Canyon/Meadow at Fox Hollow at Lakewood

We played the Links/Canyons nines.

This place is really popular. It is difficult to find a parking space. There are bike paths behind the driving range and you need to be aware of bikers as you head to your 1st tee or the range. Since the last time I played here, the course has new carts with GPS. The price was $89 on a weekend which was tied for the lowest of the 4 courses we played this week. Murphy Creek ($89), West Woods ($111) & Fossil Trace ($125). FYI - if you purchase any food, the magpie birds will steal your food from your cart. Several of the holes on the Links course, you can see the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in the distance.

Likes:

The condition of the course was above average. Murphy Creek & West Woods are in better shape. The greens were firm and much faster than they looked. The greens did hold shots. The Canyons nine is more scenic.

Dislikes:

The course has several gimmicky holes and some really poorly designed holes. I find the Links nine to be a bit boring. The course was designed from the back tees, therefore, from the tees we played, the fairways were really narrow. The cart paths were the furthest from the fairways/greens, on any course I've played. They do have plenty of rangers on the course but the pace of play was not good.

Links Nine:

Only memorable holes on this side are holes 2 & 9. Holes 3 & 4 have really tight fairways. 7th hole is a goofy hole. Even with GPS, you still can't tell where you need to hit your ball. Hole 8, one of the goofiest holes I have ever played. A downhill par 3, with a large mound that blocks the view of the green. They have an extra-long flagstick, but I don't think you would see it if it was in the center of the green. With this mound, it blocks out the beautiful scenery of the course below in the valley.

Canyon Nine:

Holes 6, 7 & 9 are memorable. Hole 1 is extremely uphill with a hidden green. The back left pin placement is located on the smallest part of the green. Hole 3, designed from the back tees, fairway really tight. Hole 5, very difficult on knowing how far you need to hit your ball off the tee. Hole 8, a par 3 over 200 yards from the white tees. This only slows down play.

I would recommend the course because of the lower greens fee and it has some decent holes but several take away from the experience.

General Comments:

You need to have played this course once to score well. No GPS in the carts, which is really needed. The price was $87 on the weekend. I don't play very many Denver area courses to tell you if this is a good deal. I think it was because the place was packed. If you purchase any food, the magpie birds will steal your food from your cart. I've never played a course where golfers had a total disregard to the instructions given by the starter. You are told not to drive in the rough. Groups totally disregarded this and carts were driving around the greens on par 3's. Never seen this on a course before.

Likes:

The fairways were excellent. The rough was thick and consistent. The greens appeared to have been rolled. It felt like you were putting on a tabletop. Not much grassy texture. They were firm, fast, but they did hold shots. The Canyons nine is more scenic. They do have striped 150 yards poles on each hole.

Dislikes:

The course has more gimmicky holes than memorable holes (more details later). Some really poorly designed holes. All flagsticks were the same color. The starter told us the pin placement was number 1 but this usually corresponds to a picture of the green on the scorecard or a sheet on cart. I was unable to find this information on the scorecard until after the round. I found the Links nine to be a bit boring. The course was designed from the back tees, therefore, from the tees we played, the fairways were really narrow. There are some biking trails nearby and the trail runs by the driving range. You need to be careful to not hit a biker with your cart. The cart paths were the furtherest from the fairways/greens, on any course I've played.

Links Nine:

Only memorable hole on this side is the par 3, 2nd hole. Holes 3 & 4 have really tight fairways. 7th hole is a goofy hole. Without GPS, you can't tell where you need to hit your ball. Hole 8, one of the goofiest holes I have ever played. A downhill par 3, with a large mound that blocks the view of the green. They have an extra long flagstick, but I don't think you would see it if it was in the center of the green. With this mound, it blocks out the beautiful scenery of the course below in the valley.

Canyon Nine:

Holes 6, 7 & 9 are memorable. Hole 1 is extremely uphill with a hidden green. The back left pin placement is located on the smallest part of the green. Tough to play without GPS. Hole 3, designed from the back tees, fairway really tight. Hole 5, without GPS, you have no idea there is a huge ravine at the end of the fairway and how downhill it is. Hole 8, a par 3 over 200 yards from the white tees. This only slows down play.

The title is a bit of an overstatement, but the concept fits what the City of Lakewood has done to this course with its recent “remodeling”. The changes consist of dumbing down and removing hazards to speed up play. A noble goal, but the price of this remodel turned a visually interesting course into Park Hill, which is the ugliest and most boring track in town. The changes consist of removing a number of bunkers that gave this track character…particularly on holes 2, 5, 7 and 8 of the Meadow course. Those were bunkers were visually interesting and made the course unique. Now they are either gone entirely or replaced with completely flat bunkers with absolutely no lip — it looks like they just dumped a load of sand on level ground and ran over it a couple times with a steam roller. Play may be a little faster, but who wants to play a biting course. Nice job there City Council.

It was windy, but the views were beautiful, and the course was very unique.

No working bathroom now for 2nd time in three weeks! No food available in clubhouse either!

This course was the second stop on my group's trip to Denver. As the cheapest course on our itinerary we weren't sure how the course would stack up, but it proved to be a very nice value.

Conditions were lush. The rough here was among the thickest on the trip. The greens rolled incredibly true, but were a little slow compared to other courses in the area.

The meadow 9 was very pretty, with cool elevation changes. Lots of water in play! The drivable 3rd was a group favorite.

The links 9 was less popular. A few of the holes are a little strange if you aren't familiar with the course. In particular numbers 16 and 17 (or 7/8) are interesting.

Overall, the 2 nines we played were enjoyable and the course was in such good shape. As a Texan, I can only dream of grass that lush on a city course. What a treat.

We played this course after driving by and admiring the beauty of the course.

The staff was great and they had plenty of ranger trying to keep people on pace, however the pace of play was very slow.

The holes were fun and diverse. The meadow component was in the valley with more trees and water. The links nine was hilly meadows.

Great views of the red rocks and mountain peaks. Although surrounded by busy highways and greater Denver, it was quiet and peaceful due to the design within the hills.

I would go back if I could make it middle of the week to avoid crowds and slow play, as it’s clear I’m not the only person to appreciate the value.

Just played 9 holes at The Canyon course. Great conditions, intriguing layout and a stellar price. Definitely one of the best overall courses I've played in the Denver area. Highly recommend and will definitely be back soon.

It was a GREAT day. 3 of us starter asked if it was ok to add 4th. We said yes of course. Haven Moses. What a day.

I played the canyons to meadows and it was a blast. Great views and the course was in hood shape. Lots of players assistance available throughout the round. Came out a few minutes past the cut off time for 18 holes. They let me got for it and I was able to finish in under 4 hours. Will def be back to play the links as it looks to be longer than the other two nines. Will def be back!

IMHO the best course inside the 470 beltway. Beautiful views, great variety of holes, and great course maintenance.