I was going to charge Lane 50 bucks for the link
I was not able to work through my pro for Ballyneal. Was a hard no.
You must know a member & have that member set up the times & lodging for you.
Just happy to see some activity on this thread immersion and persistence will make it happen for us; @Privatecollection , any chance we can get some kind of secondary activity going for Saturday? The PNW Crew is a bunch of sick diehards that want to golf as much as possible; and I have to believe the rest of the NLU crew is as well.
I can hear Erinās headache from here
Apologies Erin,
Pretty big fan of Wellshrie, Donny Ross course that I adore. Shire might have the coldest patio beers in all of Colorado too.
As a Strapped boi this is probably gonna be my Saturday afternoon if anyone wants to join/show me around the place (depending on how easy it is for an out of towner to get a tee time.) After all, Iām getting my fill of the private life a couple days later.
Saddle Rock opened when I was in HS and for my senior year it split time as our home course so I played it quite a bit when it was new both in practice and in a couple of tournaments. Also went to the Colorado Open when it was out there one year. Always had relatively positive memories of the place. Definitely thought much more highly of it than other Dick Phelps courses.
However, my parents moved out to a home near the ā¦ 11th or 12th hole not too long ago and on a trip a couple years back I played there with my dad and ā¦ I was not a fan.
Also for me holds the distinction of being one of the hardest walks in Colorado. Brutal elevation change
Also Grandview, Cherokee Trail, or Regis?
Close to Parker you also have 2 good Aurora Munis - Meadow Hills (feels more like you are in the midwest than the west), Murphy Creek (big ball park, āprairie linksā) as well as Plum Creek (former home of a sr. tour event, fell on hard times, getting better), Red Hawk Ridge (resort golf with bumpers that push everything into fairway and some crazy greens), and Bear Dance (mountain adjacent golf if you want to spend a little extra.)
Also 4 other private clubs in Parker for those that have club pro hook ups - Pinery, Pradera, Black Bear, and Blackstone (technically in Aurora but close).
The Gauntlet lurks.
Forgot Lone Tree Golf Club. Public course that likes to act like it is private. One of Arnold Palmerās finest, which means it kind of blows.
It did used to be private and they very much like to remind you of that. Itās fine, overpriced for sure
Nothing cringier than a private that couldnāt make it work, but still yearns for the glory days.
Colorado National can be like that a bit. And they never were fully private to begin with.
Overland, actually. Not particularly close to school but I donāt recall being given a choice in the matter (and hey gas was like a dollar a gallon back then).
Very much agree with the take on it being a really tough walk. I remembered a few holes being really up or downhill - what I didnāt recall is how many times you go up and down and how steep a few of the holes are. Obviously when I was 17 and had lived my entire life at altitude I was in better shape than when I was 40-whatever and no longer used to altitude but this last trip I was really feeling it by that last climb to the 16th tee.
Other issue is just that the course is pretty narrow and, at least on this most recent trip around (July 2021 for reference) it felt like anything off the fairway was gone, th high stuff was thick and not maintained at all, you could barely walk through it. Certainly when the course was just opened that had all just been built and it was very sparse but even over the next few summers that I came home from college I donāt recall it being super thick (then again I was a really straight driver of the ball in my youth so maybe it just didnāt bother me as much).
And of course thereās the fact that new courses are just way more aesthetically pleasing in the early days before homes get built around them, but it was always obvious all that was planned. Sam was true for Murphy Creek and 20 years later at least they still havenāt got to the front nine!
This was my other āhomeā high school course and the course I played the most growing up in general. Was built in the 50s as a private club (private Jewish club IIRC) but didnāt last, hence the more extensive tree planting than you get at other munis. It is crazy short but the trees are stout enough and greens so small that you have to show it some respect. Turned out to be a great course to learn the game on because I grew up thinking I was an atrocious iron player and, as it turned out, I was just playing a course with tiny greens. (Unfortunately, this meant it took a while for me to really learn how to lag putt.)
The Trailblazers! Yea thatās not even close
Text sent to my pro. I think Iāll shoot my shot and send a letter to Cherry hills. If anyone is serious about it send me a pm and Iāll see what we can do about getting a foursome or two. Will definitely plan on the Tuesday after since I imagine a weekend is impossible. Maybe a long shot but the worst they can say is no. Itās not like theyāll call me an aspiring Florida man or anything.
I play most of my rounds at Meadow Hills, with my 12 and 14 year old sons. Agree it is great place to learn the game, and super family friendly. They actually still play the Aurora city am out there instead of Murphy Creek, and just trick up the greens and setup. It is a good test.