Dos Rios Golf Club

Gunnison, CO

website: dosriosgolf.net

• Playability: ⛳️⛳️⛳️⛳️
• Difficulty: ⛳️⛳️⛳️⛳️
• Views: ⛳️⛳️⛳️⛳️⛳️
• Course Conditions: ⛳️⛳️⛳️⛳️
• Value: ⛳️⛳️⛳️⛳️⛳️
• Facility: ⛳️⛳️⛳️

One two minute nap on Highway 50 heading West and you will miss the entire town of Gunnison. Other than Western State University, a ton of hotels, and a small little main street there isn’t much to this little Colorado town. That’s where Dos Rios comes in, a truly beautiful gem of a golf course on the southwest side of the town that runs right along the Gunnison River.

The playability of Dos Rios received a 4 flag rating. A shorter par 71 that ranges from just over 6500 yards down to about 4600 proves a tough test of golf for a golfer of any skill and ability. When we talk about playability, it really boils down to whether a course is “janky” or not (see Engh, Jim and any of his designs for reference.) Dos Rios, while demanding, proves to be a fair track that will really demand approach shot accuracy and shot making ability.

While being a fair test of golf, Dos Rios is not a walk in the park when it comes to difficulty. This course is short enough for most players to the point where you can leave driver in the bag most of the day, which is probably the smart idea to save yourself a few bullets (just another term for golf balls don’t panic.) Getting off the tee is pretty tight on holes like 3,4,5 and basically the entire back 9. Approaching the green is also difficult considering the streams and hazards running through the fairways right in front of the putting surfaces. There’s also a decent amount of well placed bunkers on this John Cochran design. The greens are relatively tough but definitely fair in comparison to most mountain courses you will come across. We gave the difficulty out here a fair 4 flag rating.

The views at Dos Rios earned a full 5 flags from us. From the backdrops to the colorful trees (we were there in early October which was perfect) the scenery here is unmatched. Between a few large lakes, the river, and a ton of rural native area all around the course this one is a true beaut’ in the golf world (see photos).

For some of you who might not know, the town of Gunnison where Dos Rios is located is statistically one of the coldest places in the continental US (don’t ask us how, we don’t make the rules here). Due to the short summer and general climate of the area, Dos Rios has one of the shortest golf seasons in our entire state. We cannot really vouch for the courses’ condition in the spring considering we have only visited this location in the fall, but what we saw of it in early October was immaculate. Dos Rios does not struggle with lack of water sources like most Colorado do, and it has the two rivers running directly through the property to thank for that. The grass is lush and green from tee to putting surface. Like previous mountain courses we have reviewed, we have to say that Fall is the best time to pay Dos Rios a visit and check out all the beautiful autumn colors. We gave the conditions another modest 4-flag rating.

In our (expert) opinion, the value out at Dos Rios is some of the best you will find at any mountain course in Colorado. During peak season, the maximum you will pay for an 18 hole round with a cart is going to be $76, which is about half of cost of most comparable mountain courses. At that kind of price point, this course is accessible to pretty much anyone who wants to make the four hour drive from the metro area up to this sleepy mountain town. Dos Rios get a well deserved 5-flag rating here.

The facilities out at Dos Rios are nothing spectacular, but there is an oddly quaint and charming feel to it. The clubhouse is a little bit on the older side, but somehow it just seems to fit perfectly with the entire setup. It has a very homey and laid back vibe, the kind of place you could hang out for hours and just shoot the breeze with the locals. The staff in the bar and the pro shop were all very kind and welcoming which is not something you find as often as you’d like. We were going to with with 2 flags for the facility rating, but the great staff bumps them up to a solid 3 flags.

Overall, we found Dos Rios to be a great, laid back spot to enjoy a weekend round with your buddies. If you can handle a short road trip, it’s definitely worth the trek.