Fossil Trace Golf Club

Fossil Trace is located in Golden, CO. This course has some excellent attributes, but there are many things I don’t care for. The price of $125 was the highest of the 4 courses I played during the week. Fox Hollow & Murphy Creek ($89) and West Woods ($111).

GOOD:

From the clubhouse, the views are outstanding of holes 1, 10 & 18. Beautiful backdrops of the hills and buttes of Golden, CO.

Overall, the tees and fairways were good.

The staff was friendly and the starter was terrific.

Hole 1, the architect left a brick chimney in the fairway. It doesn’t come into play and it has a plaque to describe the history behind the chimney. Nice touch.

The bunkers were in good shape. Many of them are so deep, you can’t see the player when they are in them.

Many of the holes have steep slopes on both sides, so slightly off-line shots will funnel back into play.

WHAT I DIDN’T CARE FOR:

They have some very difficult greens. Some on the gimmicky side. The difficult ones were 4, 6, 13 & 18. The gimmicky ones were holes 9, 10 & 14. If you short-sided yourself on some holes, it was nearly an impossible up and down.

Holes 5 & 6 had power lines that distracted from the beauty of the holes.

Hole 9 green. Very interesting. Narrow and 3 tiers.

Unfair pin locations. Hole 5, the pin was in the smallest section of the green and 3 feet from the fringe. Hole 10, they had the pin sitting on the top of the slope. On hole 16, the pin was on a severe slope. I was 10 feet from the hole for my birdie putt and I really had no chance to keep the 1st putt within 10 feet of the hole. Hole 18 had the pin near the ridge of the green.

Hole 12 is the signature hole with all the large rocks remaining because of all the fossils. When you hit your second shot, you hit over a rock, towards more rocks in the fairway. Luck of the draw where your ball ends up. I would have made the fairway flow around the rocks more, to make it less gimmicky.

Hole 14 green. One of the more gimmicky greens you will ever see.

Hole 16. From the back tees, a large cottonwood tree blocks the pin if it is on the right side.

They use a white, soft metal material around the cups of the hole. I prefer to have just the normal grass/dirt edge. Seemed like we got more violent lip outs with the metal edge.

It was the most expensive course we played this week and was not the best conditioned course.

The pace of play was poor.

I enjoy playing the course but many will find the gimmicky design to be too much.

This course was phenomenal. Some may say it's gimmicky, I would disagree with those folks. The conditions were phenomenal, perfectly pristine from tee to green. The greens were lighting fast. The rough like most rough in Colorado courses is very punishing. Every hole is unique. The front nine is nice, but the back nine is absolutely gorgeous. Every hole seems challenging, there are few holes peppered througout that give you a little breathing room. Most courses have a signature hole, Fossil has more than a handful signature holes. I got to play the course twice on the very same day, and boy I'm so glad I did, becasue I scored atrociously the first time, but really well on the 2nd go around. Fossil is one of the top tracks in the US. I would give it 6 out of 5 stars if possible.

Played Fossil Trace on a warm December day. What a unique course. Would be beneficial to play more than once to know pins/tiers/fairway bounces. Green tiers were some of the toughest and easiest I’ve played at the same time. Tons of shelved pins along with tons of tucked pins. Placement could increase or decrease difficulty by multiple shots per hole. Most fairways corralled errant tee shots back to it and many greens had “bumpers” as surrounds that would kick balls back onto greens. Hole 12 deserves all the accolades it gets. Extremely beautiful and unlike any other I’ve played with boulders up the fairway. Bunkers are DEEP. Luckily they were closed for winter and look as if they are undergoing a slight renovation, wasn’t in any of them anyway, but would HIGHLY suggest staying away from them during play. Fun course, played during winter so the deal was good. Not sure it’s worth the steepness of summer rates for out-of-towners unless hole 12 is on your bucket list. A course that the more you’d play the better it would be.

I regularly played this course the first 5 years it was open and always enjoyed it for the unique layout and course conditions. 15 years since I last played it, it seemed very much the same as they've kept it in fine condition and has not changed much from original design and condition. The main thing is the price - the demand to play the course has sunk in over the years and price as well.

