Spencer Penrose was an early titan of Colorado Springs history. He was a businessman with an entrepreneurial spirit, and after graduating from Harvard, he moved out west to seek his own fortune. After unsuccessfully trying his hand at produce farming, cattle ranching, real estate, retail and silver mining, a childhood friend, Charles L. Tutt invited him to Colorado Springs for a real estate deal. Penrose and Tutt finally hit paydirt when their mine, the C.O.D. (Cash on Delivery), became one of the most successful deep-lode mines in Cripple Creek history.
Penrose had turned a $500 investment into $250,000, which allowed him to diversify into other mineral endeavors. The Utah Copper Company ended up being one of the most lucrative business ventures in Penrose’s career, making him a staple of the infamous Colorado Springs “city of millionaires.”
His commitment to his city was evident. He used his immense fortune to build up the area and is foundational in such endeavors as the Pikes Peak Highway, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, and the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. He and his wife established the El Pomar Foundation in 1937 which has, to date, given hundreds of millions of dollars in grant money to better the lives of Colorado Springs citizens.
The Broadmoor Hotel
His most famous business endeavor, however, was likely The Broadmoor Hotel.
The hotel that almost never was.
After Colorado Springs' founding, the railroad allowed the city to be one of the first “destination” cities in the United States. As its reputation grew for clean air, sunshine, and beautiful views, more and more visitors traveled westward to experience the wild west in comfort and style. The city’s founder, General William Jackson Palmer’s Antlers Hotel was the premier hotel for these guests at the time and Penrose wanted it. After Penrose and Palmer could not come to an agreement on a price for the historic hotel (likely dealing largely with lifestyle differences between the two), legend has it that Penrose rode his horse through the lobby of the Antlers in sheer protest.
Penrose was not one to be bested.
In the same year, Penrose sought out and purchased The Broadmoor property. He set to work, developing the former dairy-farm-turned-casino into his vision for Colorado Springs luxury.
The Golf Course
Part of the team Penrose contracted in this endeavor was renowned golf course architect Donald Ross. Ross is known for designing in harmony with the landscape. He worked with the natural contours of the land, making his courses notoriously complex, due to his deceptively simple design. He is also known for designing holistically for the game, believing that mastery of the short game was a necessary challenge.
At more than 6,400 feet elevation, the Broadmoor East Golf Course is the highest golf course in the United States. Ross later claimed this course as his best work. In 1948, another golf course architect, Robert Trent Jones Sr., was hired to add an additional 18 holes to the property. He ended up modernizing nine holes designed by Ross and adding an additional nine, resulting in an East Course redesign. A few years later, the remaining nine Ross-designed holes and a new nine, designed by Jones Sr., were combined to create the West Course. He was historically known for designing “to make every hole a hard par, but an easy bogey.”
U.S. Senior Open
The Broadmoor will be hosting its third U.S. Senior Open on the renowned East Course June 26-29, 2025. This year marks 45 years of competition for this event and The Broadmoor joins only one other location for the most times hosting.
One of the nuances of an open event is that it is open to amateurs and professionals alike. Any player at least 50 years of age, either a professional or an amateur with a handicap index not exceeding 2.4 is eligible to sign up to qualify in hopes to secure their spot in the championship. More than 2,500 entries were received this year from entrants aged 50-77, from 49 U.S. states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and from 34 foreign countries. This year, 156 finalists will play 36 holes of stroke play golf over two days before the cut. The lowest 60 scores and ties will play the final 36 holes over the next two days before the winner emerges.
Players will have to adapt to the elevation and thinner air where the ball flies further and faster. They will have to remember that although the green looks flat, everything slopes away from the mountain, affecting the break. Thick bluegrass rough has been known to make golf balls disappear. Golf Legend Jack Nicklaus counted it as the most difficult set of greens he had ever played.
“The U.S. Senior Open is very accessible,” says Mike Trostel, director of the World Golf Hall of Fame. He goes on to explain how this is a coveted title for golfers whom fans have grown up watching. This is a career-changing accomplishment that plenty of golfers still strive to achieve. It is a test of their skill and a culmination of their acumen over the years, which makes for fierce competition.
Colorado Springs has the honor of hosting these legends in its backyard. For tickets visit usga.org and check in Monday or Tuesday of championship week for a list of players and tee times. Come be a part of history.
Website: https://www.broadmoor.com/usso2025
Facebook: @TheBroadmoor | @USOpen
Instagram: @TheBroadmoor | @USOpenGolf
Address + Phone: 1 Lake Ave. | 719-577-5790
It is 7,158 yards of some of the most beautiful, yet deceptive, terrain out there. The altitude, the bluegrass, the trees, the slope. All factors that make The Broadmoor East golf course a perfect challenge for this year’s U.S. Senior Open.