One of my friends is trying to golf in all 50 states and we decided on Three Crowns Golf Club for his Wyoming course. I believe there are a couple public courses near Cheyenne, but Three Crowns to the north looked pretty good.

Originally our plan was to head into Rapid City, SD after playing Three Crowns, but we cut the trip short and skipped South Dakota. So, we drove up to Three Crowns from Denver just for the day. It was about four and a half hours each way – a long way to go even for crazy golfers!

Three Crowns is in Casper, not far from I-25. This area has a high desert feel to it. So, if you are expecting a wooded course, then this isn’t it. There are views of the nearby mountains, but overall the course is pretty flat. Personally, whenever I think of Wyoming I don’t immediately think of a flat treeless landscape! But, the course would be a good one to walk if you have the time.

Three Crowns is a Robert Trent Jones Jr. design that opened in 2005. From what I can find the course seems like a good story. It appears that the course was designed to help reclaim land damaged by an oil refinery that previously occupied the property until 1991. There are some articles out there which share more specifics, if that type of reading interests you.

I thought the most interesting thing about the course was all the water in play. For a course in the high desert, it sure has a heck of a lot of water. There is water on probably thirteen of the eighteen holes. The water can even impact drives and approach shots on the same hole. Oof. We played the black tees which are 72.5/129/6950 (par-71) and those numbers feel low given all the lost ball trouble. The playability is just so-so.

The weakest part of the design is that the yardages really don’t vary. There are five par-3’s that all play between 200 and 230 yads. It felt like all these long par-3’s were forced carries over hazards. All the par-4’s are between 375 and 420 yards. Blah. A short par-3, short par-4, and a long par-4 would have added a bunch of interest to the round.

My favorite thing about Three Crowns was it’s presentation. The course has a great look. It has nice bunkering – albeit a bit overdone IMO – and the bunkers, water, and tall grass contrast nicely against the green turf. The 205 yard par-3 6th was my favorite hole. It plays from an elevated tee and has water to the left. The green angles from front right to back left and the only safe play is out to the right.

The green was $47 to ride and at that price Three Crowns is a great value. The fairways and tees were lush. The greens – medium pace – looked to have been aerated within the last couple weeks but rolled well for the most part. The bunkers were rocky and could use some fresh sand.

I’d definitely recommend a round at Three Crowns if you find yourself in the area. There may not be a nicer public course within 150 miles. RTJ Jr. isn’t my favorite designer, but I think the conditions and price make up for any shortcomings of the design.

Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):