Fish & Chips: Golf Resorts

Colorado’s exceptional waters invite golfers to land a fly as skillfully as they would an approach shot.

The Broadmoor (Colorado Springs) Debuting this summer, The Broadmoor Fly Fishing School invites resort guests to fish a pond on Hole #6 of the East Course. Adirondack architecture characterizes the look of the new fly-fishing cabin, which also serves as a private dining space for up to 20 people. Off property, guests, led by guides, wet lines on primarily Gold Medal stretches of the South Platte and Arkansas Rivers, the trophy trout waters of Spinney Mountain and Eleven Mile Reservoirs, private and public stretches of Tarryall Creek, and by appointment on the mountain lakes at the resort’s Ranch at Emerald Valley, located eight miles up the mountain in Pike National Forest.

The River Course at Keystone (Keystone) A public easement on a three-mile length of the Snake River running through Keystone Resort makes for great fly-fishing near The River Course, and two-plus miles of the Blue River flowing through Silverthorne, just seven miles away, is open to the public. Golfers looking for an exclusive fishing location can hone their skills on Keystone Lake, which is home to giant rainbow and cutthroat trout, with a few nice brook trout thrown in to keep it interesting. Only anglers who hire a guide through Keystone’s Activity Center have access to Keystone Lake.

Copper Creek Golf Course (Copper Mountain) Running from Frisco to Copper Mountain, Ten-Mile Creek feeds the fly-fishing appetites of golfers playing Copper Creek who can also opt to travel 40-minutes or so to fish the middle fork of the South Platte near Fairplay.

Beaver Creek Golf Club, Red Sky Golf Club and Sonnenalp Golf Course (EagleCounty) Before or after teeing up at these Vail Valley courses, fly-fishing, which is typically guided, takes place primarily on the Eagle River between Avon and Wolcott.

Telluride Golf Club (Telluride) With no on-course fly-fishing, members and resort guests head to the Upper Dolores River, the west fork of the Dolores and the Uncompahgre River. In town there is about a mile of the San Miguel River that is quite fishable. East of town is a public three-mile stretch of the San Miguel that also fishes well, and area guides have access to private waters. Numerous creeks and “hike-to” lakes have superb fly-fishing, and two stocked ponds, one in Town Park, one in Mountain Village, are well suited for kids.

Haymaker Golf Course and Rollingstone Ranch Golf Club (Steamboat Springs) A seven-mile-long section of the Yampa River runs through Steamboat Springs, enticing golfers to cast their lines within ten minutes of these layouts. Elk River, a public stretch of water, is 15 minutes from town with a second stretch a half an hour away.

Also just 30 minutes from town are too many high mountain lakes and streams to list here. The waters in the region are renowned for producing some of the biggest trout in the country.

Granby Ranch (Granby) Meandering for three miles, one of which runs alongside the golf course, this community’s private length of the Fraser River is alluring to club members, lodging guests and the general public. To fly-fish for brown, rainbow and cutthroat trout on this Gold Medal water, anglers must pay a fee, which is reduced for club members. Granby Ranch, through local outfitters, offers beginning fly-fishing and customizes outing to the skill level of anglers.

More of Colorado's best “fish and chips”…

Private Clubs

Public Courses

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