LARKSPUR, Colo. — While much of the attention when it comes to sports in Colorado are on basketball, football, hockey and baseball, there’s another sport that continues to become more popular: golf.
The Colorado Section of the PGA of America is headquartered in Larkspur, and the state is home to more than 200 golf courses and a growing base of players ranging from lifelong enthusiasts to out-of-state visitors drawn by the scenery. In 2025, golf rounds played in the state increased by 7.8%, according to the Colorado Golf Association.
⛳️ WATCH: Tyler Melito caught up with local golfers and the CEO of the Colorado Section for the PGA of America
Ron Dreilich, who was golfing at the Golf Club at Bear Dance in Larkspur on Wednesday, has been playing since the 1990s, and he says Colorado golf is special.
"Just seeing mother nature, seeing the animals, and just having a blast," Dreilich said.
Bill Luoma, who was also golfing at Bear Dance and has been playing the sport for more than 50 years, said one's attitude toward game is a lot like Colorado weather — it changes frequently.
"You never know what's going to happen," Luoma said. "You don't know what the golf wizard is going to bring that day. Sometimes you play good, sometimes you play bad."
The appeal is reaching beyond state lines. Steve Collins traveled from North Carolina specifically to play golf in Colorado.
"When we were literally just talking about what's a great place destination-wise that we haven't played golf. We love Denver, we love Colorado, we love Boulder. Let's go come out and swing some clubs," Collins said.
The variety of courses is part of the draw.
"It's unique golf," Steve Bartkowski, CEO of the Colorado Section for the PGA of America, said. "There's all different architects — there's Coore Crenshaw, there's William Flynn, Donald Ross, Jack Nicklaus, so you get to play a different golf course every time you go out there."
The Colorado Section is a separate organization from the PGA Tour, which features players like Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, though the two organizations work closely together to grow the game.
Bartkowski said the data backs up what golfers on the ground are already feeling.
"Golf around here is booming, booming across the country, but Colorado, more than others, because the latest National Golf Foundation report kind of showed state by state the growth where we are from COVID boom, and Colorado is one of the few that continues to still grow, so it's pretty impressive," Bartkowski said.
He said the future of the sport depends on expanding who plays it.
"We focus on three pillars: youth, military and inclusive areas," Bartkowski said. "The future is the juniors, the future is the females. How do we bring them to the golf course, make them feel comfortable, and let them get the bug like we have?"
He says they put a great emphasis on serving those audiences.
"We serve about 6,000 kids in golf in schools, so our staff and our PGA of America golf professionals will go in the schools, get the kids clubs in their hands for the first time, and then we also have the opportunity for them to come to our tours eventually," Bartkowski said.
Earlier this year, PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp announced a restructuring of the PGA Tour schedule, placing greater emphasis on historic venues and major television markets. The tour currently holds events annually in 10 of the Top 20 TV markets, with 4 additional cities hosting events elsewhere in their states.
Denver is the 17th-largest TV market. The most recent PGA Tour event held in Colorado was the 2024 BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club.
Bartkowski said Colorado has no shortage of venues capable of hosting a tour event.
"I would count six to 10 that could host tour events in the future, and we hope that they want to come back here, because it's exciting, because when a tour event comes, not only it gets excitement to the fans, to the golfers, it brings fundraising to the community for initiatives, it brings hospitality, new jobs, so we hope that the PGA Tour comes back here, and in the coming years," Bartkowski said.
While a return may not come in 2027 or 2028, Bartkowski said conversations are already happening at multiple levels of professional golf.
"I can say this, you know, and I can't say any names or courses or anything, but there are discussions with whether it be the PGA Tour, the LPGA, or the PGA of America, you know, PGA Championship, Senior PGA Championship women's that we hope that could potentially come back to Denver and the Colorado area eventually," Bartkowski detailed.
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