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ENLARGE
Renowned golf course architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. believes time can be an invaluable ally in his line of work.
He points to Brightwater Club — the recently completed 18-hole course located in the Gypsum Creek Valley — as a vivid example.
“In my mind, it’s a better project when it slows down. We took our time here, but it was worth the wait,” said Jones last weekend. The architect acted as a personal tour guide for a select group of Brightwater visitors Aug. 30.
“We are really excited to have the 18 holes completed,” said Wells Marvin, one of the Brightwater developers. “It’s an important milestone.”
He points to Brightwater Club — the recently completed 18-hole course located in the Gypsum Creek Valley — as a vivid example.
“In my mind, it’s a better project when it slows down. We took our time here, but it was worth the wait,” said Jones last weekend. The architect acted as a personal tour guide for a select group of Brightwater visitors Aug. 30.
“We are really excited to have the 18 holes completed,” said Wells Marvin, one of the Brightwater developers. “It’s an important milestone.”
Brightwater is a private, gated residential community featuring 535 homes along the 18-hole, 72-par course. While the front nine at Brightwater opened two years ago, the back nine holes won’t officially open for play until the end of September. Holes 1-9 are all located along the valley floor and weave around water features. The back nine offer a strikingly different perspective.
Holes 10-18 are located east of Valley Road and accessed by tunnel. Beginning at hole 13, the Brightwater course assumes a new character where open grasslands give way to dramatic elevation changes characterized by cedar, pine and sage.
Jones says the course features “strategic play” design, which gives players opportunities to take risks and reap rewards. He likened strategic play to chess, where golfers have to constantly evaluate their position.
“As you play the course, the hole is your dance partner or your wrestling partner. You have to learn each other,” Jones said. “Think of the hole as animate.”
Jones said his design style is in marked contrast to the “heroic” school, intended for only the best players, or the “penal” school, that punishes players’ mistakes. Instead, Jones said his courses stress play-ability. The experts have backed his philosophy. Thirty of his projects have been ranked among Golf Digest’s best courses worldwide including eight that have ranked No. 1 and 24 ranked among the top 10 in their respective nations. Twenty-four Jones courses have won the Golf Digest Best New Course Award.
As he toured Brightwater’s back nine, Jones offered some special design insights. At hole 16, he predicts friendly wagers will abound. “This a little bit like a riverboat gambler here, but he may be dealing from the back of the deck,” Jones said. He notes the par 4, 370-yard hole features steep hillsides to the right and a deep ravine to the left.
He predicted the 680-yard, par 5 Hole 18 also will leave an impression. “This hole will be discussed a lot. It will probably be controversial in a good way and people will love it or hate it. I can already hear the groans and cheers.”
Jones’ passion for design includes an awareness that Brightwater shares the valley with non-human residents. “This is a sanctuary, not only for us golfers, but for wildlife as well. They are already members and they play at scratch,” he said.
Marvin echoed that statement, noting that the development doesn’t plan to fence out deer and elk. Various Brightwater stream improvement projects have actually improved wildlife habitat in the valley.
With a resume that includes mountain courses in Beaver Creek, Steamboat Springs, Keystone and Crested Butte, Jones said Brightwater is his latest Colorado project. He recalled his first visit to the state as a child. His father, also a famed golf course architect, was working at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. Jones Jr. spent the summer fishing, riding horses and ice skating at the famous Colorado Springs rink.
When he finally returned home, his mother asked him how he enjoyed his summer.
“I burst into tears and told her I didn’t want to live in New Jersey anymore,” said Jones.
Marvin said Jones told him that story the first time they meet. “We felt he had a real connection to the area,” Marvin said.
That connection has played out in the development. “The new back nine at Brightwater offers six tee positions, each with their own strategy for optimal scoring opportunities,” said Bryan Fryklund, author of the soon-to-be released ‘The Golf Fanatic’s Guide to Hawaii.’
“The apex of the new nine features wide views of the valley and is also one of the highest, toughest par 4’s along the I-70 corridor,” Fryklund said.
Holes 10-18 are located east of Valley Road and accessed by tunnel. Beginning at hole 13, the Brightwater course assumes a new character where open grasslands give way to dramatic elevation changes characterized by cedar, pine and sage.
Jones says the course features “strategic play” design, which gives players opportunities to take risks and reap rewards. He likened strategic play to chess, where golfers have to constantly evaluate their position.
“As you play the course, the hole is your dance partner or your wrestling partner. You have to learn each other,” Jones said. “Think of the hole as animate.”
Jones said his design style is in marked contrast to the “heroic” school, intended for only the best players, or the “penal” school, that punishes players’ mistakes. Instead, Jones said his courses stress play-ability. The experts have backed his philosophy. Thirty of his projects have been ranked among Golf Digest’s best courses worldwide including eight that have ranked No. 1 and 24 ranked among the top 10 in their respective nations. Twenty-four Jones courses have won the Golf Digest Best New Course Award.
As he toured Brightwater’s back nine, Jones offered some special design insights. At hole 16, he predicts friendly wagers will abound. “This a little bit like a riverboat gambler here, but he may be dealing from the back of the deck,” Jones said. He notes the par 4, 370-yard hole features steep hillsides to the right and a deep ravine to the left.
He predicted the 680-yard, par 5 Hole 18 also will leave an impression. “This hole will be discussed a lot. It will probably be controversial in a good way and people will love it or hate it. I can already hear the groans and cheers.”
Jones’ passion for design includes an awareness that Brightwater shares the valley with non-human residents. “This is a sanctuary, not only for us golfers, but for wildlife as well. They are already members and they play at scratch,” he said.
Marvin echoed that statement, noting that the development doesn’t plan to fence out deer and elk. Various Brightwater stream improvement projects have actually improved wildlife habitat in the valley.
With a resume that includes mountain courses in Beaver Creek, Steamboat Springs, Keystone and Crested Butte, Jones said Brightwater is his latest Colorado project. He recalled his first visit to the state as a child. His father, also a famed golf course architect, was working at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. Jones Jr. spent the summer fishing, riding horses and ice skating at the famous Colorado Springs rink.
When he finally returned home, his mother asked him how he enjoyed his summer.
“I burst into tears and told her I didn’t want to live in New Jersey anymore,” said Jones.
Marvin said Jones told him that story the first time they meet. “We felt he had a real connection to the area,” Marvin said.
That connection has played out in the development. “The new back nine at Brightwater offers six tee positions, each with their own strategy for optimal scoring opportunities,” said Bryan Fryklund, author of the soon-to-be released ‘The Golf Fanatic’s Guide to Hawaii.’
“The apex of the new nine features wide views of the valley and is also one of the highest, toughest par 4’s along the I-70 corridor,” Fryklund said.
