Covering the Covers

Helton, Engh, Elway Covers

In 2002 Colorado AvidGolfer came out swinging. Todd Helton led off a year’s worth of intriguing cover subjects whose stories remain as compelling.

Gary Barnett: Buffaloed but Unbowed

For three-plus decades, Gary Barnett lived and breathed football, the last two in the pressure-cooker of elite Power Five conference competition. The track record speaks for itself: Barnett was named coach of the year twice in both the Big 10 and Big 12 conferences, espousing a philosophy that stressed belief in his players with a … Read more

Craig Stadler: Living Large in Evergreen

As the Substantial wooden door to Craig Stadler’s home opens, the jangle of sleigh bells sound more like Christmas than the last day of June.  The cool brume shrouding the tall pines outside the house reinforces the unseasonal suggestion, as does the sight of a stocky white-bearded gentleman welcoming me inside. Casually clad in a … Read more

The Natural: Joel Klatt

Joel Klatt’s star is shining so brightly on the college football broadcast landscape that he probably could play a round of golf at midnight. But Klatt, who is FOX Sports’ No. 1 college football television analyst, is settling for playing a morning round with his buddies on the sun-bathed Ridge at Castle Pines North. Once … Read more

18 Items for the Colorado Golfer’s Bucket List

Here are 18 state-centric golf experiences worth having before checking in with the starter at Heaven’s Gate. 1. Go East. “Inland links” may be an oxymoron to golf traditionalists, but how better to describe Ballyneal, a purist’s delight designed by Tom Doak on Colorado’s Eastern Plains? A two-and-a-half-hour drive from Denver, the walking-only course roils … Read more

Cover Story: Going to the MAT with Greg Roskopf

With the help of Greg Roskopf’s celebrated Muscle Activation Therapy, golfer Shane Bertsch looks to shoulder his next challenge. Jon Rizzi Veteran pro golfer Shane Bertsch knows pain. The 46-year-old Parker resident, who has bounced between the Web.com and PGA Tours during his 24-year career, suffered a broken metatarsal and ligament damage during the 2009 … Read more

Vittorio Victorious: Vic Lombardi

Vic Lombard Altitude

Veteran sportscaster Vic Lombardi’s move to Altitude takes his career—and his golf game—to new heights. Jon Rizzi As the oldest of four children of Italian immigrants in North Denver, Vittorio Giuseppe Rocco Lombardi would play often at nearby Willis Case Golf Course—but never with golf clubs and only after it had snowed. “That was the … Read more

Going for the Green at Arizona’s Rio Verde Country Club

Thirty-six holes of redesigned golf and an energetic, civic-minded membership make for one sustainable community. Jon Rizzi One more spin around the sun and I’ll qualify for “active adult” living. Will I soon find myself humming that silly jingle from The Villages commercial? Probably not, but I’d be whistling a different tune if The Verdes—specifically … Read more

A Visit from Jack Nicklaus

As Colorado celebrates a Century of Golf, the century’s greatest golfer returns to the state that helped shape his career. Jon Rizzi Nicklaus at The Broadmoor in 1959 and at Cherry Creek Country Club in 2004. Call him St. Nicklaus. He has used his gifts as a golfer, architect, businessman and humanitarian to bring joy … Read more

Chauncey Billups’ Smooth Transition

Post-NBA life is sweet for Chauncey Billups. But could “retirement” just be an intermission before a dramatic second act? Sam Adams One year into retirement from the National Basketball Association, Chauncey Billups is b-b-b-b-busier than ever. Television assignments. Board meetings. Business trips. Youth camps. Honey-do and Daddy-please lists, too. Sitting on a bleacher while peering … Read more