RainDance National: Is This Tough Course Worth Playing?

RainDance National Resort & Golf in Windsor, Colorado, is known for being the longest golf course in North America. Never one to shy away from a challenge, I got a chance to play a round at this one to see if it was as hard as it sounded.

Yes, it’s tough.

The course is over 8,400 yards from the back tees, with 300+ yard carries just to get to the fairway on multiple holes. 

I get into all of that and whether this one is worth the drive (and your money) in a nearly hole-by-hole review of my round below.

Is RainDance National worth playing?

RainDance National is worth playing if you’re an avid golfer and love to tell stories to impress your friends. The continent’s longest course is worth putting on your bucket list for that reason alone, especially if you’re near the Denver area.

Maybe you’ll even run into former PGA Tour player Fred Funk. I’ll give you more on that later.

If you do decide to play, be honest with yourself about your abilities. The forward tees will likely provide a much better experience than if you test yourself, and your scorecard will thank you in the end.

A Little Background on RainDance National

RainDance National opened in July 2022. It was designed by architect Harrison Minchew with PGA Tour consultant Fred Funk. 

Minchew worked with the Arnold Palmer Design Company for over 25 years and has designed over 150 courses around the world.

Fun fact: Minchew designed The K Club in Kildare, Ireland, which hosted the 2006 Ryder Cup. 

Funk joined the PGA Tour in 1989, winning an impressive eight times. Since 2006, he’s won an equally impressive nine times on the PGA Champions Tour, including three major championships.

Together, the two put together a course that will surely challenge even the best golfers for years to come.

RainDance isn’t just a big deal in North America, though. This is the second longest golf course in the world after Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Golf Club in Lijiang, China.

Fun fact: Apologies to Nullarbor Links along Australia’s southern coast. Taking five days to play a course spanning 850 miles doesn’t count, mates.

RainDance spans an incredible 8,463 yards from the tour tees. If that sounds long, it is. For some perspective, Peter Dye’s Green Valley Ranch Golf Club an hour south is 7,241 yards at its longest tees.

Minchew, the architect behind the course, has stated that to play off the tour tees, you should be able to carry the ball 320 yards.

Fret not, my friends. There are six total tee boxes ranging from the yellow tees at 4,919 yards to the tour tees, so players of many skill levels can enjoy this course. 

Since the course is almost at 5,000 feet in elevation, the Googles tell me that your ball will go 10% further than it will at sea level. It’s science. 

READ MORE: Ready for another bucket list golf course? Read my review of Le Golf National.

Green Fees & Mental Prep

Enough with the fun facts, right? Let’s get into my round.

My tee time was scheduled for 12pm. Due to regular maintenance, this was the first time available on the day I went. I highly recommend the first tee time any time you can get it. 

I arrived at 11:20am, pulling up to what looked like an old grain silo. This was the temporary clubhouse. There was still a ton of construction going on everywhere, so the facilities were still a work in progress.  

It was just before peak season, so I swiped that credit card for the $140 round. Public rates depend on the time of year, running from $100 in the winter to $150 during peak season. Rates include carts, driving range, snacks, and non-alcoholic beverages. 

Note: Raindance National offers family, individual, and Corporate Memberships. The monthly dues get you unlimited golf and a 50% discount on the green fees for your guests. You can also make tee times 14 days in advance vs. just seven for the public.

After paying, I asked to be pointed to the driving range. This is the response I got from a RainDance employee:

“The driving range is 1,000 yards that way. Follow the signs for the Funk Yard. When you are done there, the putting practice area is back up here by the first hole.”

I laughed at the Funk reference in my head and drove off to the driving range.

About 10 minutes later, I pulled up to the Funk Yard, inconveniently located in Nebraska. There are very nice practice balls at the ready, and lots of old cars and farm equipment to hit as target practice in the yard.

It seemed a little close to one of the holes, so I aimed to the right. 

Note: The founder of the course is landowner and developer Martin Lind, whose family has been farming this land for generations. Old farming relics are located throughout the property to add to the theme. 

After a satisfactory range session, I headed for the first tee. Since it was an obnoxiously long commute, I had just enough time to take a few practice putts prior to my tee time.

