The City of Colorado Springs will break work on the nation’s first PGA-certified golf course built over 14,000 feet after a year-long environmental study.
The nine-hole course, which will feature altitude-appropriate genetically modified grass, is set to debut in April 2023. Due to harsh weather, the course will only be open in the spring and summer, and springtime golfers will be given weighted golf balls in neon colours to adjust for both wind and snow.
Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers was enthusiastic about the new course. “This is just another example of how tourists and residents alike can experience our purple mountain majesty,” he said. “I plan to play a round just as soon as the snow melts.”
The new Pikes Peak Summit Complex, completed in 2021, will be utilized as the club house. “It’s a state of the art building, and with 12,000 square feet to fill, we were really looking to get a bang for our buck,” said Mayor John Suthers, an avid golfer.
In planning the route, the City collaborated extensively with oxygenation and altitude experts. “Our specialists warn that folks who are unfamiliar with high altitude do not stay too long,” said Jason Marks, associate director of high altitude for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Training Center.
The city will pulverise up to 36 tonnes of Pikes Peak granite to make the “highest” sand traps in the world. To ensure survival in adverse conditions, low-water turf is being developed.
The PGA of Colorado is working on unique handicaps for the course, citing harsh terrain, altitude, thin air, and wildlife as issues not addressed by the regular handicapping system.
Due to the difficulties, golfers who achieve a hole in one will have their name enshrined on the western wall of the Summit House.
Orlando City Foundation To Host FootGolf Tournament Raise Funds
On Monday, October 1, Orlando City SC will host the annual Orlando City Foundation FootGolf Tournament presented by FAIRWINDS Credit Union at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Grande Lakes.
The proceeds from this year’s event will largely benefit the OCPS Academic Center for Excellence (ACE), a Parramore community partnership school that will launch a new after-school soccer programme this fall in collaboration with the Boys & Girls Club of Central Florida.
“This is a fun event that brings our players, fans and partners together to raise funds for initiatives in our community,” Kay Rawlins, Orlando City SC Founder and VP of Community Relations, said.
“One of our main goals is to provide resources that keep children off the streets in safe and positive learning environments. We fund and support soccer programs, outfit players, build mini pitch facilities and maintain healthy, community garden centers throughout many after-school centers surrounding our stadium.”
