Castle Pines Golf Club

Jack Nicklaus's 1981 mountain course south of Denver, longtime home of The International and, at 8,130 yards, the longest scorecard in PGA Tour history.

Jack Vickers founded Castle Pines and hired Jack Nicklaus, and the course opened in 1981 in the hills between Denver and Colorado Springs. From 1986 to 2006 it hosted The International, the PGA Tour event known for its modified Stableford scoring, with winners including Greg Norman, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson and Retief Goosen. The design brief has often been summed up as Augusta National in the mountains.

The course sits above 6,000 feet, where the ball carries noticeably farther, and it has about 325 feet of elevation change through ponderosa pines, with water on about ten holes. To bring the PGA Tour back, the club had Nicklaus rework every hole. When the 2024 BMW Championship arrived it played 8,130 yards, the longest card in tour history, including a 662-yard opening par 5 and a 545-yard par-4 10th.

Holes to know

1

Par 5 · 662 yd

A 662-yard opener that still played under par at the 2024 BMW Championship, where five players made eagle.

10

Par 4 · 545 yd

A par 4 of par-5 length that played well over par in 2024.

17

Par 5 · 532 yd

A reachable par 5 late in the round, a scoring chance before the long par-4 18th.

Championships

• The International (PGA Tour) 1986–2006
• BMW Championship 2024

Design history

• Early 2020s: Nicklaus-led renovation touched every hole, moved four greens, rebuilt water features and stretched the course to 8,130 yards for the 2024 BMW Championship