Colorado Getaways 2023: Vail Golf
Vail Golf Continues the Legacy
FOR MORE THAN 60 YEARS, the Vail Golf Club has been testing the mettle of golfers during the region’s relatively brief window from summer thaw to winter’s first ski tracks. In 2009 the public course began a campaign to touch up nearly every aspect of the legacy course. This summer that work is done. The course is planning to open in July after completing the final phase – green replacements and updating all the course’s 31 bunkers. The greens were rebuilt with better drainage and bentgrass. The pace of the greens and slopes was kept true to the original design, but the updates are expected to make for a smoother roll. “It was really about the health of the grass,” said Alice Plain, the Vail Golf Club director of golf. “We can make them faster but instead we’re looking for a true roll and healthy turf. Along the way the project saw construction of a new clubhouse, completed in 2017, and updated elements throughout the course. The course is operated by the Vail Recreation District and they have taken their charge seriously to offer amenities to their residents that in turn make the region an outdoor activity mecca. As part of that pledge the golf club maintains a high pace of play in order to help visitors enjoy a round of golf in a little more than 4 hours – then have plenty of time for the rest of the region. “We try hard to do that so they can enjoy everything else Vail has to offer,” Plain said. family. You couldn’t ask for much more than that.
While you are Here
Dining in Vail in the summer is half the point of visiting. Eateries that cater to the apres ski crowd in the winter turn to pleasing hikers, mountain bikers, music festival enthusiasts and golfers who turn to the valley for summer fun. Local favorites include Sweet Basil, The Fitz, Root & Flower, Mountain Standard and The George.
Summertime in Vail means Vail’s legendary array of summertime arts and culture. The Philadelphia Philharmonic Orchestra stops by for performances every July as part of the Bravo!Vail Music Festival. Ford Amphitheater hosts concerts all summer long, many of them free. This July’s lineup features Old Crow Medicine Show July 16, The Dip July 18, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and Ziggy Marley July 24; and the Vail Dance Festival performances July 28 to Aug. 11.
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