By Dan Karpiel

The Surveyor

The plan for a championship golf course with top-notch amenities that would put Berthoud on the map, not just locally but nationally, perhaps even globally, has been a long time coming. The original idea for what would become TPC Colorado was first presented to the Berthoud town board in in the mid-2000s.

This month, another monumental step was taken as TPC Colorado at Heron Lakes announced the grand opening of the 60,000 square foot first-class clubhouse.

“It’s very exciting for us to see it come to fruition, this has been a long time in the planning,” said John Buser, General Manager at TPC Colorado. “Our ownership group did a fantastic job through the years acquiring the parcels to make this happen, having the vision to build it the way they did; the architects, the interior designers and ultimately TPC to manage it, it was a lot of different entities that came together to make it just what we think is a world-class facility.”

And world-class the facility is.

Impossible to miss while traveling along Berthoud Parkway or Highway 287, the clubhouse looms large on the horizon, set afoot of the front range of the Rockies. The course, already host to two exceptionally well-received events of the professional Korn Ferry Tour, has received high marks from casual players and the professionals alike. 2020 TPC Colorado Championship victor, Will Zalatoris, said upon accepting his trophy, “this is the best course we play all year.”

TPC Colorado signed a five-year agreement with the Korn Ferry Tour, the developmental tour for the PGA, with two down and three to go, Buser could not be more excited for the prospects for the future.

“We have the key ingredients to host whatever tournament might come our way,” Buser said. July has been the agreed upon date for hosting the annual pro tourney, given a number of factors, and the specific dates for the 2021 TPC Colorado Championship will be officially announced at a later date.

It is not just the pros, however that will be able to enjoy the challenging trek the championship course presents. TPC Colorado also serves as the host for both the boys and girls golf teams from Berthoud High School (BHS), allowing both squads to use the practice facilities located on the east side of the property. The course hosts the annual Spartan Golf Classic, a fundraiser for the BHS golf teams; this year’s event, the third since its inception, will come Monday, July 27.

To date, the course hosted one event for the BHS girls team, in April 2019, but has yet to host an event for the Spartans boys’ team. Asked about making a commitment to host two season events, one for each the BHS boys and girls golf teams annually at TPC, Buser replied, “While we certainly want to do our part to be active to grow junior golf and high school golf, we also do have a membership that we take care of as well, so it’s a balancing act.”

For that membership, which begins at $25,000 with monthly dues of $500, the facilities are immaculate. Membership at TPC Colorado is a membership in the entire 32-course global network. According to Buser, “Especially for the corporate person, we have a lot of corporate members that might be based in Colorado but do business and travel throughout the country and so they basically have a home course in 31 other venues.”

Spacious locker rooms for both men and women, with private showers, lockers, a lounge and, eventually, spa, pool and fitness facilities are available. The clubhouse also boasts a large banquet hall that can accommodate up to 300 guests and be separated into three different spaces should the need arise.

Multiple dining options are available and all are, or soon will be once the finishing touches are in place, available to the public. Center Stage, which sits in the center of the clubhouse with a 40-seat rectangular bar serving Colorado Craft Beer directly adjacent, will be open daily. Center Stage is named for TPC Colorado’s signature hole, the par-3 16th, and sits directly outside the 15,000 square foot covered patio with views of five – one tee, 15 green, 16, 17 tee and 18 green – golf holes. The 28-option menu features wood-fired pizza and other fare in an exhibition style kitchen.

For more upscale clientele, 773 Prime – named in recognition of the par-5 14th hole, the longest par-5 in the country – will open in August for gourmet dinners Thursday through Sunday nights. The menu will be meticulously created by Executive Chef Martin Woods.

Both Center Stage and 773 Prime will provide modest discounts to anyone with an 80513 ZIP code because, as Buser explained, “we want to be a great neighbor and welcome the town of Berthoud and the surrounding community and make this their home club. While we have memberships that are available, as a semi-private club, everyone is welcome. We really want people to take advantage of that, we’re going to have amazing food at fair prices.”