Colorado living: Golfing at altitude
Colorado native Wyndham Clark, a graduate of Valor Christian High School, is the fifth ranked golfer in the world. Here he is (left) at the 2024 BMW Championship Media Day in June sharing some insights with renowned sports broadcaster, Vic Lombardi, about playing golf at altitude.
Playing golf in Colorado is a bit different from playing at lower elevations. For example, the ball flies farther at higher altitudes: roughly 10% farther in Castle Pines.
PGA TOUR player Wyndham Clark knows about playing at altitude. A Colorado native and the fifth ranked golfer in the world, he graduated from Valor Christian High School. About playing at the Castle Pines Golf Club (CPGC), Wyndham described it as probably the most challenging course in Colorado, given the altitude and a lot of elevation change.
He continued, “It’s very tough off the tee, and then around the greens you have to be very precise. At altitude, where we normally don’t play, that’s going to be difficult. You’re going to see a lot of us [at the BMW Championship] on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, spending a lot of time on the range with Trackmans and all the measuring devices on distance, trying to figure out how far the ball is going.” (See related article here.)
Wyndham joked, “If you see us airmail some shots over the green by 10 or 15 yards, it’s not because we’re bad; we’re just not used to playing at this altitude. The biggest challenge is going to be distance control and making sure our 8-iron is flying the distance we want.”
Regarding spin at altitude and playing out of the rough, Wyndham detailed what to expect: The ball spins the most off the fairway. Getting into the rough, the ball spins less, and then with altitude, it spins even less. “You will see guys maybe adjust clubs, maybe sometimes even golf balls,” he said. “Out of the rough it makes it even tougher because, if it’s a really thick lie, it comes out pretty dead and no spin. You can also get jumpers, and that’s a golfer’s worst nightmare – especially at altitude – because now the ball is jumping and staying in the air forever. So, there’s a lot of challenges that this golf course is going to bring for us, but I think we are all excited.”
When describing the course, Wyndham shared that he thinks this experience is unlike anywhere else … special, and it truly fits the CPGC motto: “The best day of golf in America.” He continued, “The minute you come through the gates, and experience the service, hitting ProVs on the range, that first tee shot looking down at Pikes Peak, the quality of the golf course, and the milkshakes in the locker room afterwards – it is honestly second to none.”
By Susan Helton; photo by Terri Wiebold
