The Golf Shrine (Old) (Snowmass)
This page is about what is called on this site the "Old" Golf Shrine, which is the Golf Shrine that came into existence in February of 2007, was torn out by the Snowmass Ski Patrol in February of 2017, was rebuilt, and then was torn out again when in the summer of 2018 the Ski Company put in a bike path that ran right down the middle of where it had been located. This Old Golf Shrine was located on the right side of the Bear Bottom run, near the spot where the Gunner's View run intersected it.
There is another page on this site that is about what is called on this site the "New" Golf Shrine, which is a Golf Shrine that came into existence on Snowmass in November of 2018 at a different location than where the Old Golf Shrine had been located. This is the link to the page on this site for the New Golf Shrine: http://www.aspensnowmassshrines.com/index.php?The-Golf-Shrine-New-Snowmass
The Old Golf Shrine included many photos of the above players, golf signs, including a street sign that said “Golf Shrine Ln”, and also a bucket of range balls, a couple head covers, some “quiet” signs from some tournaments, several golf vanity license plates, including a Colorado plate that says "One Putt," a pair of golf shoes, a golf bag with some clubs in it (the golf bag is a big Callaway bag that said "Lincoln Mercury Kapaplua International" on it), a bench dedicated to "Roger," a wooden sign, donated by Roger, with this engraved on it: "Snowmass Golf Shrine--May Ye Ne'er want a frien', or a dram to gi'e him!" There was also an empty bottle of schnapps signed by PGA Tour pro Chris DiMarco, and many other items. The shrine also had some benches for visitors to sit on. In December 2010 the shrine underwent a major overhaul; a lot of the old items were taken down and a lot of new items were put up. This shrine contained a solar-powered and motion-activated security camera and a sign that said "Smile for our security camera." As far as the author knows, this is the only shrine that had a security camera.
On February 25, 2017, at around Noon, two members of the Snowmass Ski Patrol (in uniform) tore out this Golf Shrine on Snowmass. There were at least two eye-witnesses to the event (a ski instructor and an Ambassador), who said the destruction took around 2 hours to complete, and the dismantling was later admitted to by an Aspen Skiing Co. spokesman, who said that what the Snowmass Ski Patrol did when they tore out the Golf Shrine "was probably to comply with the law." The full quote (“What he did was probably to comply with the law and how the Forest Service views these kinds of things on federal land.”) appears in this March 2, 2017 front page Aspen Daily News article by Madeleine Osberger: "Last Round for Snowmass' Golf Shrine" http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/174463 Items removed from the Shrine included 4 chairs, two golf bags (one adult bag and one kid's bag), around 8 or 9 golf clubs, around 9 or 10 metal signs, a range bucket full of golf balls, some pin flags, a quiet sign, some bag towels, some golf cartoons, and numerous laminated photos and items. The remains were carted off in a small trailer on the back of a snowmobile. At the time the Golf Shrine removal happened, a person named Nancy J. Patton, who lives in Aspen, CO, made this comment on February 28, 2017 to a post I had made on Facebook on February 27: "I heard that the 'new guy' who ordered the tear down of the Golf Shrine was given a 'talking to' by (Steve) Sewell (Snowmass Mountain Manager) and it will be back up soon." A screen shot of this comment is below. The Shrine was probably the most popular and most visited Shrine on Snowmass, and many people went to social media to express their outrage at the destruction and vowed to rebuild it. See this page on this site for photos: https://www.aspensnowmassshrines.com/index.php?the-snowmass-ski-patrol-destroys-the-old-golf-shrine-snowmass&phpwcms-preview=1 Since then the Golf Shrine was rebuilt at a new location on the Gunner's View run. Then on April 2, 2021 the Snowmass Ski Patrol tore it out again.
