Matt Reams’ business card says “PGA Director of Golf Operations,” but you could make a good case that as much as anything these days, he’s a traveling salesman.
Reams works at an impressive but relatively remote spot on Colorado’s golf landscape, which is exactly the reason for the confluence of his true title and his de facto title.
One of Reams’ primary jobs these days — and perhaps his most important one — is luring people to Cougar Canyon Golf Links in far-off Trinidad. He’s convinced that once he gets you there, you’ll come back, but it’s his job to set the hook. He’s got a very good product to sell — the third-best new public course in the nation, according to Golf Digest — but oftentimes it takes some persuading to get people to commit to the travel and time necessary to play this somewhat-hidden gem.
“It’s definitely a challenge,” Reams said earlier this month. “Trinidad is a remote location — an hour and 45 minutes from Colorado Springs and three hours from Denver. But at the same time, once someone plays the course, the repeat rate is very high. Word of mouth drives 60 percent or our business. We feel that if we get people there, we’ll set ourselves up for some real success.”
And therein lies the reason for Reams being a travelin’ man these days. Out of a brainstorming session on how to “spread the good word” about Cougar Canyon came the idea to have Reams travel up and down the Front Range to targeted clubs in order to convince golfers that a trip to Trinidad would be worth their while. Since early in the year, Reams estimates he’s spent two days per week on the road in Cougar Canyon’s behalf, averaging 450-500 miles. Even when Reams is home in Trinidad, he works the phones to attract business.
Cougar Canyon’s marketing challenges are somewhat unique. Not since Lakota Canyon Ranch Golf Club opened in New Castle in 2004 has a public course in Colorado opened so far away from a major population center.
For the record, Trinidad is a town of about 10,000 people less than 20 miles north of the New Mexico border on I-25. It’s 199 miles from Denver, 129 miles from Colorado Springs, 86 miles from Pueblo, 197 miles to Santa Fe, N.M., 254 miles from Albuquerque and 236 miles from Amarillo, Texas.
On the plus side, Chris Cochran from Nicklaus Design carved out quite a gem in the high desert, rolling hills and arroyos at Cougar Canyon. The course sits at an elevation of 6,000 feet and features deep black-sand bunkers that call to mind the area’s mining days. The par-3 16th hole is among the most photogenic on the course, with a unique natural island green amid barranca.
All in all, Cougar Canyon is good enough that only Washington’s Chambers Bay, site of the 2015 U.S. Open, and Nevada’s PGA Golf Club at Coyote Springs are ranked higher in Golf Digest’s list of the country’s best new public courses in 2008. (By the way, another Colorado course, Four Mile Ranch in Canon City, was No. 4 on Golf Digest’s rankings.)
In addition, Golfweek magazine also gave Cougar Canyon props, ranking it No. 5 on its list of best new courses in the nation, regardless of public or private. Golfweek also recently placed Cougar Canyon No. 1 among “best courses you can play” in Colorado, ahead of Lakota Canyon (No. 2) and Redlands Mesa (No. 3).
Jack Nicklaus’ son, Jack II, notes that Cougar Canyon sits “on a dramatic piece of property, and (Cochran) has created a golf experience that is as visually exciting as it is memorable to play.”
Michael Butcher, director of marketing for Cougar Canyon, said, “Word of mouth has picked up steam. This is one of the best courses in the state and the country. People want to play at the No. 3 best new course.”
And Butcher hopes what he’s heard holds true — in the first year after receiving a high national ranking from Golf Digest, courses often experience a 20 percent jump in business compared to projections.
Cougar Canyon, which opened around Labor Day of 2007, hosted more than 11,000 rounds of golf in 2008, a little under expectations but not bad considering the economic recession. And this year, Cougar Canyon has something to help business along the way.
The Cougar Canyon Resort and Spa, comprised of 117 all-suite rooms (460 square feet and up) located adjacent to the golf course, is scheduled to open July 1. Given the course’s proximity, having nice accommodations on-site will be invaluable in driving business, according to Cougar Canyon officials who believe the Resort and Spa will draw a four-star rating.
“With a resort hotel, I think 20,000 rounds are within reach” in 2009, Reams said. “I think we’ll become a real retreat and lifestyle.”
The Resort and Spa will include a restaurant, boutique, banquet/meeting halls, a fitness center, pool, deck, etc.
Cougar Canyon has already drawn a significant chunk of business from “stay and play” packages combining hotel accommodations, rounds of golf and unlimited balls on the practice range. Through April 15, utilizing the La Quinta Inn in Trinidad, such packages start at $80 per person, based on double occupancy. During peak season, after the resort is opened, the prices will be $129 per person.
While Coloradans along the Front Range are a major source of business for Cougar Canyon, they’re certainly not the only focus. Perhaps as early as next month, Reams said he will take his case about the course and resort to New Mexico, west Texas and the Western Slope of Colorado, as the operations schedules permit. Basically, the idea is to try to attract golfers from all markets within driving distance.
“We’re confident that if we bring a member group down, the golf experience is off the charts,” Reams said. “It’s a remote, unlikely location for a world-class course. But Cougar Canyon is a world-class course.”
Added Butcher: “We’re trying to create a destination resort. We want for people to look at this as an end point and not just a place to travel through, though we’re OK with that too.”
In addition, officials are trying to sell Cougar Canyon as a second-home community. There are 1,739 lots in the project, though less than a couple of dozen houses have been constructed to date.
Cougar Canyon officials also spread the word about the course last month at the Denver Golf Expo, making 94 stay-and-play reservations and getting 1,000 people signed up for more information.
In addition, the course is hosting some state-wide and regional tournaments in an effort to attract business. The Taylor Cup Matches between players from the PGA Sections from Colorado and Sun Country were contested at Cougar Canyon in October. On the schedule this year are the Southern Colorado Senior Four-Ball (June 8), the Colorado Golf Association’s Father-Son (June 13-14) and the Southern Colorado Men’s Four-Ball (Aug. 29).
“We have the potential for 27,000-28,000 rounds per year,” Reams said. “If we had instant word of mouth in Colorado, I have no doubt we’d be at 27,000-28,000 rounds.”
Standard greens fees for Cougar Canyon, which include unlimited range balls, run $39-$49 through April 15, and $73-$83 after mid-April.
