Great Course. Play it about 3 times per year. Hosted the Colorado open in 09 I think.

Great Course. Play it about 3 times per year. Hosted the Colorado open in 09 I think.

Played here in early August:

We got rained out at Bear Dance and never got to play there but still were trying to play somewhere else. The proshop at Murphy Creek said that they were wide open and ... Continue »

Played here in early August:

We got rained out at Bear Dance and never got to play there but still were trying to play somewhere else. The proshop at Murphy Creek said that they were wide open and to come on out so we headed over there. I didn’t research this course at all before the trip but knew that quite a few people liked it. It was priced right at $39 for a twilight time and we were just trying to get around before dark so it wouldn’t feel like a wasted day. We ended up teeing off at 5:15pm and just squeezed in the round as darkness fell so everything worked out. I’m sure we kept the staff late so a special thanks to them!

We played the Blue tees which play 72.1/132/6909 and the course has two completely different nines. I loved the front nine as it plays on the desolate prairie but didn’t enjoy the back as much since many of the holes play through the homes. The front is as good as it gets when it comes to golf on flat land and many holes have the treeless links feel to them. These holes are out in the open, have fescue lining the fairways, and have some waste bunkers that come into play. The par 3’s, 4’s, and 5’s are all different distances too so there were a good variety of challenges with some views of the front range off in the distance. The 9th hole is a drivable par 4 and one of the better ones that I’ve played. In fact, the front has multiple risk-reward holes.

The back nine is completely different with some wetlands and man-made water hazards in play on many of the holes. Homes line most of the holes (and are quite close too) so it is a pretty dramatic change from the front. The back nine is about 200 yards longer and more about position with narrower fairways. I like consistent scenery when playing a course and the change with home after home on the back was too abrupt for my liking. I’d still recommend the course and enjoyed it but the front is going to create all the buzz.

The course was in very nice condition like every other place that we played in Colorado. I believe that this is a city course and that makes the conditions even more impressive. There were very few ball marks and divots, the fairways were cut short, and the greens were smooth. I’d say the greens were a bit slower than they looked, but that doesn’t bother me. I did notice a couple patched sections but it didn’t look like they would have any affect on play. Apparently the course is ranked among the top 10 public courses in Colorado as recent as a couple years ago which I found surprising. I haven’t played a bunch of courses in the state so I’m not an expert on the subject, but that ranking seems generous considering all the homes. I don’t think someone is going to be disappointed with the course and I’d certainly recommend it, although a super twilight rate would have been nice.