As the meat of the golf season approaches, it’s pretty much business as usual at City Park Golf Course in Denver. But, in all likelihood, this is the last springtime in a while that that will be the case.

The course, which opened 105 years ago, is expected to close late this year and not reopen for business until sometime in 2019 — though it’s possible pending litigation could affect plans.

As part of the contentious Platte to Park Hill stormwater drainage project the city of Denver has planned, a newly redesigned 18-hole City Park Golf Course will be used in part for stormwater detention, assuming nothing derails the plans. The idea is to integrate stormwater detention areas into the course to “help protect some of the city’s most at-risk neighborhoods from flooding” — specifically those north and northwest of the site, according to the City and County of Denver website.

As part of the project, the redesigned City Park Golf Course will “temporarily hold and slow floodwaters while protecting the course from damage” during major storms. … “Outside of major storms, the area will remain a dry, fully-functioning golf course.”

Miles Graham from GBSM, which handles communications and community outreach for the city on this project, said that things will largely remain status quo for this golf season.

“Other than some exciting news about which of the teams will be doing the final design and the construction on the redesign, there’s not going to be any change or disruption this golf season,” he said. “It’s going to be business as usual.”

Ed Mate, the CGA’s executive director, grew up as a regular at City Park GC. He played his first 18-hole round of golf there, and to this day, he says he’s played more at the historic layout than anywhere else.

Asked his feelings about the changes that are planned, Mate said, “It’s bittersweet. It’s where I grew up playing. With the nostalgia and all that, obviously it’s hard to see (the existing course) go away. But you have to be realistic. There’s a way to transform public property that incorporates very-much-needed (public safety-related changes) and modernizes the course like at (CGA-owned and operated) CommonGround. It’s sad to see the old course go, but I’m glad to see it used for the greater good of the community. If it was becoming a parking lot or a high-rise, it would be a different matter, but it’s staying a golf course.”

The plan calls for a course architect and construction team to be selected to design and build a new 18-hole layout at the site, with that choice expected to be made public this summer after contract finalization. The finalists are Robert Trent Jones II, with Landscapes Unlimited; iCon Golf Studio with Hale Irwin Golf Design, with Saunders Construction; and Dye Design, with SEMA Construction. Among their Colorado work, Trent Jones designed Ute Creek Golf Course in Longmont, Icon Golf Studio the Glacier Club in Durango, and Dye Design Riverdale Dunes in Brighton.

City Park GC was originally designed by Scotsman Tom Bendelow. After public input was solicited on the matter, it’s hoped that some of the most iconic elements of the existing course and site can be incorporated into the new layout.

“City Park Golf Course is a very special place and so are the people there,” said Keith Soriano, currently a Colorado PGA assistant executive director, who served as the PGA head professional at City Park from 2009 through 2012. “Whoever they choose (for the redesign team), I hope they maintain some of the uniquesness of the course.

“Because of the confined nature (of the site), I hope they stay with small greens, with approach shots having to be placed well and on the correct side (of the pin).”

Soriano understands why some people are unhappy with the impending changes, but is glad there still will be a golf course at the site.

“Anytime you change something historical as that, that’s been there 100 years” there’s bound to be some controversy. “But that’s the cost of progress,” he said. “At least there will be a golf course there. People will have access to green space (amid) the concrete jungle, and to PGA professionals, but the look of it may change.”

Added Mate: “It’s a really good golf course as it is. It’s underappreciated. It has really fun greens that are challenging. It’s a classic Tom Bendelow course. Whatever they replace it with won’t be the same. You can’t recreate the charm.

“But I recognize the stormwater challenge, and the city needs to be proactive. I trust the engineers (and other experts). The way I look at it, if that work is needed, then it’s needed. And it could be that the course they replace it with is a fun, sporty layout.”

Integrating stormwater detention areas into golf courses isn’t unusual. Examples in the Denver metro area are CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora and Lakewood Country Club. That certainly came into play at CommonGround during the September 2013 flooding as more than 14 inches of rain fell in just six days. At one time, nearly half the course was under water, at some points 6 feet deep of it. It took nearly a month before the water drained off the course completely, and by then eight holes were damaged severely and the turf on five greens died. But the good news was that the Westerly Creek Dam that borders the course did its job — flood control — by protecting land and real estate in nearby areas of eastern Denver and northwestern Aurora.

“Sometimes the best interest is to be a true citizen in the larger picture,” Mate said. “Public safety concern has to supersede (golf course matters). As hard as it was to see CommonGround flooded in 2013, this community asset served a greater good. It kept (homes, businesses and the people that use them) from the effects of the flood. The fact that they’re keeping (City Park) as a golf course, that’s a great outcome. Times change.”

But that doesn’t mean that the old layout won’t be missed. Both Soriano and Mate specifically noted how much they like the 18th hole at City Park.

Dating back more than a century, City Park certainly has a unique history to draw upon.

Among those who have played the course are former heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis, outstanding all-around athlete Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Charlie Sifford and Jonathan Kaye of PGA Tour fame, and 1952 Olympic long jump champion Jerome Biffle.

Some of those players — and many others — were attracted to City Park because it was known as a place where there was plenty of “action” — in other words, where a little cash was known to be exchanged via golf bets.

A founding member of the City Park-based East Denver Golf Club, Judge James Flanigan, helped knock down racial barriers in state golf tournaments when he was refused the right to play in the CGA Match Play Championship in 1961. The next year, the CGA changed its policies and admitted minority clubs, including the East Denver Golf Club.

Another thing that’s made City Park distinctive is the makeup of its players. To put it succinctly, the course is among the most diverse in Denver. While many of the various men’s club golfers played with their own groups at City Park, gambling eventually integrated people of different races.

