RESORT FEATURES

Cheyenne Mountain Resort: Dye's First Colorado Layout Coming Out Of The Closet

By David R. Holland,
Senior Writer

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO -- As a golf destination, Cheyenne Mountain Resort rested quietly for almost 18 years. Pete Dye's first Colorado layout, The Country Club of Colorado, was built in 1973, but for many seasons it was private and a secret known to few travel golfers.

And even when a resort hotel was built in 1985 it was called Cheyenne Mountain Conference Resort and didn't even try to attract resort golfers. Pull in to the parking lot on a weekend and it was deserted -- a virtual ghost hotel. Members were the only ones enjoying Dye's design handiwork.

CC of Colorado's Bill Majure Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Bill Majure, Director of Golf at The Country Club of Colorado, has hundreds of career highlights. Leading the U.S. Open at Oakmont Hills after the first round in 1991 is just one. He is certainly one of Colorado's finest professionals. "My 73 led the first round and in the second round I got it to 2-under after 13 holes," Majure recalled. "A double bogey at 15 was end of that dream." William A. Majure's golf accomplishments span four decades. Born in Philadelphia, he didn't really get serious about golf until he joined the Air Force. In 1961 he won the 2nd Air Force and Strategic Air Command Championship. Five years after turning pro in 1963, Majure qualified for the PGA Championship. He kept his skills honed well enough to participate in 12 consecutive Phoenix Opens, 19 straight Colorado Opens (1968-96) and nine National Club Pro Championships (1970-75, 77-78, 85). As a senior he was a three-time Colorado PGA Section senior champion three times in the 1990s and played in two U.S. Senior Opens. He's been an excellent teacher of the game, serving at Little Rock AFB's golf course then moving on to The Broadmoor (1967-68), Lakewood CC (1968-69) and Cherry Hills CC (1969-73). He helped create a Pikes Peak Junior Golf Association Scholarship Fund, which has benefited more than 20 students, and has been closely involved with Mississippi State's Professional Golf Management program, which has sent more than 40 students to work as interns at the Country Club of Colorado. -- From The Colorado PGA Section and DRH

But last year when Benchmark Hospitality, Inc. purchased International Conference Resorts, things started to change. Why not advertise for resort golfers, the company asked itself?

Today, Cheyenne Mountain Resort has undergone the metamorphosis. Resort golfers are now welcome to enjoy Dye's gem, but the resort is much, much more.

Vacationers now find a complete getaway experience -- two restaurants, a lounge and a pub, 18 tennis courts, squash and racquetball courts; health and fitness center, and a 35-acre recreation lake (golf course's back nine plays around it) for water sports such as windsurflng, canoeing, sailing and trout fishing. The Springs' only sand beach is here, too, and it is bustling on the weekends.

The golf course is busier, too.

"What's special about Cheyenne Mountain Resort is the great variety of holes, combined with the ambiance of the majestic mountains," said Dye.

"I adapted the design to the natural terrain, giving the course its own special character, and that original design is still the same," Dye said. "I get good reports from people about Cheyenne Mountain. They tell me it's a great course to play, where you need every club in your bag, and where not only are the holes varied but they have to be played differently on a given day depending on the weather."

The course is set at the foot of historic Cheyenne Mountain and designed around a 35-acre spring-fed lake known as Curr Reservoir. It has long been considered one of the more challenging courses in Colorado. Native grasses and slick greens also await you.

"In the fall the greens can speed up to 12.5 on the Stimp Meter," said Majure. "We get lots of comments from the golfers when that happens. So we try to manage the speed -- we don't want to see any guests out there struggling."

A special salt-resistant grass was developed here in the 1970s that today is available to golf courses everywhere. Because there was a problem in one area with the salinity of the soil, "I didn't think they could grow grass there," recalled Dye.

But Golf Course Superintendent Stan Metzger, who was there from the beginning and remained the superintendent for 30 years until his recent retirement, was undeterred and went to work on the problem. In conjunction with the University of Colorado, a salt-resistant grass was created that Scotts Company would later put on the market.