For a short video of the The Golf Shrine, see this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDgnB6f6W74
See this article ( "Playing Golf on Skis") about the Golf Shrine by Hayden Goldberg on "Hayden's Sports Blog" http://kidreporterblogs.blogspot.com/2017/02/playing-golf-on-skis.html
A note on the various locations of the Golf Shrine: When the Golf Shrine was first established in 2007, it was located on the Sandy Park run. Then it got moved to the Bear Bottom run. It remained there until it was torn out by the Snowmass Ski Patrol in February 2017 (see this page for more on that: http://www.aspensnowmassshrines.com/index.php?Snowmass-Ski-Patrol-Destroys-the-Golf-Shrine-Snowmass Before the 2017-18 ski season started the Shrine was rebuilt in that same location on Bear Bottom, and continued to exist until the summer of 2018, when the Ski Company built a bike trail that went right through the middle of the shrine. In November of 2018, right after the 2018-19 ski season started, it was moved to a different location, and this Shrine is what is called the New Golf Shrine on this site.
DISTINGUIISHED VISITORS TO THE Old GOLF SHRINE
Over the years the Old Golf Shrine attracted various distinguished visitors.
See below for information and photos (if available) of these distinguished visitors and the month and year they visited the Shrine (if known).
2. Ken Everett, Director of Golf at the Snowmass Club in Snowmass Village, Colorado (February 2007). Ken's nickname is "Mr. 65" for setting the course record at the Snowmass Club.
3. PGA Tour Caddie Ron Levin (March 2007). Ron has been a long-time tour caddie and was on the bag for Todd Hamilton when he won the (British) Open Championship at Royal Troon in 2004.
4. Richard H. Parker, III, President and CEO, and Richard H. Parker, Jr., Chairman of the Board, United Finance Company, Portland, Oregon (March 2007). In March 2007 the Golf Shrine was visited by Richard H. Parker, III, President and CEO, and Richard H. Parker, Jr., Chairman of the Board, United Finance Company, Portland, Oregon (One of the largest independent consumer finance lending companies in the Northwest.)
5. Alex Goldberg, President (retired) of Ford Motor Land Development Corp. (January 2008). In January 2008 (and numerous times since then) the Golf Shrine was visited by Alex Goldberg, President (retired) of Ford Motor Land Development Corp. Mr. Goldberg joined Ford’s Dearborn Glass Plant in May 1964. Over the years, he held various planning and financial management positions with the automaker, both in the United States and Europe. He was controller of Powertrain Operations, Ford Automotive Operations, before being named executive vice president of the Ford Motor Land Services Corporation in 1995, and president a year later. In 1997, he was named Penn State Alumni Fellow, the highest distinction bestowed by the Penn State Alumni Association. Mr. Goldberg was deeply involved in founding the Smeal College MBA Affiliated Program Group and is a member of the Smeal College Alumni Association Board. He obtained his bachelor of science in chemical engineering in 1962 and an MBA in finance/management from Penn State in 1964.
6. Pro Football Hall of Fame member Nick Buoniconti (February 2008). Nick played middle linebacker for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was a member of the undefeated 1972 team and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.
7. PGA Tour Pro Gabriel Hjertstedt (February 2008). Gabriel is Swedish and lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. In addition to visiting the shrine, he also donated a green Masters chair for the shrine. His career accomplishments include:
- Two tournament victories on the US PGA TOUR (the first Swede to win a tournament on the US PGA TOUR).
- Has competed in all four “Major” golf championships.
- Winner World Amateur Team Championship - Eisenhower Trophy (1990, represented Sweden).
- Winner World Junior Championship - Doug Sanders (1989, individual).
8. Nobel Laureate David Baltimore (February 2008). David is a biologist, was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1975, and served as president of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) from 1997 to 2006.
9. William A. Cooper, Chairman and CEO of TCF Financial Corporation (March 2008). In March 2008 the Golf Shrine was visited by William A. Cooper, Chairman and CEO of TCF Financial Corporation (Twin City Federal), a bank holding company headquartered in Wayzata, Minnesota.
10. PGA Tour pro Chris DiMarco (December 2008). In December 2008 (and numerous times since then) the Golf Shrine was visited by PGA Tour pro Chris DiMarco. He has won three times on tour, has been on two Ryder Cup teams, and was the hero of the 2005 Presidents Cup.