“When I started playing there (in the late 1960s), the men’s clubs were pretty much segregated, but the gambling games weren’t,” Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Tom Woodard, a former PGA head professional at City Park, as well as a former director of golf for the City of Denver, said when the course celebrated its 100th anniversary. “The color of money — green — was the only thing that mattered there. I thought that was pretty amazing.

“The thing I remember most is the gambling games. Every Friday and Saturday you could find a game — but you better bring your ‘A’ game. You better be ready to play. If you were a good player from a public course, you eventually made your way to City Park.”

With the impending course redesign, the city is considering various priorities for the site, according the the city’s website. Based on community outreach sessions, those include improved/updated practice facilities, expanding/improving The First Tee of Denver program that’s based at the course, and relocating/redesigning the clubhouse, among other things.

“City Park is certainly one of the most beloved municipal courses in Denver. It’s got a ton of history,” Graham said. “The city is fully committed to making sure this redesign retains all of those great aspects of City Park and looks for opportunities to update it further.

“That eight-month collaborative process we did with the community really heavily referred back to the history of the course, making sure we retain the character of the course. But there will be opportunities to make some updates that would improve playability.”

Courses closing for more than a year, then reopening, certainly isn’t unprecedented in the Denver metro area. Just in recent years, Coal Creek Golf Course in Louisville closed in the wake of the 2013 flood before being rebuilt and returning to business in 2015. And Thorncreek Golf Course in Thornton closed last fall for renovation, with officials anticipating a 2018 reopening.

For more information on the City Park Golf Course plans, CLICK HERE.

While big changes are planned for City Park GC, it’s not the only City of Denver course that’s been in the news. The city is in the running to host a three-day outdoor musical festival at Overland Park Golf Course starting in 2018, most likely in September of that year. If a deal is struck, Overland would be closed for 4-6 weeks, according to the city website. Assuming the musical festival comes to Denver, city officials say they anticipate an initial five-year contract.

Denver is one of two cities being considered to host the music festival. A decision on the matter is expected in late spring of this year.

For more information about the Overland proposal, CLICK HERE.

“Our beginning year we were hoping to shoot, using a golf analogy, 1 or 2 over par,” Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Alan Abrams, the president of the JGAC and the director of golf at Indian Tree Golf Club, said at the recent CWGA Annual Meeting. “But we had an incredible sub-par round and ended up winning the tournament. Exciting things happened for us that first year.”

But one thing about setting a high bar is that it’s a formidable standard to meet going forward. That’s the situation that faces the JGAC as it begins season 2 in 2017. The second-year activities have already started with the kickoff last Sunday of the “Off-Season Education Series.” And next weekend (April 8-9) will mark the first JGAC tournaments of the year as a Tour event is planned for the Country Club of Colorado in Colorado Springs and a Spring Series tournament for Pueblo Country Club.

All told, there are about 119 competitions planned for this year, a total which includes Drive Chip & Putt qualifiers but not PGA Junior League events. That’s up a whopping 35 percent from last year’s total.

“I credit the (Colorado) PGA for this,” said CGA managing director of operations Dustin Jensen, a director of the JGAC along with Colorado PGA assistant executive director Keith Soriano. “We have the super-competitive events (for top-level players) covered. We didn’t need more of those tournaments. Where we needed to grow was to engage other junior golfers — not just the high end, but everybody.”

Which led to the decision to create a JGAC Prep League, a pilot program that ideally will include 27 events in 2017, mostly from mid-August to the beginning of October. The idea is that these events would offer competitive opportunities to junior varsity-level golfers and players who haven’t had the chance to compete much. (The fall is the boys prep golf season and the JGAC will partner with high schools in this endeavor).

Another addition to the JGAC agenda this year is a Western Slope swing during the tournament season. A total of six events will be held in western Colorado:

— June 6 at Vail Golf Club.

— June 28 at Battlement Mesa Golf Club.

— July 16 at Willow Creek Par-3 in Eagle-Vail, a team event.

— July 17-18 at Gypsum Creek GC and Eagle Ranch GC, a two-day event.

— July 19 at Bookcliff Country Club in Grand Junction.

— And Aug. 5-6 at Tiara Rado Golf Course in Grand Junction, the Western Junior Championship, which takes the place of the old Daily Sentinel Western Chapter Junior Championship.

“We really made a concerted effort to get events in western Colorado,” Jensen said. “We had the rest of the state covered. We have a huge contingent of kids — probably 30 — who come over from West Slope to play in our events. We needed to make an effort to reach out to them and have some events over there.”

Another new wrinkle this year is a “spring points chase”. The top three boys and top three girls in the points standings after three spring Tour events will earn spots in the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior by Transamerica that’s being hosted by Walnut Creek Golf Preserve (the former Heritage at Westmoor) June 6-8.

And, of course, there’s always a focus on the JGAC majors — the de facto Grand Slam events for junior golf in Colorado, both on the boys and girls side. This year they’re set for Eisenwhower Golf Club at the Air Force Academy (Colorado Junior PGA June 12-14), Legacy Ridge Golf Course in Westminster (Colorado Junior Amateur July 10-12), Black Bear Golf Club in Parker (Colorado Junior Match Play July 31-Aug. 2), and Cherry Hills Country Club (JGAC Tour Championship Oct. 7-8).

The boys and girls Junior America’s Cup competitions also fall under the auspices of the JGAC. This year, the boys tournament is July 25-27 in Dupont, Wash., while the girls tourney is set for Aug. 1-3 in Henderson, Nev.

