Colorado Golf Trip - Suggestions for 10 courses in 5 days

I plan an annual guys trip for 4 where we play 18 on our arrival day and departure days, and 36 a day for 4 days in between. 10 rounds total - nothing but golf and good dinners. Does anyone have suggestions for a Colorado trip where we'd fly into Denver, maybe stay and play along the I-70 corridor in between? I'm looking for both course ideas and places to stay. Also, any good experiences with a company that could package a trip like this for us? We've used Golf Zoo in the past, but they don't have anything in Colorado.

On the 36-hole days, we're open to two 18-hole courses in close proximity, or a replay option if the course is worth it.

Thanks in advance!

Completely depends on how much driving you want to do. I would recommend working your way from the airport to south Denver down into castle rock. Good public courses and fun tracks to play. I LOVE those trips!

FYI Nebraska has a lot to offer for these types of trips as well.

Ideally we'd like to get a condo or hotel and not have to change during the trip. Then we'd be ok driving up to an hour away. So I was kind of thinking about maybe playing on Denver on the way in and out, but playing along the i70 corridor around beaver creek. Any thoughts on this?

What would you suggest for Nebraska?

Alright, if cost isn't a factor, here is what I would probably do:

Day 1 (Arrival):
Common Ground GC - http://www.commongroundgc.com/ - Fun but not too challenging, good warm up.

Day 2 (Mountain Day):
Morning: Raven @ Three Peaks - http://www.ravenatthreepeaks.com/
Afternoon: Keystone River Course - http://www.keystoneresort.com/golf/the-river-course.aspx
Optional: Breckenridge Golf - http://www.townofbreckenridge.com/index.aspx?page=593

Day 3 (East Denver)
Morning: Murphy Creek - https://www.auroragov.org/thingstodo/golf/golfcourses/murphycreek/index.htm
Afternoon: Saddlerock - https://www.auroragov.org/ThingsToDo/Golf/GolfCourses/SaddleRock/index.htm
Optional: Heritage Eagle Bend - http://www.heritageeaglebend.com/

Day 4 (South Denver)
Morning: Ridge at Castle Pines - http://www.playtheridge.com/index.php
Afternoon: Bear Dance - http://www.beardancegolf.com/
Optional: Arrowhead - http://www.arrowheadcolorado.com/

After day 4 I would suggest changing hotels, and going south to Colorado Springs and book rooms at the Broadmoor, therefore:

Day 5:
Morning: Broadmoor East - http://www.broadmoor.com/east-golf-course/
Afternoon: Broadmoor Mountain - http://www.broadmoor.com/mountain-golf-course/

Either go back to Denver for last night or stay in C. Springs

Day 6 (Departure Day)
Morning: Green Valley Ranch - http://www.gvrgolf.com/

You could really switch out the first and last day's courses pretty easily.

Here are some other "Days" if you didn't want to do C.Springs

Morning: Colorado National Golf Club - http://www.coloradonationalgolfclub.com/
Afternoon: Omni Interlocken - http://www.omnihotels.com/golf/denver/

Vail to Summit County:
Morning: Red Sky Ranch - Which ever course is open, but I think you have to stay at a Vail resorts property - http://www.redskygolfclub.com/
Afternoon: Any of the courses mentioned for Day 2.

Hope this gives you some options.

Looks like a great itinerary. I'll check it out. Thanks for the suggestions!

I agree with CSURam_06 recommendations and would add:

Denver:[list]
[*]Fossil Trace
[*]Fox Hollow
[*]Riverdale Dunes
[/list]
Steamboat [list]
[*]Haymaker
[*]Rollingstone Ranch
[/list]
Winter Park[list]
[*]Pole Creek
[*]Grand Elk
[*]Headwaters
[/list]

Thanks wfwp. I've heard good things about Fossil Trace and Riverdale Dunes. Have to check out the others. Not sure that we'll be able to make it up to Steamboat on this trip, unfortunately.

