COLORADO SPRINGS — Nearly ten years since the Broadmoor shut down its Mountain Golf Course, new plans are in the works to turn part of the site into a Par 3 short course.
“We understand that the former Mountain Golf Course site is not developable. It can't support an 18-hole golf course anymore,” said Jack Damioli, president and CEO of the Broadmoor Hotel. “We tried it twice, and it didn't work.”
The Mountain Course, also known as the Broadmoor South Course, closed nearly ten years ago after record precipitation in May 2015 triggered landslides on the course and surrounding neighborhoods.
Since the course was built in 1976 with designs by Arnold Palmer, it had intermittent periods of landslide issues. It went through a full redesign in 2006 with golf legend Jack Nicklaus.
Nicklaus won his first national title and major championship at the Broadmoor 49 years prior.
But even his redesign couldn’t withstand the forces of nature during a year of historic rainfall.
“We were just in disbelief. Kind of unprecedented. We didn't understand what was happening,” said Damioli.
Several homes in the Cheyenne Mountain area, especially around the Mountain Course and Broadmoor Bluffs, suffered extensive damage as well.
Damioli said the decision to turn it into a Par 3 course was due to several factors. Much of the Mountain Course remains unstable and the golf industry is undergoing a transformation, he said.
“It's designed to have fun. All these would be holes that really are friendly, walkable, family-friendly, kid-friendly, things that really are the rage right now in the golf industry,” said Damioli.
He said the course could be played in an hour and 15 minutes and would be for Broadmoor guests and club members. The course itself would have 12 short holes anywhere between 1000 yards and 1400 yards long.
To ensure the proposed site of the Par 3 short course would be safe, a geotechnical investigation took place through CTL | Thompson, Inc., an engineering consultant firm.
The short course would be located on a 13-acre parcel of the 205-acre Mountain Course area, according to Damioli. It would be located near Broadmoor’s Cheyenne Lodge building on S Club Dr.
The rest of the old course will be "reclaimed" by Mother Nature, Damioli said.
The map below details the proposed site and course.
The geotechnical investigation detailed the extensive ground movement history for the Mountain Course area, but noted throughout all the landslide events, “the Lodge Building remained ‘stable.’”
Though the January geologic report seems to overall believe the proposed course is safe, it still mentions potential geologic hazards such as “slope creep,” meaning land could still move, plus issues such as flooding and debris flows.
The Colorado Geological Survey, a state agency based at the Colorado School of Mines, said they’re aware of the proposal and are meeting with the Colorado Springs engineer and geotechnical teams later this week. The agency couldn’t speak on the approval or concerns regarding the proposal until then.
If the planning process is approved and moves forward, the Broadmoor said the new course could be open by mid-2026.
This summer, the Broadmoor Golf Club is hosting the 45th U.S. Senior Open Championship on the East Course.
It’s the third U.S. Senior Open to be hosted at the Broadmoor.
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