If you're in Denver

[HighFade]

Green Valley Ranch.  Close to the airport.  $65.  A little on the long side.  Tough but fair.  A few forced carries.  Prob not for high handicapper.

 

CommonGround.  $55.  East side of town.  This is a long, but wide open course without much trouble.  Greens are large, but severely sloped.  US Amateur held here in 2012.

NOTE:  This course was hit with the recent floods.  They have 9 holes open now, and expect all 18 by July 2014

 

Lone Tree Country Club. ~15 miles south of Denver.  $65.  Despite the name, it is public.  Nothing fancy, but a good course.  My home course.  A few interesting holes, and not too tough.

 

Arrowhead - ~25 miles south of Denver.  Rate ranges from $40-$100 depending on season and current deals.  Scenic views galore.  Elevated tees, Huge rock formations to avoid.  Fantastic course. 

 

Red Hawk - ~25 miles south of Denver.  $62.  If you like elevated tees, this is your course.  Almost all tees are at least 30-50 feet above fairway.  Some as much as 150 feet.  Awesome!

 

There are MANY more in the Denver area, but these are among my favorites.  Bear Dance (#1 course in state) is supposed to be the best around, but I haven't played it yet. 

 

*All green fees are estimates.  Don't quote me.

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

Played Red Hawk last summer -- love it!  The 18th is a great hole!  Have also played Murphy Creek - another fun course.  Fossil Trace is always an adventure, too.  Denver is a great place to play golf!

[HighFade]

Red hawk is one of my favorites. Never heard of Murphy creek. But I've only been here two years. And there are a lot of courses here.

 

Fossil Trace is always mentioned with Bear Dance. Supposed to be really nice. But those are a little pricey for me....

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

Murphy Creek is fairly close to the airport - it's a links-style course (despite the lack of ocean  ) - some really interesting holes, especially the par 3's.  Not overly long, but each hole has something unique about it.  

 

Now, if you want to talk about The Refuge...