Meridian GC, Englewood. Jack Nicklaus, 1984.

A tough Nicklaus course that manages to play around some nice natural creek beds and through a corporate office park. It’s classic 80s Nicklaus tough—playable for really good golfers, really rough on most everyone else. The strategic decisions are pretty obvious and a disproportionate number of the greens set up best for someone with a high fade.

The front nine is pretty plain with only a couple of holes that play around a pond that are especially memorable—and not necessarily in a good way.

The back is more interesting. The 11th is 552 with water in front of the green but playing downhill with a good drive it can be reachable. The next stretch of holes are the best on the course at the course interacts with a creek. At the 12th you drive over a ravine to a wide fairway but you would prefer to challenge the creek on the left to give yourself the best angle to the elevated green. The 13th is a long par 5 with the creek again all the way down the left side before crossing in front of the green. And the 15th crosses the creek again, as it runs short right of the green, while an unseen ravine can grab shots that miss long and left.

After that run of natural holes the 16th is a bit of a letdown. It is a difficult par 4 that bends hard right around a lake, but a hole like this offers none of the charm you get from a more natural hole.

This is known as a welcoming family club wit a nice practice facility, including a set of three practice holes, but the course doesn’t seem like the most fun place to introduce kids to the game. The course isn’t as hard as Bear Creek by any means, but then again this isn’t as nice a spot, either.

Colorado 2nd Decile [1995]