Soaring Higher

Under new ownership, the Raven at Three Peaks aims to maintain its rank as one of Colorado's best public courses. 

If you played the erstwhile Eagle’s Nest Golf Course in Silverthorne more than a decade ago, you would never recognize what it’s become. In fact, the only recognizable remnants are the namesake eagle’s nest, which still perches on a telephone poll on the left side of the Raven at Three Peaks’ third hole, and the stunning scenery, which includes a trio of looming peaks and stunning views of the Gore Range. 

According to Colorado golf expert and CAG editor at large, Tom Ferrell, the similarities stop there. “Obviously, it had the beautiful setting of its successor, but it was the kind of course that used to mark the countryside, the product of a wild-eyed owner with a Bush Hog. If 90-degree doglegs, blind man's bluff greens and ski slopes masquerading as fairways were your bag, you were right at home on Eagle's Nest. There are not too many kind words to say about the course, other than it screamed for improvement, which it ultimately got.”  

That much-needed overhaul came in 1999 from Dana Fry and Dr. Michael Hurdzan, who with PGA Tour mainstay Tom Lehman transformed it into one of Colorado’s most dramatic layouts. 
   “We didn’t keep any original holes,” says Hurdzan, who admits the original architect (Dick Phelps) probably wasn’t given an adequate budget to build a golf course on a very difficult piece of land. “It’s spectacular, but more importantly it’s enjoyable. With Tom’s help and appropriate funding, we created a course that is both fun and challenging.” 

It was Intrawest Golf, a resort development and management company based in Destin, Fla., that provided the necessary financing and management to nurture the Raven from hatchling to one of Colorado’s most demanding and respected daily-fee courses. Raven at Three Peaks joined the company’s stable of other daily-fee courses, including Arizona’s Raven Golf Club at Verrado and Raven Golf Club at South Mountain. 

After nearly a decade at the helm, Intrawest recently sold the course to Colorado-based Escalante Golf, which also owns Pine Creek Golf Course in Colorado Springs and manages Coyote Creek Golf Course for the city of Ft. Lupton, ushering in the course’s next era. Escalante chased the Raven purchase for nearly 14 months, winnowing down the original $7.5 million sale price to $4 million. 

“The Raven fits into what we do and we saw the opportunity to do what Intrawest was doing, just a bit better,” says Elcio Silva, one of Escalante’s partners and COO. “I’m not going to criticize, but a corporate run golf course is different and things tend to be overlooked.” 

That’s a sentiment enthusiastically echoed by Rhonda Boutelle, the Raven’s new general manager. “We’re going to everything we can to be more attentive to the needs of the people who come here,” she says. 

As for the Raven’s future, Silva says future improvements could include an expanded clubhouse, depending on where the business heads. So for those of you who have become accustomed to the service and down to earth hospitality at the Raven, you can rest assured that, at the very least, nothing is going to change. 

 

Kurt Samuels is a Denver-based writer and photojournalist.