Since you guys are coming from out of state, two courses that will probably be unlike any other course you will ever play, Arrowhead and Fossil Trace. Not sure the dates you are planning on but maybe find out the course conditions for Arrowhead as the greens can get spotty. Every hole could be its own postcard though. Fossil Trace is a ton of fun with the unique design style of Jim Engh. Soup Bowl Greens and bumper bowling fairways leads to 2-3 extra fairways hit and possibly 2-3 extra greens in reg. NOTE: Engh's designs tend to be love/hate but when you're in CO you need to play at least one of his courses.

Flying in or out days, Riverdale Dunes, Green Valley Ranch, or Murphy Creek are the best options. Riverdale is always in very good condition and a ton of fun. GVR is near the airport, so if you don't have a lot of time before flying it will be your only option.

36 day combos. Fossil with Heritage at Westmoor, Fox Hollow, or Deer Creek. I like Westmoor more than the other two but that's personal preference. Riverdale with Heritage at Todd Creek, Murphy Creek, or Green Valley. My preference is Murph over the other two. Commonground with Murphy could easily be done as well. Tom Doak designed Commonground, so if you're a fan of his then obviously Commonground is a no brainer. Bear Dance with Ridge at Castle Pines, or Red Hawk Ridge(Engh).

You will need to do one day in the mountains. Summit county and Winter Park/Grandby are most logical. Breck has 27 holes and should be #1 for Summit. Raven at Three Peaks is my next recommendation. If those two don't work Keystone has two fun courses making for an easy 36. Winter Park/Grandby: I like Grand Elk the best. Pole Creek has 3 very good nines. Ridge 9 is the best of the 3. Haven't played the other two in the area.

If you guys are in your 30s or 40s, I would recommend staying in the Lower Highlands area, or LOHI as it is referred to. Several top restaurants in the area with a top 50 bar in the world, William and Graham. The only bar to make the list not on the coast. Otherwise downtown would be most logical. Be sure to check out Peaks Lounge at Hyatt Regency. It's the best place to watch the sun go down in Denver. If you go to Summit County check out The Mint for dinner and/or Dillon Dam Brewery. Winter Park doesn't have much in the way of a brewery but Devils Thumb resort is well known for its fine dining. NOTE: It is voted the most romantic place to have dinner in CO. but shouldn't detour you guys from an endless wine menu and good food. Be sure to look up local microbreweries where you end up staying as CO has the most microbreweries in the US.

Other things to check out if you have time or desire would be Coors Brewery, Red Rocks Amphitheater, Stranahans Whiskey tour, or even a Rockies game. Plenty of other outdoorsy stuff but sounds like golf is the agenda.

Finally, get to the airport at least 2 hours early to check it out..seriously. It has a lot to check out as it is a city unto itself. I would recommend getting a meal at Rootdown or Elway's as you can be seated within 15 minutes. If you were to go those restaurants in Denver they could be an hour plus for a table.

Appreciate all the great suggestions. For all of these courses, is there anyway to book in advance beyond the typical 1-week out? When we've gone throu golf zoo in advance, we are able to get tee times 90 days in advance to have our trip locked in. I'm a little concerned if we book our flights and then have to wait a week out to get our tee times. Any experience with how this is typically done for a trip like this?

[quote name='AU94CMK' timestamp='1421443173' post='10759283']
I plan an annual guys trip for 4 where we play 18 on our arrival day and departure days, and 36 a day for 4 days in between. 10 rounds total - nothing but golf and good dinners. Does anyone have suggestions for a Colorado trip where we'd fly into Denver, maybe stay and play along the I-70 corridor in between? I'm looking for both course ideas and places to stay. Also, any good experiences with a company that could package a trip like this for us? We've used Golf Zoo in the past, but they don't have anything in Colorado.

On the 36-hole days, we're open to two 18-hole courses in close proximity, or a replay option if the course is worth it.

