Breckenridge Golf Club Colorado’s Golden Nugget
By David R. Holland
BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. — One could say Breckenridge Golf Club, in a spot near where the largest gold nugget in North America was found in 1887, is a strike-it-rich, award-winning golf experience. The 13.5-pound chunk of gold, by the way, was about the size of a human head and is now on display at the Colorado Museum of Natural History in Denver.
Nearly a hundred years later, Breckenridge Golf Club was destined for lofty praise when it opened in 1985. It has a stunning backdrop of Colorado’s 10-Mile Range, the Gore Range and Williams Fork, plus at a soaring 9,324 feet in the clear mountain air, you can expect many 65-degree days on long summer days.
“The Bear Nine was the first to open and was laid out on a landscape known as Buffalo Flats. It was once a tent city of miners seeking fortunes of gold,” said Grant Johnson, Golf & Nordic Manager Breckenridge Golf Club/Gold Run Nordic Center.
“The second nine to open, in 1987, was the Beaver. Left of holes 6, 7, and 8 and you will notice rock piles or ‘tailings’ as the miners called them, leftover from the days of gold mining in the area. The Beaver nine takes its name from the beaver ponds that are scattered along holes 6, 8, and 9,” Johnson continued.
The success of the original 18 holes prompted town officials to expand the golf course. In 2001 the Elk nine opened giving golfers’ 27 memorable holes to play. The Elk offers the most elevation change of the three nines, as well as the beautiful panoramic views of the Ten-Mile Mountain range.
At this elevation the golf ball flies almost 20 percent farther and straighter than at lower elevations, as there is less air resistance.
But perhaps it was the foresight rather than background that was even more important. Breckenridge is the world’s only 27-hole municipal layout designed by Jack Nicklaus.
Former head pro Erroll Miller said the town’s knowledge to pick the Nicklaus brand showed they knew golf and understood that name would be valuable. It was also at a time when Nicklaus-designed golf courses came at a lower price tag.
The original layout, the Beaver Nine (3,564 yards) and Bear Nine (3,702), measures 7,266 yards, a par 72. The routing takes you through lodgepole pines, wetlands, beaver ponds, sagebrush and native grasses. In 2001, the Elk Nine (3,556) was added, with even higher elevation changes, to complete the 27.
Breckenridge Golf Club: Award-winner receives more praise
In May, 2014, Golfweek magazine listed Breckenridge Golf Club at No. 25 in its “Top 50 Municipal Courses,” which was a jump from 34th the previous year. After eyeballing that list, I personally thought it was too low. A couple of courses ahead of Breckenridge that I have played I would rank below this mountain beauty.
Three municipals on the list have hosted or will host a U.S. Open — Bethpage Black (ranked no. 1), Chambers Bay (no. 2) and Torrey Pines South (no. 4).
Of roughly 1,300 municipal courses nationwide, the magazine narrowed its list to around 175, and each were evaluated by members of an international ratings committee.
Favorite holes include no. 8 on the Beaver Nine. This testy hole — a 571-yard par 5 — requires you to measure a drive with a creek on the right and another feeder loop of the creek that crosses the fairway heading to a beaver pond. Hit your drive short of the water crossing, and then layup in front of a green that has four more beaver waterways.
The next hole has a beautiful vista of Buffalo Mountain, the last active volcano in the Gore Range. This par 3 measures 195 yards and has, you guessed it, a beaver pond with trout swimming around, snuggling up to the left side of the oblong green with a bunker in front and two in back.
The Elk Nine produces a really fun hole from the highest spot on the golf course. No. 7 flies downhill 436 yards before making a turn right and leaving you with a downhill lie over a ravine to a green with a bunker right. The toughest par-3 is no. 5 on the Elk; a 239-yard bullet is required to survive lodgepole forest left and a deep bunker left of the green.
Breckenridge Golf Club: Final thoughts
Breckenridge is not a pushover — you must pay attention all day while enjoying the cool summer temperatures. Thankfully, you will find holes that bend left and right — some of Nicklaus’ earlier designs were fade-happy excursions. From the correct tees, you can score well, and many locals walk with push carts.
Golf Digest “Places to Play” has rated Breckenridge as a four-and-a-half-star facility and as one of their top “Upscale Places to Play” in the nation.
Golf is only part of Breckenridge’s colorful past. It is a neat 19th-century mining town with an award-winning ski resort and countless summer outdoors activities.
They call it a powder rush today instead of gold rush — Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Vail, Beaver Creek, Arapahoe Basin and Keystone ski areas are all nearby, and more excellent golf can be found at Keystone, Vail and The Raven at Three Peaks in Silverthorne.
Stay-and-play golf packages
The Beaver Run Resort and Conference Center (970-453-6000, beaverrun.com) is my favorite place to stay in Breckenridge. It has golf packages and is located on the ski slopes. There are 515 slope-side guest accommodations including everything from hotel rooms, studio, one- and two-bedroom condominiums, as well as large executive and specialty suites with full kitchen, covered parking and concierge services. Your room includes a great view and complimentary Wi-Fi. Log on to gobreck.com for more things to do on your golf vacation.