11. Jake Kubié, Associate Editor of Colorado AvidGolfer magazine (February 2010). On February 27, 2010 The Golf Shrine was visited by Jake Kubié, Associate Editor of Colorado AvidGolfer magazine (http://www.coloradoavidgolfer.com/). Jake made a special trip from his home base in Denver to Aspen/Snowmass to see The Golf Shrine for the first time. An article about The Golf Shrine ("Temples in the Trees") had previously appeared In the September 2009 issue of Colorado AvidGolfer magazine along with several photos of the shrine. In the May 2010 issue of Colorado AvidGolfer magazine Jake wrote an article about the Golf Shrine (on page 24), entitled, "Visiting the Woods."
12. Stuart A. Bernstein, former United States Ambassador to Denmark (March 2011).
On March 15, 2011 the Golf Shrine was visited by Stuart A. Bernstein, former United States Ambassador to Denmark.
13. Kent Kresa, Chairman and CEO of Northrop Grumman, as well as Chairman of General Motors (March 2011). On March 15, 2011 the Golf Shrine was visited by Kent Kresa, Chairman and CEO of Northrop Grumman, as well as Chairman of General Motors.
14. Madeleine Osberger, Editor and General Manager of the Snowmass Sun newspaper (March 2011). On March 23, 2011 the Golf Shrine was visited by Madeleine Osberger, Editor and General Manager of the Snowmass Sun newspaper. Her article about the Golf Shrine ("A shrine for its time, Golf shrine draws luminaries, locals") appeared in the March 30, 2011 issue of the paper.
15. PGA Tour star Billy Horschel (December 2011). In December 2011 the Golf Shrine was visited by PGA Tour pro Billy Horschel. He left in the shrine a ski helmet which he had autographed. In April of 2013 Billy won his first tournament on the PGA Tour.
16. PGA Tour pro Briny Baird.
17. PGA Tour pro Bud Cauley.
18. PGA Tour pro Camilo Villegas (January 8, 2013). He has 9 professional wins, 3 of them on the U.S. PGA Tour. He was "Rookie of the Year" in 2006. The Snowmass Sun newspaper ran a photo of Camilo in the Golf Shrine in its March 13, 2013 issue; for a copy of this photo see the "Media Coverage for the Golf Shrine" section below.
19. Amanda Rae Busch (January 11, 2013). On January 11, 2013, Amanda Rae Busch visited the Golf Shrine. She is Managing Editor of The Woody Creeker, Hunter S. Thompson's Gonzo Foundation, Aspen, Colorado. Her web site is "Amanda Rae Was Here..." See: http://amandaraewashere.com/
20. Jill Beathard (January 9, 2015). Jill is the Editor of the Snowmass Sun.
21. Dan Rabin (Dan Rabin), noted author (January 16, 2015). While in the Golf Shrine he used the golf clubs and range balls kept in the shrine to practice his game a bit and jarred a shot into the range bucket (the Golf Shrine equivalent of a Hole-in-One). He also enjoyed a "wee nip" of the Scotch whisky from the bottle hidden under the snow there. Dan is an award-winning freelance beer and travel journalist from Boulder, Colorado. He is author of the guidebook Colorado Breweries (Stackpole, 2014), and co-author of the Dictionary of Beer and Brewing (Brewers Publications, 1998). He writes the column “Rocky Mountain” for Celebrator Beer News and has contributed to numerous beverage and travel publications including Ale Street News, Beer Connoisseur, Beer Traveler, DRAFT Magazine, The New Brewer, Zymurgy, Wine Country Network, Wine Enthusiast, Where Denver, Where Guestbook Colorado, Gadling.com, and others. His travel stories have also appeared in newspapers throughout the United States and Canada. Dan has worked with the Brewers Association on numerous projects and produces the bi-annual Brewers Resource Directory. He is an avid homebrewer and an American Homebrewers Association National Homebrew Competition gold medalist. Dan had also visited the Golf Shrine previously, in 2012, and then wrote a two-part article about the Shrines of Aspen/Snowmass: http://blog.coloradoski.com/2012/03/31/the-secret-shrines-of-aspensnowmass/ and http://blog.coloradoski.com/2012/04/01/the-secret-shrines-of-aspensnowmass-2/.