For those not familiar with Jim's designs, he also did Sanctuary, Red Hawk Ridge, and Snowmass in Colorado, so has somewhat of a special place in Colorado golf course architecture.

For your warm-up, the chipping green is located uphill from the clubhouse so makes sense to chip/pitch first, putt, then hit the range/check in since the 1st tee is just down the hill right next to the range.

Staff was friendly and helpful, practice areas fine, and course condition was green and lush for late summer. I understand some golfers think this course is gimmicky since it has "funnel" fairways and greens where the ball will tend to kick back into play, I just feel it gives it a unique flair not seen much elsewhere and a welcome change. One downside on the funnel design is a lot of side hill / uneven lies out of the rough.

The greens are various shaped and undulating but were not extremely difficult or fast. Chipping and pitching is key as the ball will run out and getting short-sided can be costly here. Club selection as well is tricky on approach shots.

#4 par 4 just play as a par 5 and unless you hit an ideal drive, just get on it 3 and hope for par or be happy with bogie. Otherwise there are plenty of birdie opportunities out there.

I've always walked this course and I get stares and comments because of some of the elevation changes it might seem like an extreme hike but I don't think it's that tough of a hike, just a few more steep inclines here and there and on holes 11, 12, and 13.

For the Denver Metro area, Fossil Trace is a course you need to experience at least once whether it turns out to be a favorite or once is enough!

This is the type of course where you need to relax, enjoy the scenery and just play golf. Some of the holes have strange features like giant rocks in the middle of the fairway, and the green complexes on many holes are definitely bizarre. You know wit will be an interesting round when the starter tells you to avoid the chimney in the middle of the fairway on hole 1.

Fossil Trace features a lot of elevation changes as it winds its way around the hills of Golden. The setting is really pretty. The way many of the holes are constructed, the ball will often find its way close to the fairway or onto the green. The designer built a lot of sidewalls that create a nice funneling effect that scan definitely help boost your spirits when hitting several errant shots.

Don't get me wrong, you can definitely find plenty of trouble too, but if you are just slightly off on the day then you will probably score pretty well on this course.

The green complexes on this course are large. Many of them have several fingers going several directions or multiple tiers to place the flag. You will see some interesting pin positions during the round.

Conditions were good. The grass was green and the greens were pretty good, just not very fast, which is probably good since they do have a lot of breaks in them.

A day at Fossil Trace is time well spent. The course has a lot of unique features and fun holes. It can feel a bit gimmicky, but it is an enjoyable track.

Fossil Trace is located in Golden, CO. This course has some excellent attributes, but there are many things I don’t care for and several areas of improvement. So, I will outline these below:

GOOD:

1. From the clubhouse, the views are outstanding of holes 1, 10 & 18. Beautiful backdrops of the hills and buttes.

2. Overall, the tees and fairways were good.

3. Most of the staff was friendly and the starter was terrific. Only exception listed below.

4. The carts have nice, padded seats, Bluetooth speakers and GPS.

5. The price of $80 was in line with what the course offers.

6. Hole 1, the architect left a brick chimney in the fairway. It doesn’t come into play and it has a plaque to describe the history behind the chimney. Nice touch.

7. The bunkers were in good shape. Many of them so deep, you can’t see the player when they are in them.

8. The restrooms on the course were the cleanest I’ve ever seen.

9. Many of the holes have steep slopes on both sides, so slightly off-line shots will funnel back into play.

WHAT I DIDN’T CARE FOR:

1. The greens were like putting on a marble tabletop. The greens were very strange to me. The greens had a hard, sandy base and the grass was cut/rolled so tight, that when you putted you had to be very defensive and hoped your ball went into the hole or stopped by the hole. No ball marks to repair because of the firmness. Saw no balls spin back.

2. They have some very difficult greens. Some on the gimmicky side. The difficult ones were 4, 6, 13 & 18. The gimmicky ones were holes 9, 10 & 14. If you short-sided yourself on some holes, it was nearly an impossible up and down. Depending on the pin locations, if you’re above the hole, no way you can leave your putt on the green.