As a fun bonus, the twosome I was scheduled to play with was a no-show, so I had the course to myself.

What It’s Like to Play RainDance National

I have to start with an admission. I played the purple tee boxes. While I am a good enough golfer to have been the worst player on a high school golf team, I can’t carry the ball 300 yards any longer, with or without the science of elevation.

I’m in my 40s now and the body just doesn’t generate as much clubhead speed as I did at 18, sadly. 

I took notes about each shot for posterity, but let’s get into the holes that were highlights for me here as you pore through reviews.

The 1st Hole

The carts were equipped with GPS technology. They kindly told me that the first hole was a par 4 when playing 467 yards from the purple tees that day. The fairway was guarded by bunkers on each side.

If it wasn’t for the snow-capped mountains in the background, I would have thought it was the first hole at Torrey Pines South. 

The foursome behind me pulled up just as I was about to hit. 

I smiled and lied, “I promise I’m not playing these tees the whole round, but I have to try for a while.” They wished me luck.

Taking a deep breath and a little nervous about people watching, I smashed my drive right down the middle. I gave myself an imaginary high-five for impressing the group behind me and returned to my cart. 

When I pulled up to my ball in the middle of the fairway for my next shot, the GPS said I had just 145 yards to the hole. Over 320 yards to start? Science rules!

Sadly, that was the highlight of the first hole. My approach left me 50 feet away and I promptly three-putted for an opening bogey. 

The 2nd Hole

The second hole is a 650-yard par 5. I’m pretty sure this is the longest hole I’ve ever played. It’s almost a 300-yard carry over a ravine just to get to the fairway. I successfully did the carry part, but forgot about the aim part and ended up just left of the fairway.  

This gave me an awkward lie for my next shot, over another ravine. I laughed thinking that the shortest hitter on the PGA Tour devised such a diabolical setup. 

From here, I smoked a hybrid just over the ravine and into the middle of the fairway. I managed to get my third shot to within 30 feet and two-putted for par.

The 3rd Hole

This one was a reprieve before the next two monster holes. It was definitely driveable from the forward tees, but at 330 yards from the purple tees, it was just out of reach for me that day. 

Sadly, I bogeyed this hole as well after not being able to get up and down from the back of the green. The highlight was while I was waiting to hit my second shot, Funk himself drove up to me while I was getting refreshments from the beverage cart. 

He was with a gentleman who looked to be surveying the holes. I nervously said that I liked the course so far and was attempting to break 100 from the purple tees.

The guy with him gave me a line about why they call it the purple tees:

“Do you know why they’re called the Purple Tees? It’s because you’ll be black and blue by the end of your round.”

They both then said I have some tough holes coming up, without further instruction. I nervously asked for a photo and Funk obliged.

Funk then zoomed ahead of me. It wouldn’t be our last run-in. 

The 4th Hole

They were not kidding. Playing over 580 yards from the back of the tee box, the 4th was a beast. And only a par-4! I pummeled my drive as hard as I could and it disappeared over the hilltop in the distance. 

Funk must have kicked my ball forward a little because when I got up to my ball, I had only 239 yards left to the pin. It was a little downhill, so I pulled my 4-iron out confident that the elevation would assist me again. 

My approach landed just in front of the green. Like a bat out of hell, it then decided to just keep going over the green and into the back bunker. I can’t imagine how hard the course plays when the area doesn’t get a lot of rain. 

I now hated the elevation boost, cursing under my breath. When I pulled up to the green, Funk was there to greet me. 

“You play fast, young man,” he said.

I laughed and mumbled something about how long the hole I just played was. 

After a great bunker shot but another terrible putt, I sulked to the next hole after another bogey.

The tee box was 30 yards behind my cart on this hole, so it was only 583 yards.

The 5th Hole

Great, another 500+ yard par 4. Funk was still in the fairway ahead, surveying. I waited until he was over 350 yards away, surely far enough for an average hitter like me to not hit him. 

I was wrong. 

