My friend and I planned to spend more time in New Mexico golfing than we did. But, we changed our plans and headed to Colorado a day early. That meant a chance to check out Four Mile Ranch Golf Club in Canon City, CO.
Four Mile Ranch is a course that has interested me for a few years now. It is a Jim Engh design and a place you really don’t hear much about. I’ve greatly enjoyed other Engh courses (Fossil Trace!) which is why Four Mile Ranch has been on my list.
We booked a morning tee time on what turned out to be a blustery day. I’m sure it is normally windy in this area (high desert) but the wind certainly didn’t help trying to figure out Four Mile Ranch for the first time. The course seems like a tough nut to crack, even if the weather is perfect.
Engh courses normally incorporate greens with steep banks that feed the ball onto them, blind shots, and zigzag bunkers. That can lead to a lot of fun since average shots can turn out pretty spectacular. Four Mile Ranch takes Engh’s design approach to an extreme. And I’m not sure I mean that in a good way. If I’m honest, it felt like things got taken too far here.
For example, the 1st green has three tiers and the 2nd green is hidden from view unless you are 75 yards out – and in the perfect spot of the fairway. The 5th hole needs a snap hook off the tee and the 6th green is hidden in a bowl. The 10th green is hidden behind a huge mound. The 14th is a 217 yard par-3 with another completely blind green. Then the 15th is a quirky par-5 where you need to be long and left of the green to even have a look at it. Weird.
I played the black tees which are 72.2/132/7053. I thought the toughest thing about Four Mile Ranch was the visual trickery and the green complexes. There is a lot of target golf here with the desert waiting to grab a wayward shot. The green complexes are wild. Many times I started putts and chips nowhere near the hole. That takes some getting used to.
On the positive side, Four Mile Ranch has great views of the area and provides an unorthodox take on golf. The course design is one of a kind. The back nine climbs into the hills and has good scenery. The 14th, 15th, and 16th holes play downhill and the green grass contrasts with the desert and mountains.
The green fee was about $70, very reasonable on a holiday. The conditions were fine for the price but there were a number of spots with stress from the summer. The tees had plenty of burned out patches. The fairways had many lush areas but also had some dried out sections. The greens were in good shape and rolled at a medium pace.
Four Mile Ranch is a polarizing course and very unique. I’d recommend it to an Engh fan or someone who lives in Pueblo/Colorado Springs to see if you like it. However, with so many quality courses in Colorado I’m not sure Four Mile Ranch is worth the detour from I-25 for the average golfer.
Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):