Article Contributed on: 5/20/2009 4:06:56 PM
Leo Davis, 70, has smooth jazz playing on his headphones. He grabs a club from his Callaway bag and chips a dozen or so balls onto the practice green. It's a ritual that's been going on for more than 30 years - only now the scenery has changed.
"I'm a golf nut," Davis said.
On May 13, Davis is one of the annual pass holders playing early rounds at the new CommonGround Golf Course, 10110 E. Golfer's Way, near East Alameda Avenue and South Havana Street in Aurora, opening to the public May 23.
"I don't fish," Davis said. "I don't like Central City or the mountains - what else is a retired guy to do?"
The new $4.8 million course, jointly owned by the nonprofits Colorado Golf Association (CGA) and Colorado Women's Golf Association (CWGA), features an 18-hole, par-71 championship course, 400-yard practice facility with 50 hitting stations, practice putting green, practice chipping green and bunker, a hitting area for instruction and a nine hole kids' course.
"Golf is a game of a lifetime," said
Ed Mate, executive director of CGA.
CommonGround will be an outlet for the CGA and CWGA to reach out to people from all walks of life.
"Our sole mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf and make it accessible to everybody," said
Dave Troyer, director of golf for CommonGround.
Part of the accessibility aspect is making golf affordable, Mate said. The green fees of $40 for CGA and CWGA members and $50 for the public are designed to be no more than needed to keep the course open and going, Mate said.
"At the end of the day, it's about making sure the people in that community can enjoy the golf course," Mate said.
Having fairways on this plot of land is par for the area. The course, which straddles the Arapahoe and Denver county line, is situated on the former Mira Vista and Lowry Air Force Base golf courses.
When planning began in 2006, it was decided to completely redo the course from the ground up - and doing the design was award-winning architect Tom Doak.
Doak waived some fees and worked with the course design to keep costs down, forgoing extras like a berm along East Alameda Avenue that would look nice, but have no correlation to the holes.
"Golfers love their eye candy, but I think we've got plenty," Mate said.
Doak routed the course to incorporate the course's history and geography. Hole No. 4 overlooks the old hangars of Lowry in the distance and teeing off Hole No. 12 gives golfers a view of Mount Evans.
The course also is situated on 350 acres, including a 110-acre wetland preserve and is home to herd of deer, foxes, coyotes and waterfowl.
"The wetlands is the best feature," Troyer said. "You get out there and you don't even know you're in the center of a city."
To keep the natural feel of the area and support the environment, cart paths were constructed from recycled asphalt, the property is irrigated with recycled wastewater and native areas were planted with drought tolerant grasses for water conservation.
CommonGround also is an asset to the development of the area.
"The golf course facility is just a wonderful open space amenity to the neighborhood we've developed and the surrounding area," said
Tom Markham, executive director of the Lowry Redevelopment Authority.
In the future, the golf course also might enjoy new development to its north in Aurora, at the site of the old Fan Fair building, 333 Havana St.
"We're working very diligently to get the plans approved to clean the area up," said
Gayle Jetchick, executive director of the Havana Business Improvement District.
So far, seven summer leagues and 75 group events have been penciled in on CommonGround's schedule.
"I'm looking forward to getting open and going," Troyer said. "Everyone's chomping at the bit to play."
For more information or to schedule a tee time, call 303-340-1520 or go to
www.commongroundgc.com.
UP NEXT
What: Fairway Days at Lowry
When:May 23-24 and May 30-31
Where:CommonGround Golf Course, 10110 E. Golfer's Way, Aurora
Cost: Free
Events: Free bucket of balls, tours, mini-clinics, putting contests
Info: Events vary, for a complete schedule, call 303-340-1520 or go to
www.lowry.org/news/news.htm.