22. Rose Abello (January 22, 2015). Rose is Tourism Director for Snowmass.
23. Chayanne (March 2015). According to an April 2, 2015 article in the Boulder Journal, Puerto Rican pop star Chayanne enjoyed a family ski vacation to Aspen/Snowmass the week before, and the Golf Shrine was one of his favorites. See this article: "Latin pop star Chayanne skis the double diamonds at Snowmass" by ROBIN SMITH: http://www.boulderijournal.com/article.php?id=10680. A quote from this article: "But he also enjoyed seeking out the various shrines: The Golf Shrine at Snowmass was a favorite...."
24. James Brundige (December 2015). Over the last thirty years James Brundige has worked on over a hundred documentary films for PBS, BBC, TBS, Discovery, ABC, CBS, Fox, HBO, NBC, and National Geographic Television. He has worked on three feature films and numerous commercials. Film expeditions included exploratory rafting and mountaineering in the Andes and Himalayas, canoeing in the Amazon, and skiing in Antarctica. He has shot for network news magazines all over the U.S. and Canada. Since moving to Colorado in 1994, he has focused on environmental documentaries. He started First Light Films and before that was a full time performer and composer. He still finds time to play with the Aspen Festival Orchestra, and record soundtracks with New York based composer Jeff Van Nostrand. He has written and recorded scores for: Fire in Their Hearts, WCBV Boston; Psycho Rage - Bayani Films (feature film); Caribbean Getaways - 18 commercials for American Airlines; Prescription for Change - WNET; Television Commercials – New York Daily News; Lines in Space : The Art of James Surls. And with Jeff Van Nostrand: Body Prep: Tennis - Warren Miller / Madison Square Garden Network; As the World Turns - CBS; Another World - NBC; The Guiding Light - ABC; Everest: The Mystery of Mallory and Irvine - BBC; Wild For Good – the Founders of Aspen's Wilderness Workshop. He has produced and arranged two record albums: KOLUNYAKA, The Human Condition, and SKYWALK, Jimmy McGriff - Milestone Records. See this Scott Condon article in the Aspen Times of September 26, 2009, "Local filmmakers' project reaps timely exposure" https://www.aspentimes.com/news/local-filmmakers-project-reaps-timely-exposure/; this article includes information on his documentary "Forever Wild: Celebrating America's Wilderness" which contains a segment on Aspen. Last but not least, and over and above all of the foregoing, he has beaten Justin Leonard (1997 Open Champion and 1999 Ryder Cup hero) on the golf course!
25. PGA Tour pro Justin Leonard (February 27, 2016). On February 27, 2016 the Golf Shrine was visited by PGA Tour pro Justin Leonard. He won the U.S. Amateur in 1992, the Open Championship at Royal Troon in 1997, and was the hero of the 1999 Ryder Cup at Brookline (won by the USA). He has won 12 times on the PGA Tour. He is the first and only winner of one of golf's "Majors" to have visited the Golf Shrine.
Photographs of some of the above-mentioned distinguished visitors to The Golf Shrine are shown below. Click on images to enlarge.
MEDIA COVERAGE FOR THE GOLF SHRINE
The Old Golf Shrine received many media mentions; see below for a description of some of them.
1. The Snowmass Sun newspaper did an article about the creation of The Golf Shrine in its February 14, 2007 issue, entitled "A Shrine is Born" and included several photos.
2. In the Snowmass Sun issue of March 5, 2008, photos of Nick Buoniconti and Gabriel Hjertstedt were run, along with the following copy:
PGA Tour Pro Gabriel Hjertstedt, a two-time winner on the tour, paid homage to the deceased greats of the game at the infamous Golf Shrine."
3. In the Snowmass Sun issue of January 14, 2009 a photo of Chris DiMarco and his wife Amy appeared, accompanied by the following copy:
"PAYING HOMAGE AT THE SHRINE
Doug Tutwiler/Special to the Sun
PGA Tour star Chris DiMarco checks out the Golf Shrine with his wife, Amy, over the holidays. DiMarco has won three PGA Tour Championships, is a two-time member of the U. S. Ryder Cup Team, Winner of the President’s Cup and is ranked among the top 100 players in the world. DiMarco and his family, full-time residents of Jacksonville, own a place at the Snowmass Club and are regular visitors. The Golf Shrine is located at the Snowmass ski area."
