Any ideas for a nice 3 or 4-day golf getaway?

[zipazoid]

Thanks MEfree. I was checking out Fossil Trace online the other night - their website has flyover vids of each holes & it looks really nice, and not that expensive.

If I do the Rockies, the 'working plan' is to fly into Denver, spend a day & night there to check out the town, then go play Fossil Trace, spend a night in Boulder. Then the next day heading into the mountains for a couple days. So if you know of some real 'mountain' courses (not resorts like Broadmoor) that are open to the public & not too pricey, that would be great.

Thanks again!

[walk18]

Originally Posted by WUTiger

Consider St. Louis, especially if you're a baseball fan. Unlike the Chicago teams, the Cardinals win a World Series now and then. Coordinate your trip with a baseball home stand that has tickets available, and you could golf during the day and watch baseball at night.

St. Louis area has lots of good to excellent-quality public and semi-private courses on both Missouri and Illinois side. Many are run by Walters Golf Management. http://www.wgmgolf.com/?page=35211

We have some signature courses in the area: Stonewolf GC in O'Fallon, IL by Nicklaus, and Spencer T. Olin GC in Alton, IL by Palmer. Hale Irwin did the layouts at Forest Park and Quail Creek GC on St. Louis side. Missouri Bluffs GC is a frequent site of PGA and USGA qualifying tournaments.

Normandie GC, designed by Robert Foulis (he apprenticed with Old Tom Morris at St. Andrew's), is the oldest public course west of the Mississippi.

Green's fees (cart included) would max out at about $75 on weekends, with lots under $50 (and cheaper) on weekdays. Also, you can get good-quality hotel and motel rooms for under $100 (if there's not a major convention in town).

St Louis USED to have a good baseball team. Now even Pujols has had enough of your city. What else is the OP going to do there, see the arch? Yeah, he's not going to visit St. Louis.

[WUTiger]

Walker18,

Sounds like someone from Chicago. FYI, St. Louis has more repertoire theater troupes than San Francisco, a symphony that turns a profit, and a wide range of ethnic restaurants, and a world-class zoo which does not charge admission.

It's not cheap, but less pricy than a lot of metro areas.

Sports sniping aside, I really like Chicago and it's a super area. But, St. Louis is solid too.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by WUTiger

Walker18,

Sounds like someone from Chicago. FYI, St. Louis has more repertoire theater troupes than San Francisco, a symphony that turns a profit, and a wide range of ethnic restaurants, and a world-class zoo which does not charge admission.

It's not cheap, but less pricy than a lot of metro areas.

Sports sniping aside, I really like Chicago and it's a super area. But, St. Louis is solid too.

The OP probably called his travel agent immediately after reading about the large number of repertoire theatre groups!! Golf and amateur theatre are like a hand and glove.

[zipazoid]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

The OP probably called his travel agent immediately after reading about the large number of repertoire theatre groups!! Golf and amateur theatre are like a hand and glove.

Yeah....no. I have no Thespianic tendencies.

But I do like hearing about the local culture...will come in handy when/if I ever get to those areas.

Based on what I've read so far it's likely gonan be Vegas or Denver, with the lean towards Denver. I've done Vegas a few times & it's great, but I've never even seen the Rockies, so I'm thinking a day or two in the Denver/Boulder area then head for the mountains!

[WUTiger]

Quote:

The OP probably called his travel agent immediately after reading about the large number of repertoire theatre groups!! Golf and amateur theatre are like a hand and glove.

More than you think. Some rep theater groups use scrambles as fundraisers.

[zipazoid]

My guess is, many amateur actors are golfers, but not many golfers are amateur actors. Scrambles are a standard fundraising format.

[MEfree]

Originally Posted by zipazoid

Thanks MEfree... So if you know of some real 'mountain' courses (not resorts like Broadmoor) that are open to the public & not too pricey, that would be great.

Thanks again!

Originally Posted by MEfree

The above are (especially the first two) what I would call Front Range courses- close to, but not really in the mountains (by CO, not FL standards).  There are also some nice courses above 7 K that are truly in the mountains- it has been a light snow year so far, so they could open early, but I would still tend to wait until closer to June to consider these.

Been a while since I check in on the site...The only true Mountain course that I have played would be Breckenridge.  Keystone and the Raven are suppose to be nice also, but all of these tend to be about $100.  Copper Creek is less expensive, but it is shorter and I have never been that impressed by the greens early season.

