New Bunkers Solve Old Problem at The Ridge

The Ridge at Castle Pines North, one of the most enjoyable public courses in the Denver region, finished a bunker upgrade this summer that solved one of the course’s only flaws.

The course winds through the same terrain as the private Castle Pines Golf Club and Country Club of Castle Pines – just further up the slope. The Tom Weiskopf-designed 18-hole track provides a carnival of elevation changes – and for years, its bunkers paid the price.

Beginning last summer, the Troon-managed course underwent a complete bunker renovation. It reduced the overall size of all the bunkers combined by about 30 percent. It raised the floor of many of the steepest bunkers. And it relined and rebuilt all of them.

Together, the changes don’t take the challenge of the bunkers away – many are still positioned precisely where an errant shot is likely to land. But the changes have significantly reduced the amount of wash-out that the bunkers receive during heavy rains. And since the deepest bunkers are now a little higher, they are more the one-stroke penalty type of bunker than the multi-stroke aggravation that their predecessors were.

“So we reshaped them all,” said course general manager Daniel Kane. “We reduced surface area by 30 percent. They were Weiskoff-designed deep bunkers and were hard to maintain up at this elevation. We’d lose a lot of turf every winter just because of winter desecration. So we fixed that, shallowed them out, made playability better, put the liner in, drainage, and new sand.” The overall vibe of the front and back nines was preserved.

The first nine remain a test in which most of the fairways are guarded by tall, native grasses and a few ponds. It is links-style, with a lot of contour to the fairways.

Elevation changes are nearly always present at The Ridge, but come into play on the back nine. The south-facing back nine is built onto the steeper land of the property and the Gambel Oaks and Ponderosa Pines were left largely in place when the course was built. The holes wind narrowly through forest.

The course has continued at nearly full occupancy this summer as it has for the past several years. With 200 playable days (the south-facing back nine holds onto snow much later into the spring than some other area courses) it has been averaging about 35,000 rounds a year, Kane said.

Now, as players return to the clubhouse after their first visit back since the bunker work, instead of hearing talk about the difficulties of the old bunkers, they are hearing a whole set of new comments. “Now we get the comment ‘this sand’s too soft,’ Kane said. “You know, the fun, new problems I call them.”

For more information, contact The Ridge at Castle Pines North at 303.647.8992 or PlayTheRidge.com.