Golf Season Opens Up During Late Season Blizzard
Trevor Phipps
The first city-owned golf course has officially infiltrated Teller County!
The long-time dreams of area residents finally came to fruition last week when the Shining Mountain golf course opened its doors to local linksters. And for the first time since the course’s inception in 1994, it featured new municipal owners, the city of Woodland Park.
Unfortunately, Mother Nature dealt a brutal blow last Wednesday with a much-needed snowstorm right when the highly anticipated opening was slated to occur. The “soft opening” that was reserved for the course’s men’s club got met with weather conditions that forced most to pass on the first chance to try their run on the new city-owned facility.
However, local golf buffs are still excited for the season. The new management team the city picked has already made some changes that most believe will give the golf course a boost in popularity.
For a change, the new management team chose to make the green fees more competitive with other golf courses in the Pikes Peak region. In other words, the new management team at Shining Mountain isn’t asking for an “arm and a leg” to experience their picturesque mountain course. This emerged as one of the biggest complaints under the reign of the previous California-based ownership group.
In fact, now golf enthusiasts have a chance to test their skills on the course for only a $40 to $50 green fee depending on which day of the week they wish to play. The course now offers special membership and annual passes to make it even more affordable for those who desire to play regularly.
After the announcement of the new and more affordable fees, the facility also seemed to sport a new flair. The course’s greens now catch the eye with a distinct bright green color. The course already visibly has an appeal that the facility’s past owners failed to deliver.
“I have played on over 190 golf courses across the world, and this one is the worst I have ever played on,” local golf enthusiast Jerry Penland said, in explaining the conditions under the former ownership group. And what really frustrated Penland was the potential he envisioned with the Shining Mountain links under proper ownership and management. “The (Woodland Park) city manager, Aaron Vassalotti, was the one who made this all happen,” added Penland, who is a familiar face at SM.
Currently, though, the recent drought has made any major golf course changes difficult. The course will still only allow players to drive golf carts on designated paths until they can conjure up a new solution to the water issues that have plagued the course for quite some time.
On the plus side, the greens do have a new look compared to previous spring season openings. The cart paths also have noticeably been improved.
The most visible change, though, occurs to customers and players while entering the clubhouse facility. The rather aged building now has a new look after being given a much-needed upgrade in its interior. The whole insides have been improved, giving the space a more open and welcoming feel.
And despite the new management, many familiar faces can still be seen. The city retained many of the golf course’s well-known staffers that have always brought a unique personality to the establishment.
Local Golf Professionals Take Over SM Links Operations
After the city gained ownership of the facility, they opted to seek out a management company to run the pro shop and golf course operations. City officials chose the Monumental Golf Group spearheaded by John Husby and Mark Bacheldor to head the course after reviewing three other possible suitors.
The two new course bosses have decades of experience between them. They both work at other golf courses in the region as well as teach golf course management classes at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS).
The company chose to hire Van Bullock as the official Shining Mountain pro who will take over day-to-day operations of the course while Husby and Bacheldor continue their full-time jobs. Bullock infuses fresh enthusiasm into the local course, having been trained in golf course management at UCCS under Husby and Bacheldor.
The new local golf pro grew up in Eagle, Colorado and has experience with the stellar courses in the Vail area. While at UCCS, Bullock spent most summers working at a mountain golf course in Crested Butte.
Bullock said that he jumped on the opportunity to return to the Pikes Peak region and work under his former instructors. “It’s still up in the air what exactly is going to happen, but change is coming and change is here,” Bullock said. “The greens are in better shape; they are healing up better after winter. The cart paths are being graded, and we are going to flatten those out and work out some drainage there. Of course, playing wise, we have a few ideas to make it a more player-friendly course.”
The new management team said that they have aspirations to hire a new maintenance supervisor as well. “Greens and maintenance-wise we are looking at hiring somebody new as a superintendent,” Bullock said. “We want to have someone come in who has experience from the past who can come in and turn the course back into what it used to be and what it should be.”
The new course is now open on a daily basis, weather permitting, through the fall season. In addition, the course will offer full bar service, along with snacks and food trucks on the weekends.
For more information about Shining Mountain and to reserve tee times, call 719-687-7587.