It has been very warm and the snow is melting fast here, so I would expect the season to start early, but you never know.

[drglew]

+1 for Fossil Trace.  Very nice course, not too expensive.  And playing golf in Denver, well when you get hold of a drive it really seems to fly!

Originally Posted by MEfree

My last round (April '11) was at Fossil Trace in Golden, just outside Denver- a good course with good weather possible in April, or even better, May.  Definitely less humid than Florida that time of year.

Been a while since I played it, but I really liked Arrowhead near Littleton- really beautiful how the rocks come out the landscaping and I was lucky enough to have a deer run by me not too far off one of the greens.  Neither one of these are resorts.  For a full luxury resort, there is the The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs- very nice, very spendy.

The above are (especially the first two) what I would call Front Range courses- close to, but not really in the mountains (by CO, not FL standards).  There are also some nice courses above 7 K that are truly in the mountains- it has been a light snow year so far, so they could open early, but I would still tend to wait until closer to June to consider these.

[Jonnydanger81]

Colorado is a great place for golf, and some amazing weather that time of year (May/June) and if you play up in the mountains you'll notice how the altitude gives you some distance.

Fossil Trace is a fun course to play once, but it's not something that I'd want to play every week.  It's tricked up but in great shape.  Worth it for the rock formations and coolness factor, but not a place for scoring.  Vail Golf Club has some amazing altitude changes, and you get to walk through Vail which is pretty cool.  It's about 1.5-2 hours from Denver.  I used to live 5 minutes from Keystone and Breck, and both those courses are nice, but nothing that will really blow you away for the price.  You pay for the views once you get into the mountains, and they're some pretty great views, but typically golf courses as Colorado goes.  If you do go to Keystone or Breck, there's a ton of really cool places to eat and grab some micro-brews in both Dillon (Keyston) and Breckenridge.  Definitely worth it if you're in the area not trying to squeeze in 36 a day or something.

If you want to go on the cheap while you're in Denver, City Park is a muni course right in the middle of the city (across from the zoo).  Best kept muni course I have ever played in my life.  Very straight forward course, but if you just want to sneak out for a quick round while in town it's not bad at all, and they make a good breakfast sandwhich in the restaurant.

If you're dying to play the second you get off the plane, you can hit a bucket, or play a round, at Green Valley Ranch which is right off Pena Blvd (the only road to DIA).  I've stopped there a few times on my way back to the airport if I'm running early to hit a bucket.

Like MEfree said though, I'd wait until June to play any course in the mountains (Keystone, Vail, Breck) just so the courses are in good shape and you don't risk any snow, although I did hear it's been light this year.

[Motley01]

Ya Fossil Trace is a nice interesting course. Lots of elevation changes, blind tee shots. You can't hit driver on every hole either. Some holes you'll have to hit 3 or 4 iron.

As far as mountain courses, I think Eagle Vail Golf Club is the best one. It's near Vail. I played there a few years ago and it was beautiful. Breckenridge is not that great, they don't maintain it very well.

In Denver, your ball will fly about 10% more. The mountain courses you will hit about 20% more, so adjust your clubs accordingly.

[Cartboy]

Austin, TX is a pretty good choice.

Branson, MO is good for a little later in spring.  Fantastic weather in May.  No one thought of Branson?  Great courses, beautiful setting, and cheap.

http://www.bransoncreekgolf.com/index.html

http://www.murderrock.com/layout9.asp?id=244&page;=9414

http://www.paynestewartgolfclub.com/

I know this old-er, but to update it, The Payne Stewart Golf Club, LedgeStone, and Branson Creek, are all in Golfweek's Top Ten Courses You Can Play in Missouri.

Last Fall, Bass Pro/Big Cedar Lodge's Johnny Morris bought Branson Creek and Murder Rock and rebranded them as Buffalo Ridge.  He also re-opened Top of the Rock, and hosted The Legends of Golf tournament in June. He partnered with Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson on that, and moved "Arnie's Barn" from Pennsylvania.  He has recently announced he is partnering with Gary Player on a "Family-Friendly" course to open in 2015.

Other popular Branson courses are Holiday Hills, Thousand Hills, and Point Royale.

With tons of lodging, lakes, and more than 100 shows and attractions, Branson is a great golf destination, with dozens of corporate outings and tournaments.