Lake Valley Golf Club

Venue Overview

Lake Valley Golf Club is a private, golf-only club in Niwot, Colorado, between Boulder and Longmont, built around a links-style 18-hole course designed by Hall of Fame golf course architect Press Maxwell. The course opened nine holes in 1964 and fully opened for play in the summer of 1965 as Foothills Golf Club, making it one of the older courses in the Boulder area. Playing to a par of 70 across six sets of tees (2,896 to 6,891 yards, or eleven sets counting combo tees), Lake Valley is known for old-style "push-up" greens, a natural, walkable routing, and sweeping views of the Flatirons — and it stands as Boulder County's only golf-only private club.

About the Course

Press Maxwell — son of golf architecture legend Perry Maxwell, and the architect who completed his father's Golf Club of Dallas design in the 1950s — brought that same classically-rooted style to Lake Valley a decade later. The course's old-style push-up greens, natural land movement, and abundant wildlife give it a distinct, unmanufactured feel that has held up for six decades. It is fully walkable, with short distances from greens to the next tee, and its six sets of tees (eleven counting combination tee options) let players of any level find a fair test.

• 18-hole, par-70 course designed by Press Maxwell; opened nine holes in 1964, fully opened in 1965
• Originally named Foothills Golf Club; renamed Lake Valley Golf Course, then Lake Valley Golf Club
• Plays 2,896 to 6,891 yards across six sets of tees (eleven counting combo tees)
• Known for classic "push-up" greens and a natural, walkable layout
• Boulder County's only golf-only private club
• Members also enjoy a private on-site lake for fishing, swimming, and non-motorized boating

Sixty Years of Boulder County Golf History

Lake Valley's history is one of the more colorful in Colorado golf. The Loukonen family originally envisioned a private club surrounded by roughly 35 large lots on former horse property; when that concept was abandoned, the course reopened to the public as a daily-fee facility and became a gathering spot for local leagues, including teams from Beech Aircraft and IBM. Longtime head professional Scotty Edwards purchased the course out of foreclosure in 1977, and the colorful regulars who played Lake Valley in that era — sometimes called "Snake Valley" or "the Snake" — are said to have inspired the "Goons" characters in Boulder native Rick Reilly's first golf book, Missing Links. Ownership changed hands several more times through the 1980s and 1990s under development groups that built the surrounding Lake Valley Estates and North Rim subdivisions, before LVGC, LLC was formed in 1996, the club went semi-private, and a new clubhouse opened in June 1998. The course and practice areas became fully private on July 1, 2000, while the Golf Shop and Persimmon Grill have remained open to the public ever since; LVGC, LLC purchased the course outright in 2003. Despite its private status, Lake Valley has a deep championship résumé: it has hosted the 1969 Big 12 Men's Golf Championship, the annual Hale Irwin Memorial, 2016 USGA Senior Open Qualifying, 2018 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Qualifying, 2021 U.S. Girls' Junior Qualifying, and U.S. Senior Women's Open Qualifying.

Practice Facilities & Amenities

• Two-sided grass driving range with fairway bunkers, multiple targets, and an artificial turf tee line for winter practice
• 70-yard short game area with two greenside bunkers and varied rough conditions
• Quarter-acre practice putting green with an adjacent water feature
• Persimmon Grill, open to the public Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Mondays, beverage service only, noon to 7 p.m.), featuring seasonal menus from chef Paul Stoltz
• Snack Shack, open Mondays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on days the Grill is closed for events
• Golf Shop, open to the public, certified in fitting for TaylorMade, Callaway, Ping, Titleist, Cleveland, Srixon, XXIO, Mizuno, and U.S. Kids — Lake Valley is also one of only four Edel Golf fitters in Colorado
• Reciprocal play access through Troon Privé, Advantage, Private Club Network, Invited, and OpenRounds
• Private on-site lake for member fishing, swimming, and non-motorized boating

Lessons & Instruction

Lake Valley's PGA-certified instruction staff, as of 2026, includes:

• Cameron Morton, PGA — Director of Golf & Club Operations and Head Professional; joined Lake Valley in 2015 after seven years as 1st Assistant Golf Professional at The Ranch Country Club in Westminster; holds a Professional Golf Management degree from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs and is one of only 5% of PGA professionals certified by the PGA in any specialty area, with certifications in Golf Operations, General Management, and Teaching/Coaching
• Tyler Winslow, PGA — Assistant Golf Professional; a former Niwot High School student and Lake Valley member who played college golf at CSU-Pueblo and UCCS, played professionally in Arizona, and returned to Lake Valley in 2015, earning his PGA Class A certification in 2019
• Rudy Masias III — Assistant Golf Professional; joined in 2019 from Ute Creek Golf Course, a Boulder-area native and two-time 4A State Champion with Silver Creek High School's golf team
• Cade Dalton — Assistant Golf Professional; joined in 2023, a North Carolina/Virginia native who interned at top-100 course Primland Resort and Golf
• Isamarie Willhoite — Assistant Golf Professional; a former Division I golfer at San Jose State and MSU Denver with more than 2,000 lessons taught, previously on staff at Hyland Hills and TPC Colorado, earning her PGA Class A certification in 2024

Lake Valley also offers Ladies Golf and Junior Golf programs. Contact the golf shop at (303) 444-2114 to schedule a lesson or club fitting.

Tournaments & Events

Lake Valley's championship pedigree includes hosting the 1969 Big 12 Men's Golf Championship, multiple USGA qualifying events, and the annual Hale Irwin Memorial. The club also runs a dedicated tournament booking program for member and group events, and hosts the Holes of Hope charity tournament.

Membership

Lake Valley operates as a fully private, golf-only club — the sole facility of its kind in Boulder County. Course and practice access are reserved for the club's 400-plus golf members and their guests, while the Golf Shop and Persimmon Grill remain open to the public. Membership includes reciprocal play privileges at private clubs nationwide through Troon Privé, Advantage, Private Club Network, Invited, and OpenRounds.

Planning Your Event Here

Lake Valley's Press Maxwell design, championship history, and Persimmon Grill make it a distinctive setting for member tournaments, private outings, and dining events in the Boulder County area. The Persimmon Grill also hosts private dining events for groups. Contact the golf shop to coordinate a booking. The course is located at 4400 Lake Valley Drive, Niwot, CO 80503 (303-444-2114).

Hosting an Event at Lake Valley Golf Club? Launch It on Colorado Under Par

If you're organizing a tournament, scramble, or group outing at Lake Valley Golf Club, you can launch your event for free on Colorado Under Par — Colorado's dedicated platform for discovering and promoting golf, pickleball, and sporting events. Getting your event in front of Colorado's active golf community takes less than five minutes. Launch your event here: coloradounderpar.com/submit-event