First look: TPC Colorado opens north of Denver

BERTHOUD, Colo. -- The first new course built in Colorado in a decade is loaded with character.

TPC Colorado, a design by architect Art Schaupeter, mixes sod-walled Durabunkers and more standard modern bunkering to give the 7,991-yard course a real interesting look. The setting situated alongside the Lonetree, McNiel and Welch Reservoirs north of Denver provides ample scenery, despite only about 60 feet of elevation change on the property. Seven sets of tees stretches TPC Colorado from 4,000 to 7,991 yards, a length that will challenge the pros at The TPC Colorado Championship at Heron Lakes, a new Web.com Tour event held the week of July 8-14, 2019. The 156 players will be competing for a $600,000 purse. A five-year agreement is in place through 2023.

A trio of watery par 3s and a threesome of risk-reward short par 4s are the most interesting holes on the course. The short par 4s - No. 3 (353 yards from the gold tees), No. 6 (312 yards) and No. 10 (298 yards) - present a minefield of bunkers to avoid. No. 3 is a cape hole along a reservoir, forcing players to bite off as much as they can chew, especially if they're brave enough to go for the green. The watery par 3s all sport their own unique design elements - a biarritz green at No. 2, a long narrow green on the edge of a reservoir at no. 8 and the stunning 16th hole, a 140-yard tee shot down to a well-bunkered target. Galleries will love watching the action from this elevated perch, looking upon a horizon of water and mountains.

The longest hole in Colorado - the 773-yard, par-5 13th hole - will also attract attention. Even from the gold tees, where most regular golfers will play, it's a daunting 660 yards.

TPC Colorado already has 200-plus members, according to General Manager Larry Collins, but is offering limited public tee times for $170 this fall. Eventually, the semi-private club will feature a master-planned residential neighborhood, a Sports Center, pool and fitness facility and impressive 55,000-square-foot clubhouse.