Inside 5 Members-Only Colorado Clubs

A selective sampling of Colorado’s private golf experience

By Chris Duthie

With few exceptions, it’s every avid golfer’s dream one day to become a member of a private club. Better private clubs emphasize not just top-tier golf, but also year-round family programming, member incentives and community outreach, plus non-golf activities like fitness classes, spa amenities and delightfully appointed gathering areas for meetings and social events.

What’s in your dreams? Here are five extraordinary private clubs that prove Colorado knows how to take very special care of its own, and then some:

1) The Club at Ravenna:

Set against the iconic red rocks of Dakota Hogback near Waterton Canyon, this premier Littleton property offers Jay Morrish golf that has been a Golfweek U.S. Top 100 Residential Course for eight years in a row and just hosted the 2018 Schomp BMW Cup. Plus, Ravenna will soon be opening its new 11,000-square-foot fitness center with swimming and rooftop terrace and plans call for the 24,600-square-foot Old World-style clubhouse to debut next year. The club has 24-hour staffed security gates and a sumptuous collection of custom and semi-custom homes and villas. ravennagolf.com or (720) 400-9673

2) Inverness Golf Club:

In Englewood, this vaunted property has been a Colorado darling since the opening of its semi-private, J. Press Maxwell-designed golf course in 1974. Featuring exquisite resort amenities shaped around the Hilton Denver Inverness, membership includes preferred advanced tee-time bookings; practice facilities with unlimited practice balls; indoor and outdoor swimming; a limited number of complimentary hotel stays and champagne Sunday brunches at the Garden Terrace Restaurant; and a variety of retail and spa service discounts. HiltonInvernessGolf.com or (303) 397-7810

3) The Club at Cordillera:

Anchored by three Troon Privé managed 18-hole championship courses (Tom Fazio, Hale Irwin and Jack Nicklaus designs), this leading Vail property takes full advantage of its alpine location to promote an active lifestyle. Amenities also include a Dave Pelz-designed short course; top-50 golf instruction from swing guru Tim Mahoney; two fitness centers with five swimming pools; fly-fishing on 1.3 private miles of the Eagle River; 31 miles of horseback, hiking and mountain biking trails; and ice skating on a 9,600-square-foot outdoor rink. Cordillera-Vail.com or (970) 569-6418

4) The Club at Flying Horse:

The addition of plush lodging, guest tee times and a superb steakhouse have elevated this northern Colorado Springs property to another level. Members further enjoy an Audubon-certified, Tom Weiskopf-designed 18-hole golf course with an indoor learning center; a 43,000-square-foot palazzo-style clubhouse; and an equally enormous Athletic Club & Spa that offers clay tennis, saltwater swimming, basketball, fitness and more. Plus, watch for a new 18-hole Phil Smith-designed golf course scheduled to open in summer 2019. FlyingHorseClub.com or (719) 487-2646

5) Perry Park Country Club:

Fresh from a million-dollar renovation, this dazzling member-owned Larkspur property is steeped in dramatic scenery surrounded by mountains, lakes, pines and red rock formations. Its top-shelf amenities package includes an 18-hole championship-level golf course crafted by Dick Phelps — players rave about the pure, no-homes-in-sight experience—live music on the newly refreshed casual dining space, wine tastings, myriad social events and a 19^th-century styled Manor House that overlooks Lake Wauconda and the foothills of the Pike National Forest. PerryParkCC.com or (303) 681-3305 ext.

For more information about Colorado’s astonishing array of private golf clubs, pick up the April 2018 issue of Colorado AvidGolfer or take an electronic tour of the magazine by clicking here.

[easyazon_infoblock align=”right” identifier=”B071D4FY26″ locale=”US” tag=”coloradoavidg-20″]RELATED LINKS

The CAGGY Awards 2018

Inverness Club Membership

Play Perry Park in 2018

Meet Cordillera’s New Swing Guru Tim Mahoney

Chris Duthie is a Durango-based contributor to 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.