Eight great courses you can play in Colorado

Colorado has stunning natural landscapes that lend themselves to the creation of some truly awe-inspiring golf courses.

The state is spoiled for choice for great public access courses thanks to a rich tradition in amateur golf.

Here we look at eight great layouts in the state that anyone can play.

Grand Elk Ranch and Club

Grand County’s only ‘Heathland’ style golf course at Grand Elk Ranch and Club showcases the rugged natural beauty you’d expect to find in Colorado.

The layout is a great example of designers creating an exciting Heathland style track that throws more than a few surprises at the first-time players.

For the 2024 season the club’s green fees are in the $129-$149 range.

Wellshire Golf Course

One of eight courses under the stewardship of Denver Parks and Recreation department, Wellshire is the only public course West of the Mississippi that is a Donald Ross design.

The track is known for its challenging greens and narrow fairways and features stunning vistas of the Rocky Mountains.

Green fees at the history-rich muni range between $30-$55.

Pole Creek Golf Club

Pole Creek Golf Club boasts the distinction of being one of the few public 27-hole golf courses in Colorado and stands as a gem of the Rocky Mountain region.

Stretching out over a majestic 7,107 yards, the Pole Creek Golf Club course is a tapestry of breathtaking landscapes, weaving through verdant fields bursting with native wildflowers.

The terrain is a thrilling challenge, featuring dramatic elevation shifts that test even the most seasoned golfers. The vast, meticulously maintained bent greens are a golfer’s delight, offering a smooth, consistent playing surface that complements the course’s natural beauty.

The unique challenges of maintaining a course on Colorado are well met.

Rollingstone Ranch Golf Club

Master architect Robert Trent Jones II laid out the stunner that is the Rollingstone Ranch Golf Club course with incredible views of the Yampa Valley. Fish Creek winds its way through seven of the holes.

Being at the Sheraton Steamboat Resort, you would get the best rates to play the course when staying at the mountain getaway.

The course is scenic and it has been noted that players frequently encounter local wildlife on their walk.

Interlocken Golf Club

Interlocken Golf Club is made up of three nine-hole layouts with distinct qualitiesm featuring striking scenery and more than 400 feet of elevation changes.

The course also runs a coaching programme under Dan Sniffin.

For a resort course the green fees are quite a reasonable $85-$180 depending on your options. You can also enjoy nine holes for $50 as a visitor.

Haymaker Golf Course

Players are rewarded by uninterrupted vistas of the Yampa Valley and Mount Werner on every hole of the Haymaker Golf Course which has been frequently lauded among the best publicly accessible courses in the state.

The course lends itself to golfers of all abilities from the novice to the professional and the only distraction is the local wildlife that calls the spectacular setting home.

Green fees of between $92-$154 are justified considering the impeccable condition the course is kept in.

West Woods Golf Club

Each of the three nines at West Woods Golf Club sports its own personality and the club is known for mixing up daily combinations.

The city of Arvada built the first two nines at West Woods in 1994 with those two courses – the Sleeping Indian and the Cottonwood – designed by one of Colorado’s best-known golf architects, Richard M. Phelps.

Phelps’ son, Rick, then laid out the third nine-hole course, the Silo, in 1998 and 1999.

Coal Creek Golf Course

The decorated Coal Creek Golf Course features several water obstacles, a variety of elevation changes, meandering fairways, and strategically incorporated bunkers that add challenge to stunning scenery.

A unique and challenging golf course, Coal Creek plays from 4,825-7,017 yards and to a par of 72.

The layout was originally designed by Dick Phelps in 1990, however it had to be redesigned by Kevin Norby after Coal Creek was destroyed in a 2013 flood. It was reopened in June 2015.