Cmyktaylor24

So sad to see a course crumble. The layout is fine, the location is perfect. The course has fallen into disrepair. Hopefully the owners will figure out how to turn things around, because it really could be a nice track again with a little TLC.

It all comes down to the greens for this course. Many holes have little protection when it comes to hazards in your traditional layup areas or for that matter, around the greens. It's the greens themselves that are given the job of protecting against birdies. I didn't keep track of the number of raised, tiered, and intensely undulating greens, but I do know that I was putting out of my mind and only had 3 one-putts. Not to be outdone, I also had 2 three-putts. It's true, I came on a day, at the end of the summer, when the greenskeeper must have felt like he had run out of hole locations at the end of the season, but there were several times where unless you were directly under the hole, there was no way to keep the ball within a reasonable second putt because of the severe slopes. Oh, and on this particular day, the greens were running ten yards off the stent meter. So far, this would be enough to protect any course from low numbers, but there is one more observation about these greens. The front nine tends to play in a more open setting. The greens get plenty of wind and the sun hardens their hearts. After failing to stop the ball with a 56° from roughly 110 yards out, I learned to treat them with much more respect. But by the time I had adjusted, I reached the back nine, which plays in the hills and trees and tends to be much more moist. A under these conditions, a 6-iron from 180 yards out left crater that was nearly impossible to repair. Not only that but it backed up six feet.

So, what did I think of the course? I loved it! The rest of the course layout and setting is so delightful that I could see myself joyfully playing this course everyday as my home course. It's not too long, there's not too much water, and the water that is present is only a penalty if you really deserve to be penalized. There's only one blind shot that I can remember. The fairways are wide and well groomed. The first cut of rough is reasonable without being overly lush. Stay out of the prairie grass, as you are more likely to find a snake than your ball. There's only a few holes where a neighborhood can be seen (or possibly come into play).

I don't have an official USGA handicap, but my Golfshot App tells me it would be about a 7. On this day, I was playing well and shot a four over 76, with only hitting 64% of the fairways, but hitting 72% of the greens in regulation. I felt like I was putting for birdie all day, but with a 1.94 putts per hole, I had little chance of breaking par.

I would definitely recommend this course to anyone that wants to have a relaxing day from tee to green, but wants a good challenge once they're on the green.

Excellent little course tucked back behind the front range. Not a bad drive from the Springs. Played the blue tees and left my driver in the bag. Many very tight fairways, with very real trouble both right and left. Mid to small greens with significant undulation. A few blind shots. Forgot to pick up a scorecard since I use GolfShot to score my rounds. GPS only failed once, on hole nine, which also happens to be missing the yardage indicators on the tee box. Had to guess which hole to hit at (since there is a practice green in the background that looks like it could be the hole) and guess the yardage on this par three. Other than that, a really fun little mountain course that is well maintained. It had rained a lot the day before and during the round, but the course seemed to drain well, even if the cart path didn't. No complaints! Oh, and I'm going back today to play it again with my brother-in-law. Really looking forward to it.

Overall: Great Course, well designed and tended.

The key with this course is the wind. The front nine is at a higher elevation and is very exposed to the wind. That said, the layout is a little more forgiving, even on windy days. The back nine much lower and appears to be a bit more protected, but the layout is so tight at times, that anything more than a 10 MPH wind can reek havoc, especially holes a strong West/SouthWest wind, since holes 6 through 13 are narrow and play directly into that wind.

I play this course almost monthly throughout the year and always enjoy it. Greens are true and quick. The rough is much heavier that you get with many courses in the Springs. Think lush grass, that even though trimmed, will make you feel like you are playing an overwatered course back East.

There are a lot of lateral hazards, yards, trees, bunkers, etc. to challenge just about every shot, from tee to green. A few sloping fairways, blind shots, and false fronts makes it nice to play with someone who can point out the potential hazards.

Even though it technically possible to reach most of the Par 5s in two, narrow fairways off a drive, or well guarded greens usually end up rewarding the prudent play.