I hit the drive of the day here. My ball ended up going 354 yards, nearly rolling up to his feet. They turned around and gave me a thumbs-up. I waited a good five minutes, face red with embarrassment.  

From there, I had 201 yards to the green. Funk stood off to the side. Surely he wasn’t waiting for…yep, he was waiting to watch my approach shot.

Nervous that I was about to shank my shot into the ravine, I mustered up a decent 6-iron that landed at the front of the green and stopped about 40 feet away. 

From there, I three-putted for another bogey. Funk must have gotten bored of my short game, as it was also the last I saw of them for the day. 

The 10th Hole

A 600-yard par 4?! WTF?! Thankfully, it was downhill and 50 yards closer the day I played. Still, I didn’t get the required carry and plugged somewhere in the sandy ravine area causing a penalty drop and disappointing double bogey. 

The 13th Hole

I hit another 300+ yard drive on this 650-yard par 5, which led to my only birdie of the day. I texted all of my friends to brag. Below the cart supposedly says I drove it 419 yards but I think it exaggerated a little bit, to be honest.

The 16th Hole

The shortest par 5 at only 550 yards today, I roasted my best drive of the day. There was only one problem. It was into a wind that had recently picked up due to the afternoon thunderstorm activity coming.

I had a pep in my step as I went by all the tee boxes, then hung my head low as I realized that while I hit a drive 280 yards into the wind, it made it just five yards into the fairway.

I could hear the front tees mocking me 30 yards behind my ball. I hit a pretty good approach shot but left my next shot short of the green. I failed to get up and down for another bogey. 

As is typical for the area, late afternoon thunderstorms were beginning to roll in when I got to this point. 

The 18th Hole

The home hole at RainDance is a challenging par 5 filled with more ravines and slopes. I was too tired to take a picture of this hole, but you’ll have to take my word for it that it was a good-looking hole. 

I hit probably the best combo of driver/3-wood in my life to get within 70 yards for my third shot. I then hit a decent approach to the green and two-putted for my par. The imaginary crowd in my head clapped with applause. 

When all was said and done, I ended up carding a respectable (for me) 87. 

Pros & Cons of RainDance National

You already know where I stand about playing this one at least once in your life, but I have a few more pros and cons for you to help you decide.

RainDance National Golf Pros:

• The views are impressive. Even though I was playing at the end of May, the snow-capped Front Range was an impressive sight. There are also multi-million dollar new homes there to taunt you on your bad golf swing and lack of funds. 
• The course was in great shape. I imagine the ravines and fescue areas all grow quite a bit later in the season. It probably played easier for me, as you could still find errant balls that went into the waste areas off the fairway. 
• The pace of play was excellent, but I was the first one out. I imagine the pace is not quick normally, because not everyone can be out there so early as a single. This course is hard. Give your fellow golfers a break. 
• The practice putting range was one of the coolest I’ve ever seen. It’s a few hundred yards from the first tee and encompasses an area slightly smaller than a small zip code. 
• The farm motif is pretty kitsch. Trying to hit an old rusted-out tractor on the Funk Yard is fun. 

RainDance National Golf Cons:

• The facilities were a work in progress. Several of the bathrooms on the course were not ready, there wasn’t anywhere to get refreshments other than the beverage cart, and the clubhouse was temporary. This may have changed since.
• The driving range/Funk Yard is too far away from the first tee. Allow for plenty of time if you want to hit balls first because the drive from the first tee to the driving range takes up to 10 minutes. 
• The pace of play will likely be hit or miss here. Many will come out to try their hand at the longest course in North America. Unfortunately, not many can play that round in under three hours like I did. Set your expectations low for how long your round will last. 
• It’s pricey for the area. Windsor, Greeley, and nearby Fort Collins all have several nice courses available for a fraction of the cost. 

READ MORE: Starting in Fort Collins? We love that city. Check out our guide.

RainDance National is worth playing once.

For me, though, once was enough.

I like courses where you can walk vs. having to take a cart, and walking really isn’t a good option here. I’m also cheap and can get multiple rounds at a decent course for the same price as one long round here. 

After you’re done, check out the other courses in the Fort Collins area and play those more than once. Your wallet will thank you. 

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