Fossil Trace Golf Club

Was booked for a tee time over the phone on a Wed for discounted rate. When we showed up, they had no reservation for us, and wanted to charge full price. Fool me once…

Great course

The golf course is thee best course I’ve been to since living in Colorado, it’s a lil challenging and yet easy at the same time. I would suggest getting a golf cart in order to maximize the fun no matter how good of shape your in, there are a lot of steep small hills surrounding most if not all the holes. The only thing I would complain is there is no locker room for storing clothes, and I would like to see the GPS on the carts show wether the course is clear or not in front of you, it’s very hard to see over the rocky terrain. I would recommend this place over any other courses.

What a challenge combined with first class views!
first time playing golf in Denver and what a treat that it happened to be at fossil trace!
(Played on June 1,2015) course conditions were excellent. Fairways and tee boxes were manicured and cut precisely. Very much as if playing at a country club! On a few holes workers were replacing divots in the fairway so the $ 70+ green fees Is not just for the incredible views.
Greens: Greens are very complex and undulating ! Not a flat spot on any greens so pick you tee box wisely. I had a 7:30 am tee time and the greens were a solid 10 – 10.5
Staff was very accommodating, I didnt have clubs but was pleasantly surprised that the rentals were a titelist set that were in fair shape and the driver even had a Diamanna shaft .
Green fees include a *small* bucket of range balls and cart. Plenty of water stations on the course .
The views speak for themselves here! Nothing more to add so I would highly recommend
Tip: the morning I played had no wind to speak of! I’ve heard afternoons can get bad.
Tip 2; Bring a few extra sleeves, if you miss the fairways you most likely won’t find your ball.

Being a kid from the Midwest, I was really really excited when I moved out to Denver and saw some of the scenery right in the midst of the city. I started seeing photos of a couple of golf courses that had phenomenal features and were as unique as anything I’d seen on TV. A lot of people have seen the magnificent shots of Arrowhead, down south of the city with its Red Rocks and its stunning signature hole. Also interesting, if not a bit more subtle, is Fossil Trace in Golden, Colorado.
Nestled in the valley heading towards downtown Golden and Clear Creek, Fossil Trace is right up against the foothills. The geologic features are such that you get some dramatic rock outcroppings, particularly on the West edge of the course. Overall, there are a lot of good holes on the course, although there is a bit of a down-​stretch on the last half of the front-​nine. The back-​nine is stronger, and features the signature hole, three interesting Par-3’s, a fun #10 with a risk-​reward factor, and a super-​strong finishing Par-​5, which is reachable in two, but again, a lot of risk-​reward.
There’s three things that I think are worth mentioning about this course:
1. It is not easy. Standing on the first tee, you may have one of the more challenging shots to begin a round with a blind dog-​leg downhill. It continues to challenge. You’ll find a lot of trouble of you don’t hit the ball where you want to — and there are many instances of water coming into play. Bunker complexes around the greens are steep (actually, pretty tough to just get in and out of) and the sand is HEAVY.
2. On the note of green complexes… These are some TRICKY greens. Lots of multi-​tiered greens, and some hole-​locations that you will literally curse when you see. You better be on it if you really want to score. Oddly though, there are a few spots where greens are incredibly accommodating — one Par-​3 on the back-​nine allows for some pretty cool backstop shots if the pin is back.
3. If the wind is blowing, expect it to have a DRAMITIC impact on you game, particularly when you are playing into the wind. On one Par-​5 I hit Driver, 3-​Wood, 3-​Wood and still had some work left. If you’ve got a wind coming at you on the #10 tee, don’t even fool around with the lake on the right, cuz the wind is gonna take it, son. You’ll also notice that you’ll be getting a cross-​wind for most of the back-​nine.
This is a cool track, but it’s not easy. If you’re a hack-​and-​slash looking for a nice course to play, go to Arrowhead. This course will test you. The conditioning is good, and the scenery is beautiful — it definitely has a Golden/​Western feel with Table Mountain, the rocky-​outcroppings, and the old excavation machinery left around the course. If you are not all over it, don’t get too uptight about scoring, because you’ll probably be disappointed. But, there are a lot of good shots to hit here. It helps to know your way around.
BTW — Just a side-​note gripe, but the ads on the cart-​GPS are obnoxious.

