Coal Creek Rises

The Louisville, CO golf course aims to open Summer 2015

Jon Rizzi | Colorado AvidGolfer

Last September’s floods shut down Louisville’s Coal Creek Golf Course for the remainder of last year, all of this season, and—some thought—for good.

But Parks and Recreation Director Joe Stevens, City Project Manager Allan Gill and Course Superintendent Chris Bradford had other plans for the 24-year-old facility.

Specifically, they had a $5 million longrange master plan in place two years before the disaster occurred. Developed by Kevin Norby of Minnesota-based Herford-Norby Golf Course Architects, the five-year plan called for multiple improvements, including hole lengthening, bunker remodeling, removing and relocating trees, constructing curbed cart paths, re-contouring greens, modernizing irrigation and other upgrades.

But after the storm destroyed three bridges, the majority of the irrigation system and all but three holes, the city decided to implement key parts of the plan all at once.

Key to this decision was a September 4, 2013, policy change made by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to consider “engineered landscapes” as eligible for federal financial relief. The floods and subsequent disaster proclamation came within a week of the policy change, so the government would pay 75 percent of the repairs. The state and city each kicked in 12.5 percent. Red tape naturally ensued, but ultimately, much of the master plan was folded into the restoration.

Working with the construction concern Landscapes Unlimited, Norby added contours to the fairways and greens, shrunk some of the greenside bunkers so they could be hand-raked, and he fescued their faces to help protect them from the howling winds. He adjusted the fairway bunker locations to reflect changes wrought by a quartercentury of equipment and ball evolution. He repositioned a number of tees and removed multiple trees.

Most noticeably, the 16th green, visible to westbound drivers on Highway 36, now sits 70 feet further from the road, and most of the hole now hides behind containment berms formed from dirt excavated by nearby roadwork.

“It will definitely be a different golf course,” Norby says. “More enjoyable, more strategic, with better drainage and better conditions. And I think it’ll be more fun.” To that end, he mentions he creation of a putting course near the clubhouse that draws inspiration from the Punchbowl Course at Bandon Dunes co-designed by Denverite Jim Urbina.

“Without City Council support this could easily have been turned into open space,” Chris Bradford says. “But it costs a lot of money to maintain open space that generates no revenue. Meanwhile we generate about $2 million annually and maintain habitats for plants and wildlife.”

Bradford and Norby both aim to have Coal Creek open next summer. For diagrams of all course changes, visit coalcreekgolf.com.

Colorado AvidGolfer is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it. It publishes eight issues annually and proudly delivers daily content via www.coloradoavidgolfer.com.