Family-friendly amenities

Article and photo by Chris Michlewicz

The team from The Country Club at Castle Pines celebrates the February 12 groundbreaking for a long-awaited $17.1 million expansion project for the club.

A groundbreaking ceremony kicked off the much-anticipated expansion of The Country Club at Castle Pines (CCCP).

Years in the making, the extensive, $17.1 million project officially began February 12 with shovels in the ground on a frigid but beautiful day, with about 30 club dignitaries, project leaders, architects and well-wishers in attendance.

Perched on a beautiful plain in The Village at Castle Pines, with a view that extends from Pikes Peak to the Flatirons of Boulder, the reinvention of the private, member-owned club includes the addition of a cliffside pool and terrace, expanded dining area, elevated indoor/outdoor bar, fitness areas, tennis, pickleball, and, in a future phase, paddle tennis.

The project also includes a reconfiguration of the driveway leading to the clubhouse, utility relocations, and the installation of curbs, gutters and landscaping. Haselden Construction, the general contractor for the project, is working with the natural topography as much as possible to keep costs down.

The CCCP’s long-range planning committee has discussed the addition of amenities for years, and put the idea to a member vote in late 2019, gaining more than 70% approval.

The expansion rounds out the Club’s offerings in a bid to involve the whole family in activities and create a year-round amenity for the club’s nearly 590 members, said Dave Whalen, the chief operating officer and general manager for CCCP.

Tennis courts will go where the short-game area of the golf range has been; the new short-game area will include varying surfaces (rough, fringe, bunkers, first-cut rough, deep rough, etc.) that enable golfers to practice iron shots from every type of lie.

The expansion will open in phases; the clubhouse will open in early fall, the 4,500-square-foot All-Seasons Village building is expected to be completed by the end of the year, and the infinity-edge pool will open in spring 2022.

Byron Haselden, CEO and president of Haselden Construction, is particularly excited to lead the construction because he’s been a neighbor to the CCCP for 20 years and a member for 18 years. “The Club is in need of a transformation so the whole family can enjoy the experience, including children of members. Haselden Construction has worked hand-in-hand with the club’s board to fulfill the vision,” he said.

Roughly 2,400 square feet will be added to the clubhouse and the All-Seasons Village will include a deck that overlooks Devils Head and will be the site of yoga and spin classes, Whalen said.

CCCP, which was established in 1986, unveiled The Crags, a massive, one-acre, greens-only putting course with undulating terrain (as much as 50 feet of break) and trees to work around, in September last year. Those who don’t golf can now get involved in a social, active sport that doesn’t require prior experience on a traditional golf course.

Sean McCue, director of agronomy at the club, used the natural terrain to create a challenging but fun layout with “crazy contours.” In a promotional video, McCue said the “concept goes back to the golden age of golf course architecture and design.”