Weather & the walking game

Winter on the Western Slope

Western Colorado / Winter golf / Photography by Markus Van Meter

Golf courses spend only part of the year hosting competition. For the rest, they become something quieter. The winter landscape reveals details that disappear during the season—open horizons, dormant fairways, long shadows, maintenance work, wildlife, and the subtle rhythms of courses preparing for another year. These photographs explore that quieter side of the game.

13 photographs. Select an image to view it in full.

Winter fairways and a bunker beneath mountains on the Western Slope.
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Dormant grasses and a quiet fairway in low winter light.
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Tawny fairways beneath a clouded sky and distant Colorado mountains.
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A golfer and cart beside dormant turf in winter light.
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Golf clubs and a bag secured to a cart.
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A golfer addresses a tee shot beside a small tee marker.
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A close view of a golfer gripping a club with bare and gloved hands.
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Two golfers talk beside a golf bag on a winter fairway.
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A golfer bends toward the green, with a red flag and mountains beyond.
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Low winter sunlight falls across clubs in a golf bag.
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A blue flag and a golfer on a dormant putting green.
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A golf ball rests on the putting surface.
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A golfer walks across the course with mountains on the horizon.
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Winter reveals what summer often conceals. Dormant turf, low-angle light, and quieter rounds expose the underlying architecture of a golf course. For those willing to play through the colder months, winter becomes less about score and more about understanding the land itself.Markus Van Meter
Winter on the Western Slope