4. In the Sierra Golfer magazine issue of April 2009 there is an article about golf and skiing that mentions The Golf Shrine.
5. In the September 2009 issue of Colorado AvidGolfer magazine there is an article (starting on page 64) about the Golf Shrine, entitled, "Tribute in the Trees."
6. In the May 2010 issue of Colorado AvidGolfer magazine there is an article by Jake Kubié (on page 24) about the Golf Shrine, entitled, "Visiting the Woods."
7. In the March 30, 2011 issue of the Snowmass Sun newspaper there is an article about the Golf Shrine. The title of the article is "A shrine for its time, Golf shrine draws luminaries, locals," and it was written by Madeleine Osberger, Sun Staff Writer. This article is set out in full below. The article appeared on the front page of the Sun.
8. In the Snowmass Sun of December 14, 2011 there is an article about the Golf Shrine by David Wood, "The Golf Shrine changes every year to keep fresh." See below for images of this article and click on them to enlarge them. Also, this article is set out in full at the bottom of this page.
9. In the Snowmass Sun issue of March 13, 2013, there is a photo of Camilo Villegas when he was in the Golf Shrine, in the "Last Shot: section of the paper. This photo is in the photo section immediately below; click on it to enlarge.
10. In the Snowmass Sun issue of January 22, 2014 there is a photo of the Golf Shrine in the "Last Shot" section of the paper, showing the golf bag that is mounted on a tree in the shrine. In the April 30, 2014 issue of the Sun there is another "Last Shot" photo of the Golf Shrine, showing four women who are memorialized in the shrine. Photos of these two Last Shots are in the photo section immediately below; click on them to enlarge.
11. In a two-part series about his tour of many of the Aspen/Snowmass shrines, Dan Rabin, writing for Colorado Ski Country USA, had this to say about the Golf Shrine on Snowmass: "My favorite stop of the day was at the Golf Shrine. Among an extensive collection of golf-related photos, signage and other props, was a set of golf clubs, a bag of range balls and a tree-mounted basket to practice chip shots from the snow." See: Colorado Ski Country USA, Club Colorado Blog, March 31, 2012, "The Secret Shrines of Aspen/Snowmass" by Dan Rabin. Links to these two articles are above.
13. See this March 27, 2013 article in On The Snow, "Aspen/Snowmass Tree Shrines: The Golf Shrine" by Amanda Rae, http://www.onthesnow.com/news/a/584533/aspen-snowmass-tree-shrines--the-golf-shrine.
14. August 2014. Both Aspen and Snowmass made the Travel+Leisure list of "America's Quirkiest Towns." The Snowmass write-up mentions the Golf Shrine, the Snoopy Shrine, the Jerry Garcia Shrine, and has my photo of the Hunter S. Thompson Shrine. http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-quirkiest-towns/17.
15. An article by Pam Leblanc appeared in many newspapers, "When in Aspen, ski, shop, dine and hunt for shrines" This article mentions the Golf Shrine: "A number of impromptu shrines can be found off the ski runs at Aspen's resorts, venerating subjects like John Denver, Jerry Garcia and beer. Some are simple, just a few photos; others are elaborate, with signs and significant objects and, in the case of the Golf Shrine, a bucket of balls, a spare club or two, a 'quiet' sign left over from a tournament and a hidden bottle of whiskey." https://www.dailycamera.com/2014/11/21/when-in-aspen-ski-shop-dine-and-hunt-for-shrines-on-the-mountain/
16. Winter 2015. The Golf Shrine is given good coverage in the "Winter In Aspen" magazine (2015) by the Aspen Times. Click this link and then advance to page 60 for my article: http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/Launch.aspx?EID=f3e3b225-a368-41fe-87a7-850694514044 It is also given good coverage in the "Winter in Snowmass" magazine (2015) by the Snowmass Sun/Aspen Times. Click this link and then advance to page 32 for my article: http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/Launch.aspx?EID=cdc823d6-0ffd-49fb-b173-ebb31482a5c7
17. In the March 9, 2016 Snowmass Sun there was a photo of PGA Tour player Justin Leonard in the Golf Shrine.
18. The Aspen Chamber lists this Shrine in its March 10, 2016 article as a "must-see" Shrine. http://www.aspenchamber.org/blog/7-must-see-shrines-aspen-mountain "7 Must-See Shrines on Aspen Mountain." The article also contains a photo of Justin Leonard in the Golf Shrine.
