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There
are very few golf resorts in the world that count
two of the game's great architects as equal
contributors to a collaborative effort, and even fewer
where the work of both designers can blend so
seamlessly into the provided terrain. The Broadmoor's
East and West courses boast such cohesion, which is
both a testament to the natural conditions of the
land, and to the eye for simplicity that both
architects can claim as a blessing. Too often, egos
and opinions in such situations clash, and the result
is a course whose original character is muddied by
changes and refurbishments. Captains of their craft,
Donald Ross and Robert Trent Jones' work on the East
Course is a testament not only to their acclaimed
careers, but to the course's endearing place near the
top of any U.S. resort course rankings. Ross laid out the
original course in 1918 and Jones would later at two
sets of nine holes that would split up Ross’
original layout. The East and West courses play as a
mix of each architects work and blend timelessly as
the resort itself, against the spectacular mountain
backdrop.
For
keen students of the game it is difficult to
ascertain which holes belong to which master designer.
Their work seems to complement one another perfectly,
especially in the greens where pronounced slopes are
a trademark of their work. At The Broadmoor, putting
well is essential to good play, and navigating the
greens is paramount to the enjoyment of the Broadmoor
golf experience. Movements are subtle, such as in the
first two holes that slink away from the stately
clubhouse. Taking a more dramatic track, the 590-yard
third marks the first move from familiar parkland golf
to plateau mountain terrain. Running along a range's
base, elevation and slope make the hole play nearly
100 yards shorter, and it is thus a great risk-reward
par five, with a small pond short of the green.
Clearing it means an eagle chance, while laying up
short or dropping behind it leaves a tricky pitch to a
canted green. Finding these tabletop greens is a
recurring challenge at the East, as it creeps up again
at the very next hole. 157 yards sounds modest enough,
but a stone wall cut along the water's edge means that
anything short will spill back into the hazard.
Crossing the stone bridge with putter in hand is as
satisfying a feeling as one will experience at the
Broadmoor East.
The
seventh hole is the second par five on the front nine, measurably shorter at 477
yards but playing up a fairly distinct incline. Even a
good drive leaves the preplexing decision. Try and
reach the green, which demands the shot carry the
entire yardage to the front edge, or lay-up in a large
swale, leaving a blind pitch up the hill. As the green boasts three distinct areas and two sharp
tiers that separate front from back, laying up is
almost always the best choice, as finding the proper
segment of the green is of paramount importance. The
East's greens are far too quick and sloped to be
playing from above the hole all day.
After
the formidable but beautiful short eighth hole, the 540-yard
ninth closes the outward half in a par of 37. The most
difficult of the front nine's three long holes, the ninth doglegs
left against a reverse sloped fairway making a level
lie almost impossible to find. Second shots should be
steered up the left, leaving a short iron across the
lake to an elevated green pointed by three bunkers,
where again the proper shelf must be found. With
notable length and very few easy shots, the opening
nine here is big in every sense of the word. The
second half, fortunately, provides a slight reprieve.
That
said, the 233-yard 12th, inexplicably the 16 handicap
hole on the course, provides one of the stiffest
single shot tests in the entire state. The club of
choice is almost always driver or a metal wood
to a shallow green that has three
bunkers – including a rather large and cavernous
fronting one – awaiting errant shots. The smart
golfer should use the front opening that was designed
to receive short shots, and make bogey a worst-case
scenario, as playing to a left pin can bring much
higher numbers into the equation.
Closing
such a strong course is always a challenge, though the
par 3-5-4 configuration lends itself to both drama and
fun. The sixteenth is a downhill par three that plays
to a modest 178 yards, but again smartly placed
bunkers and a pronounced back to front slope demands the ball be left below the hole. After a long
par five, the golfer culminates their round with the
gorgeous if not daunting finishing hole. Only 415
yards from the back tees, the golfer is almost
immediately begged to hit a solid tee shot that should
tempt the water on the right side. With most golfers playing away from the
water, the approach becomes slightly longer, and much
more distracting due to the setting of the clubhouse
as the backdrop. The majestic setting here echoes the
senses of greatness one notices at each hole around
the course, where the eyes of two great architects
forged a course that moves beautifully with the land. Given
their championship pedigree the
challenge should come as no surprise, but the
playability of the East, paired with the difficulty,
makes it both an enjoyable resort course, an able
championship course, and a rare collaborative creation
from two of the game's legends.
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