The Lifestyle

Press Release

Cobble Creek Golf Course Receives 2009 Best of Montrose Award

U.S. Commerce Association’s Award Plaque Honors the Achievement

WASHINGTON D.C., June 8, 2009 — Cobble Creek Golf Course has been selected for the 2009 Best of Montrose Award in the Public Golf Courses category by the U.S. Commerce Association (USCA).

The USCA “Best of Local Business” Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USCA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2009 USCA Award Program focused on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the USCA and data provided by third parties.

About U.S. Commerce Association (USCA)

U.S. Commerce Association (USCA) is a Washington D.C. based organization funded by local businesses operating in towns, large and small, across America. The purpose of USCA is to promote local business through public relations, marketing and advertising.

The USCA was established to recognize the best of local businesses in their community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations, chambers of commerce and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to be an advocate for small and medium size businesses and business entrepreneurs across America.

SOURCE: U.S. Commerce Association

CONTACT:
U.S. Commerce Association
Email: PublicRelations@us-ca.org

Click here to see the Press Release

If you’ve always been tempted to learn to play golf, but never managed to find the time, look no further. Every year, the sport has new converts with millions of wannabe golfers all over the country yearning to learn how to play. No matter your age, it’s never too late to pick up the game.

There’s no better place to learn than Cobble Creek, in Montrose. This well-designed course features dramatic topography and glorious views along with the chance to experience a championship course. Of course, you don’t have to be a champion to play at the Cobble Creek Golf Club’s 18-hole, 6,983-yard, par-72 course. This valley course offers 360-degree views of the Grand Mesa and San Juan mountains for stunning scenery.

Whether you’re an adult, or wanting to teach your child to play, there is much more to golf than just the score. When you learn how to play golf, you learn about integrity and honesty and communicating with others. You learn how to deal with people and how to conduct yourself when golfing. For the nitty-gritty of how to play, taking a few lessons is best. But etiquette is something that is also an essential part of golf. If you learn proper etiquette it will give you an advantage over some people who have been golfing for decades.

First, as with any game, consider safety. Golf clubs and golf balls can be dangerous if someone isn’t careful. There are two easy rules to help avoid injury. First, don’t take practice swings toward another person. Second, don’t swing your club when someone is walking around and, conversely, don’t walk around when someone is swinging a club.

Another golden rule of golf etiquette is keeping quiet. Concentration is key on the golf course and while it’s fine to congratulate a member of your group on a good shot, you still have to remember that others are playing.

Stay aware of the pace of the play, too. Novice golfers are often slower than those with more experience. There are a couple of way to pick up the pace of play and that includes taking only one practice swing for each shot, as well as planning your shot and which club you’ll use before it’s your turn.

Also, be aware of the group playing ahead of you and make sure not to hit into them. If you think there’s the slightest chance that your shot could reach the group ahead, and hit someone, wait. On the flip side, if your group is playing a little faster than the group ahead, you can ask to play through. And then, there’s golf cart etiquette. Both motorized and pull carts can damage the golf course. Keep pull carts 10 to 15 yards of all tees and greens. And keep motorized carts on the cart path for the most part. They’ll wear down an area faster than a pull cart.

Of course, rounds of golf result in a bit of wear and tear to the course. It’s each golfers responsibility to repair the damage to keep the course in top condition. A divot is the chunk of grass that often comes up when playing a shot off the fairway. It’s common to take a chunk of the grass up with the club head. To repair a divot, pick up the clump of grass and put it back in the spot it came from, lightly stepping on it to help it grow back. A mark is made when a ball lands on the green. These can be repaired with a ball mark repair tool. If the ball goes into the sand trap or bunker, you should take the shortest route on the outside of the bunker to play it out. Then, use the rake that’s provided to rake over the shoe prints and club marks.

Just remember – when you’re on the golf course, treat it like it’s your own backyard. After each shot, make sure you leave the course in the same condition as you found it – or better.

By Teena Hammond Gomez

If a peaceful, serene oasis appeals, then look no farther than the beauty of western Colorado. In this pastoral land, visitors are first stunned by the breathtaking vistas and then they’re amazed by the world-class amenities that include some of the best golf courses in the world. Cobble Creek, in the city of Montrose at 5,800 feet elevation, is an hour north of Telluride. It’s one of several must-see golf courses and residential communities on the Western slope. The prices are less than in other pricey resort towns and the golf courses are, well, nothing short of spectacular. Better yet, the area boasts a mild climate that will keep golfers teeing off long after other fairways are covered with snow.

These well-designed courses feature dramatic topography and glorious views along with the chance to experience championship golf, tennis, walking and bicycling trails. At Cobble Creek Golf Club, you’ll find an 18-hole, 6,983-yard, par-72 course surrounded by a 445-acre planned community. This valley course offers 360-degree views of the Grand Mesa and San Juan mountains. Don’t miss the brand new clubhouse set to open this fall. It will include a pro shop, locker rooms and fitness center, as well as Lorenzo’s fine dining restaurant and outdoor patio.

