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[Garland Bayley]

I have changed the subject now that I have completed my commentary to go with the pictures.

Black Mesa is the first course that I have played that might be called a desert course. Unfortunately, I was not able to play Pinon Hills, Apache Stronghold, and Talking Stick North like I had planned, because my car got blocked in by a flash flood and its aftermath for four days at Canyonlands National Park. Perhaps experiencing them would give me a more accurate understanding of desert golf.

What I found at Black Mesa did not please me. As a committed walker with marginal eyesight, I depend on the ability to walk off the front of the tee in the direction that the ball travelled. Since I am not able to see the ball flight to the end, I depend on knowing how far I hit the ball and stepping off the distance to help me find the ball. At Black Mesa on most holes, the only reasonable way to get from the tee to the landing areas is to walk the cart path. Unfortunately, half the time the cart path is going in the wrong direction! As a committed walker, I also prefer to walk on turf over cart paths. The predominance of cart paths makes Black Mesa a cart ball course in my opinion. Sure it can be walked, but the joy is diminished. I notice that pictures of courses in Scotland and Ireland may have fairly rugged terrain to walk from tee to landing area, but there is often three obvious foot paths in different directions leaving a tree.

Another indicator that it is a cart ball course is that the scorecard does not even have a course routing on it. Why does it need one, the golf carts come complete with GPS and detailed hole diagrams. Furthermore, the fairways have significant cart damage with lots of bare lies.

Black Mesa is located in a somewhat rural setting, so it must depend on visiting golfers for a lot of its revenue. However, the course features a lot of blind shots, undulating greens and green, and centerline hazards. To me these are features that can be highly enjoyable once they become a little bit familiar. However, they are not very enjoyable when they are completely foreign.

John Kirk authored a uniform theory of the enjoyment of golf shots that debutted on this web site and eventually made it to Links magazine.

I believe the most exciting shots in golf are the ones we wait the longest time to ascertain the result.  This applies to both long and short shots, sometimes in different ways:

Everyone enjoys and admires a powerful drive.  It flies for a long time, and in many cases, rolls for several seconds before coming to rest.  But if the drive is clearly in good shape, the anticipation of result is diminished, and the attention turns to the next play.

The same holds for approach shots.  A high shot in the direction of the flagstick or green is interesting as it flies, and all eyes await the final result.  But balls that immediately come to rest on a soft green are somewhat of a visual disappointment.

A drive or approach shot that disappears from sight holds our attention for a long time, as we anticipate the result for the entire walk until sighting the ball.  That's why I would make the case for the occasional blind shot off the tee.  Even a poor shot on any hole which disappears from sight evokes plenty of apprehension, or excitement, until the result is determined.

If the wind is blowing, then airborne shots are more interesting to follow, as we anticipate the wind's effect on the shot.

But shots along the ground are subject to more variation, and are of great interest.  To me, the most exciting shot to watch in golf is a putt or short shot that takes a very long time to arrive at the hole.  Nothing is better than a putt that rolls for 10 seconds and goes in.  That's why most here like fast greens with sloped surfaces.  And we like undulating chipping areas with firm turf, so we can see our shots roll out for a long time.

This also can explain why I don't like my ball to fly OB, or in a water hazard.  It's gone; the fun ends abruptly.

I thought this weekend about trying to develop my own little unified theory about golf course design, based on my belief that the excitement in golf is the anticipation of watching your ball come to rest, and the longer, the better.  Of course, there are some limitations.  Tapping a 3 footer downhill, and watching it trickle for 10 seconds 40 feet long would be exciting, but in a very aggravating way.  Some finesse is involved to make the game exciting, yet playable in a reasonable amount of time with appropriate difficulty.  That's where the artistry lies.

Is the course attractive?  Important.  Does the course offer me different playing options, and encourage me to hit different shots?  Really important.  But the greatest joy occurs between the stroke and the result, and the longer it takes, the better.

I was very impressed when I read that post. I agree for the most part. I did author a corollary on the thread, because I believe the blindness diminished the enjoyment until you know what is behind the obstruction. This lead me to post the following to the thread.

Corollary: Blind shots only exhibit this property the second time around. On our GCA outing to the north course at the Reserve Vineyards yesterday, I hit my blind approach to the 13th green where Peter Pittock told me to hit it. Since it was a short wedge shot, I had very little time to experience the travels of the ball. Since I did not know the hole, I had no excitement waiting to determine the result. Turns out it was the best approach of the group and resulted in birdie.

The issues above mean that I do not feel Black Mesa is suitable for a one or two round visit. I therefore, question their business model. That said, with some modifications to enhance walking, I believe I would greatly enjoy having it as my home course.

The first hole immediately makes the first timer queasy with a blind tee shot.



Tee shot 2nd hole. A rather straightforward hole with the primary interest being around the green.



Tee shot 3rd hole. A long par 5 with an arroyo at the upper limits of the drive.



Approach shot 3rd hole. Hole is guarded by a gully on the front and right.



Tee shot 4th hole. On my first round, the blue tees were all the way left making most of the green blind behind the outcropping seen to the left of the green.



Tee shot 5th hole.



Tee shot 6th hole. Unless you can drive the ball very long, your second on this hole will be blind with the fairway canting towards difficult bunkers.



Tee shot 7th hole. Earlier, I started a thread on the wonderful uphill 16th at Forrest's Hideout. Although this hole has been crafted to take advantage of an outcropping the daring driver may be tempted to drive over to a blind landing area, it requires a long somewhat uphill walk from the 6th. I would have appreciated an uphill hole from near the 6th green as Forrest has demonstrated can be so good. It is as if the architect felt most people will be riding so he could go ahead with the long uphill path to the tee.



