City May Finalize Plans This Week to Purchase Shining Mountain Course
Trevor Phipps
Links fever has struck the Ute Pass region this year, with a growing furor never experienced before locally.
This could result in more championship tourneys for the local boys’ and girls’ golf squads, and possibly lead to a high caliber, municipal-operated facility in the backyard of many residents.
The Woodland Park High School boys golf team showed the biggest participation numbers in its history, a sentiment that proves golf is growing not just nationwide but locally as well. The sport really took off in interest nationally during the COVID epidemic.
In Woodland Park, city leaders have also caught a case of golf fever after unveiling their dream to purchase the Shining Mountain Golf Course, located on the north side of the city. Ever since the city announced their plans to add a city-ran golf course to its amenities, the idea has mostly received a warm response from city residents.
During the high school golf season this fall, the increase of interest in the sport was noticed locally with more kids entering the program. A tournament held last month at the Shining Mountain course to benefit the golf program experienced a record turnout, after the tourney raised more than $6,000 to benefit the junior and senior high school links’ teams.
This year, the boys’ golf team had 12 competitors, plus two female “managers” that practiced with the team. Unfortunately, none of them qualified for the state championship tournament, but the four varsity team stars did put up good numbers all season long.
According to the team’s head coach Reese Gutierrez, the Panther golfers had some experienced players, but many were brand new to the team. In fact, five of the team’s 12 golfers had never picked up a golf club before entering practice for the 2025 fall sports season, which started last summer. Many of the team players could be spotted brushing up their skills regularly at Shining Mountain.
The team fared quite well, tying for second place in their Tri-Peaks League for the 2025 season. Two of the team’s varsity golfers (Gavin Strouse and Christian Ramirez) took third and fourth place in the entire league.
However, five of the team’s golfers competed in the three tournaments that counted towards the team’s league score. Each golfer helped contribute to their final team score that landed them the second-place rank in their league.
The coach said that the team greatly improved as the season progressed, especially those that were brand new to the game. Gutierrez said that the first step was to teach the kids how to hold and swing the golf club. He said that he had to break the habit most beginners have of holding and swinging the club like a baseball bat.
“I told each and every one of them that my goal was to get them hitting the ball in the air in the right direction,” Coach Gutierrez said. “All of them are now able to hit (at least with the seven iron) in the air at least 100 yards down the driving range.”
Golfers Improve Consistency
The coach cited the team’s improved consistency as a big asset, as both Strouse and Ramirez were already shooting in the mid-80s (for 18-holes) last year. This consistency rubbed off on other players in the varsity and junior golfer levels
“Instead of getting two or three out of 10 (shots), it was more like five or six out of 10 have been decent shots,” the coach explained. “They are starting to get more consistent strikes on the ball. But direction still seems to be a little iffy at times.” Unfortunately, that wayward direction for shots can be a curse at Shining Mountain, which displays no mercy for inaccuracy.
But the team got some extra help from indoor aids.
This year the team was able to use the high school’s new indoor golf simulator to help them improve their game. When it was stormy outside, the team was still able to practice without skipping one.
The golf simulator was purchased last year with funds raised through donations and an annual benefit golf tournament. This year, the money raised at their benefit tournament will go towards cameras and monitors for the golf simulator room.
The coach said that others outside the room will now be able to watch golfers inside the room swing. The golfers will also be able to look at the recorded video to see what they were doing right and wrong. These types of training techniques are common among the top touring players in the game today.
Green Light Looming for Purchase of Shining Mountain Course
Links fever is spreading rapidly throughout the community.
During Woodland Park’s Oct. 2 city council meeting, the council voted unanimously to move an ordinance to public hearing calling for the purchase of the Shining Mountain Golf Course in Woodland Park, which is currently owned by a California-based group. During the public hearing slated for this Thursday, the council will hear from the public and decide whether or not to authorize the $3.2 million purchase of the golf course and surrounding land. The pending deal is being touted more as a recreational opportunity than just the bid for a local golf course. It could also open the door for more hiking, and cross-country ski trails and winter-type use, as well as much more open space.
The idea for the city to purchase the golf course came up earlier this year when it was announced that the city would move forward on the purchase process. At this point, the last date of refusal has passed. As long as the property gets approved by the council, the city will close on the golf course property later this month.
The total purchase price is set at $6.8 million. The city will dish out $3.2 million with the current owner of Shining Mountain donating the remaining $3.6 million to the city. The Shining Mountain and the former Fujiki course have operated in Woodland Park since the mid-1990s, with a variety of different owners. At one point, a major landowner of the links property was internet and computer software mogul, John McAfee.
The idea of a municipal course has been mulled in the past, but it has never been actively pursued.
