Cougar Canyon Golf Links - Trinidad, CO
Fisher's Peak over Cougar Canyon Golf Links, Trinidad, Colorado
304 Shanahan Drive
Trinidad, CO 81082
719-422-7015
Design: 5 stars
Difficulty: 4.5 stars
Maintenance: 4 stars
Value: 4 stars
There was a time when “taking a trip to Trinidad” meant one thing: Lee Trevino wanted to become Nancy Lopez. That’s right, Trinidad is “the sex change capital of the world.” And now, since 2007, it’s also something else: one of the finest golf bargains in Colordado.
Nicklaus Designs has taken a gorgeous, high-desert canvas and created one of the most intriguing designs I’ve ever played. The course has a linksy style to it, if that can be said of a course that’s 1000 miles from the ocean. Holes tightly follow the terrain, with few features that aren’t part of the landscape. The front nine hikes up and over a ridge and includes a lot of elevation change, while the back nine plays tight against a canyon that works into most of the strategy of the holes.
The island par-3 15th at Cougar Canyon
The shot values are very high, and decisions about positioning, angles of approach, and risk/reward all add up to a really satisfying golf experience.
The greens tend to be large, fairly simplistic, Nicklaus-style greens, while landing areas are wide open in some places and much more challenging in others.
The jewel on the front nine is probably the 9th, which plays way downhill and a bit left to right. The large, shallow green lies on the other side of the canyon, and forced carry is required on the approach.
My favorites on the back include the short p-4 14th, which is drivable from all but the back tees, but is much more easily overcome with a 3-iron and a wedge. The green hangs right on the edge of the canyon, and anything that even blinks left is gone. The island 16th, a par-3 to a piece of green surrounded by deep canyon, is the most marketable hole at the course, and it is fun to play, but really it’s just a short iron or wedge to a fairly large putting surface. The hole is much more dramatic when viewed from its back side.
Even at the full greens fee of $80, Cougar Canyon is a bargain. Trinidad is just a straight shot down I-25 from Colorado’s Front Range, and is well worth the trip. The course is tough, though, and you just might, as many have before you, leave your balls in Trinidad.
-Bryan Fryklund
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