The Broadmoor and the Colorado Escape

For more than 100 years a corner of Colorado Springs has been a special gathering space

By Jim Bebbington

Golfers. Vacationers. Movie stars. The spa-curious. Wedding parties. Quinceanera, bar mitzvah and birthday celebrants. Literal royalty. 14er summiters who also like to sleep on 600-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets. Diamond wedding anniversary couples. Just-make-me-feel-special-for-a-long-weekend escapees. The Broadmoor staff has welcomed them all. Many of the guests are known by one name: Arnold. (Prince) Harry. Rockefeller. Venus. Peyton. Sir Elton. Ike.

 

Many pull up to the front gates to be greeted by an attendant who knows they are arriving that day. They golf on the two courses which are maintained at such a high standard a USGA major can be brought to the grounds with only minor tweaks. They wander about the lake at the center of the resort wearing plush white bathrobes.

True story: In late November, as more than 500 people gathered in The Broadmoor for the 50th Anniversary celebration of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, scores of other guests read in the libraries, enjoyed the pools, walked the grounds, bowled, sampled cocktails, and breathed deeply.

One couple, millennials, stepped outside from the doors of the spa wearing the white plushy robes that are the campus uniform. “That was the greatest experience of my life,” the young woman murmured to her companion as they walked off into the twilight toward the lake.

Such is the power of The Broadmoor.

Winter Gatherings

The Broadmoor is at its busiest in the summer, but this winter the resort is offering extra incentive for visitors to give it a taste. As the snows fall across the front range, The Broadmoor goes into overdrive to offer value for its visitors. There are worse places to be holed up in during a storm.

“What we always try to stay focused on is the legacy of the property and being the longest-running five-diamond, five-star resort,” said Scott Flexman, The Broadmoor’s vice president of sales and marketing.

The Broadmoor campus and its wilderness and mountainside camps amount to more than 5,000 acres. There are 784 rooms, suites and cottages, the spa, a racquet complex for tennis and pickleball, 23 retail boutiques, ten restaurants and as many libraries, galleries and lounges dotted across the complex. The resort has been owned since 2011 by The Anschutz Corporation.

This winter the resort is offering a host of amenities. With more than 200,000  square feet of exhibit space, The Broadmoor gets its share of the convention traveler – the rest of the year is when they hope to bring those visitors back on vacations. The holiday season at the resort is filled with dinners, lights and peaceful vibes. The first months of the new year the experience is similar, but the room rates are lower making the winter the perfect time for the first-time experience. “You can still enjoy the Colorado escape,” Flexman said.

The Home of Colorado Golf

The Broadmoor’s two championship golf courses are part of the package, even in the winter. If the weather cooperates, winter guests can play nine holes, paying only a cart-fee. The courses have long put The Broadmoor on the list of must-visit resorts. But this spring, after an extensive renovation, the facility’s golf and spa building became the new home to the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

“We’ve had three big events here this year – the opening of the museum in April, our golf tournament in July and 50th Anniversary gala dinner to honor all 148 people who are in the hall,” said Mark Passey, vice president of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

“The fact that there is a place of this caliber and this quality in the state – it’s about golf and high standards and they’re willing to have us here and all this built-in traffic it was a complete win for us to have our museum here.” The installation is beyond belief, and there may not be another example like it anywhere in the country.

Nearly 40 living members of the Hall were on hand in November, some seeing it for the first time. Hale Irwin, a three-time U.S. Open champ who went to high school and college in Boulder, said he could barely believe the level of execution for the Hall. “I guess I’m overwhelmed a little bit by the effort that’s been put in to feature Colorado golf and to be a small part of the history of golf in Colorado I’m quite honored,” he said.

“To see some of the exploits and some of the other things some of the other recipients have done.”

Irwin said that as special as the artifacts and exploits of the golfers being honored, he said he cannot help but think about how he and they all got there.

“Let’s not forget – it’s not just the honorees,’ he said. “There’s a lot of people out there who are a support system to all of that. I couldn’t have done what I’ve done without the support of my family, some of whom are here tonight. I might have a picture on the wall but there’s a bigger story behind that with all the people up there. That’s the story to me. Everybody has a support system that has enabled them to go do their thing. That’s what impresses me.”

Golf architect Jim Engh, who designed Fossil Trace Golf Club and one of the finest mountain courses on earth – The Golf Club at Redlands Mesa in Grand Junction, came out of a tour of the Hall amazed. “They’ve taken it to another level,” he said.

As one year ends and another season begins, The Broadmoor remains an innovative experience for visitors, with every intention of remaining so for years to come. “We have never wavered on that; the legacy of the Broadmoor will carry on just as it has 105 years ago,” Flexman said.

Colorado AvidGolfer Magazine 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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