Falsely purported to be the highest course in the US (due to its location in the highest incorporated town in the US), consisting of paltry tone poles and not much more.

Alma is the only tone-pole course I've played. 10 metal poles with a black plastic cannister and chains lie throughout this two mile-high field. And, yes, this course is actually two miles above sea level, unlike the deceptively named 9953' course in nearby Fairplay. The plot of land is part desert-like, part bordering a series of pond-like inlets stemming off a river. The views are very good, as expected among the mountains. The first half also plays among substantial hills that make it more interesting.

With very few clearly-marked tees, I mostly played the course in a pole-to-pole fashion. With this layout, it's an enjoyable selection of shots. The first few are open but play up, down, and alongside hills. From there some boringer shots ensue, but the course finishes with a stellar (10)-(11), two water carries, with (11) being especially difficult with water inside 10 feet of the basket on multiple sides and an uninviting junk yard welcoming shots deep and right. Were this course set up with the amenities it needs, I think it would be right up there with my other solid short courses.

First and foremost, this course needs basic amenities. The tone poles are rather pathetic, with more a "clink" than a "ding" rewarding successful shots. They are numbered well, on the bright side. Tees are all-natural, and I could only find markings for (2)-(5), and that with difficulty. There is no course map. The flow, based on the few holes I played, isn't great either, as many tees are almost in the fairway of preceding holes. In a few months, I wouldn't surprised if all that was left was the poles in a field. As one local in Fairplay told me, "Alma is a good place to safari," because it's pretty hard to construct the course otherwise.

The environment actually isn't very pleasant, either. The park looks a little run down, with petrified trash in some places. The junk yard by hole (11) isn't a great touch for natural beauty. Disclaimer, the course was experiencing construction in one area when I played, so that could have impacted my perception.

On my visit, pole (1) was missing due to said construction. Don't know if it will be replaced.

There's a high disc loss potential on (10) and (11). I loved these holes, though.

Ultimately, Alma is just a series of numbered poles in a field. The poles are placed well, but to advance the course really needs tees and/or better targets (even some metal tone poles would be much better). I enjoyed the holes I threw, but other than the water carries they weren't really imaginative either, seeing the lack of obstacles. All this together leads me to dub Alma "Bad". If I were passing through I'd play this curiosity course for the uniqueness of 10,000 feet and tone poles, but otherwise it's not going to attract much traffic with more fleshed-out courses both north and south of it.