Our golf season has officially closed, sob. Many of us are planning winter getaways to give us a fix of fairways. Or, we’re just enjoying the special nuances of winter golf in Colorado.
Then there are those of us who take this time to get better. For those golfers who happen to be male and aspire to drive the ball very far, this edition of Fab 5 presents the five most daunting courses in our state.
Please note that all five golf courses have several sets of tees, rated for men, women or both. Some of those tees might be rated as rather friendly, so we’re defining “course” very narrowly.
“In the eyes of course rating, each tee set is its own ‘course,’ so even though a course may be hard from one set of tees, it could be much easier from a different set of tees still being at the same golf course,” says course handicapping guru Aaron Guereca, the CGA’s Manager Director for Club and Facility Services. “Analytically speaking, I would judge the toughest course based on the course rating. The higher the course rating, the harder the course. Remember, slope is simply the mathematical difference between the scratch and bogey players’ difficulty and really isn’t as good of an indicator.”
The bogey golfer has no business playing these particular tees without a winter of extreme training. Even then, you’ll probably have to make a case for why you should be allowed to set foot on these par-72 big boy tees, described below by Mr. McMulligan and listed in order of difficulty.
RainDance National, Tour Tees (79.9 rating/155 slope):
This bully joined us in 2022. Designed by golf course architect Harrison Minchew and former PGA and Champions tour player Fred Funk, the Windsor monster stretches to 8,463 yards from the Tour tees. Ironically Funk was known for his driving accuracy, not distance. The course has the distinction of Sam Saunders, the late Arnold Palmer’s grandson, sharing the course record of 67 along with CSU alumnus Jake Staiano.
Castle Pines Golf Club, International Tees (79.1 rating/154 slope):
Most Colorado golfers know Castle Pines very well, most likely as a spectator when the tour used to play the International there every year. Now the Jack Nicklaus masterpiece hosts a FedEx playoff tournament every so often. Adam Scott and Ludvig Åberg ripped new course records with 63s at the 2024 BMW Championship, a score the typical amateur would be happy with on the front 9.
Antler Creek Golf Course, Black Tees (78.1 rating/144 slope):
Antler Creek (Rick Phelps design) and its 538-yard par-4 12th hole have hosted many CGA qualifiers, including the stroke play and U.S. Mid-Am, along with the 2018 U.S. Kid’s Golf Tournament. The course is not child’s play, though. The 12th is lined by a ravine on the left side, with a narrow fairway defined by mounds on the right. Club champion Brad Besler has shot his record round of 64 three times. Most amateurs are stymied by the 220-yard carry to the first fairway. It doesn’t get any easier.
Cornerstone Club, Plate Tees (77.3 rating/155 slope):
This Matt Dusenberry and Greg Norman design in Montrose brings the beauty as well as the beast. The private course is hailed as a hidden gem, journeying through aspen groves, ravines, sagebrush meadows and scrub oak. The 9,200-foot elevation may give scratch players a 15% boost in distance, but amateurs who struggle with hitting the ball high to benefit from that thin air will be playing to the full nearly 8,000 yards.
TPC Colorado, Tour Tees (77.2 rating/138 slope):
The Tournament Players Course Colorado in Berthoud, like other recent arrivals, is just plain difficult, complete with elevation changes and deep, revetted bunkers. Maybe not that hard for the nine pros who share the 63-shot course record, but brutal for the average golfer. The TPC (Arthur Schaupeter, designer) is home to the Ascendant presented by Blue Federal Credit Union event on the Korn-Ferry tour. At 773 yards, the par-5 13th hole lays claim to the longest hole on any worldwide professional golf tour and it’s the fifth longest hole on any course in the U.S. Despite the length, the tournament director was quoted recently as estimating that 82 players reached the 13th in two shots.
Veteran journalist Susan Fornoff has written about golf for publications including the San Francisco Chronicle, ColoradoBiz magazine and her own GottaGoGolf.com. She provides the voice of “Molly McMulligan,” the CGA’s on-course consultant on golf for fun. Mr. McMulligan, Keith DuBay, is also an accomplished journalist and especially enjoys reviewing golf courses. Email the McMulligans at mollymcmulligan@gmail.com.
——-###——-
Where E Stands for Executive but not Easy
Fun 18s from the Forward Tees
Where to Get in a Quick, Low-Pressure 9