One of my good friends lives in the Pacific Northwest, just outside Portland, Oregon. Since I’m working from home these days I took advantage of that and made the lengthy drive from Dallas.

My friend is hoping to eventually play a round of golf in all 50 states so he flew into Denver as he hadn’t played out this way and joined me on the drive to Portland. We ended up playing a morning round here at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club and then an afternoon round up in Wyoming. It was a long day but he got to golf in two new states, which was awesome!

Morning tee times were scarce in Denver, but we lucked into a last minute time around 9am at Green Valley Ranch. The course is close to the airport and is very convenient for travelers. In fact, I played here with another friend in 2014 and thought the course was pretty good.

Green Valley Ranch is located on the east side of the Denver metro where there is quite a bit of new construction. The course is located in a community and has a links-inspired look to it on many holes, with about half the holes not having trees in play (think that prairie look).

What gives the course some interest are its wetlands holes and its ties to the famous Dye design name. Besides the prairie holes you’ll find the remainder of the golf holes to have wetlands in play. These holes are the course’s most memorable and probably the most controversial.

The 8th and 16th are my favorite holes while the 10th and the 18th are my least favorites. The 8th is a 149 yard par-3 that plays over a hazard. The green is framed by trees in the background and slopes from back to front. The 16th is a quirky, short par-4 where you’ll need to lay up to avoid a large group of trees that guard the green. As long as you leave 130 to 150 yards into the green you should be fine.

The 10th (par-4) and 18th (par-5) are odd doglegs with fairways and greens that sit in a large hazard. The 10th is a tight driving hole and the approach is just as difficult as trouble surrounds the green. The 18th is a mostly blind hole and the lay up needs to be played at an odd angle to a narrow neck.

Perry Dye (one of Pete Dye’s sons) has his name linked to the design at Green Valley Ranch. We played the blue tees which are 71.1/132/6550 and overall, I thought he did a good job. The par-4’s are strong holes with many different yardages and there is plenty of space. You’ll find interesting/fair green complexes and some railroad ties that shouldn’t derail (pun intended) your game.

Conditions have been great both times I’ve played here. Everything was lush and the turf had great coverage. The greens rolled well and at a medium pace. We paid $75 to walk (Denver golf is pricey) and thankfully the conditions were impressive.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend a round at Green Valley Ranch. There are other courses I’d prefer to play in Denver due to their scenery, but Green Valley Ranch is a good pick – especially for those who are traveling through Denver International Airport.

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