I worked a half day on Tuesday and used the other half to check out Red Hawk Ridge Golf Course, which is south of Denver (in Castle Rock). I stayed towards the southern edge of the Denver metro for a couple nights on my way back to Texas and Castle Rock was quite convenient.

As soon as I booked my hotel I made sure to book a time at Red Hawk Ridge! And, it is a good thing I booked early because tee times here went fast. The course was busy on a weekday afternoon and we started on the 10th hole. The pace actually moved pretty good and we finished the round right at four hours.

Red Hawk Ridge has been on my golf course radar for a half dozen years now. I actually had a tee time booked a few years ago but that fell through when a flight was cancelled. Needless to say I was excited to finally play a round here!

My excitement for the round at Red Hawk Ridge stems from the fact that Jim Engh designed the course. This was the third Engh course I’ve played (my second in three days) and he has yet to disappoint. While Red Hawk Ridge isn’t as dramatic as Fossil Trace or Lakota Canyon Ranch the wacky and fun nature of Engh’s style is still present.

Red Hawk Ridge is a community course with most of the holes playing next to homes. I think the homes make the holes blend together more than they should, but there are some solid golf holes on the back nine. The course is one that builds up the excitement (assuming you start on the 1st hole) as you go along, with the closing holes being the course’s best ones.

I thought the front nine was just “okay”, besides the two par-3’s and the 8th hole, which is a quirky dogleg with a green perched on a hillside. Even from the back tees I could not smartly hit many drivers on the front as fairways angled and pinched, making a lay-up club the prudent play off most tees.

The back nine is laid out on more rugged terrain and has a natural feel, at least once you get to the 13th. The 13th (a cool-looking uphill par-5), 14th (the signature hole) and the 15th (a 528 yard par-4!) were my favorite holes at Red Hawk Ridge. The 14th is 195 yards on the scorecard but plays significantly downhill – I blindly guessed what club to hit and it didn’t go so well.

I played the black tees which are 71.0/135/6830. I thought the course was tougher than that with the elevation changes, uneven lies and difficult greens. If you’ve played any other Engh courses you’ll see some similarities but the green complexes here are less severe than Fossil Trace or Lakota Canyon Ranch.

My green fee was $50 to ride, which made Red Hawk Ridge a good value. The course is a municipal course and it was in good (not great) shape. It was soft – think no roll – and easy to catch a shot fat, but the fairways and rough were full. The greens were quick and unfortunately, wobbled and bounced some. It appears the course gets a bunch of play.

Ultimately, I’ll look back at Red Hawk Ridge as a course I expected more from due to its Jim Engh ties – by that I mean I envisioned more of a destination course instead of a municipal course. It is a course I’d play often if I lived in the area and one I’d recommend, just make sure to set your expectations better than I did.

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