Red Hawk Ridge - Course Review

August 13th, 2008 by mulligan

Overview

Designed by Jim Engh and opened in 1999, Red Hawk Ridge Golf Course has quickly become a course that a great number of people have either played or want to play. Situated in Castle Rock, it is in fact one of only two fully public facilities in the immediate area. It’s surrounded by many well known and more prestigious courses (Castle Pines, The Club at Pradera, and Sanctuary) but has held it’s own in this very robust and thriving golf community. What draws most people to the course is the promise of abundant views, great course conditions, and a price tag that isn’t quite as steep as say Bear Dance or The Ridge at Castle Pines North. What keeps people coming back is everything previously mentioned!

Playability

Red Hawk Ridge in my opinion offers two similar yet distinctly different 9’s. I personally feel that the front 9 for most 0-10 handicappers is far too short to really be considered a test. It’s not necessarily the short aspect of the front nine that makes it easy, but a combination of both length (or lack thereof) being able to see your landing or target areas, and the fact that those areas are large and so are the greens. I’ve played the course on numerous occasions with players of excellent skill and most of them seem to think the course winds up being a bit easy. While the front 9 seems to play short, it does offer a very lengthy par 5 in number 7. Listed around 575 yards it plays all uphill. It’s definitely a three shot hole when the wind is rushing down the face of the tall mesa which punctuates the final four holes on the front nine. That being said, it’s by far the toughest hole on the front and the longest.

The back nine isn’t terribly long either, however there is a combination of holes in 12 through 15 which I feel call for more accurate shot placement and length. While 14 is an extremely elevated par 3 and mainly offers it’s problems in gauging what club to take, the other 3 are stout tests of shot making ability and at times driving distance. The back nine also offers up 3 par 5’s. So even someone who doesn’t play golf, but is good at math can kind of see how at 6,872 yards, these can’t be incredibly long. The truth is that number 18 should probably be converted to a long par 4 requiring a good tee shot. Instead it’s an almost surreal experience for most of us who take driver, 8 iron to reach in two!

Along with the overall length of the course, I offer one more knock on Red Hawk. The practice facility. There is an adequate driving range, but you hit completely uphill. The lone practice bunker sits to the side of the tee boxes and really offers no target to hit to not to mention the fact that you really can’t have more than one person at a time hitting out of it yet it’s about 20 yards in length. Last, the putting green. Possibly one of the most difficult places I’ve ever attempted to practice putting. Fast, sloped and limited in number of holes. More than four people on the green and you will really feel cramped for space.

Conclusion

Red Hawk is perpetually busy during the peak golf season. It’s elevation tends to lend it to a somewhat shorter playing season, yet the course attempts to stay open year round. With it’s elevated tee boxes and short length, most advanced golfers consider this course a pushover. However for the recreational golfer who wants to feel a little better about their game (maybe not in score, but in pure “opportunity” to score well) then this place fits the bill. For better or worse, you can count on nice views of the front range and a unique golf experience playing this course.

How Others Rate This Course

(1 votes, average: 1 out of 6)

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Location

Web Site: Red Hawk Golf Course
Phone: 720.733.3500

Posted in Course Reviews | 2 User Reviews