When it comes to fun golf courses, Colorado certainly doesn’t have a corner on the market, but apparently it has more than its fair share.
At least that’s what some rankings in the September issue of Golf Digest tell us. The magazine, famous for its golf course rankings, which date back to 1966, just put a new spin on the theme by coming out with its first list of the “Most Fun Golf Courses” in the country.
And — in what should be no surprise to golfers in Colorado — our state fares quite well. Golf Digest puts 100 courses on its “fun” list — 50 in the public course category and 50 in the private — meaning that your average state should have two entries. But Colorado is far above average, checking in with five, including four in the public course list.
Included is the newest course in the state, Aurora-based CommonGround Golf Course (pictured), which is owned and operated by the CGA and CWGA, and which just served as the second course for the stroke-play portion of the U.S. Amateur. Golf Digest ranks CommonGround 39th in the public course category.
Other Colorado venues on that list are Fox Acres Country Club, a semi-private course accessibile to the public in Red Feather Lakes northwest of Fort Collins. It comes in at No. 17. The Golf Club at Redlands Mesa in Grand Junction is No. 34, while picturesque Arrowhead Golf Club in Littleton is No. 45.
In the private course category, Ballyneal Golf Club in Holyoke finds itself No. 37.
For the record, Pebble Beach Golf Links in California leads the way among public courses — with four Bandon, Ore., layouts in the next five — while Cypress Point, a Monterey-area neighbor of Pebble Beach, gained the top spot in the private category.
Here’s how Golf Digest laid out its thoughts about “fun” golf:
“Golf doesn’t have to be an ordeal. Honestly, when you think back on your most enjoyable rounds, were they on courses that left you bloodied and bruised? No. They were on courses that tested but did not torment you. Challenged but did not chafe you. Made you think but did not make you think about quitting.
“Golf Digest celebrates the best of these layouts with our first ranking of the Most Fun Courses. All of these — 50 public and 50 private — are very good courses, and some of them are great. But each shares one overarching characteristic: a good time is all but guaranteed.”
For its rankings, the magazine put particular emphasis on four considerations: 1. Length does not equal fun; 2. Hard is overrated; 3. Walking is more fun than riding; 4. A welcoming attitude beats a snooty vibe.
Here are Golf Digest’s quickie comments on each of the Colorado courses on the “fun” list:
Fox Acres CC in Red Feather Lakes (Public No. 17) — Charming, shortish course (now semi-private) in a beautiful area west of Fort Collins.
GC at Redland Mesa in Grand Junction (Public No. 34) — A beaut among buttes, where the game is pinball, played off humps and slopes while avoiding stone walls and rock outcroppings.
CommonGround GC in Aurora (Public No. 39) — The walkable, testy Tom Doak design will be the companion course for the 2012 U.S. Amateur. You can play it for $50 (Editor’s Note: $40 for CGA and CWGA members). Juniors walk on for $15.
Arrowhead GC in Littleton (Public No. 45) — Fairways and greens are tucked between gigantic, tilted red rocks that reach to the heavens. Do they actually play this course or just photograph it?
Ballyneal GC (Private No. 37) — Akin to Sand Hills (in Nebraska) with one key distinction: fescue greens that play super-fast down some scary slopes but molasses-slow up them.
To read the Golf Digest story and see the “fun course” rankings, CLICK HERE.
