East Course — Colorado golf at its finest

Broadmoor Golf Club: Colorado golf at its finest

March 15, 2018

Guest post courtesy of Craig Lemley, coloradogolfblog.com 

Nestled at the foot of the mountains in Colorado Springs, The Broadmoor Golf Club’s East Course is one of Colorado golf’s most coveted crown jewels. The championship course is no stranger to the highest levels of the game, hosting 6 USGA Championships in its history (a total of 8 championships have been played on Broadmoor courses), and a number of NCAA Championships — and one now-famous black bear.

Golf aside, the world-renowned resort is itself a dominant presence among upscale tourist offerings in the area, and is celebrating its centennial anniversary through 2018. Perhaps as an early birthday gift, the USGA named the East Course at Broadmoor Golf Club home of the 2018 U.S. Senior Open, bringing the track back into the limelight 10 years after hosting its last Open.

At a summer 2017 launch event, Hale Irwin teed off into the wide no.1 fairway, setting up a good look at the uphill green from his second shot. The Donald Ross/Robert Trent Jones Sr. track plays like a country club: overly-inviting fairways in close proximity to one another, speckled with large trees dictating your shots, and highlighted by the manicured hazards, flowerbeds and the lushest of turf. Pristine conditions are a given—this is the Broadmoor Golf Club we’re talking about—but what really sets the East Course apart from your everyday luxury private club are the greens.

While large and welcoming, these greens will cause you a lot of grief and several strokes if you’re not extremely careful. The greens slope according to the mountains to aid in finding a line, but otherwise, hidden undulations will send your ball sweeping away from the cup if your pace isn’t exact. And the super-fast surface doesn’t make it easy, rolling as smooth as you can imagine. It’s no wonder how the Broadmoor East Course earned its challenging reputation at the elite levels of the game.

Reprieve can be found in the sampling of the property’s high-end amenities throughout the layout, topped only by the gorgeous green complexes and sweeping views of the mountains to the west, and the sprawling cityscape to the east. The incredible sunsets, glimpses of the historic hotel and wildlife spotting seem only an added bonus — no matter how many three-putts are on the card.

The front 9 provides the most scoring opportunities, with par 5s at nos. 3, 7 and 9, a short par 4 at no. 2 and manageable par 3s at nos. 4 and 8. Players will need to capitalize early before making the turn if they want to stay near the top of the leaderboard. The long par-35 back 9 isn’t as friendly, and can be punishing if you’re mishitting or getting too aggressive.

The 240-yard par 3 at no. 12 isn’t making too many friends at this course. Though reachable, the green complex sits above four front-side bunkers divided by a tiny landing area. Outside of sticking the putting surface or threading the needle and catching the small patch of fairway, chances are you’re playing for par before your second shot. Sunday’s champion can expect a challenging finish on the par 4 at no. 18, possibly the most difficult hole in the course, too. Vacation cottages line the inside of the tight doglegged fairway leading to a creek cutting off the green. A birdie finish is possible with a good, well placed tee shot and a targeted approach, but a look at the elevated, heavily undulating green from the rough can cause a lot of trouble. (Stay below the hole if you’re playing damage control.)

The Broadmoor Golf Club is a world-renowned destination for historic decadence and its culture of perfection, and that reputation rightfully extends to the East Course. The gorgeous country club setting disguises the challenges of this track very well, making it an excellent choice to host the highest levels of the game. And after enjoying a century of iconic status, the East Course is moving into the mainstream limelight once again to showcase elite Colorado golf.