Beyond tournaments and competitions, another addition this year is the aforementioned Off-Season Education Series, taught by highly regarded instructors and top experts in a given field.

The series includes four sessions in the spring, starting last weekend with the keys to practice and the mental game. And there will be several more in the fall.

Other sessions in the spring are entitled The Road to College Golf (Sunday, led by many of the NCAA Division I head coaches in Colorado); Performance on the Course and in the Gym (April 23, led by Elena King and Dee Tidwell); and Focus on the Short Game (May 7, led by Jerry Walters and Doug Wherry).

For more information about the Off-Season Education Series, CLICK HERE.

All told, JGAC officials are anticipating a 10 percent increase in membership this season compared to 2016.
 

It seems to be a simple, yet effective formula for the Denver Golf Expo: Show dates in the first half of February, avoid conflicts with Valentine’s Day and the Super Bowl, and hope the weather cooperates.

When it works out, like it largely did this year, the result is a solid turnout for the show.

This year’s three-day Expo, which concluded on Sunday at the Denver Mart, drew 9,136 people, the most for the show since 2014. The total was more than 1,000 up from last year’s 8,130 and marked nearly a 2,000 increase from 2015, which was a low-water mark for the DGE.

“It feels great,” said Mark Cramer, owner and operator of the Expo. “I’m very happy the number got over 9,000. When I opened the last cash box and (exceeded 9,000), I let out a huge primal scream.

“Now, next year we’ll shoot for over 10,000.”

Added Dustin Jensen, managing director of operations for the CGA: “It’s exciting to see so many people out there and engaged for golf. To hear how well facilities were doing was exciting. It’s nice to see the success not only we had, but everyone had.”

From 2009 through 2014, the Denver Golf Expo drew between 9,000 and 11,000 attendees each winter, so the 2017 show was back in that range after a couple of down years.

The most people the show has ever attracted was 11,202 in 2008, prior to the recession.

“A lot of exhibitors have figured out how to monetize (this show), which is awesome,” Cramer said. “This year they were walking on the ceiling with the turnout they were getting.”

Perhaps not coincidentally, this year’s 24th annual Expo was the first with dates in the first half of the month since 2014.

“I love the dates,” said Cramer, whose 2018 show also is set for the weekend after the Super Bowl, Feb. 9-11. “Football is over and it’s usually about two weeks after the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando where they introduce (new equipment and the like) and we can get it in people’s hands here.”

This year, Cramer even made it a point to set a different tone for the show by starting out each day by having a Scottish bagpiper, accompanied by a drummer, play as he walked from the back of the show to the entrance, then serenaded attendees for about five minutes as they came into the Denver Mart.

“People could hear the pipes coming,” Cramer said. “It created such an energy. Obviously, there’s something about pipers and game of golf. To those who play (golf), listening to bagpipes played well does somthing. The energy on the floor was just fabulous this year.”

Also giving the Expo a shot in the arm was a significant event within the event that returned to the show after an absence of six years. That was the case with the two-day Colorado Rules of Golf Workshop, which was conducted in conjunction with the Expo for the first time since 2010. In addition, there was a USGA Tournament Management Software Seminar — which helped clubs and PGA professionals transition to the USGA’s new software — and a Handicap Certification Workshop.

Those three events together attracted about 350 people over the weekend.

“We used to do everything under the roof of the Expo, including what used to be our annual meeting and our Season Tee Off (luncheon) and our Rules seminar,” noted Ed Mate, executive director of the CGA. “Then we felt it was just too much. But I think it was a good decision to bring (the Rules workshop) back. You just kind of keep evolving, but it’s funny: Sometimes the best ideas were already invented. Somebody said the only thing you don’t know is the history you haven’t read. We read our own history and that worked pretty well. It’s very satisfying to see those forum rooms filled with interested, bright-eyed people who are here for education. It’s great.”

The Rules of Golf Workshop, a project chaired by longtime rules official Brad Wiesley, was sold out far in advance. Besides eight rules instructors from the CGA, also leading the Rules seminar at various times were Mark Passey from the USGA and Karla Harding from the CWGA.

“What a great thing for us to get all those people there,” Jensen said. “It was a great team effort” by all the allied golf associations in Colorado.

As for other numbers from the Denver Golf Expo, Keith Soriano, an assistant executive director for the Colorado PGA, reported that Section professionals gave 306 free 10-minute lessons to Expo attendees (left), and that 216 kids went through the Drive, Chip & Putt-themed Junior Golf Central. Both of those numbers were down somewhat from 2016.

And Cramer said the number of Expo exhibitors — about 115 — was about a dozen less than last year. But with attendance up by 1,000, there was the potential for more bang for the buck this time around.

Colorado PGA professionals also conducted most of the educational seminars during the Expo, supplmented by a CGA Rules seminar.

Junior Golf Central falls under the auspices of the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado, a joint effort of the Colorado PGA and CGA, with help from the CWGA. The Alliance is entering its second year in 2017.

Both the CGA and CWGA also used the Expo as an opportunity to roll out efforts to engage members and prospective members. Both associations have launched new-look websites this winter.

The CGA introduced its new online “Member Zone”, which gives members access to discounts and special offers related to golf, travel, and business products and services.

And the CWGA is attempting to bring more women into the game with an expanded lineup of CWGA Experience events, where female golfers receive high-quality group instruction from LPGA and/or PGA professionals in a friendly and welcoming environment. Six or seven Experiences will be held statewide in 2017 (CLICK HERE for the current lineup), including a play day at the par-3 Harvard Gulch Golf Course in Denver on July 16. Most Experiences feature separate sessions on full swing, chipping, putting, and basic of the Rules of Golf, along with lunch.
 