3. Holes 5 & 6 had power lines that distracted from the beauty of the holes.

4. Hole 12 is the signature hole with all the large rocks left because of all the fossils. When you hit your second shot, you hit over a rock, towards more rocks in the fairway. Luck of the draw where your ball ends up. I would have made the fairway flow around the rocks more, to make it less gimmicky.

5. They use a white, soft metal material around the cups of the hole. I prefer to have just the normal grass/dirt edge. Seemed like we got more violent lip outs with the metal edge.

NEEDS IMPROVEMENT:

1. Pace of play on the back side. On the back side it was not unusual to have 2 groups on the tee, one in the fairway and one on the green. No rangers on the course.

2. The snack shop/bar area has a nice menu on a screen. However, no prices listed. The man handling these duties was not very friendly. The only person at this place like this.

3. The GPS was not programmed correctly on hole 5. Showed back pin and it was a front pin.

I would recommend the course because of it's beauty, but understand there will things you will not like.

Course condition was fantastic. Tee boxes, greens, bunkers were exceptionally cared for.

Greens are VERY unique! Super fun and tons of slopes!

Carts have GPS with different yardages along the hole which is a nice feature.

Views around the course are great but somewhat skewed by power lines.

Layout was great and offered a wide variety of holes.

Price is high- but absolutely worth a round! (range balls and a sleeve of TP5's are included)

Been planning this for quite awhile and it didn't disappoint at all... just wished I played better on the holes you see on the website.

Being Father's Day, it was booked and the pace was slow as you would think...no marshall coming around to speed things up which was needed.

Friendly staff and the overall setup was great. I would definitely play this again if I had the chance.

We play this course a lot, Almost once a week. But that will probably change. The last 2 times we were out there we had later tee times, 6:45pm. On the last hole they have the sprinklers come on and not only soak us but everything in our cart. When I brought it up to a staff member their response was.. 'Not my problem'

Why offer late tee times if your course is even playable through all 9 holes. Disappointed at the staffs response and no call back from the Pro either time.

I've played a few Jim Engh courses and in all honesty I've always felt they're a little over the top. As a tourist in Denver I had fun at Fossil trace though, and it's easy access from the city is also a plus. The unique touches start on the first hole with a chimney in the middle of the fairway. The typical Engh bowled greens are prevalent throughout and it helped lead to one of my birdies. The 12th hole, my gosh, is just wild. You won't play anything like it.

I always appreciate courses that are built out of old quarries or wastelands. Turning an eyesore into compelling golf grounds is always one of the best ways to celebrate the game.

I can promise you you'll remember a lot of holes. Probably a Top 5 course in the Denver area all things considered.

Played 18 holes and overall, this was a good golf experience. It is a nice course, but there are more scenic courses for the money. The view on several holes is of a youth detention center. The view from another hole is a highway. Another hole has a huge transformer and power lines on it. There are nicer courses in the Denver metro area for 1/2 the price.

All that’s missing is a clowns mouth. Goofy golf at its finest. Greens complexes are as goofy as I’ve ever seen.

This was the 3rd course of my group's Colorado trip. It was a serious favorite.

The course was in great shape; very lush and greens rolling true. Right off the bat it's a unique course, with a sweeping dogleg left par 5 starting with a massive elevation drop. On the second shot you see a tower that's right in the middle of the lower fairway. It's cool!

From there, the front 9 continues as a winding and tight adventure with trees, bunkers and waste areas a frequent challenge. You get a little bit of everything from a 90 yd par 3 (#5) to a 650 yd par 5 (#9). I really enjoyed the variety. Number 7 was a particular favorite.

Then you turn to the back, and things change. There's a little more water to deal with, and somehow things get even tighter. You also descend into an old quarry (I assume) with rock outcroppings popping up in fairways and old equipment scattered about the property. It's incredibly unique. #11 is a really fun, but tight par 3. #12 is on of the most unique par 5s I've ever played with rock outcroppings dotting the 100 yds or so leading up to the green, which is surrounded by high rock cliffs. It looks awesome!

