jamesdeluxe
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2020
Here's another classic golf experience along Colorado's Front Range: Arrowhead, designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Jr. It opened in 1972 and by the time I'd moved to the state ten years later was already considered THE must-play public course in the Denver metro region due to dramatic elevation changes, red sandstone rock formations, and stunning views of the nearby mountains -- scroll to the bottom for a hole-by-hole summary.
Over the decades, as dozens of excellent courses were built throughout the region, Arrowhead went through several ups and downs in the public's consciousness. Most people would say that Arrowhead is the golf version of attending a concert at nearby Red Rocks. Snobs sometimes gripe that you go there mainly to look at the scenery rather than a challenging round (I disagree), claiming that seven or eight of the holes don't leverage the incredible rock formations and are comparatively forgettable. Also, its position in the foothills with big temperature variations means that it's tough to grow grass in certain spots. Finally, green fees were always on the high side and these days it'll cost you $150 to play on a weekend. Weekdays are comparatively affordable at $70. Still, I'd argue that it's worth checking out
Following are a few pix from the most recent of the five rounds I've played there, with my father and brother in September 2005. High cloud cover that day made the visuals a bit less spectacular, but as you can see, it's still pretty impressive:
This is #13, a par 3 mentioned in the link above as the signature hole of the course "that will cause many second and third guesses of which club to hit" (see the various irons on the grass).
Fox pursuing a rabbit:
Over the decades, as dozens of excellent courses were built throughout the region, Arrowhead went through several ups and downs in the public's consciousness. Most people would say that Arrowhead is the golf version of attending a concert at nearby Red Rocks. Snobs sometimes gripe that you go there mainly to look at the scenery rather than a challenging round (I disagree), claiming that seven or eight of the holes don't leverage the incredible rock formations and are comparatively forgettable. Also, its position in the foothills with big temperature variations means that it's tough to grow grass in certain spots. Finally, green fees were always on the high side and these days it'll cost you $150 to play on a weekend. Weekdays are comparatively affordable at $70. Still, I'd argue that it's worth checking out
Following are a few pix from the most recent of the five rounds I've played there, with my father and brother in September 2005. High cloud cover that day made the visuals a bit less spectacular, but as you can see, it's still pretty impressive:
This is #13, a par 3 mentioned in the link above as the signature hole of the course "that will cause many second and third guesses of which club to hit" (see the various irons on the grass).
Fox pursuing a rabbit:
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