The Colorado Golf Club will host the 13th Solheim Cup this week just outside of Denver, Colorado. The club is a Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw design and offers a perfect blend of golf holes that present elevation change, undulation and tree lined fairways. It will play to a total of 7,066 yards and a par-72.
The Director of Membership and Marketing at Colorado Golf Club has been with the club from design to the present day. He was present throughout the construction of the course and spent a few minutes talking with the Back 9 Report about the preparations for the Solheim Cup.
Coore/Crenshaw spent three days walking the property in 2005 before they submitted their design proposal to the owners. Their final creation incorporated unmatched vistas of the Rocky Mountains that lay just to the west of the course. It also uses the natural slope and terrain of the land falling away from the clubhouse that is perched majestically at the highest point of the property. It meanders through a meadow at the base of the hill before climbing back up the hill to the clubhouse.
The first three holes should be a key to every match. No. 1 is a 635 yard par-5 that falls downhill to the green. It will probably play as a three-shot hole for most of the players in the field and it will immediately test the wedge play of the contestants.
Hole No. 2 is a short par-3 at 145 yards. Bunkers front and back will catch errant tee shots. Player and Caddy will need to pull the correct club for the precise shot demanded into this green.
Very little earth was moved in the creation of No. 3 at Colorado Golf Club. The tee shot from the elevated tee can be carried far down the fairway to set up a short-iron over a barranca. Once again nerves will be tested at the outset of the round with accurate wedge play a necessity.
The first three holes are demanding and should offer an opportunity to earn a one or two up advantage for the player on top of their game.
On the back nine at Colorado Golf Club the fun begins at No. 14. Holes 14, 15, and 16 should provide considerable drama and most matches could be decided over these three holes.
No. 14 is a short 305 yard par-4. Visually it appears to play downhill, but is actually level. Longer hitters may decide to go for the green here, but the green wraps around a small bunker. Balls that end up on the wrong side of the green will have to deal with the prospect of going through, over or around that bunker to find the pin. This hole should offer plenty of fireworks this weekend.
No. 15 and 16 are both par-5 holes. Whenever you bring a par-5 into match play several options confront the participants. Long hitters want to put the pressure on the shorter player and the short hitter wants to hit the approach close to put the pressure back on the long hitter to make a long putt or accurate chip-shot.
Placing two par-5 holes at the end of the round will give the player that is down in the match the opportunity to make something happen, get back into the match and force it to the final holes.
Coore and Crenshaw have created a visually beautiful and strategically difficult golf course. It should present itself well for the match play format of the Solheim Cup this week.
Golf fans everywhere will appreciate their genius and enjoy the great golf.