A new 18-hole public golf course, Bella Ridge, designed by Art Schaupeter, is to be built on land in Johnstown, Colorado, that was recently home to a working dairy farm.

“The site is wonderfully set up for a golf course,” said Schaupeter. “There is about 150 feet of elevation change from the south of the property to the north. A deep valley and creek run the length of the site, with the creek to act as a conduit for the delivery of ditch water that will be used to irrigate the course.”

An existing irrigation lake is being cleaned out and the dairy farm is being dismantled and moved to a new location in preparation for golf course construction to begin this year.

“The golf course routing is set up so that players can play multiple loops and different lengths,” said Schaupeter. “The opening six holes play out and back to the clubhouse. After passing the clubhouse, players reach a neat three-hole loop which brings them back, ready to begin the back nine.

“The back nine generally plays out and back, with holes ten to fourteen working their way uphill to the top of the property at the south end. The fourteenth and fifteenth holes play back and forth across the valley and are the shortest par four and par three on the course. The final three holes are all very long, albeit playing downhill. It’ll be a challenging finishing stretch, which will emphasise the need to post low scores on fourteen and fifteen.”

The clubhouse will sit on a small hill, overlooking most of the course, with holes one, six, ten and eighteen to the west. The practice facilities, which will have the ability to operate as a standalone facility, will include a 400-yard range, a 20,000-square-foot putting green and a two-acre short-game area with a pitching range.

Meetings with developers regarding residential and commercial real estate are ongoing. Three planned residential areas on higher areas of the site around the perimeter of the course will have spectacular views of the golf and the Rocky Mountain Front Range to the west.