Mariana Butte is a great golf course. When it opened for business in 1993 it was rated in the top 100 new golf course by Golf Digest. Yes it is a public golf course and on the weekends play can be slow if you don't get out early.

The views of the mountains from most of the tee boxes is incredible, but the best views are from #14 tee box. #14 is a short par 3 that is very elevated and plays between 1 to 3 clubs shorter in distance depending on the player. The Butte is probably one of the best public golf courses in northern Colorado.

Variety, Elevation Change. Holes 2 and 3 are both demanding, either in a required precise tee shot or approach. 7 is a demanding two shot hole. The back nine is very good, particularly 13, 15 and 16. These three holes all demand good shotmaking and bring the fun of risk versus reward to each shot. 15 and 16 offer two consecutive holes that demand your tee shot to work in opposite directions, a good challenge.

Short par 5 first gets things off to a slow start most of the time. Things generally spread out after the first 3 or 4 holes. Tough walk with lots of hills.

This is a fun golf course, enough variety to keep you interested and enough trouble to make up for the short yardage. Not sure where the prior reviewer is coming from, this is an interesting, well conditioned golf course. A great value and a welcome departure form the typical affordable public course.

Customer Service

Adequate. Typical public course lacks good marshalling.

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Limited space on the driving range.

Great views. Extremely elevated tee boxes. Great elevation change. All par 5's are reachable for big hitters, and 2 are reachable for most mid-handicappers.

Some greens are hammered. Course only plays about 6,500 from the tips. A little overpriced. Worth the 30 bucks, but only 3 or 4 times a year.

All in all a pretty nice course. Excellent scenery.

The first hole is a wide open 500 yard par 5 that screams "eagle me". There is OB left, but if you're straight or right and can carry about 260, the fairway slopes sharply down toward the green. I've hit this green in two with an 8 or 9 iron on more than one occasion.

Number 2 is a 400 yard par 4 from an elevated tee box with OB left and water right. Elevated tee boxes seem to be the signature for this course, which is surprising given it's being rather short.

Number 3 is one of those annoying holes with a target flag out in the middle of the fairway. But....if you do get it close you'll find yourself with the ONLY decent 2nd shot at the green through 2 VERY VERY large trees with not much space between. If you're unlucky enough not to thread the needle, good luck fishing your ball out of the creek below.

The rest of the front 9 is uneventful with the exception of another reachable par 5 and a nasty little par 4 featuring 2 creeks crossing the fairway. One of those holes where a good tee shot will only be rewarded if you chose the right club.

The back 9 is far more challenging. (and interesting). #10 is a drivable downhill par 4. #13 is a nasty uphill par 5 with water left the whole way. The other par 5 is again a nasty little hole. It requires three short shots to zigzag through the trees and around a lake. However, if you sack up and thread the trees with a 300+ yard drive, you'll be left with a nice little 7 or 8 iron into the green.

Both par 3's on the back are from extremely elevated tee boxes. Nice holes, although the greens are always hammered from elevated tee shots. Both require hitting 2 less clubs as you'll be elevated about 80 feet.

Beware # 18. It's an uphill par 4, but all the elevation change is in the second shot. The flag stick is actually about 12 feet tall so you can see it. Take enough club to get there and it's ball flight is so low you have trouble holding the green. Save a great shot for this hole.

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