Tiara Rado Golf Course

Tiara Rado Golf Course in Grand Junction plays in the literal shadow of Colorado National Monument, the red-rock cliffs are the visual backdrop on nearly every hole, giving this western-slope muni one of the most distinctive settings in Colorado public golf. Tom Kolacny designed the original course in 1972, and Dick Phelps returned in 1986 to design the back nine and redesign the original holes in one combined project. The result is an 18-hole par-71 layout at 6,442 yards. The calling-card hole is the par-3 3rd at 132 yards, the most-photographed shot on the course, playing over a pond with the red-rock cliffs of the Colorado National Monument soaring in the background; the pond extends right up to the edge of a long, narrow green that slopes toward the water. The par-4 9th at 438 yards is the #1 handicap hole, and the opening par-4 features a hazard in front of the green that sets the strategic tone. Tiara Rado pairs naturally with Grand Junction's older Lincoln Park muni (1926) for a two-course western-slope weekend.