19. The Golf Shrine on Snowmass is mentioned in a July 12, 2016 PGATour.com article about Justin Leonard by Melanie Hauser. The title of the article is "Home in the Mountains" and it is about Justin's new life in Aspen. The article mentions the Golf Shrine on Snowmass, calling it "the legendary Golf Shrine": http://www.pgatour.com/long-form/2016/07/12/justin-leonard-aspen-colorado-mountain-man.html?cid=FBPGATOUR Here is a quote from the article: "Take this offseason. [Justin] Leonard only hit one golf ball in Aspen from Oct. 30 until May. Really. One. His clothing sponsor -- trendy KJUS -- had some East Coast visitors in to ski and fish when they decided to take a detour to the legendary Golf Shrine on Snowmass. The area has dozens of shrines -- the most famous to Jerry Garcia and his guitar -- tucked between runs on the mountains, and Justin posed next to photos of fellow Texans Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan. 'Buried in the snow there’s a little bag with a bottle of Scotch and some little Dixie cups and if you know where it is, you dig it up,' he said. 'We did and all took a shot.' There’s also an old leather carry bag nailed to the tree with two clubs and a bucket of range balls. Justin pulled a club and took that one swing." Yours truly was a member of the group and took a took a photo of Justin taking that one golf shot.
20. In November 2016 one of the largest newspapers in Mexico, Il Universal, published an article about the Aspen Shrines ("Did you know that Snoopy has an alter in the mountains of Aspen?") that included a photo of the Golf Shrine. http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/articulo/destinos/2016/11/15/sabias-que-snoopy-tiene-un-altar-en-las-montanas-de-aspen
21. The Golf Shrine is mentioned in this quote from this November 18, 2016 PRweb.com article: "For fun, try to find some of famous ski shrines dedicated to such greats as Hunter Thompson, John Denver Elvis, Jerry Garcia, Marilyn Monroe and Jimi Hendrix, among others that are hidden in the trees between the ski runs. There is even one dedicated to golf." http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/10/prweb10071658.htm
22. In the Snowmass Sun issue of December 21, 2016, in the "Last Shot" section, there is a photo of the Golf Shrine on Snowmass, showing that Arnold Palmer had been memorialized there. http://www.aspentimes.com/news/snowmass/snowmass-last-shot/
23. A photo of the Golf Shrine on Snowmass is featured in this Jan 30, 2017 Outside Magazine article by Megan Michelson: "You Can't Call Yourself a Skier Till You've Adopted These Traditions" https://www.outsideonline.com/2151241/10-most-legendary-ski-hill-traditions The article also makes a favorable mention of the author's Aspen Shrines book.
24. A photo of the Golf Shrine appeared in this March 21, 2017 article (in French): http://www.jaimonvoyage.ca/Colorado-Tous-les-plaisirs-d-hiver-reportage_a35023.html
25. On February 25, 2017, at around Noon, two members of the Snowmass Ski Patrol (in uniform) tore out the Golf Shrine on Snowmass. There were at least two eye-witnesses to the event (a ski instructor and an Ambassador), who said the destruction took around 2 hours to complete, and the dismantling was later admitted to by an Aspen Skiing Co. spokesman, who said that what the Snowmass Ski Patrol did when they tore out the Golf Shrine "was probably to comply with the law." The full quote (“What he did was probably to comply with the law and how the Forest Service views these kinds of things on federal land.”) appears in this March 2, 2017 front page Aspen Daily News article by Madeleine Osberger: "Last Round for Snowmass' Golf Shrine" http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/174463 Items removed from the Shrine included 4 chairs, two golf bags (one adult bag and one kid's bag), around 8 or 9 golf clubs, around 9 or 10 metal signs, a range bucket full of golf balls, some pin flags, a quiet sign, some bag towels, some golf cartoons, and numerous laminated photos and items. The remains were carted off in a small trailer on the back of a snowmobile. At the time the Golf Shrine removal happened, a person named Nancy J. Patton, who lives in Aspen, CO, made this comment on February 28 to a post I had made on Facebook on February 27: "I heard that the 'new guy' who ordered the tear down of the Golf Shrine was given a 'talking to' by (Steve) Sewell (Snowmass Mountain Manager) and it will be back up soon." A screen shot of this comment is below. The Shrine was probably the most popular and most visited Shrine on Snowmass, and many people went to social media to express their outrage at the destruction and vowed to rebuild it. See this page on this site for photos: https://www.aspensnowmassshrines.com/index.php?the-snowmass-ski-patrol-destroys-the-old-golf-shrine-snowmass Since then the Golf Shrine was rebuilt.
