Halfway between Denver and Salt Lake City, on the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains, lies Grand Junction, Colorado. A technicolor landscape of towering, red-rock mesas and verdant valleys dotted with orchards and vineyards, Grand Junction is truly an oasis in the high desert.

It’s the kind of terrain that high-plains native Jim Engh excels at fashioning into high-value golfscapes, and that’s just what he’s done at The Golf Club at Redlands Mesa, the centerpiece of a four-season golf community just five minutes from downtown. Each hole seems etched from sandstone, with fairways routed around large rock outcrops and through corridors of native plants and terrain. Half the holes play downhill from elevated tees, affording extra yards at the 4,600-feet elevation—and unparalleled views of the nearby Colorado National Monument and, in the distance the other direction, of the panoramic horizon of Grand Mesa. The tee on the ski jump that is the par-three 17th hole is just one of many Kodak moments.

As befits Engh’s design wonderland, Redlands Mesa is an architecturally-driven golf course community. Of its 500 acres, one-third is natural open space, one-third is golf and the rest divided among neighborhoods artfully nestled into the landscape by Downing, Thorpe and James, Colorado’s Architect of the Year in 1998. Homesites range from one-third to over two acres, with the homes themselves seemingly part and parcel of the sunset-hued vistas. See for yourself by selecting one of the Stay & Play packages offered to visiting golfers by Redlands Mesa’s hotel partners at RedlandsMesa.com.

Grand Junction, Colorado; 877-501-6372; RedlandsMesa.com

Cougar Canyon
A Southern Colorado resort that makes others "green" with envy

At Cougar Canyon, everything is "green"—and we’re not just talking the long, lush fairways of its Jack Nicklaus course, which opened to rave reviews this past fall: Colorado Avid Golfer magazine promptly named the 7,669-yard layout the state’s best new course, and Golf Magazine voted it one of the "Top Ten Courses You Can Play" for 2008.

Located on 1,500 acres of high-desert mesa near the historic trading and mining town of Trinidad, Cougar Canyon is environmentally-aware right down to the fiber-optic "roots" that help connect its homes to the outside world, sight unseen. Many of those affordable custom and semi-custom residences—there will be 1,700 in all, clustered in eco-friendly neighborhoods—are being built by Canyon Homes, the first "green" builder of Energy Star-rated homes in southern Colorado.

Cougar Canyon has over eight miles of in-community nature trails through its greenbelts and open spaces, plus its own, private 3,000 acres of conservation land protected by easements. There’s also an equestrian center and a recreation center with fitness facilities, swimming pools and tennis courts.

"You wake up to clear skies and golf weather 320 days a year on average," says project manager Karl Gabrielson. "You’ll experience superb natural conservancy in a resort community with equally high standards for world-class golf. You get all the character of a historic town and a golf community for active lifestyles with resort amenities, yet none of the outrageous expense that traditionally comes with each."

To experience Cougar Canyon Golf Links, with its dramatic elevation changes and eye-popping mix of mountain and desert features, take advantage of the $99 Stay and Play package this summer. Just call the golf desk at 719-422-7015, and they’ll take care of all the bookings—the golf, the hotel, all of it—or visit CougarCanyonLiving.com, and click on "Golf Course," then "Stay and Play."

Trinidad, Colorado; 877-547-7455; CougarCanyonLiving.com