Murphy Creek Golf Course - Review

June 5th, 2008 by mulligan

Overview

Murphy Creek Golf Course has quickly become one of the top rated public courses in the nation. Completed in 1999 by architect Ken Kavanaugh it is hosting to the 2008 Amateur Public Links Championship. The course offers a long prairie style links layout. With tall native grasses accompanied by shaggy rough and a relatively long 7,584 yards in distance, this course definitely offers a challenge to players of all abilities. While the course has plenty to offer, Murphy Creek can also boast about one of the more interesting clubhouses in the Denver Metro area. It’s grand appearance almost makes you think you’re visiting a farm rather than a clubhouse. It’s pays a nice compliment to reminding people of what golf must have been like (somewhat) during the times of Old Tom Morris.

The Flash Player and a browser with Javascript support are needed..

Along the journey, you’ll be met with pieces of farm equipment subtly placed and at times you do feel like you’re out on an oasis of sorts. The front nine is less populated with houses and really shows off the spirit of the plains of Colorado. Accommodations for your round are quite nice as well. There are periodic club washers along the way to accompany the more than typical amount of water stations. All of this and the overall course conditions make Murphy feel a lot more like an exclusive golf course than a typical public track.

Playability

Perhaps I shouldn’t be writing this review having played the course as it ramps up for the Amateur Links Championship (ALC), but I have played here a number of times so I can draw from my overall experiences from the course. I’ll start by saying that you really should go out there and play it between now and the ALC if you’d like to test yourself. The rough is amazingly thick. I felt handcuffed the entire round each and every time I was in it. The ball would just sit down in what I’d say was an average of 3-4 inches of fescue. At times 4 feet from the fairway felt like a mile. My advice to the average golfer… just pitch out!

Now Murphy is always a challenge in my book, but I’ve never seen the rough so thick on the course. It’s normal protection comes from a number of other places. On the front nine, you’ll find an abundant amount of protective bunkers, as well as being surrounded by the tall native grasses that typically become more dense as the summer heat comes in. The wind will also play a factor. More so in the afternoon rounds and generally what I’ve found is that it affects my play more on the back 9 than the front. The back 9 also introduces more water hazards than the front not to mention a daunting 248 yard par 3 in number 17 that you really should enjoy at least once! I’ve taken driver to that hole on more than one occasion as the wind just knocks any and everything down when it’s blowing. Don’t worry though, from the front tees it’s ONLY 186 yards!

Most of the bunkers are well groomed and blend quite naturally with the course. They are strategically placed in all the right landing areas, so definitely take note of your carry distance and avoid them at all costs from the tee. Most of the fairways are very generous and the greens run very true, often offering plenty of birdie opportunities even when your shots aren’t particularly close. That’s not to say they are flat though! You’ll find gentle to undulating slopes on all of them even when they look flat, so pay close attention to the mounds around the green and any creek or pond that my be nearby.

Conclusion

I think one unfortunate thing about Murphy Creek is it’s general location. Now most golfers probably don’t consider location a big deal as we all are willing to go where the course is. I know that it does get a lot of play, but my experience with talking to golfers during my rounds is that many of them still have yet to make it out to this course. When I mention the course, southeast Aurora doesn’t seem to conjure up images of good golf from most of the reactions I get! My guess is that as the area becomes more and more populated however, this misconception will become a thing of the past.

It’s a bit of a mystery to me still as to why I enjoy it so much. I’ve never shot particularly low here (88) but I really enjoy the course. I would have to say the biggest downside to me is the back 9. Not the for the course, but the amount of houses that now line the fairways. When I first played it, the back wasn’t so populated so it really “felt” different than it does today. The houses really don’t affect your round as they are still far enough off the track that you don’t think about them when you play, but they do change the way the course looks. Even still, this course is another one that really needs to be played if you haven’t already!