River Valley Ranch GC (Pics)

[Peter Ferlicca]

Well let me first start out saying I know I am not going to get many responses because hardly anyone has played, or will play this course in Carbondale, CO.  I just like to post pics of all the decent and great golf courses I play so that everyone can see.  This is a Jay Morrish design that opened up in 1997, I would have really liked to play this course when it opened without homes all over the place, but that’s how golf courses are built now a day with homes lining the fairways.  I thought it was a decent course probably a 5 on the doak scale, it had four great par 3's, a couple of good par 4's and only one good par 5.  I don't know how people would rank Tom Weiskopf with Jay Morrish on their individual designs, but if I had to, I would say that Jay Morrish is a better golf course designer.

Hole 1 Par 4  (This was in my opinion the best par 4 on the whole golf course, what a way to start your round hitting over crystal river)




Hole 2 Par 5  (this was a decent par 5 with a hard second lay up shot with a thin fairway)



Hole 3 Par 3 (Around 210 yards crossing a creek with bunkers along the left side, very good hole, a hard draw is a perfect shot)


Hole 4 Par 4 (A short par 4)


Hole 8 Par 3 (My favorite par 3 out of the bunch, around 173 yards crossing the river)


Hole 9 Par 4 (an uphill par 4 that bends right around the bunkers)




Hole 10 Par 4 (another par 4 that hits over the river)



Hole 12 Par 4 (long par 4 that bends left around a bunker and then the approach is uphill)


Hole 13 Par 3 (I know I have seen this hole before but I can't think of where)



Hole 14 Par 4 (It bends left around the lake and then crosses a creek to the green)



Hole 16 Par 3 (Around 230 yards, a brute of a par 3)


Hole 18 Par 4 (A good finishing hole with the tee shot crossing the river and then bends left)

[Andy Troeger]

Weiskopf and Morrish are in interesting duo in that (IMO only) they did better work together than either of them did separately. Forest Highlands Canyon is special.

[Ben Sims]

Peter,

Thanks for the course breakdown and your assertion that we should all be posting course reviews for the betterment of the site. I liked the carry on #1 and the angles on 3 and 12.  As Ron Burgandy said, "Compelling and rich".

Have you adjusted to 175 yard 9 irons yet?

[Kyle Henderson]

I played this course a last summer as part of an annual family reunion. I thought the course was a decent design in a pretty setting, but seeing as how my cousin's place is 5 minutes from Lakota Canyon Ranch, I won't be back there any time soon. I'll try to dig up some photos of RVR if I can find them, along with the yardage guide

Thanks for posting, Peter.

[Tim Pitner]

Peter,

I don't see RVR as offering anything truly spectacular, but it has some cool holes (including #18), is in a nice setting and is a good value for mountain golf, particularly in the Aspen area.  I enjoy the course. 

The par 3 you cited as your favorite (#8) used to have some really gnarly rough encircling the green.  Any shot missing the green was in the spinach and you were lucky to (a) find the ball and (b) get it anywhere near the hole on your 2nd shot.  It looks like the grass has been cut back significantly (as I recall from my latest visit). 

[Matt_Ward]

I've played RVR a few times and while I enjoyed it the first time the reality is that plenty of solid public golf course options have come to life in the last 10-15 years. The layout has its moments but it's no better than a Doak 4 for me and I give it the 4 because I really liked the finishing hole as a closer.

If one is in the area -- the place to play is Lakota Canyon Ranch as a public layout of even more diverse holes and overall better design in my mind.