Beautiful course, scenery, use of topography. I have no problem dropping $3 every time I visit to support this wonderful course.

looking forward to the cement t pads

why do tobacco smokers think butts are not litter?

-Where to start? Absolutely amazing scenery abounds on every hole
-Amazing use of elevation with uphill, downhill, and sidehill shots everywhere.
-Navigation is easy with logs bordering the paths around the entire course. Hole 5 is the only trick, requiring you to backtrack down 4 to find the path.
-Baskets are in great shape throughout the entire course.
-The signs are some of the best I've seen with photos of the holes and basket positions clearly marked on each.
-Multiple pin positions ensure that you'll want to come back... Well, you'll want to come back anyways.
-A workout! I consider this a pro. You will know you played a round by the time you're finished. Bring good footwear, and snacks/drinks. Thankfully there are beautiful benches at nearly every tee.
-Every hole is a signature hole. Seriously. This is my first five-star rating, and most of it is due to the smile that hits my face at every single tee pad. You just can't wait to see what the course has in store for you next.
-Many holes have a great potential for roll aways... LONG roll aways, so the club has taken the time to build "log-dams" on the hillsides to prevent discs from rolling back to downtown Denver.
-There is a restroom on 14
-Great hole length variety. 20 plays out to 700', while 7 leavs you with a 177' downhill ace-run. You will use drivers, mids, and putters off the tees here.
-Hole 17. It needs to be mentioned. The pictures of course do it no justice. You will be glad you brought your backup drivers for the tee shot, but playing the long basket will also leave you an upshot worth locking in your memory bank for those long days at work.
-On a mountain course, there's always a chance of losing discs, but this course is pretty clear, and the club has done a fantastic job of making sure your plastic gets back into your bag. The upkeep is second to none.
-There's a teepee on 4. No course is complete without a teepee.

-Natural tees. They're in good shape however, and concrete pads are on the way.
-I hate to even put it in the cons, but to many it's a deterrant. Beaver Ranch has gone to a pay-to-play course. For a meager $3, you get to play a mountain disc golf paradise. The money is going directly into the course, with concrete tees, and a proposed second eighteen hole course on the way. Pony up, it's worth it.
-The walk to one. From the parking lot, there's a half mile walk to the first tee. Personally, I'm about to walk a few miles in some rugged terrain, so a warmup walk on a level, clear path doesn't bother me. Locals will drive further up the road to a traihead that lets you start on hole 12. For me, the start at hole 1 is part of the experience. Staring up an almost vertical hole lets you know what you just signed up for. I also believe the parking will be closer once the new course is layed out.

-This is mountain discing at it's finest. The few gripes listed are in the process of being fixed, and another 18 holes are on the way. There seems to be constant improvement here, and the club deserves a ton of credit.
-I've brought beginners here, and even though their scores were high, they were in awe of the course the entire way through.
-I've played some of the better courses in the country, and Beaver Ranch truly deserves to be listed with the best. It is an experience that will tickle your brain until you make the trip to play it again.

altitude changes and long distances have this course challenging any player. nice views of the mountains and easy to navigate through the trees

altitude changes and long distances have this course challenging any player. nice views of the mountains and easy to navigate through the trees

none

none

Nice layout! Well thought out and great use of the wooded mountain terrain. Most holes are actually a chance to ace or bird. The lanes were chosen nicely making you throw a near perfect techinal throw, yet allowing for the early tree hit and still able to save par.

Bring 1 dollar bills! This course is now pay to play and payment is made to a payment box that don't give back change.

Its worth it to plan your day to play 2 rounds if possible. Its never a dissapointment

- Not even quite sure where to start with this review, it was such a great course.
- Some incredibly standout holes all through the course, but some of my favorites were 15 (mainly for the views), 17, and 20.
- Great signage. Everything on the course was very well marked.
- Every shot in your bag is required.
- Beautiful scenery.
- Although the baskets were homemade, they were great.
- Very well thought out design that flowed easily from one hole to the next.
- Most of the holes with a chance of a bad roll down the side of a mountain actually had barriers, which were a good thought.
- Though I normally dislike courses that start away from the parking area, I enjoyed the walk in to the course, which was a nice walk through the valley and across the river.

- After two holes I was really not liking this course. I thought that the first two holes were the worst designed on the course. They used no creativity in these two holes, as they are both straightline power shots up the side of the mountain. The shots on these two hole just require nothing but power and not much skill.
- Although its not a big issue because of the quality of the teepads, they are dirt instead of concrete.

