CommonGround Golf Course

I love the layout of this course, there are a lot of good holes with varying shapes, large dynamic greens, and great bunkering. Plenty of wide fairways to hit driver.

With all of the rain we have gotten over the last few weeks the course was not in great shape, but they have done a pretty good job of keeping it playable. There are quite a few bare spots in the fairways still, but the greens are running pretty good, just slow.

The 12th hole was closed today since the green was probably under water for quite a few days. Hole 5 is pretty close to 12 and the green was very spongy and nearly unplayable. Clubhouse is under renovation, so they have a pro shop set up in some trailers.

If this course gets some time to dry out and recover then it will be back as one of the best courses in the city. I will return.

A day at Commonground is a treat in the Denver area. Any time I can play a Tom Doak design I want to seize the opportunity. Thankfully this one is just down the street. This was a renovation by the great designer, and he created a very fun track out of a relatively uninteresting piece of land.

While Mostly flat, Commonground is anything but boring. Be prepared for some of the most dynamic bunkering in the state. Many holes have bunkers moving across the fairways, limiting what would have been generous landing zones. There are lots of decisions to make off the tee at this course. Finding the sand from the box could be a score killer as many of the bunkers are quite deep with sharp lips.

With wide fairways and few trees on the course, there are lots of opportunities to hit driver...if you are willing to take on the sand.

Around the greens Doak has added several mounds and greenside bunkers that will trick the player's eye. Things are not always what they seem. A little local knowledge of the course will help in making approach shot decisions.

The greens complexes like the bunkering offer many challenges that will make putting at Commonground fun for any player. Putting surfaces around the course vary widely in size to relatively small to seemingly enormous. Lots of undulations throughout the greens create big breaking putts, and there are several nooks and corners to set interesting pin locations.

Conditions for late fall were excellent. The greens have recovered well from aeration and are rolling fast and true. The fairways and tee boxes are also in great shape.

There is still time to get out and play this fun and challenging track while conditions are good. Commonground is certainly one of the better public options in town.

Except for the supervisor who pulled our caddies after 9 holes, everything was perfect. We have played everywhere from Pebble Beach to Myrtle Beach and have never had a caddie or forecaddie pulled from the course after 9 holes because of a disagreement between their staff. It wasnt the caddie or their immediate bosses fault, it was their decision from the starter and the marshal. If not for our 2 guys Bob and Maurice, we might have quit and demanded a refund. The rest of the staff and course are excellent employees and should be commended for a job well done. The supervisor who made the call should be reprimanded.

For a relatively flat piece of land, CommonGround packs plenty of options and decisions into it's 18 holes. Almost every shot gives you something to contemplate, which I really appreciated.

Lets start with the fairway bunkers, which tend to run perpendicular rather than parallel to the short grass and are placed strategically to capture the attention of an aggressive player but become more cosmetic when taking a more conservative approach. This was great, allowing me to pick my tee-box poison regarding risk/reward hole by hole. Similarly, I don't know if there is a wasted (read: superfluous) grain of sand around the greens... the traps on this course are absolutely designed to be part of the playing (not viewing) experience (generally speaking, this is less common than one might think).

One of the things I really care about when evaluating a course is the par 3's, and CommonGround has a nice set with good variety from the Augusta inspired 6th to a long carry on 12 and a large grass mound on 14 leading to a blind tee-shot (not something you see everyday on a perfectly flat 165 yard(ish) par 3).

Given this is a Doak course, how you approach the greens can be as important as what you do once you are on them and CommonGround uses angles and the little bit of elevation change that is present to keep you actively engaging the course mentally as well. The greens were fast with a good deal of rollout putting a three putt in play on every hole (I had 3 of them, which is two more than I average). they are true though, and (at least on the day I played) were very close in speed to the practice green so I highly recommend rolling a few there before you start, it could save you a few strokes.

I was partnered with regulars (one plays daily, the other two multiple days a week) so I had lots of advice on how to get around the course. For the most part, it's all out there in front of you, but there are a few places (the par 5 11th for example) where it really helped to have a second set of eyes to help with carry's and fill you in on what you can't see. I'm told They have a good caddie program, which would probably only add to the experience.

I didn't find CommonGround overly difficult, I played with rental clubs (avoid if possible... there's a reason they are free) and still managed to post a 73 (+2) from the gold tees (6619/70.6/128); however, I would put this caveat on that... the long grass around the course is very thick and while looking fairly innocuous was difficult to play out of. I watched a guy in the group in front of me - who was otherwise moving around the course nicely - take five hacks at a ball, move about three feet (combined) and then just pick it up and throw it on the fairway. In other words, if you miss the (fairly wide) fairways, things could get decidedly tougher.

Unfortunately, my clubhouse experience (before and after my round) wasn't anything to write home about. I've read other reviews that say the service they received was good (or better) so my hope is I just caught them on a bad day... but it was definitely a bad day.

Overall, I really enjoyed playing CommonGround and would make a point to give it another run when I get back to the Denver area (I'll also be sure to pack my own clubs when I do).

