Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s new series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we will offer our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems). Find our previous Staff Favorites here.

Look, I don’t actually care what a slope rating on a golf course is. I don’t have a handicap. I play from the women’s tees, always.

And I often don’t even keep score.

Despite trying for years (and years) and taking lessons now and then, I’m still a mediocre weekend golfer who is plagued by inconsistent play. (A par here, a triple bogie there. Eh.)

I used to kill the ball off the tee, and with some accuracy. But lately, I’m weakly slicing it all the time, while my irons and putter are saving me from complete embarrassment. Still, I keep at it, naively hoping for the day that my whole game comes together and I’ll shoot under 90.

With all that said, you really have no reason to heed my advice about my three favorite metro-area golf courses. But for those golfers who can sympathize with my plight, these courses provide enough of a challenge while not enough of a fright (I’m looking at you, Fossil Trace) to demoralize me altogether.

So, at the risk of others vying for the available tee times, here are my favorite close-to-home courses: 

1. Willis Case in north Denver is an 18-hole regulation course with some killer views of the Rocky Mountains. It’s just hilly enough to make it interesting, has beautiful old-growth trees, and most of the fairways are wide enough for those errant slices. And there’s no water. 4999 St. Vrain St., Denver; 720-865-0700; cityofdenvergolf.com
2. The Greg Mastriona Golf Courses at Hyland Hills in Westminster offer two easy Par 3 courses for those just starting out; a regulation 18-hole course (Gold); and a regulation 9-hole with 2 par 5s (Blue). The Gold Course is challenging without being intimidating, with lovely views — and water. Lots of water.  9650 Sheridan Blvd., Westminster; 303-428-6526; golfhylandhills.com.
3. Fox Hollow in Lakewood has three 9-hole championship courses, each with a distinct character. Play the Links (a typical links course, hilly and sandy with shrubs and deep ravines) and the Meadows (verdant with water features) for a terrific combination. Want more of a challenge? Go for the Canyon, with its No. 5 featured hole (downhill, over a ravine to the green). Note: A grass fire in February damaged some of the landscape, but there are few signs of it left. 13410 W. Morrison Road, Lakewood; 303-986-7888; lakewood.org. 

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