fitness clubs in colorado
Colorado Golf Magazine
Colorado Golf Magazine
- John Elway Takes on Golf
John Elway Take on Golf
Can the NFL great find the same success on the golf course that he found on the football field?John Elway's National Football League career was a case study in the convergence of ability and determination. His greatest accomplishments—two Super Bowl wins and induction into the NFL Hall of Fame—came late in his career, or after it was over.
Now, with his personal life and business life taking flight on their own, Elway plans to use that same ability and determination to develop his golf game.
Elway's game has fluctuated in terms of handicap since he took up golf in 1984 during professional football's off-season. While blessed with a fair amount of natural athletic ability, Elway found himself consumed by the same hooks that keep players of every level going. If you play poorly, you know you can do better; if you play well, you're on your way to where you want to be as a player. Either way, more work is required.
Until recently, Elway's biggest obstacle to improvement has been being John Elway. As the owner of two Southern California-based automobile dealerships, two Denver-based restaurants and the Colorado Crush of the Arena Football League, suffice to say the transition from football superstar to solid community businessman has been as smooth as a floated flat pass to a wide-open Steve Sewell. And just as successful. But that success and his four children limited the time he chose to devote to practice and play.
Now the baby of the crew, Juliana, is a senior at Denver's Cherry Creek High School. Jack is an incoming freshman at Arizona State University, where he hopes to have an instant impact on the Sun Devils' depth chart, if not the program. His eldest daughter, Jessica, graduated from Stanford in May, and Jordan is a senior at Denver University.
With children declaring varying levels of independence and his personal life coming together (he plans to marry current girlfriend, Paige Green), Elway has more time than ever to spend on his businesses and his golf game. Taking a page from the smart CEO playbook, he has utilized efficient delegation of authority to get the businesses under control, thereby generating even more time for his golf game and for practice and lessons with Denver-based instructor Paul Lobato.
Elway has scarcely had time for extensive training sessions with Lobato recently, however. His summer was full of competitions, including the Pro Sports Team Challenge at Indio's Eagle Falls Golf Course in June. He also competed in the crown jewel of celebrity events, the American Century Classic in Stateline, Nev., and the Colorado Open in July. At the American Century Classic, Elway finished tied for 10th and was also honored by the tournament with the “Brodie Award,” given in recognition of an individual’s accomplishments in both a chosen profession and in the sport of golf.
The award is named for John Brodie, one-time San Francisco 49ers quarterback, former National Football League Most Valuable Player (1970) and Senior PGA Tour player. It is given each year by organizers of the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe. Previous winners include Brodie, Mario Lemieux and Rick Rhoden.
Since retiring after the 1998 Super Bowl-winning season, Elway has managed to spend more time on his golf game while pursuing myriad post-play career interests. He has made a name for himself in the American Century Championship by registering eight top-ten finishes. Maintaining his amateur status through the years, he has also claimed 11 club championships at golf clubs where he holds membership: four at Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, Colo.; five at the Vintage Club in Palm Springs, Calif.; two at Black Rock Golf Club in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.In addition, he was victorious at the 2007 ATD Skills Challenge with partner Natalie Gulbis. As host of the Sun Microsystems John Elway Golf Classic for five years, he was instrumental in raising $3.5 million for charity, and has contributed to fundraising efforts at scores of Celebrity Players Tour competitions. Over $75,000 has been donated in his name to the American Century Championship charities as a result of his amateur-status winnings.
The two-time Super Bowl Champion is obviously no stranger to athletic success. After being drafted in both the NFL and MLB drafts in 1983, Elway chose football, a decision that would bring him to the heights of his profession. He is one of only three quarterbacks to pass for over 50,000 yards in a career and he made six Super Bowl appearances. In his final season, he became the third quarterback with 300 career touchdowns and had his 36th career 300-yard passing game. That same year, he was voted as the Super Bowl MVP.Elway is just as passionate about taking his golf game to the next level. Having reached the heights of one sport, he's aware of the necessary commitment level and the competition he faces. As he devotes more time to the game in general, he has his sights on the players to beat. The first challengers he'd like to run down are the stars of the celebrity tour, such as former major league pitcher Rick Rhoden and professional hockey player Dan Quinn. If he can reach that level, he knows he'll be among the players to watch in Colorado amateur championships and local USGA qualifiers.