Thanks in advance!
[/quote]

Played 4 courses out there on my first Denver trip this past September. All the courses we played were in the Castle Pines/Littleton area. My favorite course that we played was Bear Dance. What a pleasure this course was. Beautiful scenery and every hole was unique and challenging. Greens were in great shape and if I lived out there and had the money, was the course I would join. Loved it.

The second pick is a toss up between The Ridge at Castle Pines and Arrowhead. My buddy was a member at The Ridge at the time and he loves the course, but if I had to go back and only play one, I would probably choose Arrowhead. Can't go wrong with either one.

We had a tee time at Murphy Creek but a rainstorm on our last day, made getting there impossible since my flight was leaving right after we were to finish.

[quote name='AU94CMK' timestamp='1421768780' post='10783085']
Appreciate all the great suggestions. For all of these courses, is there anyway to book in advance beyond the typical 1-week out? When we've gone throu golf zoo in advance, we are able to get tee times 90 days in advance to have our trip locked in. I'm a little concerned if we book our flights and then have to wait a week out to get our tee times. Any experience with how this is typically done for a trip like this?
[/quote]

I would call the courses. They will probably require a phone number or credit card to hold the tee time that far out. Morning tee times will be the ones you have to worry about as most courses are pretty open in the afternoon.

Also, look at how far away the suggestions are from each other. Driving up to the mountains, playing 36 holes, and driving back is a LONG day. Potentially rewarding but very long.

With no special course access and looking to play fun Colorado courses, I'd look at starting in east Denver, working around south, and potentially to the west.
Green Valley Ranch, Murphy Creek, Commonground and Heritage Eagle Bend are good around the airport for the first couple days.
Ridge at Castle Pines, Bear Dance, and Red Hawk Ridge are all fun courses down south that have a cool mountain-ish feel to them.
Arrowhead and Fossil Trace out west are both fun, unique Denver courses.

I personally would recommend playing 36 holes at the same course for each day. This would work a lot better for booking in advance, making the turn, grabbing lunch, etc.

[quote name='irvtrain' timestamp='1421648574' post='10774753']
Otherwise downtown would be most logical.
[/quote]

I disagree with staying in downtown for lodging, unless the group really wants to go bar hopping in the evenings. The added hassle of traffic and parking garages (especially at $20-35/night) is simply unnecessary. If they are considering a day in the mountains, staying over by the I-70/C-470 area (Colorado Mills) sounds more logical. It gives them easy access to the I-70 corridor, then they can use C-470 south towards I-25 for any courses in the south.

[quote name='pseudoswede' timestamp='1422377334' post='10828087']
[quote name='irvtrain' timestamp='1421648574' post='10774753']
Otherwise downtown would be most logical.
[/quote]

I disagree with staying in downtown for lodging, unless the group really wants to go bar hopping in the evenings. The added hassle of traffic and parking garages (especially at $20-35/night) is simply unnecessary. If they are considering a day in the mountains, staying over by the I-70/C-470 area (Colorado Mills) sounds more logical. It gives them easy access to the I-70 corridor, then they can use C-470 south towards I-25 for any courses in the south.
[/quote]

Well the OP wanted nice dinners and wanted to stay in a VRBO versus hotel. That's why I suggested downtown as a backup to LOHI since parking most likely will be included with a condo downtown.

I would avoid the Mills since the only two nicer dinners would be The Keg and Yardhouse.

Here's an itinerary that varies quite a bit from those mentioned above (great suggestions by the way). It doesn't take you into the mountains and keeps you primarily north of I-70. A decent base camp would be in Westminster near the Church Ranch and U.S 36 (Boulder Turnpike)intersection (a fair number of newer hotels in this area as well as some dining options). From here you're only 20 minutes south of downtown Boulder where there's lots of dining opportunities. Some of these were previously mentioned and many of are municipal courses with very good reputations and conditions. Most of them offer great views of the mountains as well.