This is a great course! I wouldn’t bring a high handicapper here, they would just be frustrated. Love the way the golf course flows and the variety of teeing options. Plenty of hazards to avoid but not so many that it’s becomes obnoxious.
The outside area of the bar gives a beautiful view of one of the signature holes and the food is the restaurant is well above average. We even go over from time to time just to eat lunch.
I like that the let you hit off the grass on the driving range. The staff is extremely helpful. In fact, I was given a gift card to FTGC and lost it. I found it like 3 years later and they still honored it.

This is definitely one of the best courses in the Denver-​metro area. #1 is a wonderful hole. It’s not hard to understand why it’s gotten the recognition that it has. Nothing else about the outward half really stands out, but it’s damn good golf. The Back 9 is a lot of fun though. Every hole coming in really makes you think, and #12 is just awesome. Definitely one of my favorite holes I’ve ever played. The entire course is in good shape and just really enjoyable to play. The staff was moderately friendly. I think as someone mentioned earlier they won’t go out of your way. Like there’s no bag drop or any cart attendant at all really. Starter was nice, pro shop guys were nice, marshals were nice. Not terrible, but it’s not Ridge at Castle Pines standard. Price is probably fair for as good of an experience as you get. And while I said the course is in good shape, I arrive at «good» from «great» tee boxes and fairways, with OK greens. They were a little bouncy and not always perfectly smooth. Slightly better greens and a little bit more staff interaction and I’d go 5 stars.

OK, I am going to go out on a limb here and buck every national rating I have seen and putting this course on every single Top 100 List in the nation seems just a little generous. Now don’t get me wrong. This is a first class facility. The staff are incredible and do a great job. However, for a high end course and having no Bag Drop attendants or anyone greeting you in the parking lot is NOT in line with High End top rated courses across the country (and we were playing on a Saturday at prime time). In the pro shop, service was great, the starter was phenomenal.
The layout is just OK. I am saying that as you really have to pick the correct tee’s to give you a little bit. I was playing with a mixed group of high, mid and a couple low handicappers. We played from the white tee’s and if you are an average level golfer you are going to have to lay back on many of the holes and not hit driver. Should have backed up at least one set, maybe two. Some of the holes do have the quirkiness of the terrain and keeping it natural that cause some strange layups and approaches.
Condition was actually very good. Tee Boxes were in very good shape, fairways were very nice and in good shape. Interesting design, majority of the greens are actually sitting in little valley’s with very deep drop off’s. Actually makes it a difficult walk down to the greens. If you have weak legs, bad knee’s, ankles, etc. you definitely DO NOT want to play this course.
All in all it is a very good golf course. My average rating is that given the comparison to other top 100 courses I have played, this one is really not up to those and my personal opinion is I enjoyed myself, but wouldn’t rush here and if I had come from California (like I did) just to play it, I would be a little disappointed.

Fossil Trace Golf Course definitely lives up to all hype. The course is nestled in the Rocky Mountains with incredible views from just about every hole. Fossil Trace is in impeccable condition. With up to seven tee positions ranging from 4700 yards (Gold) to 6800 yards (Black) Fossil Trace GC can be as much of a challenge as you need.
The course is less than forgiving if you are not striking the ball well. Every shot from tee to green brought on its own challenge. Fossil Trace is one of those courses that does not seem to give an inch. If you decide to play safe off the tee it will only lead to a very very difficult shot into the green.
I am not one of those golfers that care too much about tracking my handicap. So when I started my round from the White Tees I thought okay «I got this» so unwisely I moved back to the Blue Tees. Who knew that 30 — 50 yards difference could make such an incredible difference on just about each and every hole!!! Fossil Trace is an incredible golf course with incredible views. You should definitely give it a try if you are in the Denver Colorado area.

Beautiful, challenging golf course. Still, I felt like there are a few gimmicky holes on the course. Maybe it was just because I had never played the course before. I enjoyed it though, and I hope to play Fossil Trace again.

