The Broadmoor

The Broadmoor's famed East course checks all the boxes of a demanding tournament venue.
Nasty rough? Yup.
Demanding greens? OMG
A daunting finish hole? I'm thrilled I made bogey.
This is one tough nut to crack, but if you're a straight shooter off the tee, you've got a chance. The rough is what makes hitting all those elevated greens so tough. Getting the ball in the hole is another matter entirely. Every putt is affected by Cheyenne Mountain, but even then it's pure guesswork.
The pond near the clubhouse comes into play three times - the approach to the par-5 third, the tee shot of the par-3 fourth and the final shot into the 18th green. Thank goodness there's really no other water to worry about (the water right of the sixth fairway shouldn't be in play). This course is plenty hard without another hazard.

Broadmoor East certainly feels like a tough, USGA-style venue at every turn: narrow fairways, thick rough, and fast, perplexing greens that slope away from Cheyenne Mountain. But it's also gorgeous at every turn and the Will Rogers Shrine chimes echoing across the property are a beautiful touch. I really enjoyed the course off the tee but the greens were seriously tough to read. I four-putted the 9th hole from about 25 feet, walked into the halfway house, ordered a bloody mary and birdied the next two holes. If you like challenging yourself at courses like Torrey or Bethpage, Broadmoor is certainly going to be a fun course for you and if you think you are a good putter, this is a supreme examination of your skills. I certainly wouldn't play a member for money here!

The West provides some contrast to the East - the championship venue of The Broadmoor. Both feature the same club-killing rough and fast, hard-to-read, mountain-influenced greens. Although many holes of the two courses intertwine, the West boasts more elevation changes. Golfers climb to the top of the property at the 10th green, which provides a nice view above the city of Colorado Springs. From there, the holes fall downhill back to the five-star hotel, delivering the most playable stretch of golf at the resort. There's some beauties in there - the drop-shot par-3 11th, the par-4 13th over a pond and the reachable par-5 18th.
The routing pinches tight between the trees at times, and those elevation changes don't share many flat lies, but I can see why some higher handicaps enjoy the West more than the East.

The West Course was our arrival-day round and at first we were only going to play nine holes. I'm glad we kept going, because otherwise we would have missed the good stuff.

The West plays largely uphill thru the first 10 holes before finally turning around on the 11th and going back down for much of the rest. The views are awesome on the back nine and your scorecard will probably be prettier too.

This course isn't much easier than the East but there are a few more shorter par 4s. Even still, the soft turf and hills make it play longer than you think and the greens aren't easy either.

Still it's a very scenic Ross-Jones combo but lacks some of the pizazz of the East. We had dinner in The clubhouse Grille afterwards and it has fabulous views and a great menu.

I've played Broadmoor West 20 times. Each time I like it less. Awesome scenery. Goofy Golf. Downhill lies. Rough you hate. Downhill lies. Awful rough. Can't find the ball. Downhill Lies.

Played both the East and West courses at the Broadmoor Resort. One of the very best two course layouts at a resort. East is very challenging and fun to play. The real key to the East course are the greens. One of the toughest greens complexes ever. The greens are very large, with undulations, and they are very fast. Almost too tough for a resort course. Front pins hard to get to without rolling back of of the greens. Downhill putts were impossible. Playing companions couldn't keep puts on the greens. Three putts were the norm. Tee to green was great....on the greens were another's story.

The West course at the Broadmoor resort is a great test. Good elevation changes, very challenging, and great with the altitude advantage. The greens were near perfect. Rolled smoothly and true. A truly good test from all tees. I enjoyed it over the more publicized East course. Of the two, the West is the better round of golf to be played.

Been living in Colorado Springs for almost 4 years and have been waiting for a chance to play the course. Stayed at the resort over the weekend and played the East Course. For April in Colorado, the course was in great shape. We also just go snow a few days prior. The layout is very challenging. The front is a lot easier than the back. Shot +2 on the front but +8 on the back. Lots of long Par 4's from the Blue tees on the back.

The staff was amazing. They are so friendly. They remember your name, care about your needs and do their best to make your stay and round as enjoyable as possible. I highly recommend playing if you can fork up the cash.

The "East Course" is generally considered to be one of the best public-access courses in the country.
There aren't many resorts that have a golf course which has hosted so many USGA championships, with the U.S. Women's Open 2011 being the most recent one. That is part of the experience when you play golf at the "East Course". When visiting The Broadmoor Golf Club, you literally "walk in the footsteps of legends"as the course has hosted many USGA championships! The "East Course" consists of 9 holes that were designed by Donald Ross and 9 holes that were designed by the late Robert Trent Jones (holes 8 through 15). I love the ondulated greens that always putt fast and true. The "East Course" is certainly my favorite mountain course (and one of my all-time favorites) and playing there on a sunny Rocky Mountain Day is always a treat.

The "West Course" sits at a higher elevation than the "East Course", plays tighter off the tee and has more tree-lined holes and more doglegs. It plays a little easier than the "big brother" but it is a fine course in his own right. If you stay at The Broadmoor, be sure to play all three courses.