Day 1 - Todd Creek (just north of airport)

Day 2 - Riverdale Dunes (Thornton) & Heritage (Westminster)

Day 3 - Westwoods (27 hole course in Arvada) & Fossil Trace (Golden)

Day 4 - Colorado National (Erie) & Broadlands (Broomfield)

Day 5 - Marianna Butte (Loveland) & Ute Creek (Longmont)

Day 6 - Green Valley Ranch (Just south of airport in Denver)

A couple of other courses in Westminster are Legacy Ridge and Hyland Hills (27 holes + a couple of par threes). Just a word of caution if you do decide to play Arrowhead.....do so AFTER 10:00 a.m. otherwise there's a high likelihood that you'll get blown off the face of the earth. It's a beautiful course but the early morning winds can make it miserable.

[quote name='Gary8180' timestamp='1422424965' post='10833095']
Just a word of caution if you do decide to play Arrowhead.....do so AFTER 10:00 a.m. otherwise there's a high likelihood that you'll get blown off the face of the earth. It's a beautiful course but the early morning winds can make it miserable.
[/quote]

Boy, isn't that the truth! Me and a buddy had the first tee time there on a day back in September. About sun up, the wind started kicking up. We teed off just as the sun came up. The starter says "its gonna get windy, but it will quit around 10." I have never played golf in such a strong wind. It was crazy. Had to be 40-50mph at times. But promptly at 10, the wind died and it was a beautiful sunny day. Weird.

[quote name='Gary8180' timestamp='1422424965' post='10833095']
Here's an itinerary that varies quite a bit from those mentioned above (great suggestions by the way). It doesn't take you into the mountains and keeps you primarily north of I-70. A decent base camp would be in Westminster near the Church Ranch and U.S 36 (Boulder Turnpike)intersection (a fair number of newer hotels in this area as well as some dining options). From here you're only 20 minutes south of downtown Boulder where there's lots of dining opportunities. Some of these were previously mentioned and many of are municipal courses with very good reputations and conditions. Most of them offer great views of the mountains as well.

Day 1 - Todd Creek (just north of airport)

Day 2 - Riverdale Dunes (Thornton) & Heritage (Westminster)

Day 3 - Westwoods (27 hole course in Arvada) & Fossil Trace (Golden)

Day 4 - Colorado National (Erie) & Broadlands (Broomfield)

Day 5 - Marianna Butte (Loveland) & Ute Creek (Longmont)

Day 6 - Green Valley Ranch (Just south of airport in Denver)

A couple of other courses in Westminster are Legacy Ridge and Hyland Hills (27 holes + a couple of par threes). Just a word of caution if you do decide to play Arrowhead.....do so AFTER 10:00 a.m. otherwise there's a high likelihood that you'll get blown off the face of the earth. It's a beautiful course but the early morning winds can make it miserable.
[/quote]

Good suggestions but avoid Westwoods as their greens are always ridiculously slow.

[quote name='exgolfpro' timestamp='1423064916' post='10883031']
[quote name='Gary8180' timestamp='1422424965' post='10833095']
Just a word of caution if you do decide to play Arrowhead.....do so AFTER 10:00 a.m. otherwise there's a high likelihood that you'll get blown off the face of the earth. It's a beautiful course but the early morning winds can make it miserable.
[/quote]

Boy, isn't that the truth! Me and a buddy had the first tee time there on a day back in September. About sun up, the wind started kicking up. We teed off just as the sun came up. The starter says "its gonna get windy, but it will quit around 10." I have never played golf in such a strong wind. It was crazy. Had to be 40-50mph at times. But promptly at 10, the wind died and it was a beautiful sunny day. Weird.
[/quote]

LOL, those are the convective winds, where hot air is rising and the cold air is literally racing down the side of the mountains. Though rare, some areas can have gusts up to 80-90mph at times. Even after spending part of my childhood out there, I never got used to that wind.

