.. The Golf Club at Bear Dance... ...a Masterpiece in the Making Welcome to The Golf Club at Bear Dance, the home course of the Colorado Section of the Professional Golfer's Association of America. The 18 holes of championship golf meander through 753 acres of mountainous terrain with mature Ponderosa pines, oak-lined ridges and draws and native grass valleys. With an average elevation of 6,800 feet, The Golf Club at Bear Dance offers stunning views of the Front Range and surrounding landscape of the Rocky Mountains. The abundance of wildlife and the serene beauty of a golf course blending in with its natural surroundings, along with the many photographic opportunities of Raspberry Butte, Devil's Head, Dawson Butte, Larkspur Butte and Pike's Peak, combine to make The Golf Club at Bear Dance a true Colorado mountain golf experience. Completing The Golf Club at Bear Dance, despite many obstacles and challenges, took the vision, knowledge, expertise and determination of a host of dedicated individuals. Gene Taylor did the orginal golf course routing with consultation of Rick Phelps and Associates. Mr. Taylor's generous contributions, coupled with his desire to create something very special on the Taylor Mountain Ranch property, made it possible for the completed Bear Dance development to consist of 47 estates throughout the 753 acres. Southwest Greens of Colorado, LLC, who turned the original sketches into a work of art, completed the final design. The design philosophy was to allow nature to dictate the finished project, and the resulting golf course topography provides a unique recreational venue. The sheer beauty of the land was of primary importance to the design team in their mission to enhance, not intrude, on Mother Nature. The Golf Club at Bear Dance is situated midway between the Denver and Colorado Springs metropolitan areas, less than a mile west of Interstate 25 in the heart of Douglas County. The 18-hole championship layout plays to a par 72 and ranges in length from 5,175 to over 7,600 yards. The five sets of tees provide a fair but enjoyable challenge for players of any skill level, from novice to professional. The generous fairways are framed by flashing white sand bunkers, eight ponds and intricate green complexes. The presence of the Colorado Section of the Professional Golfer's Association of America provides the opportunity for Bear Dance to host major championships. It is our hope that you will have a most pleasurable golf experience and enjoy the surrounding beauty on the home course of over 700 PGA golf professionals. For many years, it has been a dream of the Colorado Section PGA and its members to develop a relationship with a golf facility that could deliver benefits back to the Section, its members and the golfing community. In 2000, that goal became a reality when The Golf Club at Bear Dance became the new "home of the Colorado Section PGA". As part of this relationship, the headquarters offices for the Colorado Section PGA and the Colorado PGA Foundation will be located at The Golf Club at Bear Dance beginning in 2003. In addition, the Colorado Section PGA will develop a historical area in the foyer of the clubhouse facility that will chronicle the history of professional golf in Colorado. A facility that combines the history and tradition of the PGA and the game of golf, coupled with a truly unique, one of a kind golf experience is what The Golf Club at Bear Dance is destined to become. When you arrive at the first tee, treasure the moment. You are going to experience the gift of golf and a memory of a lifetime. The spirit of the bear will capture your heart. The sun may be rising over the bluffs in the distance or slowly disappearing over the tall Ponderosa pines to the west. Golf has begun. The breeze through the branches nearby will whisper a call. Listen for the spirit of the bear. That voice will guide you over this magnificent masterpiece of golf. The holes are named in honor of many golfing greats. The legends of the game embraced by so many will escort you through a day to remember. You will be welcomed at the club by the three principal officers of Southwest Greens of Colorado: Dennis Hogan (Director of Golf), Corey Aurand (Head Professional) and Struart Bruening (General Manager), are PGA of America members. Their three years of effort brings you this spectacular celebration of golf. This labor of love, from bulldozers to finished product and every detail in between, is unparalleled in the golf industry. These professionals' unbridled enthusiasm and sheer determination are evident as you look off the first tee and down the fairway of the opening par 4. Both beautiful and challenging, the 1st hole, "Allan Robertson" offers a great view of the famous "Castle Rock". Allow Allan Robertson, the very first Golf Professional of St. Andrew's Golf Club, to guide your tee shot downhill to a plateau landing area. As you play your round, moments of golf history will flash through your mind. When you play the fifth, "Payne Stewart," an old metal windmill will tick in the breeze. What a pleasant sound as you reflect on Payne's fresh and exciting enthusiasm for the game of golf. He played each round as if it was his last. When you arrive at the signature sixth hole, "The Bear," "bear paw" bunkers lie waiting for your tee shot. The short par 4 requires a precise tee shot but the bold can challenge the bear. Sometimes you get the bear. Most often, the bear will get you. The 13th will bring you a memory of the Masters, when Gene Sarazen's double-eagle brought him victory in 1935. The 13th hole is a double dogleg, par 5. Long hitters can go for the green in two, but must carry a large pine and a deep bunker in front. Who knows... maybe in another Championship of the future, the same fate will strike again. The "Hawk" (16th) will require a precision swing just like Mr. Hogan's two iron shot at Merion Golf Club to win the 1950 US Open. This was his first competition after a near fatal accident. The marquee par 4 offers unparalleled views of the Front Range and Pike's Peak, dropping 140 feet in elevation. A Hogan-like bullet tee shot will leave you a short iron second shot over a small pond to this large, well-contoured green. A round wouldn't be complete without the home hole, the "King." A long chute of pines requires a determined and accurate tee shot to find the center of the fairway. The landing area slides toward the pot bunkers. Your second shot from the fairway will need to be negotiated over the daunting cross-bunkers just 100 yards from the small 18th green. You have played not just a round of golf but a round that captures a memory and finds solitude for your soul. Accept the challenge of victory or defeat but forget not that in God's time you will discover the quiet chant of Bear Dance, the silent peace of the spirit of the bear and a memory of his immortal presence. As your car slowly pulls away from the Golf Club, you will remember the day and your mind will say, "Some day...some day soon, I will visit this very special place again, and listen for the call in the whispering pines, the spirit of the bear." For tee times and more information call, The Golf Club at Bear Dance at 303-681-4653.