It might be hard to believe, but there were probably more spectators surrounding the 18th green at Cherry Hills Country Club for the conclusion of the recent Junior Tour Championship than there were for any other golf tournament in Colorado this year, with the possible exception of the CoBank Colorado Open.

That obviously is partly due to no professional tour events or USGA national championships being held in the state in 2016. But it’s also a testament to the first-year success of the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado, which concluded its inaugural year with an Oct. 9 awards banquet at Cherry Hills following the Junior Tour Championship.

About 230 people attended the season-ending banquet, which took place almost exactly a year after the CGA and Colorado PGA announced plans to join forces for the junior alliance, with the CWGA being a contributing partner.

With youth participation in tournaments and events increasing considerably over comparable events in 2015, the driving forces behind the JGAC have a right to be proud about the “rookie year” for their major initiative.

“I’d call it without a doubt one of the most successful things we’ve ever done,” said Dustin Jensen, the CGA’s managing director of operations, who along with Colorado PGA assistant executive director Keith Soriano has spearheaded the JGAC organizational efforts. “The entire thing just exploded in a great way. It was a complete success. (The alliance) did exactly what was hoped for, which was to make life simpler and easier for players and parents” by the JGAC being a one-stop shop for junior golf in Colorado.

“One of the most important things when we put together this alliance was getting all of our championships under one roof. Everything now lives in one location.”

The numbers certainly show a positive trend for the JGAC, which was created with the idea of streamlining, improving and expanding the junior golf experience in Colorado.

Membership in the JGAC is up about 16 percent from what it was for the CJGA in 2015, and tournament participation jumped 23.5 percent, not counting PGA Junior League Golf and the Drive, Chip & Putt events.

Soriano reports that kids playing in Colorado-based Drive, Chip & Putt competitions increased almost 15 percent from 2015. For the PGA Junior League Golf in Colorado, the number of kids, teams and facilities participating roughly doubled in 2016 compared to 2015. (The South Denver All-Stars won the state title.) And if fall projections prove accurate, almost 28 percent more kids will be reached this year than last through the Colorado PGA Golf in Schools Program, with the total for 2016 expected to be 10,101.

Even with some spring events canceled due to the weather, there were more than 80 junior tournaments that the JGAC oversaw in 2016, highlighted by the four major championships for both boys and girls.

For more information on the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado, CLICK HERE.

Here are the 2016 honorees that were among those recognized at the JGAC awards banquet at Cherry Hills on Oct. 9:

PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Mary Weinstein of Highlands Ranch-JGAC Girls Player of the Year: Weinstein (left), who now plays at Regis University, won two of the four girls titles in the JGAC majors as well as the 5A girls state high school championship. Nationally/internationally, the Hale Irwin Elite Player finished fifth in the Optimist International Junior and 15th in the Junior PGA Championship. At Regis, Weinstein has posted top-five individual finishes in each of her first four college events, including a win at the Western New Mexico Fall Intercollegiate. Weinstein essentially wins this girls POY award for the second straight season as she was the CWGA Junior Player of the Year in 2015.
 
AJ Ott of Fort Collins-JGAC Boys Player of the Year: Ott (left), now a freshman on the Colorado State University golf team, won the Colorado Junior PGA Championship by seven strokes, finished second in the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior and the national PGA Junior Series event at the Air Force Academy, and made it to the semifinals of the Colorado Junior Match Play.

MOST IMPROVED PLAYERS
Kelsey Webster of Boulder-JGAC Girls Most Improved Player: Webster, a junior at Fairview High School, averaged 86.8 in rounds played before July 15 of this year. After that date, her average was 76.6. Webster finished fourth among the girls at the Junior Tour Championship at Cherry Hills.

Arik Roberts of Colorado Springs-JGAC Boys Most Improved Player: Roberts, a senior at Palmer High School, likewise made a considerable jump in 2016. Last year, his scoring average was 82.75. In 2016, his rounds ranged from a low of 69 to a high of 78.

POINTS CHASE CHAMPIONS
Andre Dumonteil-JGAC 10 & Under Boys Points Chase Champion
Hadley Ashton-JGAC 10 & Under Girls Points Chase Champion
Jordan Jennings-JGAC 11-13 Boys Points Chase Champion
Katelyn Lehigh-JGAC 11-13 Girls Points Chase Champion
Jack Pevny-JGAC 14-18 Boys Points Chase Champion
Emma Bryant-JGAC 14-18 Girls Points Chase Champion
AJ Ott-JGAC Tour Boys Points Chase Champion
Caroline Jordaan-JGAC Tour Girls Points Chase Champion