I highly suggest spending one day in the Glenwood/Aspen area. Maybe play Ironbridge and one of the CC courses in Aspen/Snowmass. Stay at the Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs, right on the I-70 corridor. Plus they have the largest hot springs pool in the world, which sounds good after a 36 hole day. Only about 3 hours from Denver also, so if you did a day in Vail/Breckenridge in between it would be a reasonable travel distance. Plus the courses are at around 6000 feet so you get to feel good about your distance.

[quote name='stk13' timestamp='1423118686' post='10888457']
Plus the courses are at around 6000 feet so you get to feel good about your distance.
[/quote]

That's just Denver metro. The mountain courses are at 9000ft-ish elevation. Giggity.

[quote name='pseudoswede' timestamp='1423176010' post='10893263']
[quote name='stk13' timestamp='1423118686' post='10888457']
Plus the courses are at around 6000 feet so you get to feel good about your distance.
[/quote]

That's just Denver metro. The mountain courses are at 9000ft-ish elevation. Giggity.
[/quote]

I grew up in the Aspen area, so i had a false impression of how far drives were supposed to go. Living at sea-level knocked me down a couple pegs.

[quote name='AU94CMK' timestamp='1421768780' post='10783085']
Appreciate all the great suggestions. For all of these courses, is there anyway to book in advance beyond the typical 1-week out? When we've gone throu golf zoo in advance, we are able to get tee times 90 days in advance to have our trip locked in. I'm a little concerned if we book our flights and then have to wait a week out to get our tee times. Any experience with how this is typically done for a trip like this?
[/quote]

If you do head up to Breckenridge, which is roughly 90 minutes from C-470 and I-70, they have a pre-paid option that will allow you to pre-book/pre-pay any regular tee time during the season saving a few $. This doesn't apply to late day twilight times. (I'm not sure what you date parameters are, their season is generally Memorial weekend thru the first weekend in October), Reductions in player numbers are not a big deal and cancellations incur only a small fee if not on the day of play-which is fair. And you could play 27 seeing all 3 three excellent nines or 36 playing one nine twice. Not sure when they will release the 2015 season tee sheet for this option. You could either check out their web site or call the shop Mon-Fri; the Head Pro is in a lot this time of year.

[quote name='irvtrain' timestamp='1423093729' post='10886057']
[quote name='Gary8180' timestamp='1422424965' post='10833095']
Here's an itinerary that varies quite a bit from those mentioned above (great suggestions by the way). It doesn't take you into the mountains and keeps you primarily north of I-70. A decent base camp would be in Westminster near the Church Ranch and U.S 36 (Boulder Turnpike)intersection (a fair number of newer hotels in this area as well as some dining options). From here you're only 20 minutes south of downtown Boulder where there's lots of dining opportunities. Some of these were previously mentioned and many of are municipal courses with very good reputations and conditions. Most of them offer great views of the mountains as well.

Day 1 - Todd Creek (just north of airport)

Day 2 - Riverdale Dunes (Thornton) & Heritage (Westminster)

Day 3 - Westwoods (27 hole course in Arvada) & Fossil Trace (Golden)

Day 4 - Colorado National (Erie) & Broadlands (Broomfield)

Day 5 - Marianna Butte (Loveland) & Ute Creek (Longmont)

Day 6 - Green Valley Ranch (Just south of airport in Denver)

A couple of other courses in Westminster are Legacy Ridge and Hyland Hills (27 holes + a couple of par threes). Just a word of caution if you do decide to play Arrowhead.....do so AFTER 10:00 a.m. otherwise there's a high likelihood that you'll get blown off the face of the earth. It's a beautiful course but the early morning winds can make it miserable.
[/quote]

Good suggestions but avoid Westwoods as their greens are always ridiculously slow.
[/quote]

Agree. Replace westwoods. with maybe Fox Hollow. Another 27 hole course, with good variety. It would be about 15 min south of westwoods.

