Pradera - Colorado - USA

I definitely enjoyed my round here. I've generally really enjoyed Jim Engh's work (Fossil Trace & Harmony Club), but for whatever reason I didn't find this design to be as...cohesive as others. There are some great holes, but strangely, they were the ones were quaint in comparison to the others. Other holes felt over the top, and I would argue the course relies too heavily on elevated tee boxes to make you feel something. Conditions were excellent on a brisk October day.

Some horrific golf holes, juxtaposed with some good ones. Green complexes on some of these holes are just plain stupid.

I don't share Engh's view of frivolity in golf course design. This one - just like his others - goes past eccentricity into the realms of silliness.

There are plenty of places to play. If you need to check Pradera off your list, then go for it. But it isn't worth playing again.

My mates over here were trying to look after me, and made quite a few suggestions as to where I should play. I opted for Pradera because it wasn't too far to drive from Denver (40 Minutes) , and because I wanted to see some of Jim Engh's design work..

What struck me first was the feel of the place- after playing at clubs frequented by the well heeled, Pradera was a contrast- it was a club for the local businessman. I was back to the heartbeat of American golf. We even had piped music on the range..

Pradera is in the beginnings of the hill country at the edge of the plains, and looks quite dramatic with strips of green fairway amid the more desert like terrain. And there was some pretty dramatic elevation changes!

Initially I was unimpressed- the bunkering with heavy grass facing looked contrived, and most of the greens were in bowls. It just looked and felt a little artificial. But as the round progressed we encountered some unique and quirky holes which really engage the golfer.

I didn't particularly like the way the course has been finished off (bunkering, mounding etc), but the routing works, and the strategies are sound.

Questions are asked each hole with split fairways, semi blind shots, and short 4's with hazards in play. I began to loosen up and enjoy myself and my playing partners warmed to my off beat sense of humour. So we all had a good time!

Notable holes include:

- hole 5, a short, strategic par 4 with no greeenside bunkers and green in a bowl
- hole 6, a short par 4 from an elevated tee to another bowl shaped green
- hole 7, an amazing par 5 with alternate fairways and an island green in a desert sea
- hole 8, a pretty par 3 over a pond
- hole 10, a short quirky par 4 to an elevated green
- hole 11, a strong dogleg par 4 around a lake
- hole 15, a gorgeous par 3 over water
- hole 16, a long par 5 off an extremely high tee- the landing are is littered with bunkers, so pick your line and commit!

Despite my initial misgivings, The Club at Pradera won me over. I enjoyed myself. And from personal experience I know the members love it- it certainly is fun to play

Tick.

Peter Wood is the founder of The Travelling Golfer – click the link to read his full review.

The greater Denver area has a number of top quality golf options but one clearly is often undervalued and overlooked -- Pradera.

Architect Jim Engh successfully incorporated a mixture of faux Irish links and an intersection with the inclusion of a more modern tough featuring the designer's penchant for shaping holes for specific shot value calculations.

The real fascinating aspect with Pradera is that there is a solid mixture of holes and the routing keeps moving in different directions. The site is also blessed with enough pitch and roll but not so excessive as to be the main storyline.

Engh has again seen fit to include five par-5 holes and an equal number of par-3's. That can be quite hard to pull off simply because getting a quality mixture of such holes is no easy feat -- it also can mean a diminutive role for the par-4's. Given the high elevation and the wherewithal for golf balls to travel much more in the air -- long par-4's can be overmatched so focusing on the par-3 and par-5 side makes for a much more entertaining round of golf with constant options presented for players to decipher.

Pradera is well-protected by devilish squiggly bunkers that resemble long narrow coffins. Getting into one of them is quite easy -- removing one's ball is quite another. Engh also makes it a point at Pradera not to place bunkers to the outsides of a hole's boundary but in the line of play. This forces players to have total shot control and not just whack the ball from the tee with total impunity. The stellar par-5 16th is a great example of this and shows what adroit thinking with execution can mean for the player. Be sure to look to the south when playing the 16th because on a clear day you'll see Pike's Peak.

Given the housing that's near to the course -- Engh smartly weaved the holes so that the routing is constantly changing directions and hole types. You don't have any major real lulls at Pradera.

The concluding hole is a rollicking adventure -- a par-5 of 550+ yards. Once again Engh tantalizes with options. There is a long serpentine bunkers that runs parallel to the line of play and separate the left and right portion of the fairway. Those who find the bunker will pay a steep price. Those able to place a daring tee shot between the bunker and a water hazard that hangs close to the left side will have a much simpler second shot and can likely reach the green in two shots with a possible eagle beckoning. Those taking the safer route will likely have to lay-up but Engh gives little reprieve because of a greenside bunker that hugs the green like a kindergarten child on their first day going to school.

The outward nine is just a bit behind the overall qualities of the inward half. However, there are some equally strong holes worthy of special attention. The long par-4 4th is well done -- requiring a connection between needed length and mandated accuracy. The split fairway par-5 7th is utterly delicious. Here Engh provides a right fairway option tempts players to bite off more than they can deliver. The fairway on that side is narrow but it does provide an opportunity to reach the green in two blows. The concluding par-4 9th ends the side well with two bunkers protecting the wider left side of the fairway and water down the right side.

Pradera is a quality member's course. It will not be able to host the world's top professionals and its reputation need not have that kind of association for the layout to receive its rightful attention. Those coming to Parker and presuming the nearby Colorado Golf Club is the only game in town had best check out Pradera and see firsthand what Engh has so successfully created.

by M. James Ward