Though after two holes I was wondering why this course was ranked as high as it was, by the end of 20 I knew why. It is an absolutely stellar design surrounded by beautiful scenery. This is a near flawless course, and its an absolute blast to play. I would highly recommend going out of your way to play this course as it is truly an outstanding course.

If you live around the Denver area (or even if you don't) and you have the slightest interest in disc golf, you've probably heard of the highly-renowned course at Beaver Ranch/Conifer. Friends and acquaintances told me many times over "you've got to check out the Conifer course, man." I finally heeded their advice and what I found was a truly top-notch course that disc golfers of all levels should be lucky enough to someday play through. My favorite aspects of the course include: beautiful mountain scenery, strategic course design, clear signage (with amusing captions!), bag hooks at each tee, benches at most tees, great maintenance, the sense of exploration, and overall, the novelty of its distance from major cities. Also, nearly all of the holes have multiple basket locations (clearly marked on signs as A, B, C) that are rotated often enough that returning for another round should offer something different.

As an avid mountaineer, I'd never thought about the fact that it may be a difficult hike through the course for some disc golfers, but that definitely should be something to consider. It is on a mountain, after all. Wear good sturdy shoes and bring an extra layer of clothing. In the fall and spring, weather can be an issue - sunny skies can turn to flurries and the thermometer can drop 15 degrees during a full round. Beaver Ranch's distance from major Colorado cities and towns makes it less convenient to play often, but then again, that's partly what holds its majesty. A few of the launch pads are at off-kilter angles, making an approach of more than a few steps a bit tricky. The technical nature of the course may frustrate newer players.

Beaver Ranch/Conifer Park seems to remain high on the list of most commonly reviewed disc golf courses, and for good reason. It is among the most remarkable of the nation's DG offerings (ranked 9th worldwide as of 10/25/11); if you don't believe me, get out there and experience it for yourself!

Everything.
Great course, great views.

LONG walk to first tee.
I would not play alone due to the the possibility of running into a wild animal.

Played the course in the snow but was still blown away!

I just started playing disc golf this season, so my perspective may be somewhat different from the more experienced players out there, but in a nut shell this sport and this course are awesome. I cannot believe it took me so long to do this. I am always trying new things and this sport has somehow evaded me up to now.

This is the first course I ever played, and what an introduction. I am a native of the area so the terrain itself was not an issue, but trying to not lose my discs took concentrated focus. I have played this course 3 times now and have lost 2 discs and found one. If you get an out of control, or unintentional roller you are in trouble here. Most of the holes are on a steep slope that has the potential to deposit your disc far out of sight.

Of the three times I have played this course this year we have been interrupted twice by heavy rain and hail. The Colorado Rockies are like that! Luckily there is a structure (outhouse) that lies near the #13 green that is fairly accessible from anywhere on the course that has been a life saver on both occasions. Several weeks ago there was a large canvas wall tent there as well, but it is gone now. Also near the #5 tee is a large makeshift teepee type structure built onto the trunk of a tree that would provide partial shelter (protect you from hail).

I so far have played only one other course that I will not review because I have nothing good to say about it, but my point is that I do not have much in the way of experience to compare to, but this course is so much fun that it may be a long time before I get around to any others. Every time I have a chance to play (and someone to play with) I head to this course.

On Aug 1st, 2011, it looks like they will begin charging a $3.00 green fee to play. Again with no experience to fall back on I do not see this as a deterrent. $3.00 seems reasonable to me.

I lost 2 discs here! lol

Agreed with most other reviews. This is truly an amazing course.

-Bag Hanggers
-Super fun layout of course
-Benches
-Signage
-Scenery
-Hole #17, 20, 8, 18

None in my opinion

This was my first course to play in Denver while visiting. I took my brother-in-law and he had never played before. He did amazing. What a course to play your first round of disc golf. A new addict was born. I can't wait to play this course again.

Very challenging.
Incredible scenery.
Bag hangers
Concrete Tee's
Tipi at tee 5

Very challenging.
The first 3 holes are pretty much straight uphill
It can be exhausting for if you're used to flat courses.

This course is simply amazing. The first time I played it I was worn out by the 5th hole. I've never played a course with a more difficult first hole. It's not a very good course for beginners but everyone should appreciate the beauty.

Every hole is different. Every hole is a challenge. Even if you don't play disc golf, walking the course is great exercise. I'm new to this sport and I've played courses in CO, KS, and GA. This is by far the most fun.