Lots of great info provided above.

IMO you should try to spend plenty of time in the mountains. Great views and tracks.

Summit County in order.
The Raven-Tom Lehman.
Breckenridge-Nicklaus. I like the Beaver and Bear 9's. But, all 3 are good. You can also play 27 in a day.
Keystone. I like the River more than the Ranch.

Eagle County
Cordillera Mountain-Hale Irwin. Cordillera courses can be played if you stay in certain hotels in Vail and Beaver Creek.
Red Sky Ranch Norman.
Cordillera summit-Nicklaus.
Red Sky Ranch-Fazio
Cordillera Valley-Fazio
Gypsum Creek-Good views and great deals on golfnow.
Beaver Creek-Robert Trent Jones Jr.
Vail Golf Club. Not my favorite but an easy walk and cheap deals.

Denver Metro
Ridge at Castle Pines.
Bear Dance. Mountain golf without the I70 drive.
Green Valley Ranch. Closest to the airport. Hosts the Colorado Open.
Riverdale Dunes. The Knolls is not worth playing.
Heritage Westmoor.
Omni Interlocken. 27 holes to play. I like Vista/Sunshine the best.
Legacy Ridge.

Colorado Springs
Broadmoor. East and Mountain courses are great.

Please come back and let us know what you played and liked.

Day 1 - go north to the rivendale , your already both by the airport. Drive back and stay around the northfield

Day 2 - 20 minute drive east to Murphy creek and saddle rock (10 minutes apart and very differnt courses). Drive south a bit and stay in park meadows

Day 3 - the ridge and broadmoor
1 hour drive down south. Go to the ridge first, then broadmoor. Spend time at the hotel and stay if you can

Day 4 - arrowhead and fossil trace
1 hour drive west, start at arrowhead and go to fossil trace. Stay in golden

Day 5 - green valley ranch. Head back to the airport and play gvr


Personally these are all some of my favorite places in co. I'd avoid the mountains since time is of the essence, you never know what i70 will be like. Nothing worse than spending 6 hours from dia to get where you want to go... And 4 more back to the city.


All of the courses I've listed are close to each other. The one interchangeable I might have would be the riverdale. Really fun course but in the middle of no where. Maybe substitute this with gvr on the first day. Then on the last day coming back from golden play the meadows out west.

[quote name='AFatMonkey' timestamp='1423896993' post='10950819']
Day 1 - go north to the rivendale , your already both by the airport. Drive back and stay around the northfield

Day 2 - 20 minute drive east to Murphy creek and saddle rock (10 minutes apart and very differnt courses). Drive south a bit and stay in park meadows

Day 3 - the ridge and broadmoor
1 hour drive down south. Go to the ridge first, then broadmoor. Spend time at the hotel and stay if you can

Day 4 - arrowhead and fossil trace
1 hour drive west, start at arrowhead and go to fossil trace. Stay in golden

Day 5 - green valley ranch. Head back to the airport and play gvr


Personally these are all some of my favorite places in co. I'd avoid the mountains since time is of the essence, you never know what i70 will be like. Nothing worse than spending 6 hours from dia to get where you want to go... And 4 more back to the city.


All of the courses I've listed are close to each other. The one interchangeable I might have would be the riverdale. Really fun course but in the middle of no where. Maybe substitute this with gvr on the first day. Then on the last day coming back from golden play the meadows out west.
[/quote]


I think you just nailed a good schedule. That would be a fun circuit!

