Saturday Golfer » Colorado Courses

Heritage at Westmoor Golf Course – Review

Chris — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:06:42 +0000

Located in Westminster, CO the Heritage Golf Course at Westmoor is a unique links style layout in the Denver metro area. Opened in 1999 and designed by Hurdzan-Fry the course offers a diverse selection of holes that will challenge golfers of all skill levels. With five sets of tee boxes ranging in distance from 5,200 to 7,420 be sure to choose the set that best fits your game. The course is owned and operated by the city of Westminster and green fees range from $39-45 walking, with extra discounts for Westminster residents.

The practice area offers a large putting green with numerous holes that allow you to get a feel for the speed on the greens. The chipping green is large and offers plenty of space to practice, however it is very elevated making it tough to find a flat lie to chip from. The driving range offers 30 hitting stations and a number of target greens to aim at.

Prior to playing I had heard that the course had very well maintained and fast greens and it lived up to the hype. While the greens do run fast they are smooth and make for nice rolling putts; even if they are blazing by the hole. The course offers fairly generous fairways lined by a lot of natural grass or protected wetlands. At the time we played the course was in great condition (you have to love June golf in Colorado). I enjoyed the diversity that the course offered, as it forced me to play a variety of different shots during the round. The wind can be a major factor in this area of Westminster, often times making the course play a lot harder than it would on a still day. You can walk the course; however there is a lot of elevation change on the back nine that makes it a challenging course to walk.

I enjoyed my round and would recommend the course. The green fees seem to be in line with the quality of the course, we paid $59 for a weekend round with cart. If you haven’t played the course before be sure to check out my hole-by-hole below or view the virtual tour on the course website.

Hole-by-hole analysis:

Hole #1 – The opening hole is a slightly downhill par 4 with a hazard in front of the green that can be reached off the tee. Make sure that you choose you club wisely or you could find a well struck tee shot roll through the fairway into the hazard. You should have a short iron into a green flanked by two bunkers.

Hole #2 – Make sure that you are aware of the bunker in the center of the fairway on this straight par 4. There is trouble left off this tee as the hole is lined by protected wetlands where balls can’t be retrieved. A well place tee shot will leave you with a fairly easy approach into the green.

Hole #3 – The first par 5 of the day offers ample landing area off the tee. You can miss right with your tee shot on this hole, but you will be forced to layup with your second shot. Longer hitters can fly the bunkers that line the left side of the fairway, leaving a great angle and opportunity to hit this green in two.

Hole #4 – The fourth hole is a long downhill par 3 flanked by two greenside bunkers. This large green slopes heavily from back to front, making it a challenging two putt from any location.

Hole #5 – Your line off the tee is the most important thing on this dog leg left par 4. A well struck tee shot aimed at the bunker along the left will provide the best results; however, there is not much room to miss left if you take this aggressive line. A safer play is to take less than driver and aim right off the tee.

Hole #6 – The sixth hole is a slightly downhill par 5 that can be reached in two shots if you find the fairway off the tee. Aiming at the bunkers on the right is the best line off this tee as shots will bounce slightly left off this sloping fairway. The green is flanked by two pot bunkers that make for a challenging up and down.

Hole #7 – The second par 3 on the front nine offers a nice visual with water in front and bunkers surrounding the back of the green. Club selection is key on this hole, making sure that you avoid all of the trouble.

Hole #8 – There is trouble down the entire right side of this hole, with protected wetlands and a large tree that will make your approach shot a headache. You can take less than driver of this tee and look to hit the left side of the hole.

Hole #9 – This short par 4 plays uphill and has a well bunkered fairway. You can be aggressive with driver off this tee, but it is not necessary. Be sure to take enough club with your approach shot as it does play uphill.

Hole #10 – After making the turn you are greeted with par 4 that slopes slightly from right to left. A tee shot down the middle to the right side will leave you the best angle into the green.

Hole #11 – This short par 4 offers a wide fairway, giving you a great opportunity to score on this hole. If you avoid the fairway bunkers you will be left with a short shot into this well bunkered green.

Hole #12 – The twelfth is a long par 4 with fairway bunkers lining the hole. Approach shots that are hit short and offline into this green will be gobbled up by the greenside bunkers. Your approach will play slightly longer than the marked distance so be sure to take enough club.

Hole #13 – I really enjoyed this uphill par 5! The hole has a split fairway as you near the hole with the right side leaving the best angle into the elevated green. This is definitely a three shot par 5, and you want to leave yourself with a short approach shot if possible.

Hole #14 – The fourteenth is a short downhill par 3. Distance control is key on this hole as anything long is dead.

Hole #15 – There is a great view from this elevated tee box. Favor the left side of this long downhill par 4 for the best angle on your approach shot. This hole will often play downwind helping take away some of the distance.

