First new Colorado course in three years set to open in 2025

Bella Ridge Golf Course near Johnstown is nearing completion

By Jim Bebbington

Colorado’s first new golf course in three years is on track to open to the public in summer 2025. 

The Podtburg family is developing the family’s former dairy farm near Johnstown in northern Colorado into a passion-project golf course called Bella Ridge.  

They hired noted course architect Art Schaupeter to design the 18-hole tract, and crews have spent 2024 building greens, laying irrigation and seeding.  

The family farm near Johnstown – reached via the Weld County Road 44 exit off Interstate 25 and driving a mile east – has been transformed into a rolling and challenging looking course. Most of the holes on the front nine have been grassed and the greens are being mowed regularly. The final holes are being seeded on the back nine, and those are the ones that will remain dormant this winter then spring to life in the summer. 

Greg Podtburg, one of four brothers who operate the dairy, said the family is looking forward to getting the project completed.  

“When the grass comes and they take shape, it’s definitely exciting to see the work that’s been in,” he said. “But there’s a lot to do to get it open absolutely.” 

He said the area does not have many golfing options, and as Johnstown housing development moved closer to the farm they decided it was time.  “We’ve gotten some good feedback from the community and people around make a lot of comments about it, are excited” he said. “I think so it should be good; there’s just a lot of work to do.” 

Schaupeter visited the site last week to oversee the final pieces of the practice range being built on the north side of Weld County Road 44 and was proud to show off the new course. 

The course is named after the ridge of land that gives the course its terrain. The land slopes more than 100 feet from the southeast corner to the north west.  

That gave Schaupeter the ability to build out a course that slowly adds challenges as players move through the front nine, then really takes advantage of storage lakes and elevation changes to provide some fascinating holes on the back nine. The course is set to feature a par 3 of nearly 275 yards from the back tees, and a par 4 of around 285 yards.  

It finishes with three bangers – 16, 17 and 18 use all the contours of the land and distance to give players real challenge at the end.  

“It’s a neat property and what makes it so neat is that we’ve got all this elevation,” he said. “You’ll see – the golf course is not severe, but you don’t expect to see this much movement out here.” 

All the holes feature at least six or seven tee sets and overall distances will run from deep into the 7,600 yard range down to around 3,200 yards. 

Most fairways have some roll, with many having multiple options for players to choose from to achieve a goal – clear a hazard, or make a green. Schaupeter says he likes to ‘put the clubs in the players hands,’ and not design a course that forces players to make the same choice repeatedly. 

“It’s the staple of my designs,” he said. “If they don’t execute the strategy they chose, then they’ll know intuitively that that was on them.” 

The project gives golfers a mini Schaupeter-trail opportunity in northern Colorado; the St. Louis-based architect designed Highland Meadows Golf Course in Windsor, TPC Colorado in Berthoud, and now Bella Ridge.  

The course is going to be managed by Troon Golf and the Podtburg’s goal is to have it open for public play by next August.