JUNIOR ALL-STARS
Hadley Ashton-JGAC 10 & Under Girls All-Star
Ashleigh Wilson-JGAC 10 & Under Girls All-Star
Caitlyn Chin-JGAC 10 & Under Girls All-Star
Hillary Nelson-JGAC 10 & Under Girls All-Star
Brooke Hudson-JGAC 10 & Under Girls All-Star
Andre Dumonteil-JGAC 10 & Under Boys All-Star
Matai Naqica-JGAC 10 & Under Boys All-Star
Tyler Long-JGAC 10 & Under Boys All-Star
Frank Lockwood-JGAC 10 & Under Boys All-Star
Landon Houska-JGAC 10 & Under Boys All-Star
Jordan Jennings-JGAC 11-13 Boys All-Star
Jeffrey Zhou-JGAC 11-13 Boys All-Star
Ryan Sangchompuphen-JGAC 11-13 Boys All-Star
Traejan Andrews-JGAC 11-13 Boys All-Star
TJ Hicks-JGAC 11-13 Boys All-Star
Katelyn Lehigh-JGAC 11-13 Girls All-Star
Sofia Choi-JGAC 11-13 Girls All-Star
Anju Ogi-JGAC 11-13 Girls All-Star
Merielle Gojo-JGAC 11-13 Girls All-Star
Alyssa Chin-JGAC 11-13 Girls All-Star
Jack Pevny-JGAC 14-18 Boys All-Star
Beam Boonta-JGAC 14-18 Boys All-Star
Colter Zwieg-JGAC 14-18 Boys All-Star
Connor Jones-JGAC 14-18 Boys All-Star
Travis Menke, Jr.-JGAC 14-18 Boys All-Star
Emma Bryant-JGAC 14-18 Girls All-Star
Jessica Zapf-JGAC 14-18 Girls All-Star
Aili Bundy-JGAC 14-18 Girls All-Star
Natasha Brandy McClain-JGAC 14-18 Girls All-Star
Katherine Malcolm-JGAC 14-18 Girls All-Star
AJ Ott-JGAC Tour Boys All-Star
Trevor Olkowski-JGAC Tour Boys All-Star
Davis Bryant-JGAC Tour Boys All-Star
Griffin Barela-JGAC Tour Boys All-Star
Jackson Solem-JGAC Tour Boys All-Star
Caroline Jordaan-JGAC Tour Girls All-Star
Mary Weinstein-JGAC Tour Girls All-Star
Lauren Lehigh-JGAC Tour Girls All-Star
Hailey Schalk-JGAC Tour Girls All-Star
Charlotte Hillary-JGAC Tour Girls All-Star
 
