Colorado Getaways July 2020: Vail Valley

The Club at Cordillera
The Club at Cordillera

Three Courses, Endless Challenges

The names—Nicklaus, Irwin, Fazio—are golf design royalty. Is there any wonder then why The Club at Cordillera is home to some of the most memorable golf possible— in the mountains or anywhere else? With elevations that begin at 7,200-feet above sea level, rising to an almost unfathomable 9,000 feet, the 7,046-yard Valley (Fazio), 7,450-yard Mountain (Irwin) and 7,518-yard Summit (Nicklaus) courses will take your game to unforgettable heights and leave you panting for more. cordillera-vail.com

The Club at Cordillera’s Valley course
Valley Course

Valley Grrrr

The Club at Cordillera’s Valley course (left) has a longer playing season than the Mountain and Summit courses, giving you more chances to solve its mysterious slopes and undulations. cordillera-vail.com

Choices, Choices

No matter where you play, each course at Cordillera has its own dining option. The Chaparral (below) now offers updated Mexican American offerings. Bon appétit! cordillera-vail.com

The Chaparral
The Chaparral

Eager Beaver

Whether it’s private balconies offering sweeping mountain
views, or countless other charming features, Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa will certainly respond to whatever your senses are craving. Besides its 190 luxurious rooms including 23 suites, guests can also escape to 54 holes of golf at nearby Beaver Creek and Red Sky golf clubs. Great fly-fishing, rafting and hiking are also minutes away. parkhyattbeavercreek.com

Park Hyatt Beaver Creek
Park Hyatt Beaver Creek

Happy Trails To You

Beaver Lake Trail is a 6.3-mile hike located within the Beaver Creek Ski Area near Avon. vailvalleypartnership.com

Hiking in Beaver Creek: Vail Valley
Hiking in Beaver Creek

A “Frosty” Anniversary, Five Years and Going Strong

Founded in 2015, Frost Creek is situated on more than 1,100 acres just west of Vail. While the heart of the community may be its 40,000-square-foot clubhouse that includes fine dining, a spa and a fitness center, its soul just might be found in its gorgeous, Tom Weiskopf-designed golf course. Spread out over 285 acres, the 7,155-yard track features eight man-made lakes, bringing water into play on 10 of its holes. Especially challenging is the 486-yard, par-4 sixth hole, that features a double dogleg that might leave you pleased to walk away with bogey. frostcreek.com

Frost Creek
Frost Creek: Vail Valley

Casting About

After depositing a few balls into the manmade lakes on the golf course, you may decide that if you can’t beat the water, it’s best to just join it. In that case, you’ll be in luck—Frost Creek features more than two miles of deep pools that accommodate all kinds of fishing disciplines. There’s even paddleboarding on one of the 10 on-site ponds. frostcreek.com

Fishing at Frost Creek
Fishing at Frost Creek

Vive La France!

The Tour de France isn’t until August, but you can get a head start on the iconic bike race with the Tour de Eagle Mountain Bike Ride. There are two different ride options and the July 10 celebration includes food and music afterwards. lgtri.com

 Tour de Eagle
Tour de Eagle. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF LGTRI VIA FACEBOOK

Off-season? What Off-season?

As hard as it may be for golfers to realize, winter is considered “the” time to be in the Vail Valley—but that’s not to say summer visitors won’t find plenty of activities to enjoy. Epic Discovery is an opportunity to, well, discover a different approach to the mountains. Visitors can engage in Adventure Courses, Ziplines, a Mountain Coaster, Tubing Hills, a Climbing Wall and Bungee Trampoline among other options. vail.com

Forest Flying Mountain Coaster
Forest Flying Mountain Coaster

March Along with Arnie’s Army

Designed by the King himself, Arnold Palmer, Eagle Ranch Golf Club opened in 2001 and has been a mountain golf mainstay ever since. The 7,461-yard, par-72 course will host a qualifying tournament for the 2020 CoBank Colorado Open—which speaks to its inherent challenges. It has also been a CAGGY winner for best mountain golf course, although at an elevation of about 6,000 feet above sea level, it sits a bit lower than some of its nearby counterparts. The course features five sets of tees on each hole, wide fairways and large greens with gentle slopes. You’ll want to check out the unique, “alternate green” on the par-5 12th hole. eagleranchgolf.com

Eagle Ranch Golf Club
Eagle Ranch Golf Club

See Birdies, Make Birdies

Recently certified as a cooperative sanctuary by Audubon International, it makes sense that the EagleVail Golf Club offers an integration of rivers, streams, ponds, wetlands, forests, and gardens—along with some mighty fine golf.

Created in the 1970s by Bruce Devlin and Robert Von Hagge, the course provides a true mountain golf experience, especially on its plunging par-3 10th. Spanning 6,538 yards and featuring intense elevation changes, the course promises 18 holes of pristine, challenging golf at an affordable price. There are also “Ladies on the Links” golf clinics (with complimentary drinks afterwards) every Monday evening during the summer. eagleranchgolf.com

EagleVail Golf Club
EagleVail Golf Club

This article was also featured in the July 2020 issue of Colorado AvidGolfer.

Colorado AvidGolfer is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it, publishing eight issues annually and proudly delivering daily content via coloradoavidgolfer.com.

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