Bear by Committee : Five heads act as one at Colorado beauty

Golf Digest, July, 2002 by Ron Whitten

When the layout is produced by committee, there's always a concern whether the result will be a course or a camel. Or in the case of The Golf Club at Bear Dance, a lumbering grizzly. But this new Colorado daily fee is surprisingly nimble despite its bulk.

At 7,661 yards, Bear Dance measures longer than the longest PGA Tour course in nearby Castle Pines. But it winds deftly across the Rocky Mountain foothills and through tall Ponderosa pine into open grasslands and thick stands of gamble oak. There's 600 feet of elevation change, but thankfully, most of the backbreaking holes run down Front Range slopes, including three 500-plus-yard par 4s and the closing 655-yard par 5 dedicated to Arnold Palmer. It helps that the layout is 6,800 feet above sea level.

It's not as if Bear Dance was the work of rank amateurs. It was designed by PGA of America pros. The lead designer was Brian Whitcomb, who has a decade's worth of architectural experience to his credit on courses in Arizona and Oregon, all clubs he co-owns and operates. For Bear Dance, Whitcomb teamed with three of his club-pro buddies, Corey Aurand, Stuart Bruening and Dennis Hogan (who now run the club) and course superintendent Dave Cahalan. He took a routing prepared by architect Rick Phelps and conjured up large, gentle putting surfaces and eye-catching hazards like the "bear paw" bunker on the short par-4 sixth and a vast one inspired by Prestwick's Cardinal Bunker on the 443-yard fourth.

The team's best decision? Never letting the architecture overshadow the scenery. From its elevated tees and perched greens, Bear Dance offers stunning views of Devil's Head, Larkspur Butte, Raspberry Butte and the papa bear of Colorado mountains, Pike's Peak.

RELATED ARTICLE: If you go . . .

The Golf Club at Bear Dance 6630 Bear Dance Rd., Larkspur, CO 80118 Par 72; 7,661 yards (Green).

Location: About 30 miles south of Denver, take I-25 to Exit 181. Take West Frontage Road south for four miles to Tomah Road, then right 50 yards to Bear Dance Road, then left three miles.

Other tees: Black: 7,279 yards; Blue: 6,814; White: 6,228; Gold: 5,175.

Fees: $65-$75, including mandatory cart.

Contact: 303-681-4653; www. thegolfclubatbeardance.com.