[quote name='AFatMonkey' timestamp='1423896993' post='10950819']
Day 1 - go north to the rivendale , your already both by the airport. Drive back and stay around the northfield

Day 2 - 20 minute drive east to Murphy creek and saddle rock (10 minutes apart and very differnt courses). Drive south a bit and stay in park meadows

Day 3 - the ridge and broadmoor
1 hour drive down south. Go to the ridge first, then broadmoor. Spend time at the hotel and stay if you can

Day 4 - arrowhead and fossil trace
1 hour drive west, start at arrowhead and go to fossil trace. Stay in golden

Day 5 - green valley ranch. Head back to the airport and play gvr


Personally these are all some of my favorite places in co. I'd avoid the mountains since time is of the essence, you never know what i70 will be like. Nothing worse than spending 6 hours from dia to get where you want to go... And 4 more back to the city.


All of the courses I've listed are close to each other. The one interchangeable I might have would be the riverdale. Really fun course but in the middle of no where. Maybe substitute this with gvr on the first day. Then on the last day coming back from golden play the meadows out west.
[/quote]


Pretty good. I would take out Fossil Trace and replace with Red Rocks CC. Fossil Trace is a little too gimmicky for me!

Been reading through lots of Colorado golf threads, lots of good info and help from you Coloradoians/ites :)

We're going to be doing a Memorial Day weekend trip 18/36/36/18 and really have 5 of the 6 courses nailed down already (Broadmoor E/W, Bear Dance, The Ridge, GVR for airport getaway).

My question is more a schedule/linking of Colorado Springs back to Denver. My mate has meetings that *should* be done by noon, but you never know, we figure as long as we're teeing off by 3pm somewhere we're grand. The distance seems fairly short, but I've read a few folks mentioning traffic and it is Memorial Day weekend.

With a Friday lunchtime start, does

Fri - Bear Dance

Sat - Broadmoor x 36

Sun - The Ridge + Something

Mon - GVR

OR

Fri - Denver Metro course, with early drive down to Colorado Springs Sat morning

Sat - Broadmoor x36

Sun - Bear Dance/The Ridge

Mon - GVR

As a plus (or minus depending on the weather), I have a late flight Mon and will likely go back out and play CG or Riverdale after the airport run.

You really can't go wrong with either option.

If you choose option #1, as long as you're south of Castle Rock by 2pm, then making it to Bear Dance for a 3pm tee time will give you plenty of time to warm up. Traffic on a holiday Friday tends to start around 2pm. The problem is that I'm not sure what second course you could play on Sunday. The two closest options would be Red Hawk Ridge or Lone Tree Golf Club--neither of which I would classify as a must-play in Colorado. Maybe Arrowhead? A dark horse candidate would be South Suburban Golf Course--especially if the weekend is hot and dry, the greens are brutally tough and fast.

If you went with option #2, then I would probably suggest Fox Hollow on Friday. Again, not a must-play, but it is an enjoyable track with the added bonus of it being 27 holes. If you started at 1pm, you could easily play all 27, be done by 7:30pm, and avoid any holiday rush traffic.

Do you only have Saturday night booked at the Broadmoor? If you've never stayed there, consider also staying there Friday night. It's an incredible place. If you want something cheap and basic for Friday night, I would recommend the Quality Suites near downtown Colorado Springs.

^Thanks for the info :)

We're now toying with the idea of the Rockies game on that Friday if the weather looks good, as a few pints and food outside with a crack of the bat in the background could be fun. So with that we'd be staying in Denver Fri night too on points, then head South Sat morning. Reckon Bear Dance, with East Course twilight time works then.

Fri - So one of Fox Hollow, Fossil Trace, Common Ground

Sat - Bear Dance/East Course

Sun - The Ridge/ + 1 of those first 3 we didn't play maybe

Mon- GVR

Apart from Bear Dance and The Ridge, my reading up seemed to indicate that Red Hawk Ridge is another decent option between Colorado Springs and Denver. Patty Jewett interest me based on it being a really old course, but have read it can be a slog.

TBH, the initial plan before my friend's schedule changed was to fly in Thurs night and road trip it to Nebraska for the weekend at Prairie Club, plus a few courses on the way. But this is hardly a bad backup plan. Always fun to play new courses in new locations :)