Review: Beaver Creek Golf Resort, CO

Don't Get too Eager at Beaver Creek
Playing a resort course on vacation is about playing something different, scenic, challenging and in excellent condition.  After traveling hundreds or thousands of miles for a vacation playing a great course will add to our enjoyment.  If you make Beaver Creek your vacation course or even happen to call it home, you are going to get a unique experience with great scenery, in prime condition but a very tough course.  Don’t get too eager to score low on Beaver Creek.
If offers a true “member-for-a-day” experience with valet parking, a luxurious club house, amazing staff and all the amenities you could want.  Once you get through all the introductions, warm-ups and sight seeing, you are in for a real challenge.  Beaver Creek golf course is 9 holes down the mountain valley (out) and 9 holes back up the mountain valley (in).  The opening 3 holes are some of the hardest holes I’ve ever started a round of golf with.  I would suggest play them as conservative as possible, if you can escape those holes with a couple pars that is a great start.  You need to hit a small fairway on the 1st hole, a par 5 with something less than driver.  Then you’ll need to find the lower fairway while crossing Beaver Creek.  The 2nd hole is an extreme downhilll par 3, any shot to the right is wet.  The 3rd hole is another tight, downhill, challenging par 5 with Beaver Creek running through it.  Once you get through this stretch, things lighten up a little.  Still challenging and scenic, but a little wider and more open.  Just watch out for the small ditches that feed into Beaver Creek or one of the ponds, they sometimes flow through your ideal landing areas.

 
Once you reach the lowest point on the course, you start working your way back up the hill for the last 9 holes.  While most of the holes don’t have extreme uphills, expect to play a club longer on some of the holes on the back 9.  Much of the elevation is accomplished on the cart, but still plenty of uphill shots.  The first few holes of the back 9 are pretty open and straight forward, but the closing 4 holes are really challenging.  They play long, narrow and have plenty of danger.  There are water hazards on each hole.  Beaver Creek comes into play again and guards the 18th green.  The closing holes really test your accuracy and distance control.  A couple of the tee shots are very intimidating from the tips.
 

It was early in the season when I played Beaver Creek, but the course was still in phenominal condition.  Every green was true, smooth and fast with moderate undulation.  The fairways were very nice and offered modest roll out.  The rough was thick and challenging.   Robert Trent Jones created a beautiful 18 hole course down and up the mountain valley with Beaver Creek running through it.  Just don’t get too eager to score well, Beaver Creek is a very challenging resort course.

For more information: www.beavercreek.com/golf/golf-courses.aspx

Quick Hits
+Beautiful mountain scenery
+Excellent course conditions
+Great and helpful staff
+Challenging but fun layout

–Almost too tough for a resort course