Keystone Resort
Keystone, Colo.; 800-322-2094
KeystoneResort.com
Keystone Resort may have gotten more snow than they could’ve dreamed of this past winter—we’re talking upwards of 20 feet—but there comes a time to put away the skis and pick up your clubs.
And that time is now, for Keystone’s two championship golf courses are open for play, May until late September. The Keystone Ranch Golf Course winds through lodgepole pines, across sage meadows and along a nine-acre lake. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., the 7,090-yard, par-72 layout dazzles with views of the Continental Divide, Ten Mile Range and Buffalo Mountain. Close by is The River Course at Keystone, a Hurdzan-Fry design that runs along scenic Snake River with more spectacular mountain views.
Guests of Keystone Lodge & Spa can rent bikes and get free access to special activities in and around the resort, including wine tastings, yoga classes and short-game clinics, with an exclusive Adventure Passport. Sort out your sore muscles in the resort’s hot tub, sauna and pool, or avail yourself of the newly renovated RockSpa. Opened last November, the 10,000 sq. ft. spa includes 10 treatment rooms plus an outdoor pool. New features of the spa include an infinity-edge chromo therapy tub, a Vichy shower room, a couple’s room and a relaxation room. The resort’s one-night Stay, Play & Pamper package includes 50-minute massage—along with two rounds of golf at The River Course—and is available from $224 per person, starting May 16, 2008.
For R&R around town, there are festivals and special events nearly every weekend in the summer. The Frontier Fair is always fun for the kids, and the Bluegrass and Beer Festival has its charms for the grown-ups—like samples from two dozen of 25 of Colorado's finest microbreweries. Check with the resort for specific dates for these and other festivals.
The Virginian Golf Club
?>Bristol, Va.; 276-645-7050
TheVirginian.com
“No noise, no beeping of horns, just a relaxed type of living,” Jack Orcutt says by way of explaining how he chose The Virginian Golf Club as his summertime retreat from Naples, Fla. Nestled in the western corner of the state, 95 miles north of Asheville, N.C., this serene and stately community also cast its spell on Tom Fazio: “From the country drive, through the stone entrance walls: You know something special is going on out here.” The 7,110-yard course Fazio designed for The Virginian unfolds amid stands of mature oaks, poplar and evergreens, with long-range views across Zoysia fairways to the valleys and the mountain slopes beyond. Situated on a knoll overlooking Fazio’s handiwork and its scenic backdrop is a 44,000-square-foot clubhouse designed by Atlanta architects Chapman Coyle Chapman. The Swim & Racquet Club, with its large pool, two clay and two hard surface tennis courts and Fitness Center, is another busy place in summer.
The Virginian offers a range of custom homes, cottages, and home sites. Homes are carefully sited to preserve the character of the land and to maintain the natural landscape and panoramic golf course views.
