Highland Meadows Golf Course Review

As we head toward the Pacific Northwest for the summer, we made a stop in Fort Collins, Colorado for a few days. (This is where you can start humming John Denver’s song: “Rocky Mountain High”.) Of course we took a day trip to the Rocky Mountain National Park. We also met up with some friends for dinner.

And we golfed!

I found a gem of a course not far from the KOA RV park we were staying in, called Highland Meadows Golf Course.

Highland Meadows is located in Windsor, Colorado. It is set on a fairly flat piece of land about an hour north of Denver. When we arrived at the course and I looked out from the Pro Shop at the first tee and the 18th hole, I was amazed at just how green everything was. The lilacs were just starting to bloom, which filled the air with their fragrance.

We were able to get checked in very quickly, got our bags in a cart and off we went. We were paired with two local gentlemen, Randy and Brian. Both golfers knew the course well, have played it often and were a wealth of information on helping us find our targets throughout our round.

As I settled into my game, I found the course to be more of a links-style course with lots of rolling hills, a few hidden greens, some very high rough, and severely undulated greens.

One of the things I really enjoyed while playing a course at this higher elevation was the fact that I was able to hit my ball an additional 7% further depending upon my club choice. I gotta tell ya, it was extremely rewarding to see my drive blast pass my usual 180 yards and stop rolling around 200 yards (+/-).

Highland Meadows front 9 is very different from the back 9. The front 9 had me playing alongside houses and having to deal with lots of water hazards and deep green side bunkers. Where as the back 9 seemed to place me out in a more secluded environment. There were no trees to get in the way of my errant shots.

I most certainly had to think on every shot. Even though the greens were very large and very contoured with several multi levels, the pin placement made every hole a challenge and I had to really study the break.

The conditions of the fairways were very lush and clean, with hardly any divot marks anywhere. And with the greens in such good condition, I honestly felt like I was playing a private club and not a public course.

When it came to my putting game, Randy and Brian both pointed out that the greens are large, which will make them look “easy” in approach but beware, they will be challenging. They told me to expect three-putts if I am on the wrong part of the green. And sadly, they were correct. I had far too many 3 putts during my round.

There are plenty of traps along the track. The greenside bunkers were a little deep on certain holes and the fairway bunkers were well placed. However, when I did find myself in the bunker, I was frustrated by how hard the sand actually was. It was like hitting off concrete, vice a nice soft sand.

Because Highland Meadows is close to the Rocky Mountains, I was expecting beautiful mountain views. Well Colorado may be “Rocky Mountain High,” but those mountains are quite a ways in the distance. You can see them for sure, but they were not a big part of the experience.

Highland Meadows is a great course that you must play when visiting this area of Northern Colorado.

Based on our scorecard, Highland Meadows is a Par.

Fairways and Greens – We are 18 Holes and Counting

Written By Kathy Festa

COURSE REVIEW SCORE CARD

Course: Highland Meadows Golf Course

Type:  Public Links Style

Date Played: 22 May 2024