Now this is golf at a whole ’nother level. Literally. A decade ago, when he took the old Eagle’s Nest Golf Course and transformed it into Raven Golf Club at Three Peaks, architect Michael Hurdzan was still a below-the-radar kind of guy. Not that he wasn’t already conjuring some amazing courses out of a variety of western settings — Desert Willow in Palm Desert comes to mind — but he wasn’t yet the go-to, high-profile designer he is today. We’ve gotta believe R3P, located in a gorgeous Rockies setting an hour west of Denver and a short drive from the Interstate 70 corridor’s famous ski resorts, helped push him onto the front page. Maybe having British Open-winning consultant Tom Lehman along for the ride helped, but in the end, this is the Hurdzan/Fry team’s high-flying baby.

Surrounded by skyscraping peaks, Raven Three Peaks is that rare combination of championship layout set against a panorama of pines, streams and wildflower meadows. Every hole’s landing area and shot values maintain that design integrity for which Hurdzan is known; he and Lehman take full advantage of the site’s natural terrain, which during a midsummer visit was in its full alpine glory.

And the weather? But for a scattered afternoon thunderstorm, it’s near-perfect —a good 20 degrees cooler than Denver.

The front nine climbs toward the par-5 No. 6 (“Warriors Mark”), the highest point on the course; from the tee, golfers get a picture-frame view of the signature Three Peaks. The back nine flows across the distinctive mountainous terrain, leveling off relative to the roller-coast ride out, yet still loaded with dramatic shot-making. Raven closes with one of the strongest finishing stretches in Colorado. The par-5 No. 16 features a 150-foot drop from the tee to the landing area. It is an unforgettable prelude to the two final 4-pars, stout two-shotters measuring 468 and 448 yards, respectively.

Hurdzan shows his historical chops in Raven’s bunkering, patterned after the distinctive style first introduced by Alister MacKenzie at Cypress Point, Royal Melbourne and Kingston Heath. Steep faces and deep furrowed edges give way to native grasses perched at the edge of the sand. In addition to being visually dramatic, the “MacKenzie bunkers” frame the golf course and help contain tee shots that can have up to a 10 percent increase in carry because of the course elevation.

Simply put, R3P lets you hit it long and strong — just as long as you hit it straight, too. After all, those trees aren’t just for show, no matter how gorgeous they are.

THE RAVEN AT THREE PEAKS
www.ravenatthreepeaks.com| 970.262.3636
Rates $70-$160 | Yardage 5,235-7,413 | Rating 69.3/126