Meet Echo.......

CommonGround's Director of Goose Chasing! Through hard work and an unmatched enthusiasm, Echo (Bobby M's Border Collie) has become a valued member of the CommonGround team. Her main duty is oversee goose control and keep them from eating the grass seed and leaving "moveable" (or in some cases immoveable) obstructions on the greens!

As everyone in the state knows, the weather has been unbeatable which means that the grass is still growing. And obviously the longer we can grow grass this fall, the better. The city of Aurora has approved our construction plans for the Starter Clubhouse, and Calcon is in the process of securing the necessary permits to begin construction. The Men's Club has set tenatitve event dates for 2009. I will post the dates once we have finalized them (for information regarding how to join the Men's Club, please email me at dtroyer@commongroundgc.com). Finally, we have hired a professional photographer to finally take some really good photos of the course, and everything else is right on schedule.

As we move into the offseason for golf, I am going to begin only updating the blog a couple of times per month rather than on a weekly basis. Currently I am working on developing an email database to begin sending out a monthly newsletter once we are in a position to do so (probably after the first of the year). If you would like to be included as part of the database, please let me know.

For this weeks photos, Echo and I concentrated primarily on the Kid's Course so we could provide a perspective of the layout. For this weeks photos, click here: September 29th Photos

Have a great week, and as always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Tom Doak's Other Course in Colorado.....

was phenomenal!! Last week the CommonGround team had the opportunity to play Ballyneal in Holyoke, CO. Ballyneal is Tom Doak's only other design in Colorado, and according to Golf Magazine it is one of the top 100 golf courses in the world! Although I have spent the majority of my life in Colorado, I had no idea that the landscape in which Ballyneal is cut even existed in the state. I truly felt as if I was playing a dunes golf course in Ireland!

Although CommonGround is set in the middle of the city and Ballyneal is located in the middle of nowhere, they both share a number of exciting similarities. First of all, both courses provide generous fairways that allows golfers to play each hole in a variety of ways. Second, there are no two holes that are the same on either course. Each hole is different. Every hole matches the natural landscape in which it is designed which maintains the golfer's interest throughout the round. Third, all the green complexes on both courses match exactly what their specific hole calls for. Some greens are small, and some greens are huge, but all the greens have plenty of shape and movement while still providing plenty of fair hole locations. Finally, both courses have strategically placed features that matter. From bunkers to mounds, each feature rewards the golfer who successfully navigates the risk and penalizes those who fail to do so. Tom Doak definately is a genius when it comes to designing great golf regardless of the canvass he has to work with.

In other news....literally....the Rocky Mountain News ran a story today about CommonGround. To read the story, click here: RMN Article

For this weeks photos click here: Sept 22 Photos. Have a great week and enjoy this fantastic fall weather.

Just for fun this week....

Recently it was suggested to me that even though I have posted a weekly photo gallery of the course's progress, I have not posted a hole by hole tour for everyone to see all 18 holes in order in one photo gallery. So for this weeks update, I spent time organizing a link to a photo gallery called "Hole by Hole Tour". The gallery contains the best current pictures I have of each hole. The gallery will be a work in progress, as it is my intention to consistently update the photos with better ones as the course matures over time. For the the photo gallery, click here: Hole by Hole Tour

In other news, we are working on setting the dates to get the course rated by both the CGA and the CWGA sometime in mid October. Thank you to those of you who have contacted me to set up tournament dates and leagues for 2009. As a reminder to every one else who is possible thinking of hosting an event at CommonGround, I would ask that you contact me sooner than later in order to ensure the date that you are looking for.

Finally, if you have not had an opportunity to see the rates we will be offering, please be sure to check out my post from September 2nd.

Have a great week....I know I will as I have the opportunity to play the only other Tom Doak designed golf course in Colorado.....Ballyneal.

Up Next.....The "Starter Clubhouse"....

Now that construction on the golf course is done, the next major agenda item that we will be tackling is the construction of what we are calling "The Starter Clubhouse." We are calling it "Starter", since the ultimate plan will be to turn the building into the Junior Golf & Learning Center once we acquire the funding to build the Main Clubhouse. The 2500 sq ft structure will feature a golf shop and a bar & grill. In addition to the "Starter Clubhouse" we will be constructing a tent pavilion to accommodate larger groups and tournament play. For a floor plan of the facility, be sure to check out this week's photos: September 9th Photos.

In other news, work has begun on formation of both a Men's and Women's Club for 2009. I will publish information on how to join in the next couple of months. Also, I have been asked numerous times when we will open for play. Currently, we have a targeted opening day of June 1st, 2009. The winter will play a big part in deterimining when we will open, but inevitably we will open as soon as we feel that we can put our best foot forward.

I hope everyone gets a chance to get out and play this week.....you can't beat September golf in Colorado!

The rates are in......

After spending the entire summer researching the Colorado golf market, we feel that we have come up with an incredible value for CommonGround Golf Course in order to benefit the CGA & CWGA members and to help grow the game of golf. With the mission of creating a fantastic golf experience on a Tom Doak designed golf course, at an affordable price, we are proud to announce the following green fees:

Championship Course:

CGA/CWGA Members.............$40.00 ($20 for 9 holes)
General Public...........................$50.00 ($25.00 for 9 holes)
Seniors (65+).............................$30.00 (Monday - Thursday only)
Juniors (18 & Under)................$15.00
Twilight.......................................$30.00 (Twilight times TBD)
Replay.........................................$25.00

Par 3 Course:

Juniors.......................$5.00
Adults........................$10.00
Family.......................$5.00 (Adult fee when accompanied by a junior)

Multiple Use Plans:

Annual Pass...................$2000.00 (Unlimited play, only available to CGA/CWGA Members)
Junior Annual Pass.......$200.00 (Unlimited par 3, space available on championship course)
Punch Card....................$360.00 (10 Rounds, only available to CGA/CWGA Members)

CGA & CWGA members will be able to make tee times up to 7 days in advance, while the general public can make tee times up to 6 days in advance. Additionally, as an added benefit for course accessibility to our Members, we will be offering an additional day of tee time making ability (8 days in advance) for $350.00/year.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me -- 303-340-1520 or dtroyer@cogolf.org.

Unfortunately it was freezing this morning (it felt like I was back in MN) and the light was poor, but I did manage to take a few photos for this weeks post: September 2nd, Photos.

Enjoy your week!