Fossil Trace is a golf enigma. It’s a city course, but with country club conditions. It has a restaurant, but it’s really a gourmet restaurant with an incredible menu and view. Not what you would expect at a municipal facility. And, it’s only 19 minutes from downtown Denver.

Start with the fact that Fossil Trace is precisely that, a golf course laid out amid dinosaur and fossil beds. In fact, the main hallway has fossils from the property, many of which are better than many museums. The second factor is the land meanders up, down, around and all over the hogback hills so that no two holes are alike. You need all the shots in the bag while you get visually exciting and pleasing views. Many of the holes have a natural backdrop of the mesas or the hogback hills. You might even hear a T-Rex on that birdie put. Well, almost.

The first hole is typical of Fossil Trace. A par five, where the first shot is a placement shot. The reason: they kept an old incinerator chimney in the middle of the fairway. So you have to meander and calculate your next chance. The par four holes really get Einstein thinking as the elevation changes and direction changes require a little strategy. Then you get to the famous par-five 12th, which runs through the hogback formations. Right at the green is a short walkway where you can see the fossils, which can also be seen from the 13th tee box. And the last hole, the par five, 18th is a classic with risk and reward and of course, a lake.

The on-site restaurant is just as exemplary as Schnepf’s is not typical of a food outlet at a public golf course. The restaurant has always been a separate operation, and this last operator may be the best one yet. This is best described as after-golf sports bar meets creative gourmet cuisine.

You can get something simple, but elegant for the course like the pork belly Rueben with red cabbage. Cocktails after golf really get a creative jolt. Take the Art of the Storm – a potent combination of dark rum, molasses, ginger beer, and lime. Something a little sweeter is the Fresca Forte with tequila, strawberry, lime and smoked salt. Yes, you can get a beer, but why when you have these exotic choices?

For a seated lunch or dinner, the food choices are more significant than you would expect at a golf course, both in number and culinary inspiration. When was the last time you got Black Mussels in a curry/coconut cream sauce with scallion slaw and cashews? Probably not. Handmade ravioli with almonds and peas? You bet. Most of the time the restaurants at golf courses are not a separate draw in the community, but Schnepf’s is that different.

With The Open and other major golf tournaments just concluding, golfers are naturally interested in increasing their performance. This year was one of those years where a good number of new and refined products hit the market, which could make a difference in your game.

Tour Edge Woods/Hybrids

Not advertised on tour, but many professional players use Tour Edge woods and hybrids. The reason is simple – every couple of years they push the envelope on new metals to increase performance and distance. The redesigned EX-10 Fairway Woods and Hybrids combine a combo-brazed titanium face to the hyper-steel body. That particular steel/titanium face structure results in these clubs delivering maximum distance in a fairway wood or hybrid.

Antigua Revive Golf Shirts

A consideration with golf clothing is that many times it is important to go right from the course to the pub or to dinner. The trend on tour is shirts and jackets that have this dual role, and in Antiqua line, nobody does it better than the “style Revive.” This re-invention of the classic polo shirt features a proprietary pique construction fabric of high-count filament yarns in a designated denier. Antiqua added a bit of spandex, so the shirts move and prevent wrinkling when worn all day.

Miura Forged Genesis Irons

When it comes to forging metal, the swords of the Samurai were legendary. And master craftsman Katsuhiro Miura in Japan has taken that same skill and attention to every detail in their new Genesis irons. The Miura proprietary forging process has always generated high initial ball speeds as well as beautiful clubs, but maybe not the forgiveness needed for the average golfer. Mirua simply took the forged, soft steel, then added a 455 Carpenter special steel clubface to gain performance. The combination yields remarkable speed off the clubface and a touch of forgiveness. And all in an iron that has a high degree of élan.

Swing Oil Nutritional Supplements

After the age of 40, golf is hard on the body, so enter Swing Oil, a coupling of natural ingredients that increase performance, focus and reduce muscular soreness. Due to the anti-inflammatory compounds, you don’t get as sore, and your flexibility improves. And for energy, there is a little bit of Taurine, a compound that boosts energy and alertness, with the effects milder than with caffeine. The small packs in tasty flavors are easy to consume before or during a round of golf.

Volvik Vivid XT Golf Balls

There are a lot of golfers who swing fast with their driver, and they need an optimum combination of compression and feel to take advantage of the modern driver. Volvik answered that need with the first colored golf ball for longer drivers, the Vivid XT. So, now you can get more distance, but be able to see where it lands. Does it deliver? Well, it’s the official ball of the Long Drive Championships. So, golfers get some zing from the driver, can see it land, and get some extra feel around the green.

Bionic PerformanceGrip Golf Gloves

You have to grip it to rip it, and best new glove on the market is the Bionic PerformanceGrip. They took their shock-absorbing glove and listened to the serious golfer to keep the shock absorbing levels yet increase the feel for better performance. The glove is constructed of breathable leather, dotted with 15 mini terrycloth towels to absorb perspiration. A Bionic trademark is the 3-D flex zone, which helps your grip by allowing the glove to move and flex like your hand.