Major Events
RAINDANCE NATIONAL RESORT & GOLF HAS PLAYED HOST TO SEVERAL MAJOR HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE, AND AMATEUR EVENTS SINCE ITS OPENING IN JULY 2022.
BELOW ARE A FEW OF THE SIGNIFICANT MOMENTS.
2024 CGA Senior Match PLay
WINNER: Steve Ivan
Steve Ivan has a thing for Windsor.
Four years after winning his first Colorado Golf Association Senior Match Play, which was held at Windsor’s Highland Meadows Golf Course, again captured the event in Windsor.
This time he outlasted a field of 64 players at RainDance National, held June 24-28.
“I must like playing golf up here,” said Ivan shortly after posing for pictures holding the trophy. “It was a special week.”
Indeed, it was a very special week for Ivan.
Besides winning the 55th annual event, the Colorado Springs-based golfer who plays out of Patty Jewett Golf Club, earned a hole in one on June 27 during the semi-final round. He used a 6-iron from 202 yards on the 14th hole to go 3 up in his match against Victor Minovich of Foothills Golf Course. Ivan eventually won 4 & 2.
But Friday is what he’ll always remember. Ivan battled back and forth against his friend and defending champion Jon Lindstrom of Lakewood Country Club. Lindstrom is a Colorado golf legend as he’s currently the eighth-ranked amateur in the world over the age of 55, swept the CGA senior major events in 2023 and has captured a dozen CGA championships throughout his career.
The final match was tied after a front nine that saw both players shoot even par 36.
Ivan went up 1 with a par on 10, then a bogey on the par 5 13th hole moved the match back to even. A birdie on the 16th hole was all the cushion Ivan needed to outlast Lindstrom and win 2 up. Moments after Lindstrom conceded a 20-foot birdie putt on the final hole, Ivan bowed his head with hands on his knees and released a week’s worth of emotions.
Ivan made quick work of his four-person pod by beating Jim Reynolds of Bear Creek Golf Club (6 & 5), Len Mize III of West Woods Golf Course (4 & 3) and Matt Julander of Pinehurst Country Club (3 & 2).
In the Round of 16, Ivan beat Mark Crabtree of Harmony Club (3 & 2), Danny Thompson of Sunset Golf Club (7 & 6) enroute to securing victories against Minovich and Lindstrom.
Congratulations, Steve, on this well-deserved accomplishment!
Steve Ivan captured the 55th annual Colorado Golf Association’s Senior Match Play held at RainDance National.
*Photo courtesy of RainDance National
2024 Barstool Classic & "Breaking 90"
WINNER: Connor Burney & Carter Siedel
Barstool Sports hosted a Barstool Classic 18-hole event at RainDance National on May 24 with 46 twosomes battling it out to win the tour’s lone Colorado stop.
The team of Connor Burney & Carter Siedel, both from Nebraska, won the event with a two-person best ball net score of 9-under (63).
Rounding out the top four was Dan Frost and Sam Frost at 8-under, Blaise Hebert and Jameson Parker also at 8-under and Jonny Miller and Scott Smith at 7-under.
The top four teams qualified for the Barstool Classic Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, AZ on Nov. 18-20.
Barstool Sports’ visit to RainDance National was one of 25 tournaments held between March 5 and Sept. 23 across the country.
The event capped off with a Truly putt challenge on The G.O.A.T. Ranch that was won by Kyle Southard.
Christopher Haynes won longest drive, Austin Lind the closest to the pin and the outfit of the day award went to Tyler Bray & John Emmons.
The day before the Classic, two members of the Fore Play Pod, Trent Ryan and Frankie Borelli, filmed another episode of their wildly popular YouTube series, “Breaking 90.”
Their series began as “Breaking 100” where Trent attempts to shoot lower than 100. That series spanned 8 episodes and climaxed two years ago when Trent shot 96 at Garden City Country Club in New York.
The revamped “Breaking 90” series began a year ago when Trent visited PGA Tour swing coach John Tillery to dial in his game even more.
Trent achieved another personal accomplishment on May 23 when he shot 88 at RainDance National from the white tees.
Click here to watch the video.
The highlight of the round was a remarkable chip shot from 20 yards behind the 18th green to set up a birdie putt.
Once Trent’s perfectly executed three-hop chip came to rest five feet right of the hole, Frankie excitedly danced around the green and tossed his hat in celebration.
Frankie pulled the flagstick and yelled at his partner, “Trent, that’s the chip of a lifetime!”
After Trent drained a left-center putt to card a career-best 88, Frankie forced him down onto the green with a vocally charged bear-hug.
RainDance National installed a plaque in August in the ground from where Trent hit this magical chip shot to preserve his goal. (Make sure to take a video of you attempting the shot!)
Trent needed to par the last three holes to shoot 89, but instead birdied #18 to post an 88.
