Golf Course Review by: Billy Satterfield
The Takeaway: A reprieve within the urban setting of the Mile High City, Denver CC is a great classic course with top shelf conditioning and a more friendly layout than nearby Cherry Hills' championship design. Grade B+
Quick Facts
Designer: James Foulis 1905 (additional work over the years by Donald Ross, William Flynn, A.W. Tillinghast, William Diddle, Ed Seay, Coore & Crenshaw, and Gil Hanse)
Cost: Private
Phone Number: 303-733-8242
Course Website: Official Website - Visit Denver Country Club's official website by clicking on the link provided.
Directions: Get here! - 1700 E 1st Avenue, Denver, Colorado 80218 – UNITED STATES
Photos: See additional photos of Denver Country Club
What to Expect: Denver Country Club is a classic course in the middle of town that has seen several improvements to the greens, bunkers, and other subtle changes that Gil Hanse employed to restore the course to its early days of glory. The result brings Cherry Creek more into play which brings more engaging strategy and beauty to the course. Though it doesn't feature the length of nearby Cherry Hills, Denver CC still tips out over 7000 yards and features a very nice property to walk with your caddie as there is some movement in the terrain during the opening holes of each nine and flat holes to finish on. The smooth routing has the front nine mainly occupying the western side of the property while the inward nine traverses along the eastern end. But it is the wonderful greens that are the clear highlight of the course with Hanse shaping slow, steady slopes in the putting surfaces rather than heavy undulations. These surfaces take a deft touch to conquer and can be sped up when wanting to deliver a professional level challenge while still having fair pin placements. Hanse moved several greens closer to Cherry Creek, which meanders east to west through the course, and effectively increased the demand on approach shots while delivering a superior audio experience hearing the rumbling waters roll by. From a conditioning standpoint, you can hardly ask for anything better as the turf features a near idyllic balance of firmness while remaining receptive in the fairways and on the greens. While nearby Cherry Hills and its pedigree garner the most attention in the Mile High City's urban location, the nearby Denver CC is the type of course you could enjoy more easily on an everyday with comfortable terrain to traverse and design features that are meant to be more enjoyable than punishing. with easily traversed terrain and subtle design features that you appreciate more and more each loop around. Denver CC is a great classic course that is overshadowed by Cherry Hills' pedigree but stands on well on its own two feet.
By the Numbers
| Tees | Par | Yardage | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 71 | 7039 | 72.8 | 135 |
| 2 | 71 | 6395 | 69.8 | 131 |
| 3 | 71 | 5875 | 67.8 | 125 |
| 4 | 71 | 5086 | 64.2 | 109 |
| 5 | 71 | 3843 | N/A | N/A |
Individual Hole Analysis
Signature Hole: 5th Hole – 190 Yard Par 3 – Playing from one of the high points of the property, the downhill 5th hole is an attractive one-shotter that drops 25 feet enroute to the green and has one of the course's largest bunkers and water flanking the left side while a smaller bunker sits on the right. The elevated tee and lack of trees delivers more exposure to the wind and can have a strong influence on the flight of the ball. It is a beautiful hole, especially for being in a large metro setting.
Best Par 3: 12th Hole – 213 Yards – Gil Hanse made this a much better hole than previously by bringing the green closer to Cherry Creek and the peril that comes with it. A half dozen bunkers encircle the green with a heavier amount of sand on the right side between the green and the creek while the bank on the left side can help kick balls onto the putting surface. The sound of Cherry Creek babbling through the property brings a sense of being removed from the hustle and bustle of the regular world which is challenging to accomplish in an urban setting.
Best Par 4: 3rd Hole – 427 Yards – The 3rd is a dogleg left where you'll only want to hit driver if you plan on carrying the fairway bunker on the inside corner since hitting straight away could put you through the fairway and into the rough. Players that draw one around the corner will be richly rewarded as the fairway slopes downhill at that point and yields extra yardage on drives. The approach shot plays to a green with a single bunker on the left and two on the right, but it is the putting surface with its subtitles that are the highlight of the property. Players attacking a big pin too aggressively will find a green that slopes away in the back and will pull balls in the thick rough behind. This is a shotmaker's hole and can quickly separate the gamers from the pretenders.
Best Par 5: 13th Hole – 598 Yards – While it doesn't feature the same diabolical green or as severe of an ascension to it, this hole reminded me of the 14th at Pebble Beach with it being an uphill dogleg right par five that plays to a fairway sloping away to the left. The temptation is to bomb a drive over the corner that is protected heavily by mature trees, but missing right will leave your ball out of bounds or at best inside the grove. Players who bail too far left can go through the fairway and potentially find the pond on the opposite side. The approach shot plays past a couple of fairway bunkers to a green fronted by sand on the left and has open access on the right. Flags located on the left side are not only the most challenging to attack due to the bunker fronting it, but the green slopes away to the left where players can find themselves testing their short game from a chipping area.
Birdie Time: 7th Hole – 130 Yard Par 4 – A short uphill one-shotter, the 7th plays over Cherry Creek to a green that is three times longer than it is wide. A trio of bunkers rest on the bank between the green and the creek and can create aiming points when standing on the tee. With a scoring club in hand, players should be taking dead aim at the flag and see if you can stiff one close. Pins located in the front third of the green are more accessible than in the back third, but either way, this is a hole you should step up to with confidence.
Bogey Beware: 11th Hole – 460 Yard Par 4 – Another hole that Hanse improved by bringing closer to Cherry Creek, the 11th plays over the water off the tee before the fairway bends slightly to the right and runs to the green with the creek flanking the right side the entire way home. The tee shot calls for a fade, but the fear of over-cutting it to the creek can make players double-cross and tug their shot left down the tree line. The approach shot plays to a green flanked by sand on the entire left side and the creek lining the right. The putting surface slopes towards the water which can push players into aiming on the left, but leaving yourself a sand shot to a green sloping away from you is not a wise strategy for avoiding bogey. On top of it all, 460 yards stands as one of the longest two-shotters on the property to cover and will claim plenty of victims.
