The idea for Ballyneal Golf & Hunt Club originated 25 years
ago as brothers Rupert and Jim O’Neal watched British Open telecasts and
realized their family’s rolling property resembled some of golf’s most hallowed
ground. Buoyed by the success of remote clubs like Nebraska’s Sand Hills, the
O’Neals enlisted Tom Doak to create a classic links design on their land near
Holyoke, Colorado, 175 miles northeast of Denver.
Doak’s layout winds through 150-foot dunes and is punctuated by
natural blowout bunkers, deep swales and confounding ridgelines. This windswept
walk—no carts allowed—is full of strategic challenges and unpredictable bounces
that put a premium on shotmaking and the ground game.
Members can bag birds as well as birdies on guided hunts for
upland game fowl, including the prized Chinese ring-necked rooster pheasant.
Under construction are a lodge-style clubhouse and cabins.
