OWERINGMOUNTAINS
andscenic
views intertwinedwithverdantgolf
courses.Seenone, seen themall,
especially ifyou’reaveterangolf traveler
looking forawelcomerespite from theoppressive
summerheat.Butoccasionally, you’ll run intosucha
wonderfullyhiddengem, you’rewilling toputupwith
a townwhosenamestems from thephrase“ToHell
YouRide” just toexperience it.
Nowherehave thatseasonalmixtureofmountain
golfandscenicconditionscombinedmoreperfectly
than in the tinyColorado town
ofTelluride,whichgained its
nicknamedue to itssplendidly
inaccessible location (unless
you’reflyingdirectly thereon
AmericanAirlines,ofcourse).
It’ssixhoursbycar from the
ColoradocapitalofDenverand four from the trendy
andcrowdedVailandAspen.But thisno-stoplight
hamletof justover2,300peopleoffersupahipyet
unpretentiousvibe, and this timeofyear, summer
golf isastarattraction.
In1992,when thegood townspeoplefinallygot
around toaddinggolf to theirrecreationaloptions,
theymadesure itfit into the town’s trademark, laid-
backcharm. Interestingly, thereremainsconsid-
erable intrigueaboutwho theactualdesigner (or
designers)of thecoursewas.Perhaps itwasa local,
SPORTS
ByArtStricklin
ILLUSTRATIONS
DOUGLASB. JONES
ARTSTRICKLIN
is an award-winning
golf and travel writer
based inDallas.He’s
the former president of
theTexasGolfWriters
Association.
Raiseyourgamewitharoundofgolf in
Telluride,Colorado, acitywhosecharmand
elusivenesscontinue toenticevisitors looking
forbothgreensandagreatexperience
T
AMERICANWAY
APRIL2016
87
HighTimes
