Golf Club at Redlands Mesa

The Golf Club at Redlands Mesa sits on high desert terrain overlooking the Colorado River Valley near Grand Junction, where the landscape transitions from the Rocky Mountains to the Colorado Plateau. Jim Engh designed the course in the early 2000s, bringing his characteristic bold style to a dramatic property that features significant elevation changes, red rock outcroppings, and expansive views across western Colorado's wine country and the Book Cliffs. Engh's routing makes full use of the mesa topography, with holes playing across ridges, through arroyos, and along cliffsides. The design incorporates natural desert vegetation—sagebrush, juniper, and native grasses—and the architect's signature use of large, sculptured bunkers and striking visual elements. Several holes play from elevated tees to fairways far below, while others climb back up the mesa, creating a varied test that emphasizes course management and shot placement over pure length. The property's openness to wind adds another variable to club selection and strategy. The course operates as a semi-private facility and has drawn attention within Colorado golf circles for its distinctive character, quite different from the tree-lined parkland courses found in the Denver area. The setting provides a sense of isolation and scale uncommon in public-access golf, with the surrounding high desert landscape and distant mountain ranges visible from most holes. The clubhouse takes advantage of the elevation to offer panoramic views of the Grand Valley.