Fore! in the Four Corners

Where to tee it up in Durango and Gunnison

The 20-mile section of U.S. 550 that connects Glacier Club in the north of Durango to Hillcrest Golf Club in the south isn’t part of the fabled “Million-Dollar Highway” popularized in Jay Grant’s song. But that costly section of 550 between Ouray and Silverton has no golf courses, which should make golfers value the Durango stretch all the more—especially when you consider that midway between the private Glacier and the public Hillcrest lies the semi-private Dalton Ranch & Club (pictured below), which welcomes public play on its layout along the Animas River.

This month Durango’s Glacier Club will begin construction on nine new holes, bringing the facility’s total to 36 and completing the the long-awaited Glacier Course. Scheduled to open no later than 2017, the 18-hole Hale Irwin-Todd Schoeder Signature Design will complement the original Arthur Hills-designed Cliffs Course and provide a semiprivate resort option at the members-only facility.

An Hour’s Drive

Dalton Ranch’s impeccably maintained layout is a must-play for golfers coming to Durango. For another award-winning example of architect Ken Dye’s handiwork, drive an hour to Farmington, N.M., home of Piñon Hills Golf Course. And if you head west from Durango, you’ll hit the city of Cortez and Press Maxwell’s Conquistador Golf Course.

On the Tee

No relation to Pete, Ken Dye designed Dalton Ranch & Club along the Animas River below the towering red cliffs of the San Juan Mountains. The impeccably maintained facility recently underwent an ownership change.

The three nines at Glacier Club tuck into the piney foothills of the San Juans. The club opened 40 years ago as the 18-hole Cliffs at Tamarron resort, went private 10 years ago and now will again have a resort component.

Situated 3 hours from Durango and an hour from Montrose, the friendly Dos Rios Golf Club (pictured below) runs 6,566 tree-lined yards along the Gunnison River. Water appears on 17 holes, and great food awaits on the 19th, known as the Dos Grill.

FEATURED COURSES

Dalton Ranch Golf Club
Durango
970-247-8774; daltonranch.com

Dos Rios Golf Club
Gunnison
970-641-1482; dosriosgolf.net

Glacier Club
Durango
970-382-7800; theglacierclub.com

Hillcrest Golf Club
Durango
970-247-1499; golfhillcrest.com

RELATED LINKS

Durango’s Wild Flowers and Alpine Waters

Grand Junction and Montrose: Activities, Restaurants and Wineries

Crank Up the Adventure in Grand County!

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