“I’m excited it’s moving downtown,” Bill Ramsey says of the Colorado Golf Expo.
The PGA Director of Golf of the four-course South Suburban Parks and Recreation District, Ramsey has participated in every one of the 20 golf expos Mark and Lynn Cramer (both members at SSPRD’s Lone Tree Golf Course) staged at the Denver Mart.
He’s also had one of its busiest booths, and he thinks it could be even busier at the new location. “The Convention Center is closer to the south side of town, where our facilities are located,” he reasons. “We’re hoping to attract more people from our area—especially with an upgrade in the quality of the venue.”
But, Ramsey jokes, “I’m not going to reinvent the wheel,” an allusion to the prize wheel that’s been the main attraction of his booth. Visitors spin it for a chance at a free round, cart pass, range balls or 2-for-1 deals. The lines can grow long but they’re always lively, “and the booths near us benefit as well.”
Those queues allow Ramsey and his staff time to familiarize golfers with SSPD’s offerings, as well as get feedback from regulars who “tell us what we’re doing right and what we need to improve,” he says.
And, Ramsey notes, the SSPRD is constantly improving its facilities.
- Littleton Golf & Tennis Club, an impeccably conditioned par-63 course that’s executive in name only, will be building a new clubhouse this season. “During that time, we’ll be working from a temporary facility with limited food and beverage,” Ramsey says. “But we’ll take care of our golfers with some outdoor barbecues and things like that.”
- Lone Tree Golf Club & Hotel, with its superb 7,054-yard Arnold Palmer-designed championship course and ample practice facility, recently brought the interior of its 45,000-square-foot clubhouse out of the 1980s with a complete remodel. Highlights include a dazzling new-look golf shop, banquet facility and grill that spills onto an elevated patio with glorious mountain views.
- South Suburban Golf Course’s newly designed 18th hole is one of the best in the state with water and an abundance of sand, and its new short-game practice area lets you work on all types of chips, putts and bunker shots. The facility boasts a Dick Phelps-designed layout with fiddly greens and a popular 9-hole par-3 course.
- Family Sports Center Golf complements its 9-hole, par-31 course with a superb practice area and golf lessons from its PGA professionals and those from Golftec. You can practice year-round in individually infrared-heated bays on the double-deck driving range.
Ramsey adds that the early-season discounts of SSPRD’s Fore Golf Program are baked into the Expo ticket price to incentivize people to come out at least once a week to practice or play.
“The more people go out, the better they get,” he says, “and the better they get the more they like the game.”
Visit ssprd.org for more information.