Thank you to Barstool Sports, Fore Play Golf, and all of the participants for making the inaugural Barstool Classic at RainDance National a memorable one!
Trent Ryan never lost a ball during his quest to “break 90” at RainDance National on May 23.
*Photos courtesy of the BarstoolTrent on Instagram
Frankie Borelli, left, and Trent Ryan of the Barstool Sports’ Fore Play Pod, celebrate with cigars after Trent “broke 90” for the first time.
*Photos courtesy of the BarstoolTrent on Instagram
2023 COLORADO HIGH SCHOOL BOYS' CLASS 3A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
TEAM WINNER: Resurrection Christian
INDIVIDUAL MEDALIST: OM MATHUR
Om Mathur persevered through an injured wrist, blustery weather, and a remarkably difficult course at RainDance National Resort & Golf to secure the 3A Boys Golf Individual State Championship.
Once the Peak to Peak junior sunk the clinching putt, which closed a stellar two-day performance and earned him a card of 3-over 147, he joyously ran up the hill to embrace his teammates and celebrate.
“This is huge for me,” Mathur said, soon after finding out he had won the state title. “I didn’t know if I was going to be able to compete out here. I injured my wrist after regionals, and I couldn’t hit any balls for a while after that. Out here, there were a lot of highs and a lot of lows. It was an up-and-down couple of days, but I feel I had some really solid rounds out there.”
Over the two rounds, Mathur finished with seven birdies and an eagle to become the first Peak to Peak Puma to win the 3A individual title since 2017, and the third overall. Mathur’s top-notch showing also helped the Pumas finish as runner-up, after shooting 43-over 475 as a team.
Despite the excellent performance from Mathur and Peak to Peak, host school Resurrection Christian ultimately won the day, as they finished with three different golfers in the top five.
Sophomore Jack Carter challenged Mathur throughout the second round for the individual title, but ultimately came up two strokes short, and tied Vail Mountain’s Stewie Bruce for second place, shooting 5-over 149. The Cougars’ own junior Graham Riggs, who shot 9-over 153 for the tournament, and sophomore Clint Summers, who shot 10-over 154, rounded out the top five, helping the team score a card of 24-over 456, as they comfortably won the 3A Boys Golf Team State Championship.
Resurrection Christian Boys Golf Head Coach Rick Meis was overcome with emotion, as his team accomplished the goal that had been at the front of their mind ever since they finished as runner-up a season ago – bringing Resurrection Christian its first-ever Boys Golf Team State Championship.
“I’m just so proud of these guys,” Coach Meis said. “I believe in leaving it up to them once the tournament starts. We’ll eat together, travel together, laugh together, and pray together, but once the tournament starts, I leave it up to them, and they delivered today. This is such an amazing group of kids.”
In third place, following the Pumas and the Cougars, were the Vail Mountain Gore Rangers, led by senior Stewie Bruce’s third-place finish. Meanwhile, the Kent Denver Sun Devils finished in fourth, shooting 58-over 490, thanks to seniors Carter Rapp and Lev Abramson both finishing in the top 10, shooting 16-over 160 and 16-over 161, respectively.
Story courtesy the Colorado High School Activities Association
Loveland’s Resurrection Christian boys’ golf team captured the 2023 Class 3A state championship held on its home course by 19 strokes.
*Photo courtesy Kurt Hinkle, Director of Golf, The Water Valley Company
Om Mathur, a junior at Peak to Peak, chips on the 16th hole during the 2023 Class 3A state championship. Mathur won the event by two strokes.
*Photo courtesy Kurt Hinkle, Director of Golf, The Water Valley Company
2023 COLORADO GOLF ASSOCIATION STATE AMATEUR
WINNER: DILLON STEWART
RainDance National shined in its major tournament debut. The Colorado Golf Association selected RainDance National as its host for the 87th annual state amateur on July 27-30, and the year-old course did not disappoint. Only five players finished the four-day event under par with 22-year-old Fort Collins native and Oklahoma State University golfer, Dillon Stewart, capturing the Tub Morris trophy. Stewart, who works part-time in the RainDance National pro shop, shot 4-under (72-70-72-70 – 284) to better three players – Gage Messingham, Colin Prater, and T.J. Shehee – by one stroke.
The course played significantly tougher than the 2022 state amateur at Carbondale’s River Valley Ranch as only five players scored under par compared to 26 a year prior. Connor Jones won the 2022 event with a four-day finish of 24-under at a course that played over 500 yards shorter than RainDance National. During the weekend, RainDance National stretched between 7,768 yards on the first round to 7,719 for the final day. The key to Stewart’s weekend was his par saves. Of the 72 holes he played, Stewart made 45 pars. He also rolled in 15 birdies, an eagle, and carded just two double bogeys. Stewart’s final birdie of the tournament came during the 72nd hole when he two-putted from 50 feet to capture the title. Results can be found here.
*Photos courtesy of the Colorado Golf Association
