Revisiting the Stories that Helped Define our Year

2025 Story Updates

By Jim Bebbington

Throughout 2025, we were lucky to be able to share great stories from interesting people, places, and courses. But in nearly every case, the stories continued to evolve after we took our hands off the keyboard. Here is how some of the stories moved on after we first told them.

VIC LOMBARDI: Longtime Denver sports broadcaster Vic Lombardi shared with us last spring about his ongoing efforts to fight a prostate cancer diagnosis. Lombardi was diagnosed several years ago, and despite successful surgery, was told that the cancer would likely return. That happened last year, and Lombardi was forthright and honest about what it meant to him and his family.

This summer, Vic remained an enthusiastic and active member of the Denver sports broadcasting community. His social media posts detailing the enormous lunches his Italy-born mother still makes for him and his brothers were outstanding. In October, he told us his cancer fight continues. He had just completed three weeks of radiation therapy, as the cancer had progressed to his bladder. “Hoping it works,” he wrote.

ADELE ARAKAWA: Arakawa, the retired news anchor, shared with us last summer the story of how she and her husband Barry are navigating his Alzheimer’s diagnosis, partly by using golf as a safe haven. Barry and Adele still play often. Adele described how she hands him the club to hit, and he takes it from there.

This fall she reported from their home near Tucson that the disease had progressed but they were still able to play. “It may be from my tee box and I might have to help him choose clubs and remind him which ball is his, but his body and muscle memory is remarkable,” she said. “I do see the day he cannot join me on the course — but it’s still off on the horizon, and I try to keep my focus a bit closer to where we are now. Now that the Arizona heat is finally giving way to cooler temperatures, I try to get him out to the golf course at least once or twice a month. I can’t ask for any more.”

EAGLE TRACE GOLF CLUB: Homeowners in and around the Eagle Trace Golf Club in Broomfield have been working for more than a year to try to keep the course viable after the current owner sold off the course’s water rights. They fear the course is on track to close in Fall of 2026, and our story told about their efforts to keep it open.

This fall Bruce Erley, one of the homeowners working on this project, said they are feeling more optimistic. They have been able to create a new entity — a community development corporation — which is capable of receiving donations of land or money and seeking grants to keep community neighborhoods from falling into blight. He said they have had constructive conversations with the course owner, a California attorney, and with the city of Broomfield. Much more work needs to be done, but Erley said they are hopeful to have a solution in place by next Fall.

OLD TOM CAPITAL: In July we told you about Old Tom Capital, an investment business co-led by Denver resident Matt Erley that is seeking to invest in companies with products that help golfers access the game in new and different ways. (Erley is also the son of Bruce Erley.) Matt Erley said in our story that he and his partner continue to look for new companies to invest in.

That came true several times since the article ran. In the months afterward Old Tom announced new investments in Golf Card, a credit card that has a rewards component which emphasizes using points on trips, club access, gear and experiences. It also announced leading a $20 million investment round for Blue Jeans Golf, which calls itself a “driving range business for golfers.” The company opens or buys existing ranges and upgrades them under the Golf Ranch brand. Old Tom also announced backing for the Grass League, which offers “high stakes par 3 golf” with teams from around the country competing, and operates a lighted par 3 course in Scottsdale, AZ.