Murphy Creek Golf Course

Great condition, forgiving but punishing. Lovely track

Better make sure you play from the correct tees due to difficulty. This bear of a course will show it's teeth immediately. I was regretting my blue tee section, but had a great time playing with some strapping younger gents. Large, deep fairway bunkers come into play on almost every hole. The pro shop staff was fantastic as was the on-course staff. In addition to the great course, the bar/restaurant was a great time. Met many new friends. Being from Tampa, the weather was perfect. Will definitely play here again next time we are in town.

I love how the Aurora courses advertise the course with carts to make the price look better, then hit you with a $20 cart fee pp.

Murphy Creek is a municipal golf course owned by the city of Aurora. The tees, fairways and greens were in outstanding condition. Some of the best conditions I’ve ever seen. It has wide fairways but if you hit the ball in the rough, the rough can be difficult. Some areas nearly 6 inches high. The greens are huge, so play close attention to the pin location number. You are playing in a prairie environment, however, there are houses lining the course on the back side. The back side is some 200-300 yards longer. It has several weather shelters with porta-potties as restrooms. Throughout the course, there are numerous old farm implements used to add character to the course.

They warn you there are rattlesnakes on the course. My wife saw one when we played here in 2021.

There is a lot of housing construction going on around the course, especially on the front side. This course should easily get a 5-star rating because of its conditioning. However, the design of the course brings it down to a 4-star rating.

LIKES:

Very friendly staff and starter.

Greens fees: $89 (tied for the lowest of the 4 courses we played)

Conditioning of the course. Poa annua/bent grass throughout the course, which was perfect.

Usually, poa annua greens can be bumpy, but there’s were very smooth and had a nice pace to them.

You do have a view of the front range.

Has a large driving range and excellent short game area.

Sand in bunkers was excellent.

I liked the back nine better.

DISLIKES:

The course design is what disappointed me the most.

The course is not pleasing to the eye especially on the front side.

I did not take any pictures because no hole stood out. Not a picturesque course.

I did not like the design of the bunkering. High grass on the edges and dirt on the top edges.

Some bunkers had weeds in them. Hole 9 comes to mind.

This course has holes with numerous blind spots. Holes 1, 3, 6, 7.

The par 5, 3rd hole has a split fairway on your 2nd shot. You just can’t see this very well.

Dirt/gravel cart paths.

No GPS on the carts. Hard to see how a hole flows and where to hit your tee shot,

Hole 1 is an uphill hole. You stand on the tee and you’re not sure where to hit your tee shot.

Hole 9 is a drivable par 4 for the longer hitters. This design only slows down play.

Hole 17 was a 210 yard par 3 from the senior tees. Other tees reaching 250 yards. This only slows down play.

WILDLIFE:

They have numerous signs telling you the course has rattlesnakes on it. Just be careful when looking for balls in the rough. Also, you will see colonies of prairie dogs.

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Murphy Creek Golf Course – Looks Good, Plays Painfully

Murphy Creek looks like a solid course—nice layout, well-kept greens, and solid facilities. But once you’re past the surface, the experience takes a nosedive.

First off, the pace of play is a nightmare. Don’t be fooled by that open tee time. If you’re out there at 10 AM, you’ll be lucky to finish before dinner. Expect a 6-hour round, minimum. They’ll put anyone on the course just to fill the sheet—and I mean anyone.

One round, we got stuck behind a group with three kids under 8 and four adults. No marshal in sight, and the kids were swinging like it was a backyard BBQ. Unless your 7-year-old is driving 200+ yards, maybe leave them off the weekend roster?

Also, for the price you’re paying here, balls should be included—especially if you’re stuck behind a two-hour backup. It’s wild to charge full premium while delivering subpar pacing and no time control.

On the bright side, they do have plenty of cart girls, so at least you won’t go thirsty while you wait… and wait… and wait.

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Bottom line: Murphy Creek could be a great course, but right now, it’s more about profit than player experience. If you’ve got unlimited patience and want to spend your whole day golfing (and waiting), cool. If not—there are better ways to burn your weekend.

Golf courses regularly fail to have pace of play enforced but prices for green fees have never been higher. Make it all make sense while also seeing a bev cart person more than a ranger.

Great course, great value through Golf Now. Weather was perfect, will definitely play the course again.

Snowed the night before, but the course was clear before noon. Almost everyone gave up on the day so I was able to book late and walk 18 by myself. Almost no one was out there. It was a little cold, but still a great day to play.

Murphy creek is having a little trouble condition wise coming out of this winter. I think a lot of courses are. There are quite a few bare and brown spots out there. The greens are doing pretty good, and if they cut them a couple more times I think they will be rolling nicely. They were a little bumpy on Saturday.

I still love the layout, and the closing stretch is one of the toughest around. This course will really test your game.

Looking forward to playing again soon and hopefully the grass is growing in better.