On Sunday I headed up into the mountains to golf. There are a number of mountain courses in Colorado that I’d like to get to if I have time. Grand Elk was one of the courses that interested me, so I figured I’d give it a shot.

I booked a tee time for about noon, or at least I thought I did. When I went to check-in with the proshop my name wasn’t on the tee sheet. Come to find out, I had booked a tee time for a few days earlier – and missed my time. Oops! Thankfully it wasn’t busy and the proshop got me out quickly.

I used the word “mountains” in the opening paragraph, but Grand Elk is not a mountain course in the traditional sense. I drove into the mountains to get to the course – highway 40 is quite scenic – and even though Grand Elk sits at nearly 8,000 feet above sea level, the course doesn’t have a significant amount of elevation change. Overall, Grand Elk has a high desert vibe with mountains nearby – think a bit like Northern Nevada or Eastern Washington.

Craig Stadler and Tripp Davis designed the course and they did a good job with the routing. The front and back nines are on different sides of the clubhouse and play quite differently. I played the black tees which are 72.1/136/7032. The front nine is desert style and has some homes scattered around. The are a few forced carries and a couple holes with some quirk. For example, the 3rd is a 412 yard par-4 that moves right and has a semi-blind tee shot. The 4th is a downhill par-5 that also goes right and has a semi-blind tee shot.

The back nine is more wetlands style with fewer homes, but has more funk. The 10th through the 12th play near a creek and need some accurate shots. Think target golf. There are six forced carries on these holes along with blind shots, tough angles, and lots of lost ball trouble. If you can make it through these holes without a scorecard disaster, then you likely have a chance to shoot your handicap. Unfortunately, I did not. Doh.

The 13th and 17th were my favorite holes. The 13th is a short, driveable par-4. It is only 313 yards, but there is trouble to the left and a narrow opening short of the green. The 17th is a scenic par-5 with water to the left. A tee shot that challenges the water can leave just an iron into the green.

The conditions were good, albeit a bit inconsistent. Most tees and fairways were a little dry. However, there were softer spots from where the sprinklers had the most coverage. I never knew what type of bounce I’d get, but that is part of the game. The greens rolled well and at a medium pace. Golf isn’t cheap in this part of the country with the short growing season and my green fee was about $150.

Overall, I thought Grand Elk was a solid course. The main drawback is probably that the back nine is limited by the land. If time allows, there are a few other courses nearby I’d like to check out to see how it compares. I’m not sure Grand Elk is worth the drive from Denver, but if you are staying in the area and looking to golf, then the course gets my vote.

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