Colorado Getaways July 2019: Vail Valley

The Club at Cordillera, Mountain Course - Vail Valley

2,000 Feet, Three Courses

The Club at Cordillera’s 7,000 spectacular acres climb more than 2,000 feet in elevation, affording opportunities for heart-pumping hikes, jaw-dropping views and championship golf at three distinct altitudes. Unique in topography, climate and weather pattern, the Tom Fazio-designed Valley Course (7,200 feet above sea level), Hale Irwin-designed Mountain Course (8,250 feet) and the Jack Nicklaus-designed Summit Course (9,200) each challenge you in their own way. For a great warm-up or wind-down, play the par-3 Dave Pelz Short Course at 8,126 feet. cordillera-vail.com

Trail Riding at The Club at Cordillera - Vail Valley

Miles of Activities

The Club at Cordillera owns fishing rights on 1.3 miles of the Eagle River, and anglers can also cast into five trout-stocked ponds. Hike, mountain bike or ride on horseback along the club’s 31-mile trail network that extends into the three-million acre White River National Forest. cordillera-vail.com

Allergria Spa at Park Hyatt Beaver Creek

Stay Graciously

Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa’s 190 luxurious rooms include 23 suites. Guests can dine spectacularly at the resort’s 8100 Mountainside Bar & Grill and have access to 54 holes of golf at nearby Beaver Creek and Red Sky golf clubs. Great fly-fishing, rafting and hiking are minutes away. parkhyattbeavercreek.com

All Jazzed Up

TimberHearth

From June 30-Sept. 2, the 25th Annual Vail Jazz Festival fills the mountain air with the sweet sounds of swing, salsa, bebop, blues and more. Featuring more than 80 performances and 200 artists, the Festival consists of six distinctive series at multiple outdoor and indoor venues—from Vail Square to the Riverwalk to the Sonnenalp. vailjazz.org

Repasts Perfect

Each Cordillera golf clubhouse features its own restaurant: TimberHearth (Valley), Chaparral Grille (Mountain) and Summit (Summit). cordillera-vail.com

Frost Creek in the Vail Valley

The Club That Defies Definition

Frost Creek isn’t a typical golf or country club. Yes, a brilliant Tom Weiskopf-designed course with a 40,000-square-foot clubhouse occupies 285 of the property’s 1,100 acres, but this private portal to the high-country lifestyle offers an endless selection of activities and amenities: ponds for fishing, swimming and SUP; an outdoor pool; tennis courts; miles of private fly-fishing, trails for biking, hiking and running; Jeep rides and more—all of it on acreage adjacent to protected lands as vast as the adventures you can have. frostcreek.com

A Tale of Two Nines

Designed by Tom Weiskopf, Frost Creek’s 7,155-yard golf course nestles in the quiet Brush Creek Valley, making painterly use of its dramatic setting. The front nine unfurls across sagebrush and ranchland, while the back winds gloriously through the trees and along the creek. Ten holes bring water into play, and in true Weiskopf fashion, two par 4s—Nos. 4 and 13—are drivable. frostcreek.com

Frost Creek-owned cabinsCabins and Yurts

Just 15 minutes south of I-70, Frost Creek offers spectacular homes and homesites. Members can also stay in one of the club’s 10 lavishly appointed 3- and 4-bedroom cabins—or book one of its two glamping yurts. Both options provide a low-cost, maintenance- free base camp in the stunning Brush Creek Valley. frostcreek.com

Frosting On The Cake

Frost Creek Restaurant in Vail Valley

The ambitious menu of activities enjoyed by Frost Creek members requires an equally ambitious menu of high-quality food served at breakfast, lunch and dinner. But you don’t have to be a member to savor homemade sourdough pancakes with blackberry preserves, the chicken BrieLT sandwich or Chef Tyson Amick’s other responsibly and locally sourced “elevated comfort food” in the clubhouse dining room. frostcreek.com

Can’t Miss Events

Stars Within Reach: Beaver Creek’s Vilar Performing Arts Center’s summer lineup features Buddy Guy, Punch Brothers, Michael McDonald, Toots & the Maytals and a youth production of Frozen Jr. vilarpac.org

Bicycle Road Race: The second of the Colorado Classic’s four stages zips through Avon on August 23. It is the lone women’s-only pro bicycle road race in the Western hemisphere. coloradoclassic.com

Bravo! Vail Music Festival: The Gerald Ford Amphitheater will host the Philadelphia Orchestra (July 5-13) and New York Philharmonic (July 17-24). Free indoor concerts also take place at multiple venues. bravovail.org

Eagle Ranch Golf Club

A Level-Best Mountain Course

One of the most affordable public golf courses in Eagle County, Eagle Ranch Golf Club nestles in the town of Eagle’s historic Brush Creek Valley, just minutes from Vail and Beaver Creek. The Arnold Palmer Signature Design spans 5,423 to 7,461 yards. More of a links-style than a mountain layout, the course sports long native grasses and large mounds along the wide fairways. It also features a unique “alternate green” on the par-5 12th hole. The site of one of CoBank Colorado Open qualifying rounds, Eagle Ranch sits at 6,600 feet, lower than other mountain courses, leading to rounds played as early as March and often well into November. eagleranchgolf.com

Red Canyon Café

A Hunch For Lunch

Located in Eagle’s historic downtown, Red Canyon Café serves up great coffee and breakfast fare and totally rocks lunch with artisan panini, muffalettas and inspired hot and cold sandwich creations. Red Canyon boasts an artsy ambiance and super-fresh food at fair prices. redcanyoncafe.com

Mangia Bene!

