RIMROCK

The first thing John Janke did after purchasing Rimrock Golf Course in 2000 was to add 400 yards of distance to the one-time par-3 layout. The idea, according to Janke, was to get his course to the minimum 1,500 yards needed to earn a rating.

“If you don’t have a rated course, then you can’t have handicaps, so you can’t have leagues and handicap tournaments,” he explained. “By getting over that 1,500-yard barrier, it set everything in motion.”

And today, Rimrock draws a steady stream of mainly local golfers, who take part in a weekly men’s league and many of the other special events Janke puts on.

The course is wide open and flat, but features several challenging par-3s and a tight 280-yard par-4 that plays along the driving range and offers even the straightest of hitters a chance to put up a round-destroying number.

The longest par-3 is the ninth, which plays to 190 yards from the championship tees. The shortest is the 120-yard opening hole. Others range from 125 to 185 yards, giving most golfers a chance to hit every iron in their bag.

Water rights to a small lake that sits atop a 200-foot bluff adjacent to the course were included in the purchase price. Remarkably, fish from the lake somehow survived the drop from the bluff and navigated their way through the irrigation system to a small pond that sits next to the fourth green.

Another pond protects the right side of the third green and there are eight sand traps – not all of them readily visible – scattered throughout the course, which also draws some out-of-town golfers from the nearby Silverwood Theme and RV Park and Boulder Beach Water Park.

Janke does the majority of the maintenance work on the course and driving range, which he has kept open all winter long on a couple of occasions.

Greens fees are $10 for nine holes and $17 for 18, with seniors rates of $9 for nine holes and $15 for 18 also available.