TRINIDAD, Colo. — This definitely is not a good walk spoiled.

Chances are that Mark Twain, who authored that quote in reference to what he thought of golf, would have agreed had he gotten a look at Cougar Canyon, one of the country's newest golf and resort destinations.

Situated on the eastern outskirts of this once coal-mining haven, Cougar Canyon earlier this year was named by Golf Magazine one of the "Top Ten Courses You Can Play" in the U.S.

A product of the Nicklaus Design firm, Cougar Canyon opened a year ago and is situated on a spectacular parcel of terrain that was part of the McCarty Ranch. The course winds through valleys, along piñon and pine-covered mesas and up Gray Creek Wash. From any part of the course, players and nonplayers alike get some breathtaking views of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, Fisher's Peak and Spanish Peaks.

There is an abundance of wildlife, including elk, which are known to spend the winter months grazing on some of the lush fairways on the back nine.

The course is definitely not for the weak of game from the back tees, which turn the course into a 7,669-yard layout. Play from the red (up) tees shortens the course to 5,327 yards, and the yardages from the white and blue tees total 6,155 and 6,725 yards.

But regardless of which tees you play, once you drive through the entrance to the resort, which features an impressive bronze statue of a cougar on the run, golfers have to be in full course-management mode.

The course from the tips provides an interesting challenge for even the best of golfers. The par-5 15th plays 693 yards from the back tees. In fact, this hole plays more than 600 yards from three of the four tee boxes.

Not only is it imperative to launch a good drive, but the second shot requires carrying a wash that comes into play on the left side. The green is long and narrow, and selection of the right club for the approach shot is imperative. The good news is that most days it tends to play downwind.

And while many of the fairways are expansive enough to capture stray shots, some holes demand precision and patience.

Nos. 7 and 13 are two such holes.

The par-4 No. 7 plays a mere 360 yards from the men's white tees, but taking the driver out of the bag on this hole is pure foolishness because of how much the fairway narrows down at the landing area. The smart play is to hit an iron, rescue club or anything else that will go relatively straight. A well-placed tee shot leaves a short iron into a green that is guarded in the front by a bunker.

No. 13 is a 402-yard (white tees) par-4 that can produce some big numbers if the player doesn't avoid the ravine that runs down the left side of the fairway. But even after a well-placed tee shot, the player is left with a tricky, blind second shot to a small green located just over a ridge. Anything left or over the green leaves you reaching for another ball and no chance for par.

Cougar Canyon's "signature" hole is the par-3 16th. It plays to 100 yards from the red tees and 161 yards from the black (back) tees. From any distance, the shot has to carry a deep ravine. Once on the green, the golfer is faced with a slick, tough-to-read green that breaks sharply toward the ravine along the right side.

The par-5 3rd is another hole that requires more brains than brawn. While not overly long at 572 yards from the back tees and just 463 from the white tees, this is one of several holes that have split fairways. It plays significantly uphill and club selection is crucial both on the second and third shots. Anything short of the green is dead because of the ravine that runs across the front. The green is not overly large, which makes par a very good score.

Green fees range from $69 during the peak season of May through October for nonresidents of Trinidad to $40 in December, January and February.

Matt Reams, the director of golf operations, says yearlong golf is possible in Trinidad, despite the town's 6,000-foot elevation. Reams notes that last November, when most Coloradoans had put up their clubs and taken out their skies, there were plenty of sunny days at Cougar Canyon.

Reams says the goal is to have from 25,000 to 27,000 rounds played each year at Cougar Canyon once publicity on the course spreads. He said projections for this year are for about 16,000 rounds to be played. Most of those players, said Reams, have come from Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Las Vegas, Nev., and Southern California. "We're the new kid on the block. We're in our infancy," said Reams.

Cougar Canyon currently is the showcase part of an ambitious and expansive project headed by Colorado native and entrepreneur Pete Schrepfer.

Much of it is still a work in progress.

Over the next eight to 12 years, plans call for construction of residential villages consisting of more than 1,700 homes.

There will also be an all-suite hotel and conference center; a four-star restaurant; spa, pools, recreation and fitness center; basketball, tennis and volleyball courts; paved bike paths and walking trails; an equestrian center and 3,000-acre conservancy area.

"It's been a great challenge, a big project in a small town," said Schrepfer, who made Cougar Canyon his first venture into the world of golf course construction.

Schrepfer bought McCarty Ranch in 1994, and the golf course and the rest of his development project will cover 1,500 of the ranch's 6,300 acres.

As of late July, some two dozen homes had been built. That's a long way from the 1,729 homes that the project calls for, and Schrepfer agrees that these are not the best of times for housing starts. But he's confident his investment will be worth it.

"I've been through two of these," Schrepfer says of the current economic downturn. It's cyclical. Besides, our project is designed and marketed for people that are somewhat autonomous from that economy. We're geared for the baby boomer, retiring group that want to get out of large cities, but not too far away from their families. People who don't have to drive over mountain passes and like a lot of sunshine."

Homes in the Cougar Canyon development range from $279,000 up to $425,000. Schrepfer, who has spent much of his life in the construction business, says the project will include some homes that will top the half-million dollar mark.

So what will all of this mean for Trinidad, a dot-on-the-map type community located alongside Interstate 25 and within 3 hours from Santa Fe, 2 hours from Colorado Springs and minutes from Raton?

Plenty, says Trinidad Mayor Joseph Reorda, a 73-year-old Italian who was born and raised in the town.

"In 20 years, it's going to be a magnificent project," says Reorda. "Economically, it will be a tremendous asset to the community. We have people coming up from California, Texas, Oklahoma. They'll be coming in droves."