Couldn't have asked for a better day on the golf course. The course was in immaculate condition. Fairways were plush and green with absolutely no bad spots and the greens were very fast and very very pure. I played the course from the tips and it played around 7200 yards. Was slightly challenging and very fun to play. Bunkers were placed in amazing spots and the fairways were wide enough but if you missed you were in lush rough or in some places fescue. The staff was very friendly and accommodating and the people that I got paired to play with were great. Overall, this course was well worth the money and I will be playing there many more times.

First frost delay I have had to worry about in years, but the starter and marshals kept the pace moving well and in a friendly way. We were only behind about 20 mins off of our original tee time.

The first time playing the course and the driving range was packed but still open spots to practice in. Chipping areas and putting green are very true to what to expect on the course. Greens were very fast, which I appreciate.

Tee boxes were in great condition and relatively flat; played off the gold tees which was about 6700 yards. Perfect for a first time introduction to the course. The pin placements and the greens were very challenging and fun. The bunkers were very well placed and played well if you hit one because the staff does a top notch job at the maintenance of the course. You can tell the superintendent really cares about the entire course because I didn't see any areas that were in need of work or repair.

The course is somewhat forgiving but you really need to be on your game to position the ball off the tee. The fairways are great to play off of and it seems that many golfers who play here respect the conditions and replace divots and repair ball marks; it's rare to see that in Denver.

I had a great time with the group I played with and the staff throughout the round and after were very accommodating. Can't say enough how much of a pleasant day of golf it was and I cannot wait to return!

Middle of March was good to play in, good area to practice at the driving range.
Course is kept up well enough due to the beginning of the season. Open wide fairways through out the course and the tough hole that I remember was hole 11 the par 5 lots of bunkers around and the small lake on the left.
The Amenities on the course is needing pivot repair box at the tee boxes and broken tee bucket. The portal johns need to be re installed before summer programs starts and the the golfing season fully starts. Overall I will return again during the summer time and play a round.

CommonGround is a really solid public course and one of my five favorite courses in the Denver area. It's an interesting layout that is still very playable, and has stellar views of the Denver skyline/mountains on a few holes. It's also very walkable -- holes are close together and not a lot of elevation change.

Since this is a popular course, it can be very slow. I also agree that it can be a bit overpriced. I wouldn't pay more than $50 or so to walk 18 or $30 for 9.

This was the old Lowry AFB course and after changing hands a couple of times (cfe: Mira Vista) it got a Tom Doak makeover and a new feel with big golf headquarters and a fancy caddie program. In my opinion, however, the course itself is still a sow’s ear and there are 100 or more courses in Colorado that are still better. Add to that the fees are way high for the layout. Great amenities but I don’t plan to go back.

This course belongs in the premium but not quite elite category for municipal courses. It's not at the level of Chambers or Bethpage but you'd be very hard-pressed to find a more thoughtful municipal layout...especially in a parkland setting.

The land given to Doak was average, at best, but his design ability truly came out in creating a great course with an uninteresting parcel of land.

You better bring your A+ approach game (like with every Doak) because if you miss a green an up and down is incredibly difficult.

Also like with other Doak courses get your birdies in early because the stretch of 12-17 is a kick to the stomach of tough golf hole followed by rough golf hole to include 3x 220+ yard par 3 holes and 2x 475+ yard par 4s.

Really great design and some cool offerings via their caddie program ($10-20 tip all that's required). I'd certainly come back to play this again.

What a HORRIBLE golfing experience. Played there yesterday and it took OVER 5 HOURS! That is absolutely ridiculous!! They either crammed in way too many groups, or it was because they had no rangers at all out on the course making sure that people kept things moving. The course is nice enough, and it's in pretty good shape, but it's WAY overpriced. They charge $60 just to walk, and there are courses around Denver that are as nice, or quite a bit nicer, for less than that even with a cart (I'd rather play Green Valley Ranch, which is nicer and cheaper). For a 5+ hour round, and the high price they charge, it just isn't worth it. I will NEVER play this course again (even though I live only about 2 miles away).

This is a great golf course. Really good design on a pretty flat piece of land. No houses on the course and could not have been an easier walk. Great little clubhouse as well. All about golf here and not about all the other nonsense a lot of new courses have. My new favorite course in Denver.

I grew up in Denver and played a ton of golf at Mira Vista ... because it was cheap, not because it was any good. So ever since they built the new course here, getting a round in here has been a priority.

I was not disappointed.

In fact, it was way better than I even imagined. The course there now is just great golf for everyone--it's wide and totally playable for high handicappers and beginners, but still challenging for the good player (due to length, the greens, and the use of angles and well-placed hazards). Big greens, long views, fun shots. I couldn't want anything more out of a golf course.

The greens were slow and just a tad on the fuzzy side. I played with a local who plays CG a lot and he said this was unusual, so I'll forgive it the day after a holiday. The greens are tricky enough that not being fast is fine. The rest of the course was in outstanding condition.

This is the slowest course to play in the Denver area. Every time I play this course their is a pace of play issue. Green conditions are not good. I would pass on this one. When I ask the staff and management they stated that there is nothing thay can do.

Although this course is not technically within the city limits of Denver, it's close enough and is the best track within the city limits. The greens are always in great shape and the pace of play is never an issue. A must play if you are in the Denver area.