Tee pads get a lot of wear and often are not level due to usage. This is a minor inconvenience that in no way spoils the game.

A really nice place to both enjoy a sport, get some exercise, and visit with Mother Nature.

This was by far the best course I have played and got a very good excersize as well. A super challenging course that will have you testing everyone of the shots in your bag. There are couple of very "aceable" holes in the course. Even on the hottest day it stays cool because off the trees that shade thing. Everyone that is around the area of the course are other playres so they are aware of their surroundings and other disc golfers throwing. There are some very long shots that will have you amazed when you step up to throw.

The only things that were a tiny bit of a problem was the hike up to the first t-pad and after a rain we went and the was a small a mount off water on a couple of pads, but other than that absolutely amazing.

Very easy to loose discs so watch exactly where your disc goes. with all of the trees that looks the same its hard to tell which one your disc is laying under if you take your eye off. I looked for my buzzz forever after seeing it land under a tree and then forgetting which tree so I looked around for it forever.

This is one of the ultimate mountain courses providing both amazing scenery and dramatic elevation changes on nearly every hole. Hole 17 is one of my all time favorites as you have a severe downhill shot to one of two basket locations. The trees and drop-offs near many of the baskets make several holes here a formidable challenge, even for advanced players. There are plenty of opportunities to throw just about any type of shot you can think of on this course which I really liked.

The signage and tee pads on this course leaves something to be desired. I don't feel this can be considered a 5 rating course until the tee pads are concrete. Like others I felt the parking lot could be a bit closer to the first and last hole.

DO NOT ATTEMPT to play this course with just tennis shoes, you need hiking boots, tons of water and someone who has played the course before so you don't get frustrated like I did my first round here. This course does have a TON of potential and has one of the most "unspoiled" natural settings I've seen. Please keep it that way and pick up after yourselves.

A true mountain course, this is what you expect from Rocky Mountain disc golf. Most holes have severe elevation changes, either along the fairway, near the pin (especially frightening), or both, with more than a few opportunities for deadly roll-aways. Don't be fooled, though, this course is tightly wooded. Add this to the elevation changes, and its one tough course.

The course begins with an incredibly steep hole straight uphill. Honestly, the pictures don't do the slope justice, its an incredible hole. I won't go over every hole here, I'll just try and hit the highlights. Nearly every hole has some sort of elevation in play. 2 and 3 are tight uphill doglegs where its easy to get into trouble. 10 plays down to a blind pin sloping down the mountain, and is short but truly terrifying. The next few holes play perpendicular to the slope, where its imperative to play the proper fade. 16 and 17 are the bomber holes, where the course starts to open up some. On 17 the basket is either at the bottom of the slope or directly across the valley, and is incredibly fun. No mountain course could be complete without a wide open, downhill ski-slope type hole. 20 is fairly wooded, especially near the basket, but is nearly as steep downhill as 1 is uphill, and is a great challenge. Throw to hard or with the wrong angle, and you could easily be 100' down at the bottom of the mountain. Not sure if 21 is officially part of the course yet. If not, I believe it will be soon. The pin is ~400' or so, fairly downhill, with the front of a creek bordered by thick brush 261' away. A wide open hole, it makes for a tough decision of whether to go for it or lay up if you can't throw ~350' consistently.

As far as course maintenance goes, the course has been immaculate every time I've been. Because of the fire danger, I believe most of the course is smoke-free, so cigarette butts aren't an issue. Many of the baskets have a sloping upper belt that directs the discs down into the chains, which is a definite pro in preventing death rolls.

Signature Hole - Has to be #1, the steps, the slope, and the view back down from the top. Hell of a way to start off the round.

Its hard to find much wrong with this course. Some people complain about the half-mile hike to hole 1, but its really not a huge issue. Maybe its just me being from the midwest, but I'll never get sick of the view when walking to the first tee.

As much as I want to, I just can't rate this course a 5. Its nothing explicit about the hole design or course layout, but it just feels like a little something's missing. In some ways, it seems like there's a lack of strategy on many of the holes. Often, the tees are more guarded than the pins, and its more a matter of execution than strategy. I'm sure this is partly my personal preference and partly the pin locations I've played, but I'm left wanting a little more.

Overall, this course is well worth the drive from the Denver area, whether you live there or are just visiting. They take great care of this course, and I've heard rumors of them installing another course on the property sometime in the future. It keeps getting better and better, with benches and permanent signs at most holes, with more to come.

