The hardest golf courses in Denver, Colorado
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Denver, Colorado, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 41 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Also covers Castle Rock, Aurora, Parker, Golden, Littleton and 7 more nearby towns.
The Sanctuary
Sedalia, CO, USASlope rating 152, 73.4 course rating, Rattlesnake tees, 7,044 yds
PrivateJim Engh
- 4.0Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 5.0Scenery
- 1.0Facilities
- Pristine
- Must play
- Views
Championship
Colorado Golf Club
Parker, CO, USASlope rating 149, 75.5 course rating, Championship tees, 7,604 yds
PrivateBill Coore & Ben Crenshaw
- 4.1Conditions
- 4.8Layout
- 4.3Scenery
- 4.7Facilities
Challenging lay out but very playable and fun for good players. The course plays firm and fast and playing conditions are excellent. The design, as with a lot of Coore & Crenshaw courses, is all about width and angles.
Written by
@RossPaxton01
- Must play
- Pristine
- Fast greens
Bear Creek Golf Club
Denver, CO, USASlope rating 146, 74.8 course rating, Black tees, 7,276 yds
PrivateArnold Palmer & Ed Seay
- 4.0Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 4.0Scenery
- 4.1Facilities
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Grass range
Meridian Golf Club
Englewood, CO, USASlope rating 145, 74.5 course rating, Gold tees, 7,292 yds
PrivateJack Nicklaus & Bob Lohmann
- 4.0Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 2.5Scenery
- 3.1Facilities
Best true test of golf in the state of Colorado. Have to ball strike well. Best membership value in the state.
Written by
@Colinarmi
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Must play
Colorado National Golf Club
Erie, CO, USASlope rating 144, 75.5 course rating, Championship tees, 7,676 yds
PublicJay Morrish
- 3.7Conditions
- 3.2Layout
- 3.4Value
- 4.0Scenery
- 3.6Facilities
Obviously well maintained but for the price it could be better
Written by
@nturell22
- Driving range
- Views
- Mat range
The Club at Ravenna
Littleton, CO, USA
Slope rating 143, 73.8 course rating, Black tees, 7,212 yds
Saddle Rock Golf Course
Aurora, CO, USA
Slope rating 140, 74.6 course rating, Black tees, 7,351 yds
Lone Tree Golf Club & Hotel
Littleton, CO, USA
Slope rating 140, 73.0 course rating, Gold tees, 7,062 yds
Murphy Creek Golf Course
Aurora, CO, USA
Slope rating 139, 75.5 course rating, Black tees, 7,548 yds
(Championship) Cherry Hills Country Club
Englewood, CO, USA
Slope rating 139, 74.7 course rating, Championship tees, 7,348 yds
Hilton Denver Inverness
Englewood, CO, USA
Slope rating 139, 72.7 course rating, Blue tees, 7,026 yds
Legacy Ridge Golf Course
Westminster, CO, USA
Slope rating 138, 73.1 course rating, Champ tees, 7,102 yds
Heritage Eagle Bend Golf Club
Aurora, CO, USA
Slope rating 138, 72.6 course rating, Black tees, 6,942 yds
Fossil Trace Golf Club
Golden, CO, USA
Slope rating 138, 72.3 course rating, Black tees, 6,831 yds
Arrowhead Golf Club
Littleton, CO, USA
Slope rating 138, 71.5 course rating, Black Bear tees, 6,636 yds
The Ridge at Castle Pines North
Castle Rock, CO, USA
Slope rating 136, 72.6 course rating, Black tees, 7,013 yds
Lakewood Country Club
Lakewood, CO, USA
Slope rating 136, 72.0 course rating, Blue tees, 6,709 yds
(Championship) Green Valley Ranch Golf Club
Denver, CO, USA
Slope rating 135, 73.1 course rating, Black tees, 7,058 yds
The Meadows Golf Club
Littleton, CO, USA
Slope rating 135, 72.2 course rating, Gold tees, 7,011 yds
(Canyon/Meadow) Fox Hollow Golf Club
Lakewood, CO, USA
Slope rating 135, 71.6 course rating, Black tees, 6,808 yds
(The Dunes) Riverdale Dunes & Knolls
Brighton, CO, USA
Slope rating 134, 73.3 course rating, Gold tees, 7,067 yds
(Meadow/Links) Fox Hollow Golf Club
Lakewood, CO, USA
Slope rating 132, 71.8 course rating, Black tees, 6,888 yds
Raccoon Creek Golf Course
Littleton, CO, USA
Slope rating 131, 73.3 course rating, Black tees, 7,045 yds
CommonGround Golf Course
Aurora, CO, USA
Slope rating 131, 73.2 course rating, Black tees, 7,229 yds
Indian Peaks Golf Club
Lafayette, CO, USA
Slope rating 131, 72.6 course rating, Silver tees, 7,088 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Denver, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
The Sanctuary is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Denver, Colorado at Slope 152 (73.4 course rating · Rattlesnake tees · 7,044 yds). 41 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Denver, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
Yes. It includes qualifying courses within about 25 miles of Denver, not only courses whose address is in the city.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 3:39 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
