King's Deer Golf Club

King's Deer is a wonderful course with a great layout. It was much easier than people are saying on here...For mid-October, it was in great shape. The only down part was the horrendously slow pace of play. We played on a Friday afternoon starting at 1:40 and couldn't even finish our round before dark...quite disappointing. They really need a good marshall to move people along to avoid 5+ hour rounds on a weekday...

I have probably played more rounds at kings deer than anywhere else in Colorado. There's a reason for that. Its not because of the amazing amenities, the immaculate conditions, or the unparreled design, because amenities are spartan at times, conditions are wild in places, and the design is....eclectic is a good word. No, Its because kings deer, and their staff encourage you to get out and play. With regular mailing club coupons, golfnow hot deals and golf-and-a-burger (and beer!) specials, they make it very affordable. With regular, well attended tournaments for members and the unwashed masses, there's a ton of reasons to go and meet some new friends to lose to or beat the snot out of. I think their attitude and effort are really admirable, but enough swooning, on to the real stuff.

I have rarely if ever had a slow round that was not my own doing, and for the most part, even on weekends everything generally runs smoothly. If you are held up by the group in front, thank your lucky stars, because if you rush, or just aren't paying attention, this course will eat your lunch. ( more delicious lunch can be purchased in the clubhouse, which I highly recommend. ) I've seen a few say that the rough is ridiculous, single digits only, etc. The rough IS ridiculous, the only way to find a ball that rolls into the high stuff is with a flamethrower, and there are a few bunkers that will make you think you've fallen in a well. There are extremely ample and safe landing areas for almost every single shot, however, but you really have to take a moment and think about your plan for the whole hole. Its like playing snooker, you have to think about where your next shot before you hit the one in front of you. I know that this is what you're supposed to do every time, but we all forget. As long as you pick your spots and get the yardage to that spot right or close, misses are widely forgiven, and anyone can get around this course in good shape.

And there in lies the magic of kings deer, the reason its a course you can enjoy coming to the first time and the 300th. You can play booming drives that roll and roll over the links style ground, and then realize you have a very unhandy shot into the green or laying up. Or play conservatively in respect of hazards, only to discover you had a landing area the size of a football field if you were more aggressive. Its like formula one racing, you have to be able to shift through all the gears.

What people have said about lost balls is true. Thank god for the forthcoming usga three minute rule change. They ought to adopt a local rule concerning a no penalty drop and give you six balls as a complimentary welcome gift, or the aforementioned flamethrower. However, one of my proudest days was shooting 76 around there with the same ball, so there's something to be said for the challenge.

The pro shop is friendly but not a place to try and buy clubs.

The beverage cart is fun, with games for free beer they offer to players. It's well stocked to boot, but they only run it on weekends and the height of the season.

Why? Well, they probably run labor on a tight budget, this course is out of the way, and you drive past 6 others to get there from any direction. But, drive past you should because the new management has put their labor savings into the course, and that's just fine by me. Not every course is a palace of luxury and reasonable rates from the get go, they grow, or wither. This one is growing.

Bring your second string ball the first time. Get a yardage book, not a rangefinder. Bring a sweater, even in July. It can get cloudy, windy, wet and cold in a matter of minutes. Bring a camera, some of the views are unreal, even for Colorado. Keep your head, don't try and overpower the course, but don't hesitate to be aggressive when you can. Keep this in mind, and you too will fall for this beautiful rocky mountain pearl.

If your not a single digit handicap don't play

You must play this course if you are in the area!
Beautiful views & challenging layout!

Very satisfied with the course, the price from golfnow.com, and the staff! Only thing to complain about was my score...! Lol

The course is in great shape this year. You must keep the ball in the fairway because the ruff is extremely thick. Bring extra balls...

I found the course too difficult for most golfers. Including me. I lost ten balls and I rarely lose any. There's not a single hole where there isn't trouble on both sides of the fairway and greens. You have to be a single digit handicap to enjoy this course.

Had a GolfNow reservation, had to remind them of that, otherwise we would have payed rack rate. They were very nice about it though. The course was in great condition. Very challenging. Bring a lot of balls, even when you know where your ball is outside of the fairway you will likely not find it, and to keep up play there isn't enough time to really look. Other than losing balls it was a great course to play.

Kings deer is an interesting and challenging course, with great potential. Currently the fairways are in good shape, but some of the greens are pretty rough.
To be fair, I spoke to the pro shop employee and he explained that the greens had been top dressed about two weeks ago. And he said the new management folks are working hard to bring conditions up to higher standards. Apparently the greens had almost died out a couple of years earlier.
On the plus side, pace of play was great. Our round only took three and a half hours!
I plan to return in a month, and hope to see some good progress.