Also, It'd be a crime to not plug the temporary course in Bailey (15 min or so down the road, left at Rosalie Rd, left past the coffee stand, and left at the gate) that is going to try and stay open through summer 2011. In my opinion, its a bit better than Conifer, but they need you're support to turn it into a permanent course. So play and please pay the $5 donation to keep the course running (they need to pay the school for the land, as well as to buy permanent baskets). Absolutely no smoking (of anything) or drinking on the course, or they may not allow disc golfers back. Help support the growth of the game in the Colorado foothills!

Great Teeboxes, signage, and Benches. There are even little hooks to hang your bag. If your looking for elevation in a course this is bursting with it! Hole #1 is practically up a ladder. It undulates from there. There is a good mix of distance and obstacles. With a few shorties thrown in. While most of the holes are memorable there are still a few signature holes that really stick out. 5,8,11,14,16,17,20 are some of my favorites. There are some HUGE off the side of mountain shots that are super fun.

Oh yeah, it GORGEOUS!!

It's a half mile walk from the parking lot to the first/last hole. So there's an extra mile of walking on top of tackling this mountain. Its hard to find your discs in the snow. (RIP green Groove). While the layout and elevation change alot, the terrain is all the same. Its all pine trees and dirt/rock (except 14-16)

Overall one of my favorites! Its definitely tiring though. I always throw my hole bag on 17.. Its a great tee!

This is a championship caliber course that keeps getting better every time I play it. Course plays tight as well as open for thos long bombing throws. The mixture of technicality combined with the physically exhausting factor of the hike keeps you on your toes and begs for you to dare a play your 'A' game.
The scenery is great and if you don't bring your camera you will be sorry you didn't. This is a course that should be on your to play list if you have not already visited. I am addicted to two courses and this is one of them!
With multiple pin placements on many holes, this course transforms from an awesome rec course that will still beat on you into a championship monster. Make sure if you don't have a group behind you to play both the E and C pins on 17!!!

Half mile walk to the first hole is the worst part if I had to come up with cons. The only other thing that would make this better would be if there were trash cans or people who can pack it out after they bring it in. This is a beautiful course, please keeps it that way.

I've heard rumors from good sources that the tee pads are going to be upgraded to concrete within a year as well as the addition of another course right next to it. This place keeps getting better and the measly 3 dollar fee to play this course is more than worth it!

This is one of my favorite courses! I have played a few mountain courses and this is definately one of the top ones! Great layout, you just know where to go for the next tee. Technical course, but what do you expect when you're trying to throw in the wilderness. This course is a great challenge and great way to improve your technique and try other ways of throwing through the maze of trees. There are also holes that have a great fairway with no trees to give you a break from the trees, but still challenging! Beautiful!

Hmmm well it's hard to say...the trees may grab your disc and hold onto them but that's just part of the fun of the mountain course! Never know if you'll have to be a tree climber too.

Great place to play in the summer to get out of the hot sun! Well shaded with all the trees!

The views was just awesome, course layout was good challenging but well done.

have to walk half a mile to first tee then hike up for 3 holes before getting to the top.

alot of hiking makes a great work out on this course, but the views are just amazing to see. Im from arizona and we don't get these type of courses unless going to flagstaff or show low. This course is one of the best ones i have played at so far. if you travel through colorado, stop at this course, it's worth it! Will be going back in June 2011

This is one of the greatest courses in Colorado. Amazing mountain course. It is a well thought out and well-funded 20 hole course that will leave the average, fit individual tired at the end of the day. Expect to do a lot of hiking, a good amount of elevation change, tons of throwing, and every once in a while a bit of cursing.

The course requires a great amount of skill and accuracy as every type of throw imaginable is required throughout the 20 holes. You will be throwing long bombs, hyzer, anhyzer, tomahawk, short finesse, perfect S-curves, and a few perfectly straight shots. There are short holes and long holes, but a majority of the holes are around 300 feet, and you will certainly need you biggest driver on some holes. There are various pin placements, and wonderful plaques at every hole indicating where each pin is, and the distance of each pin. While some courses have signs that don't help much, these signs make the course simple and easy to understand. Be careful about rolls! There is a bunch of steep terrain here, so very bad downhill rolls can occur if you do not take disc orientation into consideration.