A brew from Bonfire Brewing in Vail Valley

Luigi’s Pastahouse across from the movie theater serves delicious, affordable pastas, pizzas and entrées worthy of its long wine list. luigispastahouse.com

Get Fired Up

Bonfire Brewing has become an Eagle institution for music, atmosphere and craft beers with names like Après-cot Blonde. bonfirebrewing.com

Easgle Mushroom & Wildlife Festival

Adventurous Events

One-Track Minded? More than 100 miles of singletrack trails crisscross Eagle, taking in high desert, aspen groves and fragrant evergreen forests. BLM trails such as Boneyard and the first two loops of the Haymaker Trail stay open year-round. eagleoutside.com

Fungi for Fun Guys: Foray, forage and learn about morels and mycology at the 10th Eagle Mushroom & Wildwood Festival (Aug. 2-4). A nine-course, epicurean “wild dinner” at the Dusty Boot in Eagle highlights the wild weekend event. eaglemushroomfest.com

Vail Golf Club - Vail Valley

Priority Vail

The oldest course in the Vail Valley remains one of its best and most popular. Built in 1963, Vail Golf Club sports a 6,766-yard layout that enjoys a brisk pace of play and operates from a new, enlarged ski-lodge-style clubhouse with high-end finishes, event space and the Grill on the Gore (see page 44). vailrec.com

Alpine Elegance

With its Swiss Château-style façade, gemütlich interior and echt European vibe, Vail’s Sonnenalp Hotel has set the standard for luxury since opening 40 years ago. Its 112 suites and 15 hotel rooms, three restaurants, spa, fitness center and indoor and outdoor pools all radiate the welcoming hospitality that has made it a legend. sonnenalp.com

Sonnenalp Club

Follow the Sonn

Like the Vail hotel of the same name and ownership, Sonnenalp Club in Edwards epitomizes excellence, boasting top-notch swimming, tennis, spa and workout facilities with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Bob Cupp/Jay Morrish-designed golf course and most of the Vail Valley. Sonnenalp Hotel guests get preferred tee times at the club. Memberships run $45,000, with $6,500 in annual dues. sonnenalpclub.com

Just Who Is Sebastian?

The Sebastian - Vail Valley

An eclectic confluence of approachable chic and high mountain comfort, The Sebastian–Vail–A Timbers Resort is both an 84-room boutique hotel and a Private Residence Club. Located in the heart of Vail Village, The Sebastian showcases the Bloom Spa, Frost Bar, a social area coyly called the Library, a mountain-view pool with steaming hot tubs and a visionary restaurant called Leonora. Owners receive luxurious residences with spectacular amenities, privileges, personal service and membership in the Timbers Reciprocity program with other properties. thesebastianvail.com

Avail Yourself to EagleVail

EagleVail Golf Club

Located only five minutes from both Vail and Beaver Creek resorts, EagleVail Golf Club offers 18 holes of pristine challenging golf at an affordable price. Spanning 6,538 yards and featuring intense elevation changes, the course, created in the 1970s by Bruce Devlin and Robert Von Hagge, provides a true mountain golf experience, especially on its plunging par-3 10th. EagleVail’s 18-hole and Willow Creek Par 3 courses both integrate rivers, streams, ponds, wetlands, forests and gardens. Willow Creek hosts Footgolf, and the entire facility has earned national recognition as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. eaglevailgolfclub.com

Flower Power

The world’s highest collection of botanical flora is at Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail. Some 3,000 plant varieties and more than 500 kinds of wildflowers populate the lush area that remains free to the public. bettyfordalpinegardens.org

An Uncommon Ramen

Always in search of a hidden gastronomic gem, Colorado AvidGolfer’s Food Editor John Lehndorff recommends Vail’s Udon Noodle House. “Once a rarity, ramen soup now seems to be available everywhere. Ramen is all about the array of toppings and seasonings covering the noodles. With udon, the namesake dish at this noodle house at 2161 N. Frontage Road in Vail, the thicker, chewier wheat noodles are served swimming in a shimmering broth simply topped with beef, tempura vegetables, shrimp or chicken. What is the sound of twenty people slurping simultaneously? Satisfaction. Must-taste udon: Classic topped with seaweed, fresh fish and mushrooms. No website. 970-476-7280

 

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This section appeared in the 2019 July Issue of Colorado AvidGolfer.

Colorado AvidGolfer Magazine is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it, publishing eight issues annually and proudly delivering daily content via coloradoavidgolfer.com.

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