|
Twenty
years after the Ranch course at Keystone left its
permanent mark on Colorado
golf, the sister course at Keystone was finally born.
The design firm of Hurdzan and Fry were called to the
task and surely few more suitable architects could
have accomplished the task. Too often it seems that
architects are too keen to leave their stamp on a
piece of land, rather than forge a course with the
client’s needs in mind. Given the immense popularity
of the Ranch course, Keystone was in need of a resort
course that captured the beauty of the setting, while
offering the resort golfer playability. The River
Course is certainly not a pushover, measuring 6,886
yards from the back tees, however the five sets of
tees mean the golfer can find a suitable distance for
their game.
Hurdzan and Fry fulfilled the mandate to create a
spectacular welcome and an equally amazing finishing
hole, as if to leave the golfer with positive thoughts
regarding what their game had given them in the
preceding 17 holes. Starting and finishing with par
fives mirrors the configuration of the Ranch course,
but given the severity of the land, the courses
have little else in common – aside from the scenery,
of course.
One
plunges, like the first at the Ranch, from an elevated
tee, and the chance to hit an exceptionally long tee
shot is quieted by the danger that lurks for balls
heading off line. There is no alternative for accuracy
here, so playing a club that will comfortably find the
fairway might be the tough, smart choice. Three good
shots are the best way to start, as a push for birdie
can mean an early seven or eight just as easily.
Most
of the front nine moves smartly through upland forest
terrain, putting a premium on course management and
smart plays from the tee. The course's name is derived
from the Snake River that sweeps across the entire
property, and its presence is best felt at the
195-yard par-three seventh hole. The stunning par three plays
slightly downhill to a green protected in front by the
river and flanked on both sides by bunkers. The
mountains in the background provide the only suitable
backdrop for the seventh, begging the golfer to hit
their best and watch it rise steadily through the sky
to the deep and narrow green.
While
the front nine seems to traverse the land with a
gentle touch, the back nine is most certainly the more
constructed of the two, dependent on sharp engineering
as much as Hurdzan and Fry's eye for design. Occupying severe land, the
architects had to bench fairways into hills, and the rise and fall
of the terrain is enough to have the golfer flirt with vertigo. This
yields numerous magnificent holes, but it also yields
a stiffer challenge than the front nine. Beginning
with the par four 11th hole, the golfer
must play uphill to the 415-yard hole, which doglegs
to the right. The preferred line is right of the
fairway bunkers that guard the left side of the hole,
while avoiding the right side, where a sharp falloff
into deep bunkers or the treeline can eliminate the
chance of finding the green in regulation.
The
13th hole is a perfect example of
counteracting the altitude that ultimately makes the
course play shorter than its yardage. At 519 yards,
length doesn't seem to be a factor here, but as it
climbs steadily uphill, the 10% bonus afforded by the
altitude is virtually eliminated. For a pin cut in the
front left of this gigantic green, a good drive and
fairway wood can sneak up the open front, but there is
little benefit to playing the hole this way if the pin
is cut in the right portion. The green is split down
the middle by a pronounced ridge, so a 70-foot putt
from the left corner can be a more difficult shot than
a pitch down into the right bowl.
Where
13 takes eagle out of the equation, 16 is its par-five
antithesis, tempting players to play aggressively. At
509 yards and playing sharply downhill, the hole plays
much shorter than its yardage, which allows it to be
one of the longest par fours anywhere.
The hole flows down the mountainside, moving right to
left, but the approach is demanding given the
almost certain downhill lie and the undulating green
that awaits the shot. The slim margin for error on the
approach is largely due to the narrow undulating green
and the guarding bunkers, making the play just short
of the green, which is open in front, all the more
attractive.
Although
the 16th would seem to fill the void as a
spectacular finishing par five, Hurdzan and Fry had
one last trick up their sleeves. The 18th
excels at offering the player a final dramatic par
five, completing a collection of long holes that can
stand up to any group, at any course, anywhere. The drive falls some 150 feet to the
fairway below and the view of the mountains and lake
beyond make concentration the order of the day. The
hole slopes from right to left and so long as the
plethora of bunkers that guard the left side are
avoided, par or better can easily be achieved. Surely
the adrenaline rush the golfer feels from the finisher
is the lasting thought they will take with them, even
if a good score is lost to the turbulent and difficult
nature of the layout.
|
