Founder Jack Vickers may have lost his PGA Tour stop but the course that played host to the International from 1986 to 2006 is basking in renewed appreciation It was never an easy walk at this hilly 1981 Jack Nicklaus design south of Denver which climbs to 6,600 feet but the course was always loaded with stunning par 4s notably the watery uphill ninth the downhill Augusta like 10th and the colorful 12th with its flower edged cascades to the left of the green Vickers constant tweaking has apparently paid off especially on the par 5 eighth with its redesigned green leading to more options and on the par 5 14th where a lake added to the left of the green has amped up the excitement quotient In his article My Fab 5 GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teacher Laird Small wrote that Castle Pines is one of his favorite courses in the United States Here s what he wrote The Rocky Mountains are just stunning and playing at altitude puts such a unique premium on controlling your ball flight Because the air is so thin shots don t spin as much and therefore fly lower so you are challenged to hit the ball higher if you want to stop approach shots on the green It s tempting to try overpowering the course because of the scorecard distances but the holes play shorter than their yardage so you don t need to