The Club at Ravenna Gains National Attention
Golfweek and Golf Digest among those who recognize Ravenna as a top golf course in Colorado.
A stunning golf course with breathtaking 360-degree views has made Littleton’s The Club at Ravenna a jewel of the Denver Metro area over the last several years, quickly becoming one of the most sought-after upper echelon clubs for Coloradans. Today—with upgrades to the course, beautiful new residences built and additions to the facilities, services and amenities—the national golf media has also taken note of Ravenna’s climb.
Golfweek just announced Ravenna has cracked the top 10 as the #8 Best Private Course in Colorado for 2019 and Golf Digest ranked Ravenna as #11 Best in the State of Colorado, a jump of five spots from last year’s ranking of #16. The ranking improvement was the biggest single jump of any course on the list. Additionally, 2019 is the ninth year in a row that Golfweek has included Ravenna as a Top 100 U.S. Best Residential Course.
The national recognition comes as no surprise to those in the Denver area, where Ravenna has ascended from a “hidden gem” to what Colorado AvidGolfer recently labeled as “Colorado’s hottest golf community.” In fact, this year they awarded Ravenna “Best Colorado Golf Community” and Ravenna took home two awards for Best Par 3 (#16) and Best Par 5 (#14) in the state.
While the spectacular course continues to draw people in, brand new amenities (and more on the way) add to what Managing Partner Kevin Collins calls the ‘Ravenna Experience.’ A state-of-the-art fitness center opened in December 2018 and this summer is the first for Ravenna’s gorgeous new pool, hot tub and outdoor entertainment area. Overlooking the pool sits the “Sunset Terrace” where members can socialize while enjoying both Ravenna’s new facility and the beautiful, up-close mountain views that help distinguish the property from other clubs in the metro area. The facility is called La Bella Vita – meaning ‘the good life’ in Italian – and both the backdrop and services fit the name.
“The course is absolutely phenomenal. Now with La Bella Vita, members and their families can enjoy all that Ravenna has to offer. Whether that’s group fitness or personal training, family time at the pool, fine dining or social events throughout the year, the experience has something for everyone. And it’s only getting better,” Director of Golf George Kahrhoff says.
In addition to the new pool and fitness facility, a brand new 24,000+ square foot Old-World-style clubhouse overlooking the course and 18th green is currently under construction. The clubhouse will feature all the expected bells and whistles including multiple fine and casual dining areas, locker rooms, events spaces a wine cave and more. In all, the new clubhouse will give members and guests even more options to enjoy the award-winning food prepared by Executive Chef David Lazarus and his team. After a 30+ year career including a 25-year stint at Castle Pines Golf Club and the PGA TOUR’s “The International” tournament, Lazarus came to Ravenna in the fall of 2018 to re-invigorate the culinary experience and offerings at the club and Collins states, “You simply will not find better food at any club.”
Nestled amongst the beautiful landscape at Ravenna are a
collection of custom and semi-custom homes from the finest builders in all of Colorado. Homes range in style from Tuscan inspired to mountain contemporary, Texas Hillside, modern farmhouse and more, each with its own charm and character. Listing broker Dale Schossow of The Schossow Group says, “We used to get interest from people around Littleton. Now we have people fly in from all the over the country and the world to see what Ravenna’s all about and they want to get in before it’s too late. In the past year, we’ve sold homes to families from Chicago, California, Arizona, Boston and London who have found us and heard about us. We know we have something special, but now so does the world.”
The changes aren’t just limited off the golf course as Golf Course Superintendent Steve Datwyler and his team, along with collaboration from Kevin Atkinson of Phelps-Atkinson Golf Course Design as well as the USGA, have been hard at work over the last couple of years fine-tuning a great course into an even better one each day. “We have really focused on playability for our members and guests to make the course not only unique, but enjoyable each and every time out. We’ve been at the forefront in Colorado with a number of new technologies to better manage our water and maintenance efficiencies while working on upgrades throughout the property. The time we have saved has been invaluable as we better manage all the finer details that we take pride in every day.” Among the improvements have been removal of 85,000+ sq ft of bunkers (50% of all bunker space at Ravenna), green slope improvements that have provided for more forgiving approach shots and pinnable areas to reduce wear and tear on the greens and a new short game practice area featuring two large greens, four bunkers and the ability to practice virtually any shot up to 80 yards.
That both Collins and Schossow live, work and play at Ravenna only add to its credibility. They’re not going anywhere, and neither is Ravenna…except perhaps higher up in future rankings.