Colorado golf – Syndication Server

Colorado photographer captures bobcats adorably playing with golf balls during charity tournament

“It wasn’t until everybody teed off from the box … that we noticed that they were actually bobcats.”

David and Lynn Townsend were on assignment outside Denver, Colorado, capturing images for a charity golf tournament when they noticed a gallery that was starting to take liberties with the golf balls being played.

After a little more inspection, the duo, which operates under David Lynn Photography, realized the pack following the shots on the signature 13th hole at Arrowhead Golf Club in Littleton was in fact a group of playful bobcats.

A bobcat chases a golf ball on the 13th hole at Littleton’s Arrowhead Golf Club. (Photo David and Lynn Townsend/David Lynn Photography)

A story by Landon Haaf of Denver7.com has the details.

“We noticed two little two little animals, kind of scurrying out from the bushes onto the fairway, and they were far enough away you couldn’t really tell what they were,” David Townsend recalled in an interview with Denver7. “It wasn’t until everybody teed off from the box and then made our way down the fairway that we noticed that they were actually bobcats.”

Fortunately, they were “perfectly prepared” for the unexpected visitors. David and Lynn switched camera lenses and turned their attention to the bobcats.

“One of them just sat there with it in his mouth and the other one was kind of like grabbing the ball and running over another cat and jumping over him,” David said. “That’s where I got those kind of aerial photos where the one cat was kind of the most active of all of them.” …

In addition to a “healthy” bobcat population that includes two dens and at least nine cats, Arrowhead and the surrounding area is home to two mountain lions, and a bear and her two cubs, in addition to the requisite population of Colorado regulars like deer and foxes, Arrowhead assistant GM Kenny Windey wrote in an email.

Backing up to Roxborough State Park – a vast open space – helps, Windey said. Wildlife sightings by golfers, he said, are not uncommon.

“All these animals are wild and we do not go out of our way to bother them. This is their home and we are fortunate to share it with them,” he said. “The interaction with golfers is random and we try to communicate to our guests to let them be and keep a safe distance.”

For more on Colorado golf, here’s a look at Golfweek’s Best public-access and private golf courses in Colorado, ranked.

This Colorado muni has been losing millions because of a leaky water system, and now it’ll cost millions to fix it

The sprinkler system would also need a new pump station, which can monitor water use.

The Desert Hawk Golf Course in Pueblo West is losing millions of gallons of water due to leaks from its 60-year-old sprinkler system. It will cost an estimated $3.5 million to replace it.

During a March 20 meeting of the Desert Hawk Management Board, the board voted unanimously to outline the scope of work and put out a request for bids to obtain an engineer’s proposal and design to replace the sprinkler system. The report is expected to cost about $60,000.

Representatives of CPS Distributors, which offers irrigation supplies, told the board that 40 years is the normal life expectancy for a sprinkler system. Desert Hawk’s 60-year-old system features an asbestos mainline which other golf courses are moving away from due to inefficiency and safety concerns for workers.

The sprinkler system would also need a new pump station, which can monitor water use and allow for shut downs to lines that are leaking.

Golfweek’s Best: Top public and private courses in Colorado

Desert Hawk was purchased in 2000 by Pueblo County and the Pueblo West Metro District with $7.2 million in certificates of participation as part of an intergovernmental agreement designed to save the failing golf course, which was previously operated by a string of private owners.

Chieftain reporter Tracy Harmon covers business news for the. She can be reached by email at tharmon@chieftain.com or via X, formerly Twitter, at twitter.com/tracywumps. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

Check out the elk hanging around this Colorado golf course

It’s not uncommon to see elk wandering around in Estes Park, Colorado, this time of year.

It is the fall mating season, after all. And elk are huge creatures that pretty much do what they want, even if it means taking a break on a golf course.

Some elk were seen at Lake Estes Golf Course in Estes Park, Colorado, this week. They mostly wandered around and grazed. They also rested for a bit and of course, used their bugling call to attract a mate. If you’ve heard the sound, there’s no mistaking it.

It’s called the elk rut, and as the Colorado Springs Gazette reports, the season coincides with the arrival of the fall colors, “making it one of the busiest times of year at Rocky Mountain National Park.” People from all over the area will head to Estes Park this month to witness Mother Nature in action.

Elk are frequently seen around downtown Estes Park as well as the golf courses and a walking trail that goes around town.

In this age of selfies, though, wildlife officials recommend people stay at least 75 feet away from the elk.

Longest golf course on Korn Ferry Tour at 8,029 yards features 773-yard par 5

Last year’s winner made birdie on the 13th in two of the four rounds.

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Tee it high and let it fly.

There will be plenty of that this week in Berthoud, Colorado, an hour north of Denver and 5,000 feet above sea level.

The Korn Ferry Tour is making its fifth visit to TPC Colorado, which has been stretched to a record 8,029 yards this week.

You read that right: 8,029 yards.

The course, which opened in 2018, was designed by Arthur Schaupeter and plays as a par 72.

If you’ve seen the guys on the Korn Ferry Tour, you know they can poke it around the yard. But you still gotta marvel at some of these numbers. Here’s a look at the official scorecard:

The scorecard for TPC Colorado in Berthoud, Colorado.

There’s no easing into this course, as the opening hole is 624 yards. The second hole is a 238-yard par 3. The card says the fifth hole, like No. 1 a par 5, is 624 but it’s clarified on the Korn Ferry Tour website it’ll play 638 yards this week.

The hole that gets all the attention, though, is the 773-yard par 5 which features a big dogleg left.

And you’re not beaten up through 17 holes, the finisher is a little old 531-yard par 4.

Big-hitting Will Zalatoris is one of the four past champions of the tournament. Last year’s winner, Zecheng Dou, won the event at 17 under. He made birdie on the 13th in two of the four rounds.