Meadow Valleys — Black Wolf’s More Forgiving Neighbor
August 6, 2026
The Broadmoor West Course — Where the Mountains Mess with Your Mind
September 15, 2026Overall Rating: ★★★★☆
Introduction
The Broadmoor East Course is the older, more storied of the two Broadmoor layouts — a Donald Ross design that dates to 1918 and plays like it. Where the West Course lures you in with stunning mountain views and punishes you with counterintuitive greens, the East Course engages you strategically from the first hole to the last. I played the white tees, shot an 81, and walked off with a deeper appreciation for what Ross understood about golf course architecture that most modern designers still haven't figured out.
The Course:
★★★★★
Ross designs have a timeless quality that reveals itself gradually. There are no heroic forced carries, no gimmicks, no manufactured drama — just a series of holes that quietly demand you think your way around the course. The bunkering is strategic rather than punitive, positioned to reward the correct angle of attack and penalize the lazy line. Every hole presents a decision, and the wrong decision costs you.
The greens carry the same mountain break as the West Course — everything away from the Rockies — so the putting disorientation is still very much in play. By the second round, however, you've at least seen it once. That familiarity helps, even if surrendering to it never fully feels natural.
Conditions were excellent throughout, and the course presented itself in a way that felt fair and honest — difficult because of design intelligence, not manufactured trickery.
The Experience:
★★★★☆
Same operation as the West Course — no caddie, 4:30 pace, polished Broadmoor service. Consistent and professional. A caddie would add genuine value on either course given the putting complexity, but the operation runs smoothly without one.
Value:
★★★★☆
At approximately $300 a round, the East Course delivers the same strong value proposition as the West. As a package, the two Broadmoor courses together represent one of the better two-day golf itineraries available at any American resort — different in character, consistent in quality.
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Final Thoughts
The Broadmoor East Course is the more rewarding of the two Broadmoor layouts for a golfer who appreciates design intelligence over visual spectacle. Ross built a course that respects the player's ability to think, and rewards those who do. Play the West Course first, absorb the putting lesson, then bring it to the East. You'll score better and enjoy it more.
Bottom line for busy professionals: If you're doing The Broadmoor, play both courses. The East is the one you'll still be thinking about on the flight home.
