Conifer, CO

Beaver Ranch - Bluebird

3.065(based on 8 reviews)
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12 0
wolfhaley
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.5 years 1165 played 745 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 27, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

The Bluebird putting course at Beaver Ranch is a nice little warm up, or cool down that pairs nicely with the main course onsite. It's all par 2's and requires nothing more than a putter on almost every hole, the longest of which is around 170'.

Multiple natural tees on each hole. The distances are so short that actual tees such as turf or concrete are totally unnecessary. There's multiple tees on many of the holes but that's more for some kind of putting game or something it seems. I played it as a "course" so I honestly didn't check out any of the shorter locations.

The flow and design in general is well done. It starts off to the east side of the pro shop. The first ten holes are mostly flat and play near the parking lot and a small creek. The last ten have you playing up and along the hill to the west of the pro shop before the final downhill hole which gets you right back to the pro shop. This is a pretty quick play and is a neat little addition to the big boy onsite.

The baskets are DGA Mach III's. All in good shape and catch fine. One basket and pin position per hole from what I could tell.

Lots of ace runs obviously due to the extremely short distances on all the holes. This is actually a fantastic beginner/kids course but also works great as either a warm up for the other course or a way to unwind after getting beat down by the main course.

The course features some decent elevation and enough trees to keep things interesting at least. The last ten holes were surprising, in a good way, after playing the first half. Definitely gets a little trickier on the latter half, that's for sure.

Cons:

A few of the beginning holes play very close to, and even over each other. It's not a huge deal with such short lengths but definitely crowded to start out.

Speaking of the first few holes, that part was a little wonky to figure out. It's not horrible but we definitely misplayed hole 1, by throwing at hole 2's basket. Not a huge deal but the first three or four were really crammed into a tiny area. It'd be cool if there was only two holes in this section and they maybe put two more up on the hill but it is what it is.

Lots of rollaway potential on the last half of the course. That's a pretty steep hill. Not as beginner friendly on this section. But it is for sure the more exciting half for more experienced players.

Other Thoughts:

This was a fun little course for sure. Certainly worth a spin if you're here for the main course. Definitely not a standalone course for the fee but who's actually going to come here to play only Bluebird? That being said I feel like my 2.5 rating is pretty generous. The front ten is pretty mediocre at best. The back ten is solid though. Unique idea and execution I suppose. Decent.
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19 0
Shadrach3
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 6.1 years 339 played 322 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Fun Approaches and Putts 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 5, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

A super short par-2 course with good fun factor, making a nice warm-up or cooldown from the main course.

The Bluebird putting course is a great compliment to the big course on site. It's 20 short holes with easy flow, virtually no transitions between tees, DGA baskets, and clearly marked natural tees, which are entirely sufficient for a course of this length. Tee signs are perfect--rather than a diagram, they have a picture of the hole with colored outlines of the tees, which are honestly better than a sketch for a course this short. It even has multiple tees indicated per hole, though I'm not sure why you'd use anything other than the longs unless it was some kind of organized play with bounties.

The longest hole out here is 170', with most playing shorter than that and quite a few under 100'. From the golds, it ranges from long jump putts to gentle approach shot-type throws. If you don't hit an ace, you'll probably be disappointed. From the shorter tees, you'd better can multiple C2 putts in your round.

It could be the boringest course ever, but this is a remarkably well-designed course. Trees, water, and elevation are used to the max out here to give it refreshing variety. The back half is longer, and introduces the possibility of bogey 3s quite readily if you don't pure a tunnel shot.

It's a super short play, obviously, but a lot of fun. Being located right at Beaver Ranch is a big pro, too. There's the pro shop as well.

Cons:

Not really much to speak of.

The only real issue is that the course is a little cramped. You need to use a lot of caution to avoid hitting guests walking through to the pro shop or players in front of you.

Otherwise, the course is notable for what it's not. It's not a course you can drive on, or throw anything faster than a putter. It's tiny. So I guess that's a con, built into the nature of the course.

You have to pay to play, but nobody's coming out to just play the putting course, and the fee is well worth it to play the main course.

Other Thoughts:

The only course of this nature that I liked more was Flying Armadillo Gold, which has an extra gimmicky fun factor that's not present here, where every shot could be found on a normal course's approach shots. Bluebird is very well done, and a fun time. How do you rate it in relation to other courses? No clue. The adjective that most came to my mind after playing was Good, so that's what it'll be here.
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16 0
reezyF
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16 years 306 played 43 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Beaver Ranch - Bluebird 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 19, 2021 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

My three pros:

- The course is not exactly a putting only course as the hole lengths get longer and longer as you progress through the round. It seems the hole length is generally 10X the hole # - hole 9 is about 90ft, hole 15 is about 150' etc. The front nine of the course is basically putt-putt and plays down near the parking and proshop and makes for a nice warmup loop before a round, these holes are basically par 2's. The back nine of the course mainly plays up a hill through tight woods requiring a few gaps to hit, these holes play closer to par 3's. The final hole - #20 - is a fun short shot across the valley right back to the proshop.

- Excellent additional course on site to compliment the main course. The course serves many functions - whether warming up putts on the first few holes before a round, killing some time while waiting for a tee time or giving a few more holes to play after your round on the main course if youre not quite ready to go home yet.

- Holes are fun enough to be compelling for good players while also short enough to play very fun for new players. Low chance of losing a disc on this course. I played the whole course today in 35 minutes. Good signs at each hole and markers indicating where to go make it pretty easy to navigate up the hill.

Cons:

My three cons:

- The front nine holes are short enough to not be considered 'real' holes and are more for long putting practice. The holes still play fun and serve their purpose, but they are too short and too many to really consider this course a real course.

