RainDance National Golf Club, Colorado
The beautiful eighth hole at North America’s longest golf course, RainDance National in Windsor, Colorado.
Another road trip down to Arizona from Minnesota gave me the opportunity to bring my sticks and tee it up in another state. This year’s rendition of the road trip took us through Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and finally Arizona. As I mentioned in a social media post last week, I am constantly amazed by the geographical diversity of America, and my drive down is an annual reminder. What lurks around the corner is almost always beautiful.
Along the way, I planned to hang out with my cousin Charlie in Denver, Colorado. Charlie was returning home from a work trip, and I picked him up at the airport after the sun went down. We had a great time reminiscing and catching up. In short, the world needs more dudes like Charlie.
Colorado is blessed with a litany of quality golf courses. The best private clubs in the state—Ballyneal, Colorado Golf Club, Cherry Hills, and Castle Pines—make up a murderer’s row. The last three of those four listed have hosted USGA and major championships. There should be more high-grade professional events in the Centennial State. Conversely, the best public layouts are Broadmoor’s East course, RainDance National, TPC Colorado, CommonGround, and both of Red Sky Ranch’s courses.
Coming in from the north with a few hours to kill before the airport pickup, I found a spot online that made geographical and logical sense. RainDance National, a Harrison Minchew and Fred Funk design, opened three years ago to massive acclaim. It is ranked fourth on GolfWeek’s best public golf courses in Colorado list and 148th in their top 200 resort courses in the country. RDN was listed as the second best new public golf course in America two years ago. Ironically, the first and third ranked courses of the same list, Landmand in Nebraska and Park Mammoth in Kentucky, have also been highlighted in the quest to play in all fifty states. As for RainDance, let’s check back in a few years to gauge where its national standing falls.
The track’s claim to fame is that it is the longest golf course in North America, tipping out at 8463 yards. Luckily for me, I played a purple/blue combination tee at 7300 yards. Even still, the elevation of Windsor is five thousand feet, so the ball flies about ten percent further. It equates to a seven-hundred-yard difference. The course’s yardage ranges from 8463 to 4919, so there is a tee box for everyone.
From the tips, the tenth hole is the longest par four I’ve ever heard of at 602 yards. From the tips, the second hole is the longest par five I’ve ever heard of at 713 yards. That is, until you get to the thirteenth hole, which is the longest par five I’ve ever heard of at 752 yards. You get the theme here. Gracefully, the tee box on the tenth sits about two hundred feet above the green, and there were temporary tee boxes about 400 yards from the green.
Playing golf in February on dormant grass in northern Colorado is normally a questionable undertaking, but RainDance National was plain showing off the day I played. It was sixty-five degrees in Windsor, there was little to no wind, and if not for the yellowish tint to the grass you would have no idea it was the dead of winter. Conditions were great, and the greens rolled fast and firm. Alluring arroyo canyons litter the property and add a taste of the American Southwest. I have no qualms regarding the state of the course. There is a ton of character here. Farming relics from generations past are scattered throughout the golf course, a neat touch I’ve seldom seen. Make sure you stop by the impressive, massive practice putting green. The enormous undulations are a sight to behold. You don’t have to walk more than a few paces from the shared ninth green to experience the chaos.
The par threes at RainDance are spectacular. Measuring 223 yards from the purple tees, the eighth is the belle of the ball. The golfer must strike their ball over a canyon to a back-to-front sloping green. Of the many spots to snap a photograph on RDN, this might be my favorite. The twelfth is just as scenic and features a vertigo-inducing bridge you must cross to get to the putting surface. The sixth is a downhill 176-yarder with a beautiful lake backdrop looking to the east, and the seventeenth reminds me in an agreeable way of a hole I once played at Cruden Bay in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. If this extends the endorsement in any way, Cruden Bay is one of my all-time favorite golf courses.
My favorite par four was the third hole, a 332-yard shorty I was proud to have driven the left side of the green. Thank the Lord for speed slots and high elevation. We need not talk about the three putts required to finish the hole. In hindsight, I believe I loved the third more than most because it feels like a legitimate scoring chance on a golf course without many legitimate scoring chances. I also found the eleventh with its rock outcroppings to be appreciable.
Where RainDance National suffers a bit has to do with its playability. The fifth hole is a brute of a par four, playing close to 500 yards from the combo tees. Your ball must travel over a high desert wash about 280 yards just to catch a piece of the fairway. It is also one of a few blind shots where the golfer may have no idea where to go without firm direction. Some old school architecture fans might regard this golf course as a tricked-up track.
I don’t see a world in which RainDance National isn’t a perennial contender for top one hundred public golf course lists of the future. It is a beautiful stroll through prairies and valleys that will beat the living heck out of you without shame. It’s a must stop if you’re north of Denver due to its vast views, condition, and length.