After work on Monday I did some sightseeing (Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, which I’d recommend) and once I got finished there I still had a bit of daylight left. So, I decided on a last-minute tee time at one of the short courses at Foothills Golf Course.
Foothills Golf Course has 36 holes, a championship 18 and then two short courses – a nine-hole par-3 course and a nine-hole executive course. I wanted to play one of the nine-hole courses to enjoy the beautiful evening.
After a month of endless daylight in the Pacific Northwest, I didn’t realize that the sunset in Denver was about 8pm this time of year. My tee time was for 7pm and the place was packed. I joined a threesome and we ended up behind two slow groups. I figured there was no way I’d squeeze in all nine holes, but I finally made it, playing the last two holes in almost complete darkness.
The crazy-long round (two hours) on the Executive-9 Course is the only negative thing I have to say about my Foothills experience. I certainly wouldn’t mind getting back here to check out the other courses after being treated to a beautiful summer evening in Colorado!
By far the best thing about the facility and the Executive-9 is its proximity to and views of the Front Range. The sunset was beautiful! One of those deals where the camera cannot capture it.
The Executive-9 Course wasn’t bad either. It is a par-31 with five par-3’s and four par-4’s. From the golds it plays 2,226 yards with a nice mix of holes and good land movement. The distances range from 134 yards to 417 yards.
I think the opening holes are the course’s best ones with a tough par-4 to begin, followed by a pretty par-3 and an uphill par-4. The 1st hole is only 330 yards but you’ll have your hands full with a narrow fairway and water everywhere!
I paid $13 and thought the conditions were good. Everything was quite lush and the rough was grabby in many places. The greens had some bumps but were more than acceptable for the demographic that normally plays here.
I wouldn’t go out of your way just to play the Executive-9 Course here, but if you are in the area with some free time then it is a great spot to get in a few swings.
Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):