- The first few holes play right around the entry area so on busy days there can be people in the way here and there. Once you start climbing the hill you will seldom see another person but you must keep an eye out at the start.

- Dirt tees at all holes are a stark contrast to the nice tees on the main course. Obviously the holes are pretty short so the tees dont have much impact.

Other Thoughts:

Bluebird is a nice addition at the Beaver Ranch property and can be a surprisingly fun play up in the woods once players make it to the back half of the course. The course covers just about 1.1 miles of walking and only 220' of elevation gain - though it often feels like more. Overall I would recommend players check the short course out when visiting Beaver Ranch as it is a genuinely fun and quick little course.
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2 7
Timythe
Experience: 32.2 years 6 played 5 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Blue Jays a plenty. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 24, 2019 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

No frills. Great warm up putter course before throwing Beaver Ranch's main course. Good selection of new and used discs at club trailer.

Cons:

Pay to play ($12) with only dirt tee boxes?

Other Thoughts:

Staffers are helpful and good at advising players of Beaver Ranch rules.
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5 1
Breh
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.4 years 193 played 191 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 14, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is a straight putting course. 20 holes and fun putting game with easy navigation. It's a perfect warmup to the actual course, and to zero in your putts. It can also be a great course for kids to go burn of some energy and practice the game. It still plays up the mountain a little,and back down. Great to get the blood pumping and practice

Cons:

Every hole but maybe one is under 150, it's still a little of a hike for being a putting course. Not on flat ground.

Other Thoughts:

It's a great addition to an already amazing piece of land. Fun to play putting games on and the tee signs give you a points game to play if you want to challenge friends in putting.
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5 3
Dagger
Experience: 6 played 6 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 20, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

Keep in mind that this is rated as a putting course. This is a fun activity to do while waiting for some of your homies to show up, or practice for the large course. There are three putting stations for each basket which is a very unique idea.

Cons:

This is a short putting course meant to be fun for kids, practice, or beginners. This course has natural tee-pads.

Other Thoughts:

A good addition to your excellent day at beaver ranch.
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12 1
nightwing
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.4 years 281 played 60 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Bluebird for Approachs too. 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 19, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Longer, steeper and more challenging than expected.
-4 tee pads on 'Front 10' really let you work your game.
-'Back 10' is a more of a 'Mountain DG Approach Course'.
-Flexible. You could play 5 minutes or 90 minutes.
-A great way to fill time if your group gathers slowly.
-Allows work on shots required by the main course.

Cons:

These are pretty minor nits to pick:
-Some tee pads hard to find.
-Some criss-crossing around the base area.
-A little weed-whacking could help.

Other Thoughts:

Bluebird is really two different 10 hole layouts. The 'Front' has 4 tee pads per basket. Each 'pad' is a color coded wood block and a few were a bit overgrown but find-able. The length and aspect of the 4 pads provide a pretty tough putt for Rec, Int., Adv., and Pro players respectively. However, since I had time, I enjoyed playing all four pads, roughly like shooting a 'Lay-up', a 'Free Throw', a 'Three Pointer' and a 'Four Pointer' on each hole. Several shots were worthy of more re-throws than I care to remember.

The Front winds around the base area and I suppose on a crowded day there might be some courtesy waiting...but hey, it's putting. No helmets required.

The 'Back 10' is an entirely different deal. There is one pad per hole and unless your name is Ricky or Paul, this is an Approach Shot Course and a really good one. What I loved was being forced to work on shots that the main course can punish you on...rollaways...tree doinks...footing issues....elevation.

Since I threw multiples on the steep Back 10 as well as over 100 putts, I actually got in a pretty good 90 minute work out. But this course literally has something for everyone, and I can't say that about several other warm-up courses I've played. Highly recommended.
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9 2
BrianElander
Experience: 8.9 years 89 played 13 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Discgolf Minigolf 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 15, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-This is a great 20 hole putter course at the start of the famous Beaver Ranch DGC.
-A great course to warm up on before tackling Beaver proper.
-The baskets are all numbered, and they all catch extremely well.
-The tee signs are very well done with a photograph of every hole as well as the distance.
-The shots are all very different form one another. There are "longer" (130 foot) open shots and tight, more technical tree holes.
-This course in included on the Beaver Ranch course fee.
-A great place for beginners to learn the game, build confidence, and have a great time in the beautiful Rocky Mountains.
-85% of the shots are challenging because of trees or elevation changes. Its like playing disc golf mini golf.
-This in never crowded, and it a very peaceful experience.
-It take a very shot amount time to play, taking me as a single around 35 minuets.
-You get the benefits of a fully functional Pro shop with the course where you can get discs and food.
-The final hole puts you right at the tee for hole 1 of Braver Ranch course.

Cons:

-The tees are dirt, and not long at all, however there is absolutely no teed for a run up on these holes anyway.
-Holes 2,3,6 are slightly in the way as they cross over the path to the that connects the parking lot to the pro shop and the other course.
-Basket 2 is located in the Prime "hangout" area or "Tourney central" and it is often used as a practice basket.
-In the summer the grass in the holes 4,5,8,9,10 can get tall and you can lose a putter in the willows.
-A few of the baskets have started to lean (18,19,20).


*KEEP IN MIND THESE ARE ALL MINOR THINGS AND THERE ARE NO MAJOR ISSUES WITH THIS COURSE*
:)

Other Thoughts:

This course is amazing for what it was built for. As long as you are not expecting a challenging mountain course you will have a great time here (The challenging mountain course is the main attraction of this property). One of the better ways of describing this is saying that there is 20 practice baskets, instead of one or two. This course had been thrown in the shadow Beaver Ranch but if you have some extra time before of after your round I would highly suggest playing it. It represents the beauty of the mountains and the spirit of Destination discs.
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