Takeaways from playing Rodeo Dunes, Colorado’s next championship course | Golf Insider
The excitement about Rodeo Dunes has been building since the Dream Golf project was announced in 2023.
The Michael Keiser Jr. project is located in Weld County’s Roggen just off of Interstate 76 and the first 18 holes are open to Rodeo Dunes founders. The course was designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, who also designed Colorado Golf Club and more than 40 courses around the world.
Rodeo Dunes opens to the public in 2027 and The Denver Gazette was invited to play the course May 21.
Here are takeaways from the experience.
- The course is challenging but fair. Holes are surrounded by bunkers and the dunes create sandy, tough hazards if you miss off the tee. But the fairways are very big and if you hit them, a low score is out there on the almost 7,000-yard course from the tips.
- Driving the ball too far could be a problem. Several holes have a fairway run out to a steep dune ridge. Coore and Crenshaw show how they can be masters of using the land to have golfers be strategic off the tee.
- There are back-to-back par 3s on the back nine. And they could not be two more different holes. No. 13 plays 229 yards from the tips with a big bunker guarding the green. No. 14 is much shorter at 157 yards and plays downhill. Club selection will be key.
- The closing stretch is risk/reward. The par-4 17th hole is drivable for big hitters. It plays 348 yards downhill. The 18th hole is a 510-yard par 5 that gives golfers a chance to make birdie to close the round.
- Public tee times will start in May 2027. While the Rodeo Dunes founders will play the course for the rest of the year, the public will be able to play in May 2027. But Rodeo Dunes “Insiders” will be able to book tee times for next year starting sometime in June.
- The green fee will be $350. It will be interesting to see if the steep price keeps people away. The golf course will be worth it to a lot of players.
- The second course is being shaped. Another course at Rodeo Dunes is already being mapped out. Jim Craig, who has shaped courses at Sand Valley and Bandon Dunes, is set to design the next course and there could be preview play by next year.
- Rodeo Dunes lived up to the hype. The course was in immaculate shape, and the views were just as good. This could be the start of something special for Colorado golf.
Report: New PGA schedule could affect Colorado’s Korn Ferry stop
There was plenty of excitement when a report was published a couple of weeks ago about the PGA Tour wanting to come back to Denver, possibly as early as 2028.
But a Golfweek report Tuesday shed some light on how that could affect the annual Korn Ferry event at TPC Colorado, which is scheduled for July 9-12.
Golfweek reported that Chicago, Denver and Nashville would be taken off the Korn Ferry Tour schedule moving forward and are markets that the PGA Tour wants to play in as early as 2028, potentially with existing sponsors assuming control of those new events.
The sponsor at TPC Colorado is Blue Federal Credit Union.
The Blue Championship is the only annual pro golf event in Colorado at this time. The event has been well attended and has produced winners like Will Zalatoris and Neal Shipley.
It remains to be seen if the PGA Tour comes to Colorado, if the event could stay at TPC Colorado or move to a different course.
What they’re saying
“Most of the reason why the guys will complain about the golf ball being brought back is because of the manufacturers. The manufacturer complains to a player and says, ‘No, no, don’t you tell ’em that you want that golf ball rolled back, otherwise you aren’t going to be working for us.’”
– Jack Nicklaus on the upcoming rollback in professional golf
Skins game
Odds to win The Memorial
Scottie Scheffler +310
Rory McIlroy +1200
Ludvig Aberg +1500
Cameron Young +1800
Xander Schauffele +1800
Russell Henley +2000
Matt Fitzpatrick +2200
Si Woo Kim +2200
This week in golf
PGA Tour
THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT
Site: Dublin, Ohio.
Course: Muirfield Village GC. Yardage: 7,569. Par: 72.
Prize money: $20 million. Winner’s share: $4 million.
Television: Thursday-Friday, noon-4 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Golf), 12:30-4 p.m. (CBS).
Defending champion: Scottie Scheffler.
United States Golf Association
U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN
Site: Los Angeles.
Course: Riviera CC. Yardage: 6,691. Par: 71.
Prize money: TBA ($12 million in 2025). Winner’s share: TBA ($2.4 million in 2025).
Television: Thursday-Friday, noon-5 p.m. (USA Network), 5-8 p.m. (Peacock); Saturday, 3-5 p.m. (USA Network), 5-8 p.m. (NBC); Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Peacock/NBCSN), 3-6 p.m. (NBC).
Defending champion: Maja Stark.
LIV Golf League
LIV GOLF ANDALUCIA
Site: Sotogrande, Spain.
Course: Real Club Valderrama. Yardage: 7,010. Par: 71.
Prize money: $20 million. Winner’s share: $4 million.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 5-6 a.m. (FS2), 6-10 a.m. (FS1); Saturday-Sunday, 5-10 a.m. (FS1).
Defending champion: Talor Gooch.
DP World Tour
KLM OPEN
Site: Amsterdam.
Course: The International. Yardage: 6,914. Par: 71.
Prize money: $2.75 million. Winner’s share: $458,333.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 5-7 a.m. (Golf), 7-10 a.m. (Golf Channel app); Saturday, 5-9:30 a.m. (Golf); Sunday, 4:30-9 a.m. (Golf).
Defending champion: Connor Syme.
PGA Tour Champions
AMERICAN FAMILY INSURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Madison, Wis.
Course: TPC Wisconsin. Yardage: 7,031. Par: 71.
Prize money: $3 million. Winners’ share: $300,000 each.
Television: Friday, noon-3 p.m. (Golf Channel app), 4-6 p.m. (Golf Channel-tape delay); Saturday-Sunday, noon-12:30 p.m. (Golf Channel app), 12:30-3 p.m. (Golf).
Defending champions: Thomas Bjørn and Darren Clarke.
Korn Ferry Tour
BMW CHARITY PRO-AM
Site: Greer, S.C.
Course: Thornblade Club & CC of Spartanburg. Yardage: 6,823. Par: 71.
Prize money: $1 million. Winner’s share: $180,000.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 7-10 a.m. (Golf); Saturday-Sunday, 2-3 p.m. (Golf Channel app), 3-5 p.m. (Golf).
Previous winner: Austin Smotherman.
World Golf Rankings
- Scottie Scheffler 16.21
- Rory McIlroy 9.83
- Cameron Young 7.25
- Matt Fitzpatrick 6.23
- Russell Henley 5.77
- Justin Rose 5.20
- Collin Morikawa 4.96
- Tommy Fleetwood 4.93
- J.J. Spaun 4.85
- Xander Schauffele 4.72
- Chris Gotterup 4.71
- Jon Rahm 4.70
- Aaron Rai 4.35
- Ben Griffin 4.33
- Ludvig Aberg 4.32
- Justin Thomas 4.23
- Robert MacIntyre 4.08
- Sepp Straka 3.96
- Si Woo Kim 3.87
- Hideki Matsuyama 3.55
- Alex Noren 3.54
- Patrick Reed 3.53
- Harris English 3.52
- Jacob Bridgeman 3.45
- Kristoffer Reitan 3.31