Nicklaus' Summit Course offers 360-degree views of the Rockies

EDWARDS, Colo. - The Summit Course, a new Jack Nicklaus signature layout here, was challenging to build due to drastic elevation changes.

The effort, however, was worth it as the layout offers 360-degree views of the rugged Rocky Mountain terrain. Opened in August, the course is situated just 20 miles west of Vail. It is the newest addition for the Cordillera Group that now owns four upscale courses in the area.

The terrain at the Summit layout drops down to about 8,600 feet along the course, only to climb the side of the ridge again to reach up to 9,100 feet at the 18th fairway - its highest point.

PUNCHBOWL GREEN

There are some 70- to 80-foot drops from tee to green on the course, and par3s that range from 40- to 50-feet in elevation changes. "There's a lot of variety here," said Glenn Samuelson, superintendent. "We're very exposed on a few holes, and very protected on others. Everything from tall stands of fir 120 feet high to wide open sagebrush."

For the first time at any of the Cordillera courses, flat drainage was used on the greens. "We didn't pitch the greens or anything unusual to try to remove water," said Samuelson. Jack's pinable areas are quite flat, around one or two percent." However, the 8th green, a par5, sports a punchbowl design.

Afair amount of blasting was required to get the main line in for irrigation and drainage. "There's a lot of rock. That's why they call it the Rocky Mountains," Samuelson said. "It was a chore to get down four of five feet sometimes."

The final cost for building the Summit course fell between $11 and $12 million, according to Samuelson.

Construction at the course started two years ago, with the majority of the grassing completed last year. There's a variety of bluegrasses in the fairways and roughs, Penncross on the tees and Dominant bentgrass for the greens.

Because of the short playing and construction season, the majority of the course was sodded. "The greens and tees were seeded though," said Samuelson. "Jack doesn't like to sod putting surfaces if he can help it. We also try to keep the greens consistently quick here."

'DESIGNED IN THE FIELD'

Nicklaus' design associate, Ken Baker, moved his family here from Florida during construction. "He was onsite almost everyday," Samuelson said. "Ken and I did the nuts and bolts work of putting the course together, and when Jack came he tweaked it."

Wadsworth Golf Construction was the course builder. "We did the bulk of earth moving in house," said Samuelson. "Wadsworth did a lot of the finish work, and grassed the course out for us."

Copyright United Publications, Inc. Oct 2001
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