Kalen:
Thanks for the pictures and comments.
As someone who has played Lakota Canyon Ranch a few times I offer the following thoughts.
The key aspect that I have always believed about LCR is the vast amount of FUN you get from playing the course and I say that in regards to different types of players.
Engh has provided through LCR a sort of "Indiana Jones" type movie with his golf design there. One will not confuse an Indiana Jones movie with the classic types such Citizen Kane or Gone with the Wind, but for sheer "edge of your seat" anticipation with what will happen when turning the next corner / facing the next shot -- LCR does deliver the kind of WOW sensations that often most golfers crave.
I have a few issues with the course -- the quick turning point on #1 is a bit too severe -- a bit more of a bend would add to the thought process on whether to shape a shot around the corner -- ditto the limited landing space that exists if one does in fact cut the corner.
The green dimensions are good but at times Engh provides the catcher mitt bowl shape types that feed nearly all types of shots back to the center. Doing something once is fine -- repeating it over and over again can be overkill. No doubt many people will not share this feeling but often times that comes about because so few people have played a wide smattering of his designs as I have.
You can also see this situation with the bowl-like fairway shapes that sometimes receive an overplay by Engh. Instead of the fairways running even with the surrounding landscape -which would create possibilities for balls to run through into trouble. This formula of elevating the sides up can often be repetitive and create an "equalization" process that fails to differentiate quality shotmaking.
On the flip side -- Engh can often provide thought-provoking greens that are simply first rate stuff. The par-3 3rd is one great example and as was poined out by Kalen it is near impossible to really comprehend the amount of pitch on the green through a simple photo -- being there is the only sure fire way to really grasp the detail.
The 4th hole is also top shelf stuff -- a dynamic tee shot into a narrowing landing area and the green hidden above a hill on the left side. This hole does play u-p-H-I-L-L and is one of the finest par-5 holes I have seen from Engh. The green can be reached in two blows -- I have hit it with as little as a 5-iron -- but the shot must fly over the tree line on the left side and be long enough to reach a green that can repel all but the finest of plays -- check out the false front at th every beginning of the green on one of the photos provided. Again, the photos only tell a bit of the qualities the hole presents.
A key element that dovetails with the 4th is Engh's considerable wherewithal to design stellar par-5 holes that offer so much on the risk and reward front. I have always believed this is one of his strongest suits and at LCR you see this front and center. Each of the holes -- minus the so-so 1st hole as previously mentioned -- is well done.
The other aspect at LCR is the need to properly position your approach shots -- notably on all the par-3 holes. Here again -- simply hitting the green guarantees nothing. The 3rd is a stellar hole -- ditto others such as #15 and #17. What's interesting is that the downhill nature of #17 has been replicated at other Engh layouts -- including Blackstone, GC at Redlands Mesa and Hawktree, to name three quick examples.
The lone real weakness at LCR is the absence of any really superb long par-4's. I like the par-4 12th -- but much of the demand comes from the tee shot and the center-placed fairway bunker encountered. It's a good hole but the approach shot is fairly pedestrian. The best par-4 on the course, IMHO, is the 16th. Engh gives just enough length so that driver is the play for most players. The green is well defended and I commend his wherewithal to angle the green so multiple good pin placements can be provided.
There's much more to add from my various times at LCR. As I said at the outset -- for sheer fun -- the golf course is a joy to play. Anyone venturing along the I-70 corridor through Colorado would be wise to stop in New Castle and play this gem. It's very reasonable on the price front when compared to other nearby courses.
P.S. Andy -- I have a friend of mine that made a bet with me that he could run up and down the tee at #8 five times and still make a par from the back tee. We have yet to return to the club and see who is right on that one !!! I told him that by time he runs up the hill a 3rd time the EMS folks will be on hand to carry him out of there.
