Saddle Rock: Home of the Colorado Men's Open

By Lynn Zmistowski
Rockies Golf Daily Fan Course Reviewer

AURORA--Saddle Rock is the 1998 home of the Colorado Men's Open. I am not sure Saddle Rock has enough prestige to be hosting the Colorado Open, but it certainly is a quality golf course for this event.

The professionals will be playing it at 7,351 yards long and the holes and greens are all challenging enough that I predict the scores in 1998 will be higher than the scores at Inverness the past several years.

It's a challenging course that maybe should be left to the professionals. If you finish Saddle Rock with the same ball you started with you should be very happy.

There is a stretch of holes that will truly test the best golfers in the region. Numbers 9 through 12 could be called Amen Corner for Saddle Rock.

Saddle Rock is built on a very good piece of property. It's a new course located about 6 miles west of I-25 on Arapahoe.

Dick Phelps designed this course using the natural wetlands, the established trees and the natural terrain of the land to make the holes feel like they fit there perfectly.

Number 9 has a huge lake all along the right side, and number 10 is definitely one of the most difficult holes in Colorado. From the back tees, the hole is 431 yards. The carry over the wetlands is about 225 yards, and even though the landing area is about 30 yards wide, it seems extremely difficult to hit because it is at an angle and there is what us course raters call "squeeze."

That is, if you go left, you are in the wetlands and will need to reload. If you go right, you will be on a severe hill that they have allowed the rough to be very long and will hold your ball.

Actually, I think number 10 is unfair as it is. I think they should give the golfer a little break on the right side of this hole by cutting the rough short enough that you can at least find your ball.

Number 11 is the third difficult hole in a row. You must drive it to this area, which then opens through the trees toward the hole. If you hit your drive short, you will have to slice (not fade) the ball around the trees (or lay-up to the area you were aiming at with your drive). If you pull your drive, you will have a long carry over a swamp-like area. If you push your drive off the tee, you will be in lateral hazard.

Number 12 is the fourth hole in this area where you have to be accurate. It has a very generous landing area, but again you must hit it the correct length, so you have an open shot through a tree opening to the green. If you fall short of the opening, you will have to have excellent skill to fade it around the trees at the corner of the hole. If you hit your drive too long, you will have to have enough skill to draw the ball around the trees to get on the green in regulation.

Then you get a breather on holes 13, 14, 15 and 16. If you miss your shot on these holes, you can probably go find the ball and keep playing. Numbers 17 and 18 are stressful holes, but if you complete them in par you will feel like you have accomplished something.

Saddle Rock has a nice little clubhouse, but for those of us who prefer to eat and drink in a smoke free environment, you are out of luck at Saddle Rock. They also have a nice outdoor covered patio.

Saddle Rock has five sets of tees, so there is a set of tees for all skill levels. For the woman golfers who prefer forward tees, the length is 5407 yards. On those difficult holes of numbers 9-12, the forward tees are enough forward or to the side of the severe hazards that most women will have a chance to do alright.

I would definitely say that Saddle Rock is one of the more challenging courses in the area. The course rating/slope for men from the back tees where they will be playing the Colorado Open from is 73.7/136. From the forward tees, the course rating/slope for women from 5407 yards is 70.9/126.