Course Profile: Ballyneal Golf Club

about

Founded by brothers Jim and Rupert O’Neal, Ballyneal is a secluded masterpiece in northeastern Colorado. The O’Neals grew up in a farming family and became deeply familiar with the area’s rugged, steep sand dunes, known locally as the “Chop Hills.” By 2001, Jim was a golf professional, and Rupert had started a successful hunting club near Holyoke, Colorado. After watching that year’s Open together, they wandered out into the Chop Hills to try and find holes that resembled the ones they saw on TV. Jim was quickly able to identify a handful of fantastic natural sites for fairways and greens, and right then he knew they had a chance to build something special. The brothers had heard of Tom Doak, who had just finished building Pacific Dunes, and the resulting partnership between the O’Neals and Renaissance Golf Design led to one of America’s best modern golf courses.

Take Note…

Walking only. The fact that Ballyneal is a walking-only golf course allows the turf conditions to be as firm and fast as possible. Fine fescue is sensitive to vehicle traffic, so having no carts allows the superintendent to push the grass to its absolute limit.

Match club. Ballyneal was built to promote match play and the greens and tees exemplify that goal. There are no tee markers, so the winner of the previous hole simply selects one of the several options to play from. The greens are wild, with big and bold contours: find the right bowl and get rewarded; miss the bowl and get punished severely. A great concept when score-to-par isn’t so important.

Turtles and cats. This is probably the last place in the world you’d expect to see aquatic animals, but turtles roam the property frequently. Watch your step. Also, a few cats make their homes around the clubhouse area; logos of the famous “Bunker” can be found on merchandise in the pro shop.

The high ground. Take the cart path at the back of the parking lot up to the entrance of the hunt club. There you will find the best view of the full property.