In it's fourth season of golf, Fossil Trace Golf Club in Golden, Colorado has already made a name for itself with numerous awards and praise by the golfing community. The golf course was designed on a very small piece of land measuring slightly over 6,800 yards from the back tees. James Engh makes up for this short-length by introducing numerous doglegs and water hazards throughout the course. Many of the holes on the back, feature 'funnels' around the fairways and greens.

Well it was time to hit the first tee, so I headed there right away. This hole is a medium-length par-5 with huge mounds on each side of the fairway that acted like a funnel to push errant shots back into the fairway. I hit my ball a little bit to the left and ended up on the sides of one of these slopes. I played my second shot to about 100 yards short of the green. As I left the first tee, I realized while looking over the first hole that it appeared to be a chimney right in the middle of the fairway, Amazing - I thought.

The 4th hole at Fossil Trace was a great test of golf, a long par-4 measuring 480 yards from the back tee offered no funneling effect which is predominant on many holes. You have to hit a great drive just to find the fairway, the right side is bordered by out-of-bounds and a large tree, the left side is guarded by a marsh and a large lake that must be avoided. If you can muster a swing into the middle of the fairway you've done a great job. After your drive you will be left with a long to mid-iron into this wide green. Be sure to take enough club to reach the slightly elevated green. The rest of the front nine is relatively straight-forward.

The only real concern I had with the front nine was the ninth green. I had heard that James Engh likes to do innovative things with the greens and this is a perfect example of that. This green is surrounded by the typical 'funnels' but he has also added a little tongue of green in the back. It is virtually impossible to hold the green with an approach shot to this back placement. In my opinion this is a useless part of the green.

As we headed to the back nine, I recalled being told that this was the more demanding of the two nines. I was really looking forward to what was in store. The back nine features three par-5's and three par-3's. The most difficult of the par-3's is the demanding 14th hole. This hole is 231 yards from the back tee and plays uphill. From the tee it is difficult to see the green, but you can clearly see the flag stick. Take enough club to reach the middle of this small green. The greens at Fossil Trace are in fantastic condition. I would say they were running around 9-10 on the stempmeter. Although they were fast they were still very receptive to approach shots.

The 18th hole is a very interesting finishing hole. This very reachable par-5 has one type of trouble - namely water, water, and more water. If you hit your ball into the fairway you will be left with only a mid-iron into this difficult green. If the pin is in the front, you might as well pick up your ball and head into the clubhouse. The way this green is designed makes me question if they just forgot to design it. This would have to be one of the worst greens I have ever played. There are far too many undulations and not enough flat spots on which to put a fair pin placement. All I can say is - good luck.

I thought Fossil Trace was incredible, although there were a few problems, they certainly did not spoil my day on the golf course. The history and design of this golf course is not something that you see everyday. I highly recommend playing Fossil Trace if you find yourself in Colorado.

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