West Course

Colorado Springs sits at elevation — above 6,000 feet — and the thin air at Patty Jewett Golf Course's West Course does what it does everywhere on the Front Range: it adds distance to every shot, flattening the learning curve for visiting golfers and humbling the locals who think they've figured it out. The West Course is part of one of the oldest municipal golf operations in the country, with Patty Jewett's history stretching back to the 1890s, making it a genuine piece of American golf heritage rather than a modern amenity.

The layout plays to a par 71, which signals at least one shorter or more strategically demanding hole in the routing — expect some variety in how the course asks questions rather than relying on pure length to defend itself.

Colorado Springs itself is hard to beat as a backdrop. Pikes Peak dominates the western skyline, and the high-desert landscape brings its own character: wide views, firm turf, and afternoon thunderstorms that can end a round faster than a triple bogey. Municipal golf here feels earned.