ACADEMIC ALL-STARS
Lev Abramson-JGAC Academic All-Star
Emaan Adil-JGAC Academic All-Star
Christian Agelopoulos-JGAC Academic All-Star
Evan Albright-JGAC Academic All-Star
Ethan Alexander-JGAC Academic All-Star
Conner Allen-JGAC Academic All-Star
Gavin Amella-JGAC Academic All-Star
Matthew Ammon-JGAC Academic All-Star
Tyler Andrews-JGAC Academic All-Star
Traejan Andrews-JGAC Academic All-Star
Ty Andrews-JGAC Academic All-Star
Josie Baker-JGAC Academic All-Star
Jamie Banghart-JGAC Academic All-Star
Julia Baroth-JGAC Academic All-Star
Katie Berrian-JGAC Academic All-Star
Elijah Biehl-JGAC Academic All-Star
Sam Blackwood-JGAC Academic All-Star
William Branan-JGAC Academic All-Star
Caroline Brandon-JGAC Academic All-Star
Davis Bryant-JGAC Academic All-Star
Emma Bryant-JGAC Academic All-Star
Melia Buckton-JGAC Academic All-Star
Charlie Budacz-Kauflin-JGAC Academic All-Star
Caitlin Budacz-Kauflin-JGAC Academic All-Star
Aili Bundy-JGAC Academic All-Star
Connor Burke-JGAC Academic All-Star
Jake Butler-JGAC Academic All-Star
Skylar Cain-JGAC Academic All-Star
Isaac Calden-JGAC Academic All-Star
Sean Cary-JGAC Academic All-Star
Jack Castiglia-JGAC Academic All-Star
Jake Chesler-JGAC Academic All-Star
Justin Chiacchia-JGAC Academic All-Star
Alyssa Chin-JGAC Academic All-Star
Ben Chin-JGAC Academic All-Star
Caitlyn Chin-JGAC Academic All-Star
Ella Chism-JGAC Academic All-Star
Amy Chitkoksoong-JGAC Academic All-Star
Sofia Choi-JGAC Academic All-Star
Adam Clark-JGAC Academic All-Star
Kirby Coe-Kirkham-JGAC Academic All-Star
Alex Colby-JGAC Academic All-Star
Kyree Conaway-JGAC Academic All-Star
Melissa Cooke-JGAC Academic All-Star
Andrew Cox-JGAC Academic All-Star
Eddie Custy-JGAC Academic All-Star
Andrew Davis-JGAC Academic All-Star
Tabitha Diehl-JGAC Academic All-Star
Mario Dino-JGAC Academic All-Star
Dylan Dobbs-JGAC Academic All-Star
Dakota Dolph-JGAC Academic All-Star
Hannah Doran-JGAC Academic All-Star
Graham Dzengelewski-JGAC Academic All-Star
Katrina Estes-JGAC Academic All-Star
Sydney Eye-JGAC Academic All-Star
Nolan Farrar-JGAC Academic All-Star
Ty Findlow-JGAC Academic All-Star
Hunter Flowers-JGAC Academic All-Star
Oscar Ford-JGAC Academic All-Star
Kaden Ford-JGAC Academic All-Star
Ryan Foslien-JGAC Academic All-Star
Jaxon Franklin-JGAC Academic All-Star
Rhett Fruitman-JGAC Academic All-Star
Walker Fuller-JGAC Academic All-Star
John Fulton-JGAC Academic All-Star
Daniel Gallant-JGAC Academic All-Star
Carly Gallant-JGAC Academic All-Star
Andrew Geisick-JGAC Academic All-Star
Evan Gilmartin-JGAC Academic All-Star
Freddie Gluck-JGAC Academic All-Star
Merielle Gojo-JGAC Academic All-Star
Gabe Goodman-JGAC Academic All-Star
Jonas Graham-JGAC Academic All-Star
Brady Henderson-JGAC Academic All-Star
Charlotte Hillary-JGAC Academic All-Star
Carter Hinkle-JGAC Academic All-Star
Landon Houska-JGAC Academic All-Star
William Howenstein-JGAC Academic All-Star
Mia Huerta-JGAC Academic All-Star
Ryan Hunt-JGAC Academic All-Star
Sarah Hunt-JGAC Academic All-Star
Freddie Ingham-JGAC Academic All-Star
Jake Johnson-JGAC Academic All-Star
Emmalee Johnson-JGAC Academic All-Star
Trey Jones-JGAC Academic All-Star
Kathryn Jordan-JGAC Academic All-Star
Evan Kalac-JGAC Academic All-Star
Arielle Keating-JGAC Academic All-Star
Quinlan Kellough-JGAC Academic All-Star
Cade Kilkenny-JGAC Academic All-Star
Nicholas Kim-JGAC Academic All-Star
Elias King-JGAC Academic All-Star
Cameron Kirke-JGAC Academic All-Star
Linc Kleager-JGAC Academic All-Star
Holden Kleager-JGAC Academic All-Star
Callie Kloenne-JGAC Academic All-Star
Cassie Kneen-JGAC Academic All-Star
Brooke Kramer-JGAC Academic All-Star
Patrick Kramer-JGAC Academic All-Star
Ben Kusnetzky-JGAC Academic All-Star
Luke Kusserow-JGAC Academic All-Star
Blake Kuzava-JGAC Academic All-Star
Gisella Lagrimas-JGAC Academic All-Star
John Lamb-JGAC Academic All-Star
Maxwell Lange-JGAC Academic All-Star
William Leary-JGAC Academic All-Star
David Leede-JGAC Academic All-Star
Madeleine LeGrande-JGAC Academic All-Star
Sophie LeGrande-JGAC Academic All-Star
Katie Lehigh-JGAC Academic All-Star
Lauren Lehigh-JGAC Academic All-Star
Maddie Li-JGAC Academic All-Star
Frank Lockwood-JGAC Academic All-Star
Tyler Long-JGAC Academic All-Star
Davis Long-JGAC Academic All-Star
Jordan Lueck-JGAC Academic All-Star
Katherine Malcom-JGAC Academic All-Star
Max Malden-JGAC Academic All-Star
Shayne Marcely-JGAC Academic All-Star
Izzy Marchino-JGAC Academic All-Star
Brooke Marx-JGAC Academic All-Star
Devin Mauro-Gallegos-JGAC Academic All-Star
Madison McCambridge-JGAC Academic All-Star
Brandy McClain-JGAC Academic All-Star
Calvin McCoy-JGAC Academic All-Star
Parker McNitt-JGAC Academic All-Star
Alix Mees-JGAC Academic All-Star
Andrew Merz-JGAC Academic All-Star
Megan Miller-JGAC Academic All-Star
Nolan Miller-JGAC Academic All-Star
Ryan Mudd-JGAC Academic All-Star
Tyler Mulligan-JGAC Academic All-Star
Jaclyn Murray-JGAC Academic All-Star
Roger Nakagawa-JGAC Academic All-Star
Ryan Occhionero-JGAC Academic All-Star
Brittlyn O’Dell-JGAC Academic All-Star
Caitlin O’Donnell-JGAC Academic All-Star
Yusuke Ogi-JGAC Academic All-Star
Anju Ogi-JGAC Academic All-Star
Shane O’Hagan-JGAC Academic All-Star
Liam O’Halloran-JGAC Academic All-Star
AJ Ott-JGAC Academic All-Star
Eshaan Palanati-JGAC Academic All-Star
Owen Pasvogel-JGAC Academic All-Star
Daniel Pearson-JGAC Academic All-Star
Ryan Pearson-JGAC Academic All-Star
Jacob Pendergast-JGAC Academic All-Star
Rachel Penzenstadler-JGAC Academic All-Star
Kira Petersen-JGAC Academic All-Star
Xavier Petrosky-JGAC Academic All-Star
Shelby Poynter-JGAC Academic All-Star
Sydney Prey-JGAC Academic All-Star
Makena Prey-JGAC Academic All-Star
Haley Prey-JGAC Academic All-Star
Nathan Rabuck-JGAC Academic All-Star
Nathan Rabuck-JGAC Academic All-Star
Andrew Rankin-JGAC Academic All-Star
Brock Reedy-JGAC Academic All-Star
Marisa Reeves-JGAC Academic All-Star
Will Rinehart-JGAC Academic All-Star
Larissa Roberts-JGAC Academic All-Star
Ji Hyun Roh-JGAC Academic All-Star
David Roney-JGAC Academic All-Star
Ben Rosenthal-JGAC Academic All-Star
Jack Rotermund-JGAC Academic All-Star
Oliver Rotermund-JGAC Academic All-Star
Kailer Rundiks-JGAC Academic All-Star
Morgan Ryan-JGAC Academic All-Star
Ashlee Sample-JGAC Academic All-Star
Kellsey Sample-JGAC Academic All-Star
Ryan Sang-JGAC Academic All-Star
Nolan Sankey-JGAC Academic All-Star
Colton Sankey-JGAC Academic All-Star
Riley Schaefer-JGAC Academic All-Star
Hailey Schalk-JGAC Academic All-Star
Miranda Schiffbauer-JGAC Academic All-Star
Blake Schneiter-JGAC Academic All-Star
Josh Schumacher-JGAC Academic All-Star
Tyler Severin-JGAC Academic All-Star
Timbre Shehee-JGAC Academic All-Star
Tray Shehee-JGAC Academic All-Star
Parker Skiles-JGAC Academic All-Star
Alexander Slawson-JGAC Academic All-Star
Christopher Smith-JGAC Academic All-Star
Jackson Solem-JGAC Academic All-Star
Dillon Stewart-JGAC Academic All-Star
Blake Sullivan-JGAC Academic All-Star
Hunter Swanson-JGAC Academic All-Star
Samuel Taylor-JGAC Academic All-Star
Bridger Tenney-JGAC Academic All-Star
Emma Teuton-JGAC Academic All-Star
Luke Thomson-JGAC Academic All-Star
Molli Todd-JGAC Academic All-Star
Collen Todd-JGAC Academic All-Star
Luke Travins-JGAC Academic All-Star
Hunter Tuite-JGAC Academic All-Star
Tyler Tuite-JGAC Academic All-Star
Ethan Turner-JGAC Academic All-Star
Tyler Tyson-JGAC Academic All-Star
Zachary Tyson-JGAC Academic All-Star
Sean Wallace-JGAC Academic All-Star
Wes Weber-JGAC Academic All-Star
Kelsey Webster-JGAC Academic All-Star
Hayden Wehe-JGAC Academic All-Star
Chloe Weigum-JGAC Academic All-Star
Mary Weinstein-JGAC Academic All-Star
Jake Welch-JGAC Academic All-Star
Brock Whitt-JGAC Academic All-Star
Ashleigh Wilson-JGAC Academic All-Star
Liam Wood-JGAC Academic All-Star
Mark Worthington-JGAC Academic All-Star
Jay Yano-JGAC Academic All-Star
Alex Yano-JGAC Academic All-Star
Jessica Zapf-JGAC Academic All-Star
Tyler Zhang-JGAC Academic All-Star
Ben Zimmerman-JGAC Academic All-Star
Colter Zwieg-JGAC Academic All-Star
   