Except for 3 or four greens that are still damaged from winter the course is in fine shape. Pro shop staff was very friendly and accommodating as were the grill and beer cart staff. Had a tasty club sandwich after the round. We did start late and experienced fairly slow pace of play (4.75 hours) due to a Jr Golf event that went out ahead of us. But no biggie. I support the course for allowing the kids to play on a Saturday.

Cool course but suggest not ever playing here. Course conditions are good and the course has a fun and challenging layout. That is where the good ends.

Course computers are not synced with GolfNow so they try to charge you their normal rate when you check in instead of the reserved rate. They cancelled my original teetime and pushed me back 2 hours a few days prior, only to have our tee time pushed back another 30+ minutes at the course due to a slow junior tournament in the morning. They should not book tee times if they have an event going on! All of the staff could care less about the delay and inconvenience.

Worst of all, the round took almost 6 hours to complete. Pace of play is by far the worst out of any course I have ever played. Marshals are non-existent and slow players abound. People do not care about golf etiquette. Would suggest playing somewhere else.

First time playing the course. I'm a 6 handicap but shot an 86. Didn't think the course was difficult but it's definitely a course where you need to play with someone who has played it before. Lots of blind tee shots and it's tough to say where to land BUT that is not a bad thing in my eyes. Just wasn't prepared for that. Really respect the layout. Love courses where I don't hit Driver-Wedge every hole. I hit 6-8 different clubs off the tee on this course and that's NOT including the par 3's. Looking forward to playing again.

Only real issue I had was the horseflies. The course was a little waterlogged due to it being in a marshy area and there being a lot of rain lately and the horseflies were in full effect. Got a couple of nasty bites but that's reflection the course.

Played on a Saturday, 2 couples. Love the actual layout as every hole has unique challenges. However:
A. Greens were like putting on gravel. Therre was no telling which way the putt would bounce. One chip to the green actually bounced at a 90 degree angle. We understand that the course had its recent challenges, hopefully the greens master can improve the roll
B. Our wives play golf often, but do not hit long off of the tee. My wife's good drives are 165 yards, not too bad for an over 60 female but also not every drive gets 150 yards of loft. The tall rough (12" to 24" and thick as a brick) extends too far on front of the tee box on a number of holes, especially on the front 9. This seems like a great way to discourage repeat visits from beginners, intermediate hackers, and especially women who do not hit longand high off of every tee. Psyched out our wives, they opted to skip a few holes because of this.
Not sure what the point is of the long jungles in front of the tee boxes, unless they want ONLY longer hitters as customers.
Very friendly staff across the board, marginal golf shop with minimal inventory.
With proper management, this course could be one of the better public courses in Southern Colorado, but really think that cutting the jungles 20 yards closer to the tee boxes could make for a more pleasurable experience for some golfers.

Greens were in rough condition but would have been better had the day of previous golfers repaired their ball marks. There is no room for error on this golf course. A little short or not in the fairway and you will rarely find your ball. I kept going back because it can be a good deal later in the afternoon, but my frustrations on how perfect you need to hit the ball are going to keep me from going back. I am just tired of rough that is all waist high "Native" weeds so thick you do not dare venture in

After going through some hard times, and apparently having lost some of the greens, this course has made a full comeback. The fairways and greens are looking healthy and roll true. I was nervous to play here after reading all the bad reviews from 2013, but I can say those are old and out of date, because it was well worth the drive!

Booked online and it was only $65 total for two with cart! Played Monday morning in 3 hours...wide open. If you have the time to make the drive, and want to get away from the crowds, this is the place to play.

Best condition I've seen the course in for the last several years, but beware of the rough/waste areas, which are thicker an deeper/taller than ever. Nice to see sand in all the greenside bunkers for a change.

Beautiful course. Tough course. Would love to finish playing this course.

Started off the day with beautiful skies. But by the 14th hole, the skies opened up and there was no stopping it. Hail, lightning, and strong winds put an end to our round.

Staff was very friendly and accommodating as the storm nearly knocked out all power.

I would love to play this course again, but I'll have to make sure there is absolutely 0% chance of storms...cause today there was only 10% and that 10% was very nasty

The course is not in good condition .....cart paths feel like you need an ATV....,fairways are in poor condition .....the rough is unplayable .... And pace of play is horrific!.... I believe this property is bank owned which explains the bare bones presentation of the course and maintenance ..,,, extremely disappointed .

On a positive note.... The staff was excellent!!!!

Bunkers and weeds need addressed otherwise I love the place.

Other than some of the greens not being in the best condition it was an enjoyable round. Neat layout....target golf at it's best.