back to players. Payment had to be made in advance with a credit card, with agreement to a long list of precautions. Clubhouses, ranges, practice areas and instruction closed. Tee-time intervals expanded to keep groups separated, especially at the start and finish.

Denver Country Club had to bar guests to accommodate increased member participation (from 23,000 rounds in the fiscal year ending in September 2019 to 31,000 in September 2020). It suspended its caddie program, encouraging walking and boosting pushcart rental revenue.

“We expanded our intervals from 10 minutes to 15 minutes and then back to 12 minutes in mid-May,” said Steve David, the director of golf at 580-member DCC. “I pushed that for the safety of the staff, who were seeing 200 people in a day with six groups an hour, then four, then finally five. The members loved it. The tee sheet got so full, we didn’t have places for guests. Kids, families, men, women – everybody had more time on their hands.”

By mid-May, municipal districts had opened their courses, and initial, drastic disinfecting and distancing measures began to ease. Well-spaced driving ranges dispensed buckets of balls. Instructors returned to their stations, masked and distanced. Superintendents replaced that raised cup with a pool noodle that elevated the height of the ball in the cup, or maybe with the E-Z Lift system, a lever that allows players to pop the ball out of the hole with their putters.

Carts became available for single riders, or same-household riders. At the Ridge at Castle Pines, perhaps the most unwalkable public course in the metro region, clear, roll-down partitions were installed in the middle of golf carts so pals from different households could ride together.

Courses upgraded their reservation systems to minimize pro shop visits. “That was a kick in the pants, for golf shops to come into the 21st century and improve their apps,” Mate said.

And as experts learned more about virus transmission, courses made room for more players by closing the gap on intervals.

There was, after all, much more than 6 feet between foursomes. And demand was skyrocketing.

Rear,view,of,two,senior,golf,players,walking,together,in

The long fairway view

Caretakers of the courses started to worry. More players than ever, with sometimes four golf carts per foursome, were trampling the grass in a drought. “In a perfect world,” Mate said, “you see your revenue per round going up and your total rounds staying flat, because that way you’re not stressing the course.”

Rethlake and the Denver courses innovated in the offseason (Nov. 15-March 15 here) with split-tee starts. So players would tee off for two hours at holes 1 and 10, and then change sides. The strategy maximized the shorter prime-time window and mitigated delays.

“It really helped with frost delays, because we didn’t have early, early starts,” Rethlake said. “And we were able to get twice as many people off between 9 and 11, the peak time in the winter. Our guests loved it.”

Exactly who those guests were remains a point of speculation among industry experts. The Broadmoor has returned to its full-service levels, ready to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Broadmoor Invitation July 25-29, and to welcome corporate groups returning to business as (almost) usual. But last year, Director of Golf Russ Miller saw a reversal from the usual 70% corporate/30% leisure golf crowd to 90% leisure.

“Husband and wife, or four buddies – men and women,” he noted. “It was extremely busy, and it caught us by surprise. I saw people enjoying the game more than before, maybe because we took it for granted for so long.”

Were they newbies? At the Broadmoor, with its storied championship courses strictly for members and guests, probably not. But even on the municipal level, Rethlake theorizes: “There were a few new people who came to the sport, but mostly it was just people who were already playing golf, but were playing more often because they had nothing else to do.”

David agrees. “I think this really shows you the correlation between time and participation. When people have time, the game is very popular. I don’t think (the problem) is the game, the expense of the game, not even the time it takes to play it. It’s those other elements in life that keep us so busy that I think the game suffers.”

If David is right, it should be easier now to score that “emergency nine.” But this spring, courses were still packed. Two private clubs, Woodmoor and Perry Park, created new afternoon memberships geared to younger, telecommuting players. If you wanted to play

Denver’s new City Park course, you needed to set your alarm for midnight, two weeks before the day you want to play.

One Sunday morning at Denver’s Kennedy Golf Course, newbie Doc Phillippe joined a threesome of avid golfers. He and his girlfriend used to go to bluegrass concerts on weekends. After Del McCoury’s March 27, 2020 concert at the Gothic Theatre was cancelled, he took a golf lesson and was hooked.

“I think golf is maybe a little cheaper,” he said, smiling. “I just love it. We just got back from a trip to Mesquite and St. George. I won’t be giving it up.”

