Dalton Ranch
& Golf Club: Animas Valley Lights Up With Views, Dye Golf Gem

By David R. Holland,
Senior Writer

DURANGO, CO -- Near sunset on the Dalton Ranch & Golf Club’s final holes, the Animas River Valley lights up.

The red cliffs of the surrounding San Juan Mountains come alive with a sangre-hued glow that will make you stop and look on the par-5 16th, then turning back toward the clubhouse the Animas River lines the left border with another scene you won’t forget.

Opened in July 1993, Dalton Ranch and Golf Club was an alfalfa field before Ken Dye of Piñon Hills and Paa-Ko Ridge fame, designed this 6,934-yard par 72 layout in the stunning Animas Valley just six miles north of Durango. Even the touristy Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad runs by the course.

Dye moved 800,000 cubic yards of dirt and created a bundle of mounds spread throughout the course. At first, many of the mounds were covered in thick fescue. Golfers soon voiced displeasure over that. It was just too tough. Today, few mounds still have the deep grass, but typical of Dye, the greens are elevated and drop significantly to the bunkers.

“Even though the fairways are wide, they narrow closer to the greens,” said Fal Wood, head pro. “It’s the toughest second-shot course I’ve ever played.”

Many approach shots will look promising, only to be a fraction short, taking dramatic dives left or right, down into the deep sand traps.

“I think the first seven holes are very fair,” said Wood, “but Nos. 8-12 present a tough stretch. If you can keep your score in check on those holes you can post a good number. The back tees on the par threes are the meat of the course. And even though Dye is known for very tough, undulating greens, we have only five greens that are like that. The rest are not so tricky. ”

• Discuss this story at GolfBoards.com • Past course reviews by David R. Holland

No. 14, the 156-yard par-3, will test you. The two-tiered figure-eight shaped green is diagonally placed behind a pond. “It’s one of the best par-three holes I’ve ever seen,” Wood said.

The 17th is only 308 yards, bending left with the river on the left. A nice draw will put you in birdie range.

“The 308-yard 17th reminded me a great deal of the 18th at Pebble Beach, if shortened to a par 4, because of the Animas River running down the left side. Ken Dye has designed and built a course not only of great beauty, but of considerable excitement,” said one visitor. “In short, every hole was unique and well thought out.”

You finish with a 408-yard beauty. The landing area looks tiny from the tee. Too far left and the river will defeat you, but too far right and there’s water shaped like a question mark, which surrounds the right side of the green and continues all the way behind it.

Dalton Ranch is open mid-March through November 1, but it doesn’t close because of bitter cold. It closes because the elk, up to 1,000 of them, descend on the golf course at the first indication of hunting season. The staff has to protect the golf course.

Conditions: A Layout: A Service: A Practice Fac.: A Clubhouse/Pro Shop: A Pace of Play: A Value: A- Overall Rating: A

“If we just put up fences around the greens the elk would tear them down to get to the grass,” Wood said. “So we cover the greens with tarps, so the elk can’t see the grass and we also put up fences.”

Dalton Ranch & Golf Club
589 County Rd 252
Durango, CO 81301

Telephone: 970-247-8774
Fax: 970-247-2958
Internet: www.daltonranch.com
E-mail: dalton@frontier.net

Green Fees

Prime, June 25-September 9, $59. Twilight fees available. Reduced rates in shoulder season, call for details. Cart fees are $10 per person for 18 holes.

Directions

From Durango, take Highway 550 north for six miles, you'll see the course sign on the right side of the highway.

Where to Stay

Strater Hotel
609 Main Avenue
Durango, CO 81302

Telephone: 800-247-4431.

nternet: www.strater.com.

The historic Strater Hotel was first constructed in 1887 and now offers 93 Victorian-styled rooms. Hand-screened wallpapers, one of the world's largest collections of antique furniture, one of America's few remaining authentic Vaudeville melodramas and the unbelievably beautiful Southern Colorado Rockies all frame the Strater Hotel experience!

Strater’s Golf Packages

Two Night Summer Golf Package for Two includes two nights stay at the Strater Hotel and two days of golf for two at Dalton Ranch. Call for price -- per night per person based on double occupancy. Non-golfers can substitute a ride on the world famous Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.

Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad

The D&SNGRR was built by General William Jackson Palmer, a Civil War veteran who envisioned a railroad network from Denver south toward Mexico City along and into the front range of the Rockies. His plan for a "narrow" 3- foot wide track configuration (standard gauge is 4'8.5" wide) was conducive to inaccessible canyons and the rugged mining terrain of the mountains. Reservations or Information: 888-872-4607. Internet: www.durangotrain.com.

Palmer eventually completed a network from Denver that arrived in Durango in 1881 and the Silverton portion was completed by 1882. Equally ambitious was the transportation entrepreneur and magnate Otto Mears, who extended the narrow gauge network with 3 lines out of Silverton as well as constructing the famous toll road known as the million dollar highway linking Silverton to Ouray over Red Mountain Pass.

Winter Fun
at Nearby Purgatory

Did you know there are non-stop flights to Durango from Dallas-Fort Worth? Check out www.flydurango.com.

Durango Mountain Resort is the place for Jeep Tours and guided fly fishing in summer and the place to stay and ski in winter. Log on to www.durangomountainresort.com or call 800-525-0892 for information. The snowline phone number is 970-247-9000, ext. 1.

Photos by David R. Holland