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With
a similar storied history to the Broadmoor's East course,
the resort boasts 36 feature holes rather than a
championship layout matched with lesser siblings, and
acclaim has been showered on the West Course as well.
Much of that praise comes from the qualities that both
courses share: exceptional conditioning, slick, true
putting surfaces, and an unmatched architectural
pedigree. What sets the West course apart is the
landscape, a higher portion of the Broadmoor property
that boasts some of the best vistas and elevation
changes here.
The
first three holes climb gently to this higher ground,
and it is on this plateau that subtle rises to the
greens conceal their wild undulations. At the 380-yard
fourth, these subtle difficulties are perfectly
displayed. Drives should be played either beyond, or
short of, a slight dip in the fairway that will
trouble players with very uneven lies. The green is a narrow
two-tiered affair that once again punishes the golfer
for leaving the ball above the hole, a tough position
to avoid if one is stuck with playing a short iron
from a downhill lie.
Immediately
following four is one of Broadmoor's best holes for
sheer beauty, the 176-yard fifth which plays down to a
small enclave in the trees. A small gulch short of the
green means that the shot is all carry, and
three
bunkers guard the green's extremities like a pyramid,
protecting it on all sides. The rising
mountain range in the background reminds the golfer
that indeed they are in God’s country, and few
joys rival watching the white ball rise against
the backdrop before hopefully coming to rest on the
green.
After
the fifth hole, it is difficult to do fair
service to the equally spectacular ninth, its fellow
par three that plays
longer (194 yards) and harder than its predecessor.
The green is set slightly above the tee and two
bunkers flank its edges, while a beautiful water hazard
looms ominously before it. Ample space on the green
means that it should be fairly receptive to the longer shots played into
it. Take enough club here to reach the back fringe,
and a good strike and two putts should secure some
momentum for the back nine.
It
will be needed. Three brutal holes mark the stretch
from 10 through 12, including a par five in excess of
600 yards, a 232-yard par three, and a par four
stretching to nearly 500 yards. As guests warily
stumble to the 13th tee, the reprieve is only slight.
While just 361 yards, drives must find a skinny
fairway to set up an approach over a pond to a green
severely tilted from back to front.
Closing
the lengthy back nine (a whopping 3,835 yards from the
back markers) with anything other than a long par five
would not seem to fit. The dogleg right, a 563-yard
finisher, plays
through a myriad of bunkers that flank the fairway as
well as the green. However, if the golfer tacks
carefully through the hazards, two accurate shots should leave a
short iron into a long receptive green. Although the
yardage may be intimidating, elevation helps make this
closing hole one of the best birdie opportunities of
the day.
Why
the West Course seemingly plays second fiddle is
bewildering. The course offers a stiffer challenge
than its East neighbour, over more varied terrain. The greens
are somewhat less confounding, which allow the
opportunity for one to enjoy a less perplexing but
equally enjoyable occasion on one's holiday. An equal in almost every facet,
the greatest compliment the West Course can warrant is
the same enjoyed by the East; as one wonderful half of
a great golf resort tandem.
With
the complete overhaul of The Mountain Course underway,
and scheduled to re-open in 2006, Jack Nicklaus’
Design Group will surely make the evolution at the
Broadmoor from tandem to trio a destination to be
enjoyed for decades to come. |
