Course of the Week

This week's golf course is located in the same city where the best tasting beer in the world is brewed....Golden, Colorado. The track is Fossil Trace Golf Club and claims to have been 64 million years in the making. I had the privilege of working here just after they first opened in July of 2003. The course will come off as a short 18 holes but don't let the 6,831 yards from the tips fool you, it plays much longer than that, especially on a windy day. This Jim Engh design has some of the most undulating fairways and greens I have ever played. Not to mention the deep bunkers and 'island like' white sand that are on nearly every fairway and surrounding almost every green.

The signature #12 hole is one you will definitely remember. This is a par 5 measuring 545 yards from the blues (which is where I would be playing from) and demands an accurate tee shot if you drive the ball about 240 yards as the fairway bottlenecks and runs downhill. Your lay-up shot demands accuracy because of the huge rock pillars in the middle of the fairway. The green is tucked back and surrounded by huge rock walls, which requires a nice smooth wedge into the green. Don't forget to check out the fossil's near the cart path as you head to the next hole.

Awards for Fossil Trace include:

• Top 10 new golf courses to play in the country in 2003 by Golf Digest and Golf Magazine.
• 4.5 stars best places to play from 2006-2009 awarded by Golf Digest.
• Named one of the top public courses in Colorado by Golfweek in 2006,2007 & 2008 and voted best golf course in Denver by ESPN.com in 2009.

If you are ever in the Denver area you need to get out and play this course. It's only 15 minutes from downtown and it is nestled up against the foothills of the Rockies. Just as their slogan states, after playing here you truly will have, "Escaped the Ordinary, and Experienced the Extraordinary".