"I think if you can go out and be as good as those guys (Larouche and Quinn), then you can go out and compete as an amateur," says Elway. "I know them and I enjoy playing with them, they're very good players. It'd be nice to be as good as they are."
Elway says that the major differences between golf and football are part of what makes the need to achieve a certain level of mastery in golf so compelling. In his former competitive life, he could always find a way to lift his team by creating something where there was nothing. Getting angry with himself or pressing aren't among the mental options in Elway's current passion.
"For me getting, the right mindset to play golf is so different from football," he says. "In football, you can make things happen, but in golf, you have to let things happen. When you don't have something occupying your mind, it's very difficult to stay real positive and that comes out in confidence—confidence in yourself, your game, confidence in your swing.
"You have so much more downtime in golf than in football. When you're a quarterback, you're thinking about getting the next play called and getting guys aligned, so you're always thinking about other things," he continues. "In golf, you have so much more time to think about bad things. I'm trying to get out of the habit of my swing thoughts starting with ‘don't.’"
Elway believes that running the Broncos offense was a lot easier for him than playing competitive golf, mainly because his "I am John Elway, I can do anything" outlook is compromised by golf's infinite challenges.
"When I stepped on the football field, I had that attitude. But not when I step on that first tee," he says. "But that's my goal. To get to do enough to work on the game so I can step on that first tee and not worry about a bad shot, just let it go. And if I do hit a bad shot, be good enough to make up for it."
One thing is certain: If and when Elway gets his game where he wants it to be, and you happen to find him on the tee sheet at your tournament, you’ll do well to remember that no matter how far behind he happens to be, he can always come back and win late.
THE JOHN ELWAY FILE
AGE: 47
OCCUPATION: Entrepreneur
RESIDENCE: Englewood, Colo.
CLUB MEMBERSHIPS: Cherry Hills Country Club, Englewood, Colo.; Castle Pines Golf Club, Castle Rock, Colo.; Whisper Rock Golf Club, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Catamount Ranch and Club, Steamboat Springs, Colo.
FAVORITE COURSE: Pebble Beach Golf Links
FAMILY: girlfriend, Paige Green; four children, Jack, Juliana, Jordan, Jessica.
GOLF GOAL: Play consistently.
HOLE IN ONES: Two.
FUN FACT: Of Elway's 11 club championships, five were won at The Vintage Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif.Matt McKay is a contributing writer to Desert Golf Magazine
- Terravita Golf Club
TERRAVITA GOLF CLUB
Receiving high marks in comparison with other Arizona private clubs, this North Scottsdale venue offers inviting amenities, a family atmosphere and a close-knit communityWhen Terravita Golf Club opened in 1994 against the scenic foothills north of Scottsdale, the area was populated more with desert critters than humans. From metro Phoenix it’s just a short 30-minute drive to nirvana, but the location was considered a little remote at the time. These days, Terravita has abundant company with the influx of residents and luxurious clubs and resorts—including The Boulders, just a stone’s throw away. In this gorgeous and golf-saturated region, you’ll hear claim after claim about the fabulous amenities of each venue.
But amid all the hubbub, Terravita continues to quietly and confidently make a name for itself with a simple formula: a top-quality championship golf course, inviting private-club amenities and an extremely welcoming atmosphere. Genial members socialize on and off the course, and when they talk about the club you’ll hear the word “family” repeatedly as they describe their experience.
“Our community friendliness separates us from other clubs,” says Steve Mallory, Terravita’s Director of Golf