Canterberry Has the
Sweet Scent of Untapped Potential

By Seth Goldfogel,

For Rockiesgolf.com Tucked deep within the rolling hills of Parker, Colo., lies a golf course bearing significant resemblance to one you might find in the heart of Scotland. Canterberry Golf Course is an eighteen-hole track that covers over six thousand seven hundred yards, and has par set at 72. The front side consists of five par fours, two par threes, and two par fives.

The back nine has an identical number of par threes, fours and fives as the front. For those players who are somewhat familiar with other local Colorado courses, I found that Canterbury reminded me of a less developed Fox Hollow, Lonetree, or maybe South Suburban.

So why did the course remind me so much of the British Open? On all but maybe three holes, strong gusts of wind blew directly into my face. I found that trying to play high shots into the greens was a gamble, as there was no telling which way the wind was gusting at my target. The shot that should be headed right for the hole may wind up short, long, left or right by no fault of your own.

Without a doubt, the wind was a challenge. Also, I counted only a handful of trees on the course, although there is definitely enough shrubbery to make up the difference. The course is loaded with hills that often hide your target or re-direct a less than ideal shot. The most notable difference between this course versus one in Scotland is seen by the breathtaking view of the snowcapped Rockies that can be seen from the higher elevations of the course. So now that I have covered the basics of Canterberry, what are its strengths and weaknesses?

While I would not pretend to classify this course as one of Colorado's elite places to play golf, for those of you not necessarily looking for championship caliber courses, Canterberry is quite sufficient. To start with, Canterberry is attractive because the greens fees are only about thirty dollars, which is much less than many other courses across Colorado. This price makes the course especially appealing for local players who are looking for a course to play repeatedly. Even for low handicappers, the course is somewhat challenging.

Trying to control the flight of the ball from the rough is difficult, as everything outside of the fairway is wild grass. Granted, your ball will probably not be buried in three inches of thick grass, but on the same note, there is no saying if the lies are solid, soft, or otherwise inhibiting.

The course is fairly long, so without a fair tee shot, don't expect to make the green in regulation. I was also impressed with consistency of distance markers found in the fairways. While some courses mark only a few sprinkler heads per hole, it seemed like each of the heads at Canterberry had a distance to the green marked on it.

While it may not sound significant, knowing the distance to the cup is critical, especially considering that the pro shop does not offer a distance booklet or anything resembling a map of the course.

My favorite holes on the course were holes five and fifteen. I may be a sucker for par threes over water, but I was impressed with the fifth hole. This one hundred fifty-yard par three was aesthetically appealing and challenging at the same time. The other hole that most impressed me was fifteen. Sure, this par four only plays three hundred and eighty-one yards, but it's not that simple. A huge ravine (with snakes, or I would have gone after my drive) that cuts directly through the fairway bisects the hole roughly two hundred and fifty yards from the tee.

• Karl Lueders: Please Close Canterberry • More information: Canterberry Golf Course • Past Colorado course reviews

Being the overly confident yet underskilled player that I am, I made the ill-advised mistake of trying to drive the ravine in order to make the second shot a synch. The ball flew from the tee, as the club made that pleasant sounding "tink" upon striking the ball. I was sure my shot would clear the ditch, but as the ball flew away, it got caught in the wind.

The closer it got to the far edge of the ravine, the further the wind pulled it right. As my shot landed, a small rustle in the shrubs of the ravine could be seen faintly from the tee box. O.K., so maybe I'm no Hemingway, and certainly I'm no Arnold Palmer, but it doesn't take a golf pro to know that hitting the first shot OB is never good for your score. Laying up on this hole is undoubtedly the way to go, but if you're anything like me, you'll have to find that out for yourself.

While Canterberry Golf Course has definite potential, I identified several weaknesses, which in my mind keep it from ranking with the better courses in the area. To begin with, the reason that I would classify this course as an underdeveloped Fox Hollow is because the overall maintenance of the holes is less than ideal.

The fairways are cut very thin, but not terribly consistent. It was not always rewarding to drive my ball in the fairway, as there was no saying whether I would wind up in a bare spot or in the short grass.

Similar to the fairways, the greens were also less than consistent. Having just been aerated, some of the greens were quite slow, while others rolled quickly. It was difficult to tell how fast a putt would roll, or how severe the break might be on account of this inaccuracy. While I am all in favor of difficult courses, I don't consider inconsistent greens to be a fair challenge, even for the most experienced player.

However, it would not be fair to criticize the maintenance of this course without noting that Colorado has had a stormy overcast spring. Because the sun has crept out so rarely these last few months, it seems likely that Canterberry, along with many other local courses, has suffered.

In addition to these inconsistencies, Canterberry is currently under construction. What otherwise seems to be a scenic and attractive course is infested with construction equipment, fencing, pipes and other abnormalities that tend to take from the view and beauty of the layout. I was told that the holes will remain the same, but the order in which they will be played is being changed.

Regardless, when playing my second shot from the eighteenth fairway, I was faced with clearing an eight-foot pile of mud that ran the width of the hole. As I stood over the ball, rather than envisioning a good shot, the recurring image of the windmill at the local miniature golf course kept creeping into my mind. Sure, it sounds funny, but trying to fish a ball out of the abominable mud pile is a much heartier task than merely pulling balls from a lake.

Also, Canterberry lacks the amenities that adorn some of Colorado's more notable courses. For example, the clubhouse appears to be an oversized tin shed, with a snack bar, but no real restaurant. The driving range seemed sufficient, but there was no place to practice chipping.

The scorecards have the par for each hole as well as the distance to the cup, but no pictures or yardage markers for clarification. While many of these points are not entirely necessary it is expected that they still be included.

Regardless of the shortcomings found at Canterberry, there can be no doubt that the course is overflowing with potential. Once the construction is complete, I am sure that the condition and playability of the course will greatly increase, making the round of golf more enjoyable and memorable at the same time.

However, for those of you who are traveling to Colorado looking for great courses to play regardless of their cost, I would say Canterberry's not the course for you, at least not yet. Along the same lines, not everyone is looking for the equivalent of Pebble Beach when selecting a course to play. Canterberry most definitely offers a reasonable challenge, as well as moderate conditions.

Seeing as I am no Roger Ebert, I have no obligation to give out a rating based on stars or with my thumbs. That being said, I would only suggest that depending on your goals and or desires in a golf course, Canterberry could just as easily be an Emmy-winning performance, as a show where you're left wondering who suggested you see it in the first place. In all likelihood, you will find it to be somewhere in the middle of the two. I know I did.