CommonGround
A Tom Doak design on an old Air Force base outside Denver, built and run by the state golf association to fund junior golf and caddies — proof that a muni can have both great architecture and a conscience.
Most municipal golf is an afterthought — a flat field, a cart path, a hot dog at the turn. CommonGround is the opposite: a genuine Tom Doak design, built on a decommissioned Air Force base east of Denver, owned by the state golf association, and run to funnel money into junior golf and a caddie academy. It’s smart, affordable, walkable, and quietly idealistic — the rare muni that’s good for your game and your conscience.
| Yards | Rating | Slope | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tips | 7,229 | 73.2 | 131 |
| Regular | 6,365 | 68.9 | 122 |
How it plays
Honest, strategic, and more interesting than its flat prairie setting suggests. Doak built width and options into the ground, with firm turf, smart bunkering, and greens that reward the player who thinks about angles off the tee. It won’t overwhelm anyone — this is a course meant to be played and replayed by locals of every level — but there’s real architecture under the accessibility, and the better you play, the more you’ll notice. The Denver wind and the firm Colorado ground add just enough teeth.
Great architecture and a conscience, on an old Air Force base.
The pedigree
CommonGround opened in 2009 as a statement: that a public course could have a marquee architect, a social mission, and a sustainable model all at once. Doak’s involvement put it on the map, and its caddie and junior programs have become a national example of what municipal golf can be. It’s regularly cited among the best municipal courses and best values in the country.
Plan your visit
It’s in Aurora, about twenty minutes from downtown Denver, so it slots easily into any Colorado trip. Green fees are a genuine bargain, tee times are bookable online, and you should walk it — ideally with one of the academy caddies, whose loops help fund their education. Pair it with a mountain-resort round or two and you’ve got a Colorado golf trip that spans the full range, from alpine spectacle to idealistic muni.
Who should play here
Everyone, really — locals looking for a regular home, travelers who want substance over scenery, and anyone who likes the idea of their green fee doing some good. CommonGround isn’t a dramatic bucket-list spectacle; it’s something rarer, a genuinely well-designed public course with a purpose. Walk it, take a caddie, and feel good about the round.
CommonGround, quickly
- How much is a round at CommonGround?
- As of Nov 10, 2026, a standard round is $63 for a CGA member on a weekday and $95 for the public daily-fee rate (the weekend member rate is $68). $50 is the CGA weekday twilight rate, not the everyday member fee. Junior discounts still apply, because the course exists to fund golf development rather than turn a profit.
- Who designed CommonGround?
- Tom Doak, on the site of the former Lowry Air Force Base (and the old Mira Vista course). It opened in 2009.
- What's the mission behind CommonGround?
- It's owned and operated by the Colorado Golf Association. Proceeds support junior golf, a strong caddie program, and the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy.
- Is CommonGround walkable?
- Yes — very. It's a walkable prairie course with a genuine caddie culture, unusual and welcome for a muni.
We may earn a commission on the tee-time link above — we only point you where we’d book ourselves. Scorecard figures are illustrative.