‘The elements – the wind, the roll of the land, the firmness of the turf – shape how you will play this golf course. There’s very little dictation in the design. That makes for ongoing interest over days, months and years.’ Bill Coore

Set amongst the pine-covered hills and lush meadows of Parker, southeast of Denver, the Colorado Golf Club was designed by leading architects Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and opened for play in 2007. In demand and notoriously selective with their projects, the designers were clearly attracted to the undisturbed nature of this 1,700-acre property, and the fact that the golfing part of the development would be free from the encumbrance of associated housing.

Coore and Crenshaw were given great freedoms here, choosing to arrange their course across prime acreage through the center of the site. The routing is broken into two loops, each starting and finishing within the wooded hills and flowing effortlessly up, down and across the steady terrain. Both nines tumble and rise and incorporate ravines, streams and a natural sandy wash along the way. Importantly, despite the size of the golfing area, by keeping tees and greens in close proximity the layout is easily walkable and has a distinct sense of intimacy and flow.

Throughout the round, the undulating playing corridors are generous, but the greens are contoured to encourage golfers to flirt with danger for optimum angles. The variety of green settings is exceptional. As is the bunkering, with the unkempt and naturalistic sand shapes resembling the famous traps on Australia’s Sandbelt. The strategic placement of bunkers across the flatter ground and on the short par fours is particularly impressive.

There are examples of outstanding design all over this property. The par fives tend to be strategically bunkered and offer multiple routes to the green, while the two-shotters are a mix of shorter fours with severe target areas and generously proportioned longer holes that cleverly provide advantageous lines to the golfer who can plan, and then execute, the appropriate drive. The par threes are also well constructed, particularly the short 2^nd with its exquisite green benched into an attractive dune, and the longer 17^th, played across an elbow of a river and into a picturesque right-to-left target.

Other areas worthy of mention include the mid-length 14^th, with its strategic Sand Hills style bunkering, and the tremendous green complex on the strong par five 15^th. On the front nine, the 3^rd is a rather unique par four with a plunging diagonal approach across a sandy arroyo, while the 4^th and 5^th, across the flattest section of the course, are subtle holes with wide fairways that can lull sleepy golfers into soft bogeys. The pronounced ridge through the right side of the 5^th fairway, and the shaping of a green partly obscured for those driving too safely from the tee, are especially good. Best of all is the powerful par four 9^th, played initially across a crest and then featuring a downhill, sideslope second shot into a wonderful green perched on a shallow rise. Like many targets here, this one is boldly contoured to reject the slight mishit, either via its shaved false front or by feeding balls toward traps on either side of the putting surface.

Previously used to raise Arabian horses, the land this course was built on may lack the glamour and obvious raw appeal of a Sand Hills or a Cabot Cliffs or a Friar’s Head, but in the right hands it proved to be ideal for quality golf. Given the strength of the Coore and Crenshaw portfolio, it’s unlikely that Colorado will ever become their flagship layout, but it does further cement their reputation as one of the finest architectural firms of all time.