South Suburban Golf Course:
Reasonable Rates and Scenic Views
By Diana Rowe Martinez, Senior Writer
Littleton, CO - Another Dick Phelps' Colorado course surprise is found tucked into a south metro residential area near Colorado and Dry Creek. This course is designed around Dry Creek and settled into nature like it belongs. With the trees, water, and hills as obstacles, a round of golf here is nothing but a challenge. The greens are sloping and will either test or hone your putting skills.
South Suburban Golf Course opened in 1973 and offers 27 holes--an 18-hole with a par-3 9 hole. Along with Centennial and Lone Tree, South Suburban is managed by the South Suburban Park and Recreation District. South Suburban is a three-time National Gold Medal Winner for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management.
Your first hole starts with South Suburban's typical dogleg right to a downhill sloping green. This par 4 364-yards is easily attainable for a golfer that plays it safe up the middle and slightly right, but the sloping green means every putt has to count. Hole 2's par 5 at 538 yards is wide open with rolling hills and a dogleg right and a favorite of the South Suburban staff.
An elevated tee with a shot downhill, then up to an elevated green awaits you at Hole 3. This par 4 is harder than you might think at 426 yards. The par 3 at hole 4 is another standard play with a 192-yard drive from a slightly elevate tee to a slightly elevated and sloping green.
South Suburban doesn't claim a signature hole, but if they did, this next 587-yarder might just fit the profile. Hole 5 is a tough, long par 5. The tee box is a drive over Dry Creek and a clump of trees, up and over a hill, with bunkers sitting at the top of the hill. Your best plan is to lay up right of the bunker with a blind shot over the hill to a slight left dogleg. The green is slightly uphill with a bunker looming behind.
Dry Creek again comes into play at Hole 6's 366-yard par 4. The
shot is straight with the fairway sliding downhill to the creek
at the 150-yard marker. Dry Creek hunkers at about the 100-yard
marker, with the green straight uphill again. However, a nice
straight drive will give you a double second shot over the creek
onto another sloping green.
Dick Phelps gets a lot of play out of Dry Creek, using it again on the 190-yard Hole 7's par 3. From an elevated tee, your shot is between a group of trees over the creek onto an elevated and--yes, you guessed it!--another sloping green.
Sloping fairways with undulated hills at the next two holes face the golfer and end the back 9. Keeping your ball at the top of the slopes are your best bet as these will kick in the direction of the slope and promises you difficult second shots.
More of the same awaits you on the back nine, but don't get lulled into thinking you have the course conquered. Hole 10 may be a fairly straight 336-yard par 4, but your drive is through the middle of trees to a dogleg right. Out of bounds is on the left and the rough and more trees is one the right.
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Hole 12's par 4 is a drive off an elevated tee onto rolling hills with two bunkers sitting on the right at the 150 yard marker and one on the left which is the start of the dogleg right. If you make it past this, one shot will easily put you on the green.
A replica of #7, Hole 13 drives over Dry Creek from an elevated tee to an elevated green. Trees guard the right and bunkers sit front, right and center left of green. Hole 14's par 4 drives off the tee over the lip of a lake. Again, the dogleg left is at the 150-yard marker with another lake on the right. The fairway consists of rolling hills up to another elevated green.
The par 5 up next is a long one at 612 yards, hilly on the left, with houses sitting along the fairway which slopes down to a slight curve right. A bunker sits at 275 yards on the right. Once you get past the obstacles, a hill directly in front of the green will send your balls hard right, not giving you the roll to the green you might expect.
This South Suburban course finishes with a picturesque 423-yard par 4. With the lake on the right, the undulating hills of the fairway feed downhill to the water. The way is clear on the left with a few trees, but your best shot is slightly right as the fairway bends to the right. An elevated green is protected with a large bunker across the entire right of the green.
At 6,790 yards and a par 72, South Suburban green fees are better
than affordable. Nonresidents pay $31.75 for 18; $16 for 9--residents
get a nice break here. Cart fees are $22/$12. Not only will you
get a challenging game here, but you'll get a nicely designed
and challenging course with more bang for your buck than you can
get at most resorts. They offer well-kept fairways and greens,
as well as driving ranges. Their pro shop is top notch and the
food is tasty.
After playing this course, you'll notice one striking similarity from hole to hole. Most of the greens are sloping and extremely difficult to read. Players with fewer than two putts should receive a pat on the back. But however your game performs here, you'll want to put South Suburban on your list of courses to play with their reasonable rates and scenic views.
South Suburban Golf Course
7900 S. Colorado Blvd.
Littleton, CO 80122
Phone: (303) 770-5508
Fax: (303) 799-0757
Pro: Bill Ramsey