Hole #16 – The sixteenth is a visually pleasing dog leg left par 4 with water bordering the green. The water is reachable off the tee so a shot down the right side of the hole will leave the best angle to this well protected green.

Hole #17 – The green on this par 3 is deep, so make sure that you choose the right club for the pin placement. Tee shots that hit left of the green can funnel back down onto the green if you avoid the bunker.

Hole #18 – The tee shot on the finishing par 5 looks daunting from the tee box. With water right and bunkers left a well placed tee shot is necessary on this hole. Longer hitters can go for this green in two; just make sure to miss left if you miss. This is a great finishing hole that makes you play your best until the end.

While not an overly long par 72 the course will challenge all aspects of your game!

Fitzsimmons Golf Course – Review

Chris — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:18:56 +0000

Fitzsimons Golf Course is a former military course located in Aurora, CO that is now open to the public and offers a great value to Denver area golfers. While the course won’t overwhelm you it delivers a solid track that will be enjoyed by both novices and more advanced players a like. The course has two very diverse nines with the opening nine playing significantly shorter than the back nine. The course has been in good condition each time I have played with very well conditioned greens. There is not a lot of rough on the course, however the course if very open with natural grass and dirt areas bordering the rough that. While these areas don’t look very pretty they are quite playable as long as you don’t mind a few shots over or through trees. The course may not win in awards but it is an exceptional value with 18 holescosting only $22 for Aurora residents.

The front nine play only 2,873 from the back tees with only one par 5 on the card. While the par 4’s won’t overwhelm you with distance most of the holes offer fairly dramatic dog legs that will either require you to carry a set of trees or to shape a shot off the tee. The back is a more traditional layout playing at 3,409 from the back tees. Both par 3’s on the back nine are fairly long and will challenge your long irons. There are low scores to be had on the course especially if you can get the putter going.

The practice facilities are more than adequate and offer players the opportunity to hone their skills for little to no cost. The driving range offers well conditioned grass during the summer months with a length of up to 280 yards. Long hitters may not be able to pull out the big dog put it definitely adequate. There are also two large practices greens where you can practice approach shots of up to about 100 yards. There is also a nice putting green where you can practice both chipping and putting. I have spent quite a bit of time at the practice facility at this course and it is a great way to practice your game free of charge. If you are looking for a good value course Fitzsimons is a great place to play!

Check out all of my photos of this course

The Golf Club at Bear Dance – Review

Chris — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:55:48 +0000

The Golf Club at Bear Dance is Rocky Mountain golf at its finest. Located in Larkspur, CO (between Denver and Colorado Springs) this course may be a short commute from Denver but it feels as if your drove miles into the mountains. I received a gift card to this course for Christmas and I have been itching to play it even since. The course was rated “Best Overall Public or Resort Course” and “#1 Public Course” by Avid Golfer Magazine in 2006 and it deserves these honors. Designed and built by PGA Members Corey Aurand, Stuart Bruening, Dennis Hogan, and Brian Whitcomb, and home to the Colorado Section of the Professional Golfer’s Association of America, Bear Dance provides a true Colorado golf experience.

For those who have played the Prospect course at Suncadia in Washington you may find this course to have many similar qualities. To tell you the truth I kept trying to find out who the course designer was during my round since I found the courses to be so similar (to answer the question they weren’t designed by the same person). The service at Bear Dance was outstanding from the bag drop to receiving a pager to tell you when your group was on the tee I found the facility to be first class. I knew going to my round that the course, and the green in particular were supposed to be challenging and the course lived up to that reputation.

The course provides 5 sets of tee boxes ranging from 7726 to 5240 in yardage, although the tips are not actually open for play. The course is closely guarded by large mature pines that demand accuracy off the tee all day. However, once the tee shot is complete take a deep breath because the fun is about to begin once you hit the large, firm greens. If this is your first time playing the course you will want to know that the greens are fast, but more importantly you will ALWAYS want to keep the ball below the cup to have a chance to make your putt or even keep it close to the hole. Due to the large amount of ridges and elevation changes on the greens getting above the hole will put you at a major disadvantage.

The course was well balance as far as holes go, however the views on the back nine face the mountains to the West and the views are breath taking. The par 4 sixth is one of the signature holes on the course, with this very drivable par 4 guarded by a bear paw shaped bunker on the front of the green. Be careful not to get in the front of this bear paw or you could spend a while trying to get out. I was impressed with the course conditions even during a hot and dry Colorado summer the course was green and lush. Be sure to pick up a yardage book at the start of your round and make use of your cart GPS as there are some blind tee shots on the course.

I was very impressed with Bear Dance and will definitely be making a return trip in the future. If you are a Colorado resident of just visitng you should put this course on your must play list. Due to the great resort setting this course also hosts many weddings and events.

Check out all my photos of the course.