I just played Fossil Trace again, so I came back to read my old review –
In retrospect my review did seem a bit harsh, but frankly I feel many of the same things are still true.
The wacky elevation changes and the soup-​bowl greens make it a frustrating place to play. There’s a fine line between challenging and preposterous, and it’s a line this course seems to cross too often. When you have the foothills wind, postage-​stamp sized, roller-​coaster greens, do you really need 6-​foot-​deep bunkers too? Come on.
Several of the pin placements were cartoonish — steep sloped, & tight to the edges (especially. on front 9). Several greens were water logged (groundskeeper was hosing them down right before we played each one). My playing partners and I were all in agreement about poor pin placements and generally bad putting conditions. The greens also appeared to have been vandalized somewhat — it looked like gouges from someone slamming their putter into the ground — guess they were even more mad than we were? I don’t condone that behavior in the least but maybe someone will take a hint that the U.S. Open isn’t being played every weekend here.
Once again, a «novelty» course not a «great» course.
Side note — they had a tournament going on on Sunday. Went to the clubhouse and it took an HOUR to get a sandwich. Waitress brought our beers and then disappeared. If it is at all busy I will stay away from their kitchen in the future.

I used to only come here for the food. My department hosts quite a few events here and I must say, they make some delicious salmon! The wait staff is very respectful. They have a main dining area and large event spaces that can host about 50 people are so.
This is the local golf club for the avid golfers in the area. A friend took me to the driving range to teach me, and for my first time, I must say, it was pretty fun! I got to learn how to use the majority of the golf clubs, and the range is long enough for you to practice your super far shots. My favorite part was the putting green!

I probably went into this course with my expectations to high. I am a big fan of Jim Engh courses. Four Mile Ranch in Canyon City is one of my favorite courses… period. I had consistently heard how great Fossil Trace is and so I went expecting to be wowed. I have to say that I was not impressed. While it has a few really nice to even great holes, overall it was just an ok course. It was early year so I do give some lea way for the course condition being terrible… but there were things they could have done to show that they cared for the course… like rake the bunkers! It was a Saturday morning in season (early in the season but in season) and it looked like nobody had been out to prep the course.

Before you head to Fossil Trace check out their great website and their helicopter fly over. It’s a terrific way to get a feel for what you’ll experience.
I’ve been able to play this course seven times and have improved progressively as I’ve learned how to play Colorado golf course designer, Jim Engh’s bowl greens and sloping fairways. Some golf purists criticize Engh’s designs as being too golfer friendly but I find them to be great fun. In fact on my second to last round I got a hole-​in-​one on the uphill par 3 third hole by using the backstop. I was hosting a group of my TX and IL buddies and we had fun celebrating the special day at Fossil Trace’s Three Tomatoes bar/​restaurant overlooking the course.
Head Golf Pro, Jim Hajek, will warn you not to bite off more of the course than you can handle. But in 2009 we didn’t listen. We played from the tips (Black tees) for 18 holes. The 6,831 yards at a high altitude with a 72.5÷139 rating/​slope didn’t seem too tough to handle but the narrow 480 yard par 4 4^th and the 659 uphill into the wind 9^th hole proved too much for us. So we squeezed in another nine holes after a great lunch at Fossil Trace’s Three Tomatoes Restaurant on the deck over looking the beautiful 10^th and 18^th holes.
This time we played the Blue tees at 6,241 yards with a 69.3÷131 rating/​slope and found it much better for our game and egos. Another option would be to play the «T-​Rex» tees (a combination of the Black and Blue tees measuring 6,577 yds and 71.2÷135 rating/​slope). Before you go check out Fossil Trace’s great website including very well done videos of holes especially 1, 10, 12 and 15. These will give you a good taste of what you’ll experience on a golden day in Golden. Have your cameras rolling when you play the unique 12^th and 15^th holes. Both are par 5s. The 12^th makes you feel like you’re the ball in a pinball or bumper pool game as you pick your route through tall rock formations in the fairway.

