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Rick Sides

  • Karma: +0/-0
Fossil Trace
« on: August 13, 2024, 10:57:32 AM »
My wife and I did a long weekend outside Denver to watch a show at Red Rocks and I was able to get a round in at Fossil Trace . It was my first Jim Engh course and I have to say it was a hell of a lot of fun. I know people might not think it’s anything spectacular with the architecture but I really enjoyed the round . A few short par 4, a cool use of the natural land with artifacts , and very playable . I wish more courses would play like this.

Ben Sims

  • Karma: +1/-0
Re: Fossil Trace
« Reply #1 on: August 13, 2024, 11:36:27 AM »
You can do A LOT worse than Fossil Trace on the Front Range. We go up there on field trips sometimes when the guys are tired of me insisting on CommonGround. Also it doesn’t hurt that Golden is a nice place.

Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +3/-1
Re: Fossil Trace
« Reply #2 on: August 13, 2024, 01:11:38 PM »
I tried to go and see Fossil Trace a few years ago when I was out in Denver with my wife and daughter.  It was a busy afternoon and they wouldn't let me out to see the course!  I'm not sure if it was just a "safety" thing or whether they were worried I might review it negatively . . . I guess we'll never know.

Tommy Williamsen

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Fossil Trace
« Reply #3 on: August 13, 2024, 01:21:31 PM »
Fossil Trace is great fun. The biggest problem is pace of play.

Where there is no love, put love; there you will find love.
St. John of the Cross

"Deep within your soul-space is a magnificent cathedral where you are sweet beyond telling." Rumi

Rick Sides

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Fossil Trace
« Reply #4 on: August 13, 2024, 01:30:50 PM »
Tom and Tommy ,
Sorry they did not let you out Tom. I would be very curious about how you would rate the course . I had great Craic as the Irish would say playing it . Tommy it was slow and it goes back to my tee theory . Most men in the US play from the wrong tees! I had lunch after on the patio and watched 4 lads go back to the tips and only one ball travelled over 150 yards in the fairway. The other 3 balls were either OB or near women’s tees !

Dan_Callahan

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Fossil Trace
« Reply #5 on: August 13, 2024, 01:46:30 PM »
I've played only two Engh courses: Fossil Trace and Snowmass. I enjoyed both of them. Obviously, FT has the distinctive rock formations incorporated into the design, but both courses have similar bunkering that I thought was unique and very different from other courses I've seen. I also found many of the bunkers to be fairly deep, with steep faces, which made them penal (in a good way). The biggest challenge for me was adjusting to playing at altitude. The distance change, coupled with a few elevated tee shots, made it difficult to pick the right lines off the tee and pull the right club going into greens. Took a couple of rounds for me to trust that a pitching wedge can actually fly 190 yards.

Ronald Montesano

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Fossil Trace
« Reply #6 on: August 13, 2024, 05:24:45 PM »
Engh and Strantz belong in the same, bold group of architects.
Coming in 2024
~Elmira Country Club
~Soaring Eagles
~Bonavista
~Indian Hills
~Maybe some more!!

John Kavanaugh

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Fossil Trace
« Reply #7 on: August 13, 2024, 08:27:42 PM »
I tried to go and see Fossil Trace a few years ago when I was out in Denver with my wife and daughter.  It was a busy afternoon and they wouldn't let me out to see the course!  I'm not sure if it was just a "safety" thing or whether they were worried I might review it negatively . . . I guess we'll never know.


Like Serena in Paris. Sometimes it’s as simple as no.

Richard Hetzel

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Fossil Trace
« Reply #8 on: August 14, 2024, 07:07:46 AM »
I played it a few years back and enjoyed the round as well. In fact, I have enjoyed every single Jim Engh course I have played so far!
Best Played So Far This Season:
Crystal Downs CC (MI), The Bridge (NY), Canterbury GC (OH), Lakota Links (CO), Montauk Downs (NY), Sedge Valley (WI)

Stewart Abramson

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Fossil Trace
« Reply #9 on: August 14, 2024, 08:16:11 AM »

Matthew Rose

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Fossil Trace
« Reply #10 on: August 14, 2024, 08:46:50 AM »
I've had a blast every time I played there. The array of bowls and backplates makes approach shots fun; I made a lot of birdies there using the slopes to get shots close.

American-Australian. Trackman Course Guy. Fatalistic sports fan. Drummer. Bass player. Father. Cat lover.

DFarron

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Fossil Trace
« Reply #11 on: August 14, 2024, 04:24:02 PM »
You can do A LOT worse than Fossil Trace on the Front Range. We go up there on field trips sometimes when the guys are tired of me insisting on CommonGround. Also it doesn’t hurt that Golden is a nice place.


Commonground is worth the insisting, I really enjoyed that course.