Real estate at Cobble Creek is another enlightening experience, with feature-packed homes at affordable price points. Here you’ll find a 445-acre master-planned community with a new eight-acre park with a children’s play area. Single-family homes start at $247,000 in the Spruce Point community within Cobble Creek, and top out at $760,000 for a home fronting the golf course. There are patio homes ranging from $333,500 to $475,000. If you want to have your own custom home built, spacious lots fronting the golf course are available, ranging from $123,000 to $189,000. Other lots off of the golf course begin at $98,000.

By Teena Hammond Gomez

Exploring the outdoors is an enjoyable pastime anywhere, but especially so in southwestern Colorado. It’s ground zero for outdoor enthusiasts.

Recreational activities such as mountain biking, rock climbing, skiing, hiking, white water rafting and fishing abound. And you can appreciate the mind-blowing scenery while you partake of these back-to-nature activities surrounding Cobble Creek in Montrose, Colorado.

No matter the season, there is something for outdoor lovers to do in this region. Winter brings with it the obvious options of cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, snowmobiling and snowboarding. Spring, summer and fall are the ideal times for a range of other warm-weather activities. It’s a hiker’s paradise and if you’ve ever had a hankering to learn rock climbing, you’re in luck.

Cobble Creek’s proximity to resort towns such as Telluride, Crested Butte, Ouray and Ridgway offer an even wider range of activities in the nearby area. There are also forests including the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Grand Mesa, Blue Mesa and Ridgway reservoirs, Curecanti, the San Juan National Forest, Owl Creek and the Cimarrons.

At Grand Mesa you can traverse countryside where pioneers once grazed cattle and where it’s a playground for former Olympic skiers and world-renown athletes. The top of Grand Mesa ranges from 10,000 to 11,000 feet above sea level, and the cool, green slopes are dotted with aspen, spruce and sub-alpine fir trees.

In nearby Ridgway, summer options include hiking or mountain biking on miles of trails, climbing 14,000-foot peaks, four-wheeling along some of Colorado’s hairiest roads, and boating and swimming in the reservoir.

Montrose’s proximity to ski towns such as Telluride and Purgatory give even more outdoor options, with classes on backpacking, camping, rock climbing and mountaineering at Telluride Outdoor School. In Purgatory, you can go hiking with llamas at the Durango Mountain Resort. The area also features miles of mountain bike trails, an alpine slide and horseback riding, fly-fishing and nature hikes.

You can even go white-water rafting along the Colorado River in Mesa Verde National Park. A bit farther away, in Aspen, you’ll find more white-water kayaking and rafting.

At Crested Butte, at nearly 9,000-feet elevation, you can find one of the country’s best mountain-biking destinations. Trails of all skill levels weave around the small, picturesque town.

And Haviland Lake, near Durango, is not far off a busy highway, but the kayaking here is superb. The water is crystal clear and the lake is surrounded by alpine trees.

Sure, Colorado is a wonderful place to visit in winter, but there’s so much to do year-round, whether in fall color time, winter, summer or spring. There are no shortage of rivers and trails in the area for the outdoor enthusiast living at Cobble Creek in Montrose.

The subtle charms of Montrose and the surrounding area are understated and elegant. Sure, it’s not as glitzy or celebrity-laden as Vail or Aspen, but that’s why so many people opt to go to Montrose instead. This is where you can have a wonderful time amidst breathtaking scenery that is an essential part of everything Colorado, and do so while relaxing in a cool and charming area where no one expects you to be trying hard to be glam. Instead, understated and family-friendly are the key aspects of Montrose.

There are a range of appealing restaurants in Montrose. First and foremost is Lorenzo’s Italian Restaurant right at Cobble Creek Golf Course. You and your family can choose from everything from pizza and sandwiches to salads, pasta, fish and steak.

Also in Montrose is the Elk Mountain Lodge, which is a spectacular new destination resort nestled in the heart of the San Juan Mountains. The Tarragon restaurant is a world-class restaurant with a 2,500-bottle wine cellar designed to replicate an authentic mine shaft.

In the heart of Montrose, you’ll also find everything from top-notch Mexican food, to family steakhouses and seafood restaurants. You’ll find restaurants specializing in Indian cuisine, as well as Hawaiian, Southwestern, Chinese, Japanese, Italian or Latin American. There are also plenty of coffeehouses and bakeries for those early-morning or late-night stops.

If touring wineries is your thing, the Rocky Hill Winery is right in town and produces some of Montrose County’s finest wines. Theater buffs will enjoy the Magic Circle Theater, which is one of the best community theaters in the state. It offers at least five productions each season, as well as several performances just for children.

If you do get a hankering for a different nightlife scene, nearby Telluride offers a glam-free environment that’s right in style with what we love best about western Colorado.