Colorado: Cornerstone Club

A Home For All Seasons And A Golf Course For All To Enjoy.

The Greg Norman-designed Cornerstone Club golf course and 20-plus acre practice facility gracing Colorado’s rolling Uncompahgre Plateau were completed last year and lie in wait to wow all comers. Just shy of 8,000 yards (from the “Shark” tees), the natural flow of the course is sprinkled with spectacular mountain vistas, intimate aspen groves and curious wildlife. Art, science and a labor of love: Cornerstone is pure art from nature’s palette. Norman wisely left well enough alone wherever possible and created a masterpiece by his restraint. With a sculptor’s eye, he incorporated rocky outcroppings, even massive boulders that add dimension and occasionally consequence along the way. But while the aesthetic of the course is spectacular, it is the golfer’s satisfaction that is the fruit of Norman’s design and also Cornerstone’s execution of it. Like most mountain courses, players enjoy some extra yardage on drives. But, along with the distance windfall at Cornerstone comes the challenge of reading greens that belie your senses.

Beginning and ending with aspen-lined fairways, a round here meanders through trees, up and down ravines and bursts into wide open spaces that are framed by three mountain ranges. If you hit a great approach shot on No. 10, you might think for a moment that it will sail over the green and drop into an abyss. The kids call this the “end of the earth” hole, marking the spectacular deception. Once on the green, it’s hard not to take pause in the exhilarating sensation of being on top of the world with views 50 miles north and sweeping down valley to the ragged peaks of the Cimarron Ridge.

Already test-driven

Early joiners of Cornerstone Club were rewarded with a “preview” season in 2007 with nine holes open for play. Operating from their “Golf Yurt,” a temporary pro-shop/snack bar/hang-out-with-the-caddies spot, Cornerstone showed its savvy in both the golf and hospitality arenas. Within a week of the course opening, members were treated to a day with two PGA Tour Pros — Bo Van Pelt and Dudley Hart — who played with members, conducted a short clinic and played a head-to-head exhibition round.

Tina Rossi, a Founding Member at Cornerstone, says, “The very first time I played I kept coming up to a hole and thinking the next one was going to be my favorite and the next one would be my favorite and the next one was my favorite. They’re all spectacular…”

A haven for families

Cornerstone is first and foremost a family place. So it’s no surprise that, from the beginning, there has been careful emphasis on creating a lifestyle that everyone in the family can embrace. In the heart of Southwestern Colorado, Cornerstone is immersed in the region’s culture of outdoor recreation and provides access to a myriad of activities — fishing, hiking, biking, horseback riding in warm months with snowshoeing, snowmobiling, Nordic and Alpine skiing in winter.

Kathy Hart Wood, named a top 50 teacher by Golf for Women magazine, is Director of Women’s Golf, and while many of her students are, in fact, women, she is also known for her work with young people.

A “virtual” club, too

Somewhat unique to Cornerstone, which is primarily a second-home community, the Club has been evolving what it calls a “virtual” program, meaning that it takes its club “on the road” to members’ homes and events. In 2007, Cornerstone members traveled to The Masters, to both coasts for golf outings and dinner parties created by Cornerstone’s own chefs. Plans are in the works for member trips here and abroad for 2008.

Cornerstone Fast Facts

•    A 6,000-acre community and private club located 20 miles from Montrose, Colo., regional airport and 45 miles from Telluride.

•    Greg Norman golf course and 20-plus acre practice facility to open in June 2008.

•    412 planned Homesteads ranging from 1/4 acre in the “Resort Village” to over 100-acre ranches allowing horses.

•    Golf cabins for sale and to be available for member use beginning in June.

•    Almost 3,000 acres of open space; over 20 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding.

•    Golf Clubhouse with bar & grill, members’ lounge and retail to open in June 2008. Slope-side Mountain Club in Telluride open now.

•    Resort-quality swimming hole with rope bridge, tipis, climbing rock and park.

•    Private fly-fishing nearby; stables and trail riding on-site.

•    To contact, call 877.855.7273 or visit www.cornerstonecolorado.com