You end with a really tough par 5... especially if you catch an afternoon storm like we did where the wind was right into our face.

This course is awesome. Very challenging off the tee, but very rewarding of good shots.

I'd consider this a must play!

The views from the clubhouse are beautiful, with the rolling hills and buttes. The staff was especially nice. The conditioning of the course was outstanding too.

The course designer made most of the holes funneling towards the fairway. Some very steep slopes. The power lines cutting thru the front nine, distracts from the beauty of the course too.

My only complaint is many of the green complexes are tricked up. If you don't have a good short game, it will be a struggle. Some holes, if you're above the hole, you cannot leave your putt on the green.

Seeing all the fossils on hole 12 was a neat experience on a golf course.

Played here twice in a two week span. Course was in such good shape I wanted to play it again as there is some course knowledge involved. Have played two of Jim Engh's other courses in the area (4-Mile Ranch and Red Hawk Ridge) and this course is similiar, with many of the holes sloped so the ball will move into the fairway. First tee time was at 730, pace was 3:30, the next tee time was 900 and pace was 4:30. Beverage cart was out both days, and I didn't think you could beat the military rate of $65. I will be back...

Expensive. Can be slow. But worth it. The design is as good as anything in the Denver area. The facilities are well managed. The imagination in course concept is terrific. The signature fossil hole and the chimney hole and the “bowl” hole are worth the price of admission. Don’t miss this one!

FT GC is a Jim Engh course closer to the Denver metro area that masterfully blends the local terrain and features with the game of golf to create a rather unique experience that will appeal to those seeking a memory rather than a score or a short time for a round.

If it's your 1st time and you're not advanced, check the slope numbers for your choice of tees, maybe rather than total yardage. Also note the grass is bluegrass which may be a bit grabby on those delicate pitches for your up and down efforts.

The practice facilities are good, though range balls spill onto #7's right side making darker yellow balls suboptimal. Also pulling left on #8 may test your ability to find YOUR ball among a plethora of orphans left out there. Some inobvious hole layouts will test your course management the first time here, e.g. #2, 9, 12, 13, & 18. More frequent players here will have an advantage. You may want a rematch after your first round.

Minor note, currently a number of buinkers are GUR without normal sand :) Funny, liners & sandbags!

The water features here seem to have a magnetic like tug on golfballs, e.g. #18. Still, this is an engaging course for those with a carpe diem approach to the day!

Fossil Trace would be one of the places I would take someone coming from out of town if they insisted on staying in Denver. The first hole and the back nine are unique as you play through rocks. The other holes offer nothing bad, but not a local experience.

Fossil Trace has some of the best amenities in the area. Golf-wise, they have a driving range, putting green (most fun one in the state-gamble here) and short game area. Non-Golf, they have a bar, restaurant, beverage carts, etc. that has some of the best food on a golf course in the area.

The course, once again, has some very unique holes on the back nine. The par 3s vary from a wedge to a hybrid, the par 5s can be reachable in two (except for maybe the ninth unless you are a monster off the tee), but leave you a dangerous second guarded by bunkers and/or water. The 10th hole is a driveable par 4 with risk/reward.

I find the back nine of Fossil Trace to be one of the best nines in the State and truly unique. It is the reason why locals love to play here. You play through rock outcroppings and excavation areas. There is even a place where you can learn about the fossils off the cart path. This is the reason to come here or to avoid coming here. The uniqueness might be found to be too much if you love your standard golf layouts, so check out their website first. If you need to warm-up or a day of practice after a flight, their practice facilities are second to none. This place is popular for golf outings, so check ahead so pace of play isn't an issue; the only negative of being so popular. They have deals everyday so if you are flexible on tee off time, it is a good value. If in the Denver area, play here, it is local flavor that is done well.

Looking for a something different this is the course to play. The back nine is really cool, with all the features it offers with the stone cliffs. I enjoyed the course, not your tradition golf course but its good to experience something different.