Golf in Vail

Golfers who love to play mountain courses know that some of the best are in Vail Valley. These courses meander through the valleys dividing the area's soaring peaks. The region is home to more than a dozen courses, and there are another half dozen within easy driving distance. It's all just a matter of where you're staying and how much you want to spend. Some courses are only open to members and to guests at certain lodges.

Sonnenalp Golf Course. This Robert Cupp-Jay Morrish design threads through an upscale neighborhood 13 mi west of Vail. There are some serious elevation changes. Guests at the Sonnenalp Resort get preferred tee times. 1265 Berry Creek Dr., Edwards. 907/477-5371. www.sonnenalpgolfclub.com. Reservations essential. 18 holes. Yards: 7,059/5293. Par: 71/71. Green Fee: $75/$175.

Vail Golf Club. The area's municipal course rolls along between homes and condominiums in East Vail. 1778 Vail Valley Dr. 970/479-2260. www.vailgolfclub.com. Reservations essential. 18 holes. Yards: 6,740/5,277. Par: 71/71. Green Fee: $45/$80.

If you're serious about improving your game, check into the David Leadbetter Golf Academy (376 Red Sky Rd., Wolcott. 970/477-8350). Named number-one golf instructor by Golf Digest, Leadbetter has coached U.S. PGA tour players over the past 30 years. His instructors use high-tech tools at the academy's intense two- and three-day sessions. For example, they employ four cameras to record your swing so they can analyze everything from your stance to your grip.

The Club at Cordillera. The Lodge & Spa at Cordillera has three 18-hole courses and a 10-hole course. Hotel guests can play the Jack Nicklaus-designed Summit Course, which surrounds a peak like a string of pearls. The Hale Irwin Mountain Course runs through aspen groves, past lakes, and through meadows surrounded by luxury homes. The Dave Pelz-designed 10-hole course lets you show off (or makes you practice) your short-game skills. 2205 Cordillera Way, Edwards. 970/926-5100. www.cordillera-vail.com. Reservations essential. Mountain: 18 holes. Yards: 7,416/5,226. Par: 72/72. Green Fee: $237. Short: 10 holes. Yards: 1,252/592. Par: 27/27. Green Fee: $55. Summit: 18 holes. Yards: 7,441/5,425. Par: 72/72. Green Fee: $235.

Eagle Ranch Golf Club. This 6,600-foot-high course was landscaped in the lush wetlands of the Brush Creek valley. Caddies like to joke that the perfect club might actually be a fly rod. Arnold Palmer, who designed the 18-hole course, said, "The fairways are very playable and the roughs are not extremely rough." Sylvan Lake Rd., Eagle. 970/328-2882 or 866/328-2882. www.eagleranchgolf.com. Reservations essential. 18 holes. Yards: 7,500. Par: 72. Green Fee: $89/$99.

Red Sky Golf Club. At this tony private course a few miles west of Beaver Creek, members alternate with guests on two courses designed by Tom Fazio and Greg Norman. The Tom Fazio Course's front nine are laid out on sagebrush-covered hills, but the back nine flows up and down a mountainside covered with groves of junipers and aspens. The Greg Norman Course sprawls through a broad valley. Some shots require carries across jagged ravines. Norman's signature bunkers abound, guarding slippery greens. In order to play at Red Sky Golf Club, you must be staying in the Lodge at Vail, the Pines Lodge in Beaver Creek, the Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch, other hotels owned by Vail Resorts, or other partner properties. 376 Red Sky Rd., Wolcott. 970/477-8400. www.redskygolfclub.com. Reservations essential. Greg Norman: 18 holes. Yards: 7,580/5,269. Par: 72/72. Green Fee: $225/$240. Tom Fazio: 18 holes. Yards: 7,113/5,265. Par: 72/72. Green Fee: $100/$200.