Art: Curious to know your feelings on the courses that were recommended.
I drove in from the west on I-70 and started with Redlands then Lakota. I then made my way up to Steamboat and played Haymaker, followed by a couple nights in the Rabbit Ears and Flat Tops wilderness areas, then headed south to Breckenridge. I also played Eagle Ranch somewhere in there. These were my first experiences playing at altitude. Club selection was a challenge for me the entire trip. The higher I went, the harder I started swinging my driver, and the higher my scores went. I got a little carried away at Haymaker, but had fun crushing those drives.
Redlands Mesa was breathtaking. I liked the setting and layout and enjoyed my first experience with such extreme elevation changes. I'm not sure I'd want to play a course like this on a regular basis, partly because it's unwalkable, but it added an element of fun that I don't experience on my home course. I was however surprised by how soft the they keep those fairways and greens in the high desert. I'll definitely play this course again next time I visit.
Lakota Canyon is about 1000 feet higher in elevation that Redlands Mesa, and again, Engh's huge elevation changes stood out most. I enjoyed the course, but IMO, Redlands Mesa had a better layout and was more memorable.
My favorites were Haymaker and Breckenridge. Both were walkable, set in valleys surrounded by nearby mountains. I could play these courses every day.
Haymaker was more of a links-style layout with a surplus on penal native grasses. I especially liked the green complexes here -- large and undulating and protected by lacy bunkers and grassy mounds. Located at nearly 7000 feet, I got in a lot of trouble here, swinging for the fences, and finding thick deep rough instead. Somehow, I shot a 75 at Lakota Canyon and followed that up with a 92 at Haymaker! I'll be back to Haymaker just to redeem myself.
Thick native grasses were abundant at Breckenridge as well, with plenty of bushes and trees along meandering creeks bordering fairways. I remember the Bear course as being pretty generous off the tee and easier to walk and easier to score. Elk and Beaver were more demanding off the tee. I think it was Elk that had more elevation changes and was more difficult to walk.
The hole that I remember most was Elk's steep uphill 274 yard par 4 6th. I drove the ball over the green and nearly ended up in the forest well above and beyond the green. I made a Phil-like lob shot back down to the green and 2-putted for par. The next day, I played Elk again and landed the green with a 4-wood and 2-putted for birdie. I also remember a long sweeping downhill par 5 that entices a risky attempt to reach in 2, and an extremely challenging downhill dogleg right par 4 that required a precise downhill drive followed by an approach over a gulch to a tight green with severe downslopes on 3 sides (not quite like 14 at Bandon Trails, but similar).
Needless to say, I loved golf in Colorado!