26. This quote appeared in the October 17, 2017 Aspen Daily News, in an article by Madeleine Osberger about the new Breathtaker Alpine Coaster at Snowmass: "He (ski area manager Steve Sewell) also noted the location (of the coaster) was 'by the Hunter Thompson shrine,' but allowed that he wasn’t sure if that shrine was still intact. Several of Snowmass’ more prominent on-mountain markers, or shrines, including one that paid homage to the greats of the golfing world, were removed this year though SkiCo has said previously it wasn’t at their direction." http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/176982
27. "The Iconic Golf Shrine." See this December 5, 2017 Aspen Daily News article by Madeleine Osberger, "Gonzo shrine saved from wrecking ball" https://www.aspendailynews.com/gonzo-shrine-saved-from-wrecking-ball/article_d4fc8451-9dc8-503a-b84b-d4df809c1f2c.html Although it is principally about the Hunter S. Thompson Shrine on Snowmass, the article also mentions the Golf Shrine, calling it "the iconic Golf Shrine" and it also mentions the bottle of scotch hidden under the snow in the Golf Shrine. The article also says that the Golf Shrine is "one of the oldest and quite possibly most visited" shrines.
The Snowmass Tourism web site had a video: "Daly Dose of Snowmass – The Shrines January 8, 2014" Here is a quote from that video: "Have you ever stumbled across any of Snowmass’s best kept secret? We are talking about the Shrines, 60+ memorials to people or things hidden off the slopes and amongst the trees. The Shrines are unique to Aspen/Snowmass — no other resort in the country has anything quite like it. But you can't find them on a map, so you had better start hunting!"
Photos of the Shrine are below. All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them. For even more photos, see this Facebook photo album (you do not need to be a member of Facebook to view this album): https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.295546627183975.69129.100001859201674&type=1&l=b791d51893.
If you have any photos of or information about this item that you would like to share, please send to [email protected].
(There is a smaller Golf Shrine on Aspen Mountain; see this page: https://www.aspensnowmassshrines.com/index.php?the-golf-shrine-aspen-mountain)
The Golf Shrine at Snowmass is covered in the book, "Sanctuaries in the Snow--The Shrines and Memorials of Aspen/Snowmass." The book may be purchased on this page on this site: http://www.aspensnowmassshrines.com/index.php?The-Book
Roger Baglin of Rochester, NY was the first visitor to the Old Golf Shrine. He saw it within 30 minutes after it came into being in February of 2007. Photos of Roger are below; click on images to enlarge.
According to this February 14, 2007 article in the Snowmass Sun newspaper, the Old Golf Shrine on Snowmass came into existence on February 5, 2007.
In the photo section immediately below are various photos of the Old Golf Shrine that were taken between 2007 and 2010 and showing it as it has existed and changed over those years. In the photo section following that are photos that were taken in 2011 and later.
Click on images to enlarge.
The photos of the Old Golf Shrine shown in the section below were taken in December of 2011.
Click on images to enlarge.
The photos in the section below were taken in April 2012.
Click on images to enlarge.
The photos in this section were taken in January, February, and March, 2013.
Click on images to enlarge.