Top 5 Denver Area Public Courses, Challenging but if you can keep the ball straight you should be fine on most of the holes.
Of course, the views and layout at this course are pretty tough to beat. The price is fair considering where your playing
Boooooooyaaaaahhhhhhhhh

Wow… what a course. Tee boxes were clean and fairways in great shape. Tons of uncertainty though as the elevation changes and rock formations challenge even the most confident golfers. The wind was whipping a bit days prior to my round which made the already quick greens rather slippery.
There are a few trademark holes that make the course relatively breathe taking (i.e. every hole!) They even have a 659 yard par 5. Yup! 659… Peep the picture attached. Crazy! A decent drive… pretty good 3 wood later and if I recall correctly I was still a full PW out… pretty insane. I only played from the Tips on this hole though. You just gotta do it.
Pace was great, people were great… couldn’t ask for a better place to play. It’s pricey but look what you get in return.

If you are looking for a fabulous view of Golden you can’t do better than Fossil Trace. I recommend that you have lunch on their deck which overlooks the golf course, Lookout Mountain and south table mesa.
The food is better than I would expect for a public golf course but the prices are higher as well. My wife loves the salmon salad which they have removed from the lunch menu but they were nice enough to make upon request. The burgers are good as well.

If you are a shitty golfer and want to continue to be a shitty golfer, this is the place to go. Of course, that’s not necassarily a bad thing.
This was a really challenging course. I was here for a industry event which involved food /​training in the morning and golf in the afternoon. The service was top notch. The golf pros even laughed at my «boy am I a shitty golfer» jokes.
The course itself is very scenic. I’d like to think the reason I golfed so badly was because I was distracted by the scenery (golf cart girls included, I know I’m a creep), but we all know that’s not the case.
I would recommend this course to anyone who wants to golf their little hearts out and enjoy Golden’s views all at the same time. Just don’t hit your ball into the detention facility like I did.

Fossil Trace is one of the most scenic courses in the Denver area. Located just outside Golden, this track has it all — from the quirky short par 4 hole 2 where you have to look thru a closed caption TV monitor to see if the green is clear to breathtaking number 12 where you encounter large rock formations reminiscence of the volcano hole on a mini-​golf course. The price is around $ 75 per round depending on the season. Look for early and late season deals where you pay the price of the high temperature of the day. The Three Tomatoes bar and view of the mountains makes for a perfect apre golf experience. If your game suffers, try dinking bloody mary’s from the cart service to smooth out the rough edges of your game. The course can be easy if you are good. I am not. Hole number 4 will drive you to drink; which I did last time I played. After a few drinks from the cart service, I scored one over on the back after a wretched front 9. Overall, a nice mix of scenic beauty and challenge that makes for a great day of golf.
PS — You can and should go for the green on Number 10.

I had eagerly awaited my time to play this course. The course is highly rated in various golf magazines and the course architect, Jim Engh is also highly rated in the State of Colorado. Well, today was the day… and I have never been so disappointed. I played well but the course layout and the course condition are not to my liking, are overrated and have significant flaws.
If you want to play a course that is NOT walking friendly; is NOT disability friendly; only appears to rake bunkers rarely; has sandy, bumpy greens; requires you to walk down steep mounds at almost every green; has blind landing areas on almost every hole; is «tricked up» rather than well layed out… then this course may be for you.
I have always respected golf course architects who can take a small footprint for a course and make it into a challanging, player friendly track. J. Engh fails at this in my book. Years ago J. Nicklaus began to use mounding to create character on his courses, Fossil Trace looks like a Nicklaus course that has massive tumors rather than mounds, so many, all over that it becomes boring. The fossils on one hole are interesting but so is a museum. The course has no real character, it is just a series of one trick here, one trick there, walk down a hill, walk up a hill… and on and on.
The greens, I was told, were punched two weeks ago. It appeared that since then, the green had not been watered. Also, the amount of unrepaired and old ball makes was excessive. The greens were also sanded, bumpy and were so tricked up as to make them basically no fun. A couple of the holes only needed a clown and a windmill to make them seem like a giant minature golf layout.
They could NEVER have a real golf tournament at this course as no caddie would carry a bag over the layout and very few players would want to walk the course and play on a course that is basically a paraody of a golf course.
The final straw was the pace of play, we started on the back nine and by the time we walked of the 9^th hole we had been on the course for just over 5 and a half hours. About an hour and a half more than a round should take.
All in all, one of the most disappointing rounds of golf I have had in Colorado. I will NOT go back to this course, one experience was more than enough. And I will never again rely on recommendations from Golf Magazine.
The personnel at Fossil Trace were great, all professional, friendly and personalble.