Without exaggeration, it’s fair to say that the Inspirato Colorado Open might not exist today without Pat Hamill.
On August 26, 2003, the Tuesday before competition began in the 40th annual Colorado Open at Sonnenalp Golf Club in Edwards, the organizers of the once-proud event canceled it and vanished. Gone were the entry fees for 156 players, sponsor dollars and, most likely, the tournament’s reputation.
Hamill—the founder of Oakwood Homes and the developer/owner of the recently opened Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in Denver—recognized the dire situation. Within months, he took over the event, reimbursed players and sponsors, and brought together dozens of leaders from all sectors of the Colorado golf community. With their input and support—and his considerable financial backing—Hamill quickly established the Colorado Open Championships (Colorado Open, Colorado Women’s Open and Colorado Senior Open) as one of the programs administered by the Colorado Open Golf Foundation, a nonprofit corporation with the purpose of funding youth golf programs.
Since 2004, the three Colorado Open championships have taken place annually at Green Valley Ranch, and since 2005, the chief beneficiary of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation has been First Tee Green Valley Ranch, which has impacted the lives of 45,000 kids at its Learning Center on the Green Valley Ranch Campus.
Thanks in large part to a succession of committed sponsors and donors, the Colorado Open Championships have reclaimed their position among the nation’s best state opens. That includes record-setting purses and first-place prize money ($250,000 and $100,000, respectively, for the Open and Women’s Open, and $100,000 and $20,000, respectively, for the Senior Open).
Hamill was a lead supporter—financial and otherwise—of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame Museum at The Broadmoor. The Colorado Golf Hall of Fame’s 2005 Golf Person of the Year, Hamill serves as a national trustee of the First Tee organization and has also raised considerable money for Colorado Boys and Girls Clubs as co- chair of the Jack A. Vickers Invitational hosted by John Elway from 2008 to 2017.
Additionally, in just four years of existence, Hamill’s multiple-day Carmel Classic Invitational at Pebble Beach has raised more than $5.3 million for scores of worthy charities.
In February, the Colorado Business Hall of Fame inducted Hamill, and this summer he retired from Oakwood Homes. In addition to overseeing his many philanthropic pursuits, he now fills his time with the construction of the Bluebird Club, a new golf course in Arapahoe County.
2005 Golf Person of the Year
Patrick Hamill
