HOLYOKE, Colo. – Golf is supposed to be fun. It’s a game, and the inherent uncertainty of trying to strike a small ball long distances across uneven terrain is the best part. Ballyneal nails that quality better than most.
Firm and fast with its fescue fairways, hilly and bouncy and somewhat unreal setting on a great natural pile of sand in the middle of flat Midwest plain, Ballyneal has earned a ranking of No. 4 among Golfweek’s Best modern courses built since 1960.
Because it’s a blast.
“I had a really great crew out there, and they were all just having fun building something really wild and different,” said Tom Doak, who designed the private layout in middle-of-nowhere eastern Colorado that opened in 2006. “The client was not really a golfer, so the only instructions we were getting were to make it fun.”
Despite so many inland courses abusing the word links in their names, there’s not a lot of true links golf in the United States. But despite being so far from an ocean – a requirement to be a true links – Ballyneal is about as close as you can get without saltwater. Built on pure sand dunes, the layout sends golf balls rocketing into all directions. What happens after landing is more important than how the ball flies.
“You just get a lot of variety out of that site,” Doak said. “And of course it’s always windy, and they maintain the fairways pretty firm and fast. That’s the most fun kind of golf you can play, right?”
Editor’s note: Golfweek’s Best course raters judge courses in 10 categories on a points basis of 1-10, then offer a non-cumulative overall rating.
How well the holes individually and collectively adhere to the land and to each other.
The two returning loops take full advantage of the Chop Hills, as locals call this massive sand dune sitting atop the otherwise flat High Plains nearby. Without ever becoming overly steep, Ballyneal scurries up and down the slopes in a playful, “What in the world is over there?” manner.
My rating: 8 out of 10
The extent to which course construction creates design elements that fit in well and provides a consistent look or sensibility.
Doak wasn’t afraid to throw a few curve balls and sliders early in his career, and it shows in the shaping around Ballyneal’s greens, which is often extreme. Everything ties beautifully into the surrounding natural slopes, but don’t expect subtlety near the greens. Fairway…
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