Out of the Woods at Last

Purchased by some devoted members, the glorious Golf Club at Fox Acres in Red Feather Lakes has opened to the public.

Jon Rizzi | Colorado AvidGolfer

Of a piece with the surrounding grandeur of Roosevelt National Forest and the Rawah and Medicine Bow mountain ranges, the 459 acres now occupied by the Golf Club at Fox Acres has since 1960 provided its members an alpine idyll two hours northwest of Denver.

The club’s history during this century, however, has been far from idyllic. Initially utilized only by family and friends of founder Ray Stenzel, Fox Acres steadily expanded its residential development and golf-club membership until an equity group purchased it in 2000. The tech bubble soon burst, precipitating a sharp decline in both memberships and home sales, and by 2005, a large developer purchased the golf club and surrounding real estate. He borrowed heavily to expand and promote the club as an exclusive enclave, but the recession soon scuttled that model and led to the erosion of the membership as well as the condition of the course and club. The bank foreclosed in January 2014 and shuttered the club.

But the story recently took a happy turn. Led by managing partners Larry Lyon and Bill Butin, a group of 27 members formed an LLC and purchased both the club and the residential community out of foreclosure. “Once you visit this slice of heaven in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains and experience the serenity and beauty of the area, it becomes very apparent how special this place is—and how much the club means to those of us who are passionate about golf and our local community,” says Lyon. “As members, we now feel in control of the future prosperity of the club.”

Lyons’ optimism stems in large part from the presence of Touchstone Golf, the golf-course management firm that the membership group engaged in May to reopen and manage the club’s day-to-day operations and return the extraordinary 6,500-yard John Cochran-designed course to its former magnificence. In just one month, Touchstone restored the playing conditions while re-energizing and growing the membership by 30 percent. During the next several months, the team will continue to upgrade the golf course and many of the club’s amenities.

For golfers, the best part is that for the foreseeable future, the famously private club will welcome public play at affordable rates on a course Golf Digest ranked 17 on its 2012 list of the “Most Fun Golf Courses You Can Play in America.” One round will let you see why. Its fairways and greens bob and weave through thick stands of stately pines and stunning rock outcroppings, skirting fifteen lakes and more than 100 bunkers. The course abounds in undulations and ungulates (moose, elk and deer), creating an unforgettable tableau.

Better still are the stay-and-play packages that give you “24 hours, from the time you arrive, to play as much golf as you can,” says General Manager Matt Renick. The per-player fee ranges from $99 to $149, depending on whether you want to share one of the exquisite club rooms, and covers all golf, room and range fees. “We will also provide a golf cart for your own personal use during your entire stay.”

You might want to eschew the cart for a walk around the fitness trail that traverses the entire property, or avail yourself of the full-service restaurant and tennis and fitness center.

You’re also in gorgeous Red Feather Lakes, where the Cache La Poudre invites whitewater rafting, kayaking and world-class fishing, and the gorgeous 108-foot-tall Great Stupa of Dharmakaya—a reliquary blessed by the Dalai Lama as one most significant examples of sacred Buddhist architecture in North America—welcomes reflection and enlightenment.

For enlightenment on why you had so many three-putts, Fox Acres includes extensive instruction and practice areas among its many amenities. And those amenities—particularly the clubhouse restaurant— are getting used more frequently than they have in a long time.

“Less than four months ago, the prospects for Fox Acres looked bleak,” says Managing Partner Bill Butin. “Now, thanks to the support of our dedicated members, owners and Touchstone Golf, our members are excited, membership numbers are up more than 30 percent, and all of us are looking forward to a very bright future.”

970-881-2574; golfclubatfoxacres.com

Colorado AvidGolfer is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it. It publishes eight issues annually and proudly delivers daily content via www.coloradoavidgolfer.com.