Littleton freelance writer Susan Fornoff is a member of the Broken Tee Women’s Saturday Golf Club and publisher of GottaGoGolf.com.

Play 19!

As golf courses reopen their bars and restaurants, here are some beloved apres-round destinations.

Afternoon,tea,at,our,golf,resort

During the pandemic, golfers said goodbye on the 18th green. They missed the comradely ritual of sitting down and commiserating, or boasting, about their rounds over a cold beer and some nachos, or maybe a martini and a steak, at Colorado’s many wonderfully situated 19th holes.

According to those in the know, Castle Pines Golf Club has the best in the state, with stunning views of the course, Castle Rock, and even, in the distance, Pikes Peak. Alas, it’s the “men’s grille,” which eliminates half the population. And Castle Pines admits only members and guests, which eliminates significantly more of the population.

Never fear, we’ve got plenty of accessible 19th holes you can play. Here are a few options, all of them within 60 miles of Denver.

City Park Golf Course, Denver: You’re going to want to bring your out-of-town visitors here to play one of the newest designs in the country and then enjoy the stunning view from the sleek new clubhouse. If you can’t get a tee time, take them to the zoo and then come across the street for the Friday prime rib special.

The Ridge at Castle Pines North: Snag one of the Adirondack chairs on the lawn outside Park Place on a Friday afternoon, and you’ll find yourself part of the gallery just above the 18th green, in position to applaud and good-naturedly heckle finishing foursomes. Or, just enjoy the distant views – especially when the summer storms make their way into Castle Rock.

Fossil Trace Golf Course, Golden: The Denver area’s top daily fee course invites guests to talk business over lunch or dinner at Schnepf’s, the restaurant that doubles as the 19th hole here. Plant your foursome on the patio and you can take in the foothills eye candy views or wager on whether finishers will carry the water to the 18th green.

Bear Dance Golf Club, Larkspur: From the renovated deck overlooking the practice range, players will want to linger over delicious food and signature cocktails. But Bear Dance doesn’t stop at the traditional: The pub has a golf simulator, so those who want to play another 18 can do so in Topgolf style.

Pole Creek Golf Club, Tabernash: As if the patio view of the Continental Divide isn’t draw enough, Bistro 28 fills tables with locals who know it serves some of the county’s most acclaimed dishes, at lunch and especially at dinner. For a sample, try to time your round to finish around 3 and enjoy the happy hour specials.

The Club at Flying Horse, Colorado Springs: The fancy Tuscan décor at the Steakhouse, in the clubhouse at the Weiskopf course, might make your sweaty foursome feel a bit unworthy, but happy hour in the lounge is not to be missed by anyone who loves their food and drink almost as much as their golf. Maybe the Air Force Academy will grace you with a show in the skies.

The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs: Guests who play the courses will want to soak up the history and views from the Grille. The Heritage Hall entry is lined with photos and mementos from the days of Donald Ross, Babe Zaharias and other golf notables. Inside, the tartan carpet gives the Grille a Scottish pub feel. But outside is where you’ll want to be, watching the tricky putts on 18 East and the changing skies around Cheyenne Mountain. The wonderful fire pit might keep you here after the sun sets, thanking your lucky stars for a stay at this luxurious resort.

Newbies and Noise

Avid Colorado golfers greeted last year’s influx of newbies with a mix of delight and irritation, referring to them as the “blue jean people,” “noisy people,” “fun people” or “self-absorbed millennials,” depending on whom you talk to.

If there’s any culture clash, it’s over those Bluetooth speakers that sometimes even come standard on a golf cart. When their music is not your music, what do you say?

“I would say the right answer to, ‘Would you mind if I play music?” is ‘NO, I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t,’” says the Colorado Golf Association’s unapologetically traditional executive director, Ed Mate. “I guess that sounds stark, like the old ‘get off my lawn ’guy. So maybe: ‘No, I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t because I really like the quiet.’”

It’s easier if the question is asked. It’s harder if someone in your group simply cranks up the volume, and now you have to be the one to politely ask them to stop.

You could always get help. Broadmoor golf director Russ Miller hears Texans ’tunes from three holes away and asks them to turn them off. But if there’s a conflict among guests, he’ll split up the group. “If you stick together, it’s not going to be a fuzzy feeling between the four of you.”