The photos in this section were taken during the 2013-14 ski season. Click on images to enlarge. For even more photos, see this Facebook photo album (you do not need to be a member of Facebook to view this album): https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.295546627183975.69129.100001859201674&type=1&l=b791d51893.
For even more photos, see this Facebook photo album (you do not need to be a member of Facebook to view this album): https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.295546627183975.69129.100001859201674&type=1&l=b791d51893.
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Below is the full article that David Wood wrote for the Snowmass Sun newspaper about the Old Golf Shrine on Snowmass.
The Golf Shrine
By David Wood
Snowmass Sun, December 14, 2011
The Golf Shrine was installed on Snowmass in February 2007. It honors sixteen deceased greats of the game, including Ben Hogan, Bobby Jones, Byron Nelson, Gene Sarazen, and Sam Snead. It is one of only two shrines whose creation was documented by a newspaper article written at the time: This paper published an article on February 14, 2007, including some photos and entitled “A Shrine is Born.” (The other shrine that was documented by a newspaper article at the time of its creation is the Hunter S. Thompson Shrine.)
The Golf Shrine includes many photos of the honorees, golf signs, including a street sign that says “Golf Shrine Ln,” and also a bucket of range balls, a couple head covers, some “quiet” signs from some tournaments, several golf vanity license plates, including a Colorado plate that says “One Putt,” a pair of golf shoes, a golf bag with some clubs in it (the golf bag is a big Callaway bag that says “Lincoln Mercury Kapaplua International” on it), a bench dedicated to “Roger,” a wooden sign (donated by Roger) with this engraved on it: “Snowmass Golf Shrine--May Ye Ne'er want a frien', or a dram to gi'e him!” There is also an empty bottle of schnapps signed by PGA Tour pro Chris DiMarco, and many other items. Visitors have been known to hide a bottle of single malt Scotch whisky in the snow and then occasionally ski into the shrine with friends for a “wee nip.” There is a local rule that before you can have your “wee nip” you first must read aloud a golf quote from a list of quotes that is available there. Visitors also sometimes use the golf clubs and range balls in the shrine to engage in chipping contests.
Over the years the Old Golf Shrine attracted various distinguished visitors, including pro football Hall of Fame member Nick Buoniconti, PGA Tour pro Gabriel Hjertstedt, Nobel Laureate David Baltimore, PGA Tour pro Chris DiMarco, Jake Kubié, the editor of Colorado AvidGolfer magazine, Stuart A. Bernstein, former United States Ambassador to Denmark, and Madeleine Osberger, former Editor and General Manager of this paper.
This shrine has been the subject of several articles in this paper, as well as articles in the Sierra Golfer magazine and Colorado AvidGolfer magazine.
The caretakers of this shrine seemed to have adopted a practice not common in the case of other shrines: On at least two occasions they removed virtually all of the items in it and then put up new and completely different items. Some visitors liked this because it kept the shrine new and interesting.
Roger Baglin of Rochester, NY is credited with being the first visitor to the Old Golf Shrine; he visited it less than 30 minutes after it was created.
David Wood ([email protected]) is the author of the best-selling book about the Aspen shrines, Sanctuaries in the Snow—The Shrines and Memorials of Aspen/Snowmass. He donates all of his profits from book sales to charity, The Roaring Fork Valley Scholarship Fund. The book can be purchased in Snowmass Village at Snowmass Sports, the Stew Pot, Sundance Liquor and Gifts, and the Village Market, as well as at various locations in Aspen.
Click on images to enlarge.
In the March 30, 2011 issue of the Snowmass Sun newspaper there is an article about the Old Golf Shrine on the front page. The title of the article is "A shrine for its time, Golf shrine draws luminaries, locals," and it was written by Madeleine Osberger, Sun Staff Writer. Here is that article (click on images to enlarge):
In connection with the destruction of the Old Golf Shrine by the Snowmass Ski Patrol in February of 2017, below is a screen shot of the Nancy J. Patton Facebook comment; see above for more information on this. Her comment was: "I heard that the 'new guy' who ordered the tear down of the Golf Shrine was given a 'talking to' by (Steve) Sewell (Snowmass Mountain Manager) and it will be back up soon." Click on image to enlarge.
