The Golf Club at Bear Dance

Overview: The Golf Club at Bear Dance spreads across 753 acres in Larkspur, where Ponderosa pine, oak-lined ridges, native grass valleys and mountain draws create a broad Front Range setting. The 18-hole par-72 course separates its fairways rather than running them side by side, giving each hole a more private landscape and making the transition from tee to green part of the experience. White-sand bunkers, water features and sharply shaped greens add definition to the natural terrain, while the elevation near 6,800 feet changes the way every club travels.

History: Bear Dance opened in April 2002 and became the home of the Colorado Section of the PGA of America. The course was designed and built by PGA professionals Corey Aurand, Stuart Bruening, Dennis Hogan and Brian Whitcomb, whose collaborative work established the mountain-style layout now associated with the property. It has since developed a long public identity along the Front Range while retaining the large, separated corridors and native setting that shaped its original character.

Did You Know? Bear Dance’s design deliberately avoids contiguous fairways, so a round can feel more secluded than its distance from Denver suggests. The professional tees stretch to 7,726 yards, but the visual challenge is not only length. The combination of separated holes, native valleys and 6,800-foot elevation means the course keeps changing its scale from one shot to the next.