Keystone Ranch Golf Course

I've played Keystone Ranch several times this summer but I still can't get through 18 holes without a blowup or two. Today it was holes 1 and 3. But I still love the course.
Keystone Ranch is the older of the two Keystone 18 hole courses. It's a perfect compliment to The River Course at Keystone. Part of your challenge in playing The Keystone Ranch is finding it! From I-70 follow Highway 6 through Dillon past The River Course at Keystone. Take a right on West Keystone Rd. Follow the signs to the Ranch Course across the Snake River. Take a right on Soda Ridge Rd then a left on Keystone Ranch Rd just before the Keystone Stables. Follow this up a steep slope past some great River Course back nine holes then down through the Ranch Course entrance sign (see photo#. You'll see the quaint old log Ranch House #this is a super restaurant and the Ranch Pro Shop#. Keystone Ranch offers 4 tee boxes #blue, white, gold and red# to fit your game.
The Keystone Ranch Course opens with a tree lined par 5 and par 4 similar to The River Course. But the remaining 16 holes are a beautiful mix of Scottish links and mountain meadow holes. #3 is a blind uphill dogleg right par 4 protected by an old Lodgepole Pine sitting in the front, right sandtrap .

An exciting shot from an elevated tee on #4 drops you to the meadow for the remainder of the front nine. #5 plays 190 yds from the tips #blue tees# and provides a glimpse of Keystone Ranch's history with the weathered old barns and ranch equipment backing this shallow green.
#9 is a reachable par 4 with a heavy dose of risk/reward opportunities for those daring to carry a large pond and a marshland inlet from an elevated tee.
The front nine has 29 bunkers while the back has a staggering 41. #10 throws you into these challenges. It's a long par 4 and the number 1 handicap hole. You'll learn that most balls break away from Westridge #on your east) toward the west and down the valley toward Buffalo Mountain and the Gore Range.....regardless of what you think you read.
#18 is a classic finishing par 5 with a required carry over water and marshland off the tee to a fairway skirting the large pond.

Beautiful layout in the valley with old rustic buildings and farm equipment scattered throughout the course. A difficult but playable course, greens were in great shape and every hole had wonderful views of the mountains.

Probably more of a challenge than I could handle but I love it..

Great deal for $!!!!!

This is a nice course but it was an hour drive from Vail and frankly, there are nicer courses to play closer to Vail.
We were paired with a 2-some that played a lot slower than we are used to, so we fell way behind. Since no one ever came up behind us, I think the pro shop could have let us go off as a 2-some instead of putting us with those guys.

The course was in good condition and a neat track., certainly worth the price. Greens were only fair. Enjoyed my round.

The greens were too fast for the contours, at least for someone playing them for the first time, or who doesn't play them regularly. I'm not the greatest putter, but I took 45 and my playing partner, who is a pretty good putter took 41.

However, the overall condition of the course was pretty good, the scenery is spectacular and the weather was nice so it was an enjoyable day.

They had trouble with the greens this summer but they were recovering, we were told. However the speed of the greens varied greatly, and there was no way to know it until you chipped on or putted way long or very short. They put the hole in a couple of the bad areas. The rest of the course was in very good condition.

Played this course twice in September a couple of weeks apart. Both times were just perfect weather, which can be hit or miss this time of year.

I used to think that the mountain courses were "too far" to do for a day trip, but once I realized you can get up there in just under an hour from west Denver it made it a perfect day trip.

Robert Trent Jones is my favorite modern course designer, and the Keystone Ranch course is a great test of golf from the "tips" with some good "risk/reward" holes built into the mix. The setting among the old ranch buildings is unique, and the experience on the course is in a tranquil setting and close to nature. The only thing needing attention on the course was the condition of the greens, which were somewhat spotty. Not sure if they were fighting a disease or not.