Red Hawk Ridge

Castle Rock, CO

website: https://www.redhawkridge.com/

Playability: ⛳️⛳️⛳️

Difficulty: ⛳️⛳️⛳️⛳️

Views: ⛳️⛳️⛳️⛳️⛳️

Course Conditions: ⛳️⛳️⛳️⛳️

Value: ⛳️⛳️

Facility: ⛳️⛳️⛳️⛳️

Located roughly 30 minutes south of Denver in booming Castle Rock, Red Hawk Ridge is a great golf course and a solid test of true golf. Designed by Jim Engh and built in 1999, this course is built around a giant ridge (hence where they got the name.) Jim Engh’s designs usually earn a low mark in our playability category due to his janky setups and putt putt style greens- but Red Hawk is arguably his most tame design. There are 5 great par 3’s on the course, 5 par 5’s ranging from gettable in 2(#18) to really long (#7) , and 8 par 4’s with lots of elevation changes and sloped fairways. If you hit the ball squirrely off the tee, it could make for a long day with all of the shrubs and native areas, but all in all this track is a good test for golfers of any level.

The views out at Red Hawk earned a 5 flag review from us. With the views of Castle Rock, to lots of water, native grasses and elevated views of the rest of the course, just about every single hole is worthy of pulling out your phone and taking a picture. There are views spanning across the entire front range from the top of the 14th tee which are as good as any in the Denver-Metro area. There is a bonus incredible view from the “19th Hole” and deck of the clubhouse overlooking the Par 5 18th green, surrounded by bunkers and a gorgeous lake.

The course conditions out at Red Hawk earned a 4 flag review. The last time we played here there was a bit of construction on some holes, as well as fairly recently punched greens. The greens are usually fairly slick and not too soft, so don’t count on much backspin approaching these greens. The rough isn’t very thick but they do keep the course very green and are attentive to the dry spots.

The value of Red Hawk only earned a 2 star review. While being a good golf course, the prime location and business allows them to charge a bit of a higher rate. If you’re not a resident of Castle Rock, riding 18 holes Monday through Thursday will cost you $78. If you’re a weekend warrior that price hops up to $88, which is quite a bit for a public golf course and may turn some people away.

The facility earns a 4 flag review from the Golf Bros. A long, uphill driving range is a great spot to go practice. The chipping green is currently under construction, and the putting green attached to the clubhouse is as slick as a pool table. The proshop is fairly small with plenty of apparel to buy, but not many selections for clubs. As mentioned above, the best part of the clubhouse is the deck where you can enjoy a drink or seven after your round while watching people dump it into the lake on the 18th hole.

Overall, Red Hawk Ridge is definitely worth making the trip to, especially for a discounted twilight round when the views become even more spectacular. If you check in and find our buddy and assistant pro Chris in the shop, tell him we sent you!