Riverdale Dunes - Course Review

May 7th, 2008 by mulligan

Overview

Riverdale Dunes was designed by Pete and Perry Dye in 1986. The course is located in Brighton next to the Adams County Fairgrounds, and shares the space with it’s sister course Riverdale Knolls. Now if you’re a native to Colorado and you’ve never played the course or don’t live near it, you might think to yourself “what course in Brighton could possibly be worth playing”.

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Well, this one is definitely worth the drive. Like most Dye courses, this to is in the tradition of “links” style play. Not incredibly long from the tips at 7064 yards there are 2 shorter options to choose one for your skill level. The Blue Tees play a somewhat large 700 yards shorter than the Gold. Like most “plains” courses in the Greater Metro area, the use of native grass plays a big part in protecting the course from low scores. Hit it into the native here in the middle of summer, and you’ll be lucky to find your ball in most cases. However, what I’ve found having played this course a number of times is that it “penalizes” you fairly. Hit a bad shot, pay a stroke price. It’s very consistent that way.

Playability

This course has consistently been rated among the top public courses to play in Colorado for a number of years. It’s a testament to the overall condition of the course year round, coupled with the relatively inexpensive price tag to get yourself onto the greens. The typical rate for a non-resident on the weekend is around $45 - Not bad considering the high cost of fuel today! The facility offers a full driving range, two putting greens and a full chipping area with bunkers.

You can expect everything from the tee-boxes to the fairways to the green to be in great shape starting around Mid-May lasting well into Mid-October. Even in the winter months I’ve found the overall status of the course to be relatively nice to play. The true test for your game will come in the summer months once the native grass has matured. Errant shots will be tough to find (though not impossible) and at times you may not wish to find a ball that has flown into a heavily grassed area! The bunkers don’t utilize the same consistent sand as say Bear Dance or Fossil Trace, but overall they’re not bad. You’ll also find that they are well placed so be aware of your distances.

Water does come into play on this course, which might seem odd if it’s your first time playing it. The location of the course feels like it’s in the middle of a prairie but there are some man made ponds that have been put to good use here. In particular, Hole #15 (which has been rated as one of the best holes to play in Colorado) demonstrates the use of these ponds quite nicely.

Conclusion

A great course with a small price tag. If this course was located closer to where I live (which it once was) I would definitely still consider it my favorite public facility to play. I still take advantage of every opportunity I get to play it. Something about the place just makes it fun to play golf. No hole really looks like any of the others, and walking it isn’t a challenge either. If you haven’t already, be sure and take the time to play Riverdale Dunes.