Last year at the G4 Summit, former USGA president Will Nicholson Jr., announced that Jack Nicklaus had agreed to be the featured guest at the Century of Golf Gala, which turned out to be arguably the highlight of the year in Colorado golf.

Next week at the third annual G4 Summit — set for Tuesday at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs — more significant news is on the agenda. And considering the Summit is all about leaders in the Colorado golf industry joining forces to deal with issues that the game faces, the news is particularly fitting.

One of the first orders of business at the event deals with the junior golf collaboration that was announced last fall by the CGA and the Colorado PGA. Since then, with the help of the CWGA and other golf organizations, the 2016 schedule has been released (CLICK HERE). And on Tuesday, the name of the new junior golf organization will be revealed, along with a logo designed by Adrenalin, a tagline and possibly information regarding a new website. Also, registration for 2016 tournaments will open that day.

In addition, several Colorado junior golfers from years past who have gone on to success professionally will be lending their names to the cause.

The junior organization will have events both for top-level players — including a Junior Tour which will feature four junior majors for both boys and girls — as well as for up-and-coming golfers through the developmental Junior Series. In short, there will be events for players of many ages and abilities.

The inaugural tournaments on the schedule are set for April 16-17 in Colorado Springs at the Country Club of Colorado and Valley Hi Golf Course.

When the new junior golf website is launched, it will feature registration for Junior Tour and Junior Series events, and information on the PGA Junior League; the Colorado PGA Golf in Schools program, which exposes school kids to the game through P.E. classes; the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy; the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship and much more.

All in all, the idea is to streamline, improve and expand the junior golf experience in Colorado.

“We’re really excited,” said Dustin Jensen, the CGA’s managing director of operations, who has helped spearhead the collaborative organization along with Keith Soriano, the Colorado PGA’s assistant executive director/Foundation programs. “It’ll be fun to get things kicked off.

“It’s significant that we’re doing this at the Summit. The Summit signifies unity. That’s what the Summit is, and it’s what the alliance is. It’s a coming together of the game.”

And the announcements at the G4 Summit will be followed in a major way at a further rollout of the junior golf organization at the Denver Golf Expo, set for Feb. 19-21 at the Denver Mart (58th and I-25).

While the junior golf announcements will be a key part of the G4 Summit on Tuesday, there’s much, much more to the event that brings together all the allied golf associations in the state — the CGA, CWGA, Colorado PGA, the Rocky Mountain Golf Course Superintendents and the Mile High Chapter of the Club Managers Association — in an effort to address key issues facing golf. There will be speeches given by industry leaders, panel discussions, meetings, a legislative update, social functions and announcements, with the G4 Summit theme this year being “The Changing Landscape of the Game of Golf”.

The speaker lineup certainly doesn’t lack firepower. It includes:

— Dottie Pepper (left), who won 17 LPGA Tour events, including the Nabisco Dinah Shore twice in the 1990s. Pepper served as an assistant captain for the U.S. team at the Solheim Cup matches at Colorado Golf Club in 2013. Since 2005, she’s been a prominent on-course reporter on TV, working for NBC, the Golf Channel, and now ESPN and CBS, where she’ll be part of the Masters and PGA Championship broadcasting teams. Pepper, who replaces David Feherty at CBS and becomes the network’s first female golf analyst, recently spent three years on the board of directors for the PGA of America.

Pepper will also be the keynote speaker for the Colorado PGA’s Teaching and Coaching Summit on Feb. 17 at The Broadmoor, addressing what players look for in a coach.

— Rhett Evans, the CEO of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, who will be delivering the keynote address. Evans was well received as the keynote speaker at the CWGA annual meeting last March.

— Rand Jerris, the USGA’s senior managing director for public services, who is also an author (or co-author) of three golf books, speaking on building a sustainable game.

— David Lorentz, senior research manager for the National Golf Foundation, a trade assocation which provides market research, information and insights about the business of golf. Lorentz will be speaking on “golf and the millennial generation”.

All four of the speakers will also participate in an industry panel discussion.
 