The course does a great job of mixing up technical and long throws. I know many courses have a technical front nine and open back nine (or vise-versa), however Conifer flows wonderfully. You will switch between technical, long, and a mixture of both all day. There is really no true transition between the front and back nine, just to show how enjoyable all of the holes truly are. While not all tee boxes are the best, they are some of the nicest natural tees I have seen on a mountain course. There is a bathroom located around holes 13-16, as well as bag hangers and very nice wooden benches at every hole!

-The first 2 holes start by going about 35 degrees uphill and are tightly woven through trees. After that the course levels off, and will take you winding back into the hills of Conifer, gaining and losing elevation as you go.
-Hole 3 is reminiscent of a flat hole 2
-Hole 4 is a fairly open shot which is open to many throws.
-Hole 5 is a long downhill bomb with multiple tee boxes. The longer tee box adds a tight gap as well as almost 100 feet.
-Hole 6 is a tight straight shot.
-Hole 7 is a very short finesse shot with the basket on a hillside. A quality shot without a roll will leave you with an easy birdie.
-Hole 8 requires a mini-hike to get to, and is one of my favorite shots on the course. It is a very technical hole where the tee box is crowded with trees, yet a perfect s-curve line, as well as anhyzer line are visible. The line is extremely tight, and the basket is out in the open on a hillside.
-Hole 9 is a slight uphill with a fairly open fairway, as long as your disc stays low.
-Hole 10 is another medium length straight shot through a large stand of tight trees. There is a long dropoff after the hole!
- Hole 11 is a challenging hole, and is the most susceptible to rolls on the course. It is fairly straight shot which allows for almost any type of throw. The basket is a bit downhill, and the entire fairway is on a very steep slant which points away from the basket. There are minimal trees, however they all seem to be right where you want to throw your disc.
-Hole 12 is a straight shot, requiring accuracy through a stand of trees
-Hoe 13 is a classic straight-to-right dog leg. The hole is fairly long, has a mandatory tree, and is a fairway cut out of a stand of trees. Your line is easily visible... hitting it is the hard part. There are 2 pin placements, one of which resides on top of a very steep, large, "ant-hill", making almost any roll around the pin bad.
-Hole 14 is a short and straight hole with a slight bit of anhyzer. This is a fun hole, requiring precision through the stand of trees.
-Hole 15 is one of the more open holes on the course. While there are a few trees - a low straight shot will get you there.
-Hole 16 is a long hole with a double mando gap through some trees. The pin resides in a tight stand of aspens 300-350 feet out.
- My favorite hole is number 17 in which there are always two pin placements. 17 requires a monster shot across a gigantic valley which loses and gains around 100 feet in elevation. The first pin is moved between 4 spots, while the second pin is always in the longest position.
-Hole 18 is an uphill shot with minimal obstacles, but large consequences for a shot that dives right.
-Hole 19 is a shot which allows all throws. There are many obstacles, yet also many lines to choose.
-Hole 20 is a hole where you lose large amounts of elevation. It is a hole which goes about 300 feet, and drops 50-70 feet. Be careful of rolls here!! It's easy to get near the pin, but hard to keep your disc there. The fairway is fairly open, but the pin is stashed in some trees.

There is a half mile walk required to get to the course. On the weekend or a very nice day, the course will be very crowded. This is the closest and one of the nicest mountain courses to the city of Denver, so it sees a lot of weekend traffic.

This course is not for the faint hearted discer. It will take up most of a day and require large amounts of physical exertion. It also requires fairly great accuracy, so if you're not accurate and not a fan of looking for your discs, this is not your course. However, if you're a fan of mountain discing, hiking, beautiful scenery, and throwing tight shots this is not a course you can pass up. The shots vary from hole to hole, and you will not get tired of the courses style and variation.

-Great variety of holes and shots and requires you to use a variety of shots
-Lots of elevation changes
-Multiple pin positions on each hole (except for hole 12) and three of the holes have multiple tees. The different pin positions really change how the hole plays rather than just adding extra distance
-Nice tee signs and bag hooks on every hole
-Pretty easy to navigate and the scorecards at the parking lot have a map on them
-Beautiful scenery around the course

-The tee-pads are dirt and several of the tee-pads are starting to get ruts in them. Also after a lot of rain several of the tee-pads hold some pretty good sized puddles which can make it hard to tee off at times

This is the best course I have played thus far and I enjoy it every time I play it because it is such a good challenge. If they replace the natural teepads with something else this course would definitely be a five in my book. I don't think the half mile walk to the first hole is a con, I feel it provides a good warm-up especially since the first 3 holes are almost straight up hill. This is one of those courses that is worth the drive to play and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for an awesome round of disc golf.