"Stan was a true professional and I thought so much of him that, for the first and only time, I went back to a course to attend a superintendent's retirement party," said Dye. "It's rewarding to look back and see that I was part of something that got the area going," reminisced Dye. "At the time I designed it, there was nothing out there but the golf course, while today it's a beautiful area with an upscale country club, a resort and homes."

Hole No. 14 is a classic Dye risk-reward par 4 of 357 yards. Wrapped around the lake, choose how much real estate you want to bite off. But it can bite you, too. If you are successful on the drive, the approach shot funnels into a narrow opening to the green, butting up against the water.

5-Point Scale Conditions: 4 Scenery: 4.1 Layout: 4.1 Par 3's: 4.1 Par 4's: 4 Par 5's: 4 Service: 4.2 Practice Facilities: 4 Club House/Pro Shop: 4 Pace of Play: 4.3 Value: 4 Overall Rating: 4.1

The other signature hole is the 17th, a scary 187-yard par 3. Water carries the entire right side and a tee shot at the pin must traverse the wet stuff. Nervous? Bail-out area is left. The green is long and narrow.

After your round, Cheyenne Mountain Resort is the perfect place to relax -- a great alternative to its next door neighbor, The Broadmoor.

Cheyenne Mountain Resort
Country Club of Colorado
3225 Broadmoor Valley Road
Colorado Springs, CO 80906

Telephone: 719-538-4095
Fax: 719-538-4074
Internet: www.cheyennemountain.com

Resort Hotel

The resort's 316 guest rooms and suites are conveniently clustered in eight residential lodges, each with a private balcony and views of Cheyenne Mountain and the Country Club of Colorado. With 310 sunny days annually, the direct access to balconies and decks is just another way to experience the crisp mountain air.

Book online or call 800-428-8886 for reservations and conference information. If you are attending a conference or function at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort be specific -- Group Rates may apply to your reservation.

Get Out and Golf Package

This golf package includes a room for two, breakfast buffet, and two 18-hole rounds of golf including cart. Free local and 800 calls. Free use of the Fitness Center and the Aquatics Facilities. USA Today delivered each weekday. Call for latest rates at 800-428-8886 and for reservations. For other packages log on to: http://www.cheyennemountain.com/accommodations/packages.html

Directions from the Airport

Go west on Drennan Road approximately three miles to Academy Blvd. Turn left on Academy and stay in the left-hand lane. Follow Academy approximately four miles to Highway 115. Exit north at Highway 115. Proceed approximately one mile to Cheyenne Mountain Blvd. Turn left on Cheyenne Mountain Blvd. And go one block to Broadmoor Valley Road. Turn left and go three blocks to Cheyenne Mountain Resort.

Where to Dine

Cheyenne Mountain Resort offers a variety of dining options, from elegant to casual. Choose from the buffet (breakfast, lunch and dinner) of the Mountain View Dining Room and pub items at Will Rogers Lounge. Take in the Cheyenne Mountain view and enjoy the smaller Pineview Dining Room (try the Pepper Steak) in the golf clubhouse. Or relax in the Pineview Pub. Wherever you choose to dine and relax, you're guaranteed maximum quality, service and comfort.

History of the Land

Charles Gates of Gates Rubber Company had a vision in 1967. He purchased 3,000 acres southwest of Colorado Springs that became known as Cheyenne Mountain Ranch. He visualized a community somewhat like the area around today's Cheyenne Mountain Resort.

Things to Do

Take a hot air balloon with Adventures Out West. Log on to www.adventuresoutwest.com or call 800-755-0935.

Colorado Springs boasts three of Colorado's most popular tourist attractions: the U.S. Air Force Academy, the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, and the sports activities related to the U.S. Olympic Training Center. Don't miss these area attractions when visiting Cheyenne Mountain Resort -- Garden of the Gods, Seven Falls, Cave of the Winds, Manitou Cliff Dwellings, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and Flying W Ranch.

Log on to www.coloradosprings-travel.com for all the contact information.

David R. Holland, an award-winning Senior Writer for TravelGolf.com, voted Best of the Web by Forbes Magazine. Contact him at dave@travelgolf.com. Ed Placidi of P&G Communications contributed the Pete Dye quotes and information to this article.