Denver’s City Park Golf Course, designed by Scotsman Tom Bendelow, is among those that can, as this year it’s joining the centenary club. And in this case, hitting the 100-year milestone is no small matter in the minds of many who have deep roots at City Park.

“I love that course,” said Tom Woodard, a former PGA head professional at City Park, as well as a former director of golf for the City of Denver. “I’ve played at that course more than any other, and I hold the course record of 61. I’ve probably played between 2,000 and 2,500 rounds there. I played there every day all day” as a kid.

This week, Woodard and several other people with longtime ties to City Park will join other prominent members of the Colorado golf community and Denver dignitaries in celebrating City Park Golf Course’s 100th birthday. On Friday (April 27), a “Centennial Season Tee-Off Breakfast” will be held at the facility at 2500 York Street. Invitees will share stories about the course, then hit ceremonial tee shots from the eighth hole, which features some picturesque views of the Denver skyline and the mountains beyond.

It will be the start of a 100-year celebration at City Park. Also on the schedule is a Centennial Tournament on Sept. 1, and a variety of promotions which prominently feature the number 100 in various ways. Though plans haven’t been finalized, City Park head professional Keith Soriano said a time capsule may be buried as part of the Centennial Tournament celebration on Sept. 1.

“To have 100 years of golf played here is incredible,” Soriano said. “It’s a big moment in the history of the course. But it’s also an opportunity to look forward and see where we can take the course and what it can mean to the community in future years. We want it to be a place for everyone.”

Not surprisingly, City Park has a rich history over the last century. Among those who have played the course are former heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis, outstanding all-around athlete Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Charlie Sifford and Jonathan Kaye of PGA Tour fame, and 1952 Olympic long jump champion Jerome Biffle.

Some of those players — and many others — were attracted to City Park because it was known as a place where there was plenty of “action” — in other words, where a little cash was known to be exchanged via golf bets.

Another thing that’s made City Park distinctive is the makeup of its players. To put it succinctly, Woodard believes the course is still the most diverse in Denver.

Three people invited to share their thoughts about City Park on Friday certainly know of what they speak. Colorado Golf Hall of Famer and noted Colorado golf historian Dan Hogan won 10 club championships at City Park and claimed the Denver Muni-Links title three times. He was a regular at the course for about a quarter-century beginning in the late 1950s.

Woodard moved to within a couple blocks of the course in 1967. He caddied at City Park, played there daily, and after attending the University of Colorado and spending time as a tour player, he served as City Park’s head professional from 1987 to ’90, and as Denver’s director of golf from 1997 to 2006. Woodard was there long enough that he can remember the days when the head professional — who doubled as the concessionaire — lived in the upstairs of the clubhouse with his wife. And Woodard’s sponsor as a tour player, Willie Kellum, came from City Park-based East Denver Golf Club.

As for Ed Mate, the CGA’s executive director, he grew up playing and practicing at City Park, primarily from 1979 to ’85.

“City Park had two practice greens, and we’d sit out there for hours putting for Cokes,” Mate remembers. “That’s one of my favorite memories. The fewest (cumulative) strokes would win. One time I was down 50 Cokes, and you’d always go double or nothing. I don’t know if anyone ever paid off. But I think that’s one of the reasons I became a pretty good putter.”

Mate recalls how Woodard, who grew up at the club, was held in such high regard, particularly during the 2 1/2 years that he competed on the PGA Tour during the early and mid 1980s.

“He was a legend,” Mate said. “People would get out the sports pages and show his name that was in bold face (in the PGA Tour scores). When he came back, it was like a king returning. For me it was like, ‘Wow, it’s the Tom Woodard everyone is talking about.'”

But long before Woodard gained prominence, Hogan was a renowned player at City Park. He remembers annual home-and-home Denver public links league matches against teams from the other city courses. Hogan, who played in a couple of British Amateurs, was one of the more formidable competitors.

“I had an awful lot of fun out there” at City Park, Hogan said. “There was just so much competition. And it was quite a melting pot (of players from various ethnic backgrounds). At one time they had four men’s clubs out there — the East Denver Golf Club (made up of African-American players), the City Park Men’s Club (white) and two Japanese-American clubs.”

A founding member of the East Denver Golf Club, Judge James Flanigan, helped knock down racial barriers in state golf tournaments when he was refused the right to play in the CGA Match Play Championship in 1961. The next year, the CGA changed its policies and admitted minority clubs, including the East Denver Golf Club.

Coincidentally, one of the notables Mate remembers most from his City Park days was Sam Valuck, who ironically won the 1961 CGA Match Play from which Flanigan was barred.

While many of the various men’s club golfers played with their own groups at City Park, gambling eventually integrated people of different races.

“When I started playing there (in the late 1960s), the men’s clubs were pretty much segregated, but the gambling games weren’t,” said Woodard, now the director of golf for the Foothills Park & Recreation District. “The color of money — green — was the only thing that mattered there. I thought that was pretty amazing.”

Indeed, money games were part of what made City Park famous. Kaye, who has since won twice on the PGA Tour, was among the active participants as a youngster, as were some local professionals and other promising young players.

“The thing I remember most is the gambling games,” Woodard said. “Every Friday and Saturday you could find a game — but you better bring your ‘A’ game. You better be ready to play. If you were a good player from a public course, you eventually made your way to City Park.”

During Mate’s days at the course, one of the better players who was a regular there was CU golfer Darrell Knight.

“He was a guy I idolized,” Mate said. “He was so polished. He was really friendly with the younger kids; he wasn’t too good for you. He and Sam Valuck would hit balls forever. City Park had a driving range where you could shag your own balls, which really added to the communal aspect of the course.”