Tee shot 8th hole. With everything laid out in front of me, parred this hole both rounds. I had a pretty good look at birdie the second round as I was able to get my tee shot to about 12 feet.



Tee shot 9th hole. Dogleg around bunkers in the corner that can make the second shot blind.



More in following post

[cary lichtenstein]

Black Mesa? Correct?

[Jay Flemma]

Right first time!

Amazing place.  Congrats Garland.  Was it your first time?

[Bill Gayne]

Are there really that many steel windmills on the prairie and high desert that all courses have one?

[Matt_Ward]

Garland:

Kudos to posting the pictures -- frankly -- nothing really does the place justice until you set foot on the property.

Look forward to your commentary.

[Garland Bayley]

Bump to bring new commentary beginning in the first post to the forefront.

Tee shot 10th hole. You are almost forced to take a blind tee shot here, since playing a ball that will remain in sight can quite easily run out of fairway.



Approach shot 10th hole



Tee shot 11th hole. Beautiful par three. Unfortunately, the green was too fast for the slope as my first two 8 ft. putts returned to my feet.



Tee shot 12th hole



Approach shot 12th hole



Tee shot 13th hole. The second on this par 5 will be blind.



Approach shot 13th hole.



Tee shot 14th hole. Green can be seen to left of the hill in the center of the fairway, tempting a drive right at the green, which will have the slope kick your ball left on landing and put you into trouble. Best drive is blind over the hill in the center of the fairway, or right of the hill if it cannot be carried.



Tee shot 15th hole. Par 3 with everything in view.



Tee shot 16th hole. Very interesting uphill par 5. There is a good chance your approach to the green on the top of the hill will be blind.



Tee shot 17th hole.



18th Tee shot. Everything was visible here. However, the green to tee walk was a bit long. What would be wrong with finishing with a short par 5 with lots of risk for the daring. The tee would be near the 17th green. What is wrong with par 73, if it fits the land better than par 72?



18th Approach.



Black Mesa was the farthest point from home for me on my trip. Since I lost 4 days, I wish I had shortened the trip and headed for Arizona and Apache Stronghold, and Talking Stick, from Hideout in Utah.

[Andy Troeger]

Garland,
Thanks for posting the pictures and your thoughts. While I personally loved my first trip around Black Mesa (and would play it 9 out of 10 over TSN personally!) I admire you for documenting your thoughts.

Without having time to put a lot of thought into a response, I think I liked how Black Mesa keeps one on his/her toes the entire round. There's no certainty to a round at Black Mesa, yet at the same time I didn't find it an unfair or penal course. In fact, I played the whole round with one ball, despite being in the desert a couple of times.

I do wish it were more walkable, I wish most of the courses in New Mexico were more walkable. However, its essentially mountain golf, and it comes with that limitation. Between the elevation and elevation changes, you better be in shape or put up with cartball. I'm hoping I get in better shape soon!  

[Garland Bayley]

Garland,
... In fact, I played the whole round with one ball, despite being in the desert a couple of times.
...

I managed that feat also.

I don't mind hiking up and down. One of the best days of my trip was a 6 mile hike up and down some pretty severe trails in Canyonlands NP at another 2000 feet higher in elevation.

I regularly play blind holes on my home course. I truly enjoy them. But, when I only get one or two plays of a course, I don't get the thrill I would get from playing a blind hole that I know.

[Jason Hines]

Hi Garland,

I cannot and will not argue against anything you said as well, especially with regards to the walk from your tee shot on 16.  It was also irritating to lose a ball off the first tee.  

However, I would play there tomorrow if I had the chance.   The good definitely out weighs the bad at Black Mesa.  Firm, fast and brown conditions, green contours, cost, etc.

Jason

[Garland Bayley]

Hi Garland,

I cannot and will not argue against anything you said as well, especially with regards to the walk from your tee shot on 16.  It was also irritating to lose a ball off the first tee.  

However, I would play there tomorrow if I had the chance.   The good definitely out weighs the bad at Black Mesa.  Firm, fast and brown conditions, green contours, cost, etc.

Jason

My trip also took me to Rustic Canyon, I would much rather play there. Bit of a walkers paradise.

[Adam Clayman]

Garland, There are some oservations I would take issue with. One is the characterization that the walk from 7 green to 8 tee is long. I can see it, if a person exited the green on the right and them had to follow the path all the way back up. But, honestly exiting green left is a short climb. There are other tricks to the walking paths from hole to hole which you must've missed also. These tricks aren't really tricky, they just require better observation.

All that aside, walking on turf from green to tee is a luxury only a few of us are fortunate to have. The NM project could not and would not have been built if these path$ were irrigated and gra$$ed. Your other suggestion about the 18th tee would've required extensive earthmovng and whose to say it would be a better hole for all that expense?

My thoughts while reading your review basically justified Ran's ethos of accentuating positives.

Also, Your using Forrest's 16th at the Hideout as an example was a bit fuzzy. Could you elaborate? Are you saying Forrest was justified and Baxter wasn't? I found the trip up to the sixteenth hole in Monticello to be one of the most dangerous situations in American golf I have ever seen. The corner that wraps around the 4th green is blind and very close. Witht he cant of the fourth fairway, many right handers pull their ball long on approach, creating the danger.

[Andy Troeger]

Garland,
... In fact, I played the whole round with one ball, despite being in the desert a couple of times.
...

I regularly play blind holes on my home course. I truly enjoy them. But, when I only get one or two plays of a course, I don't get the thrill I would get from playing a blind hole that I know.

Garland,
Be that as it may, its not the fault of the golf course that you could only play it once or twice. It sounds more like you like blind holes once you've seen them enough times to know where you're going!  

[Paul Thomas]

i thought BM was pretty darn good and would jump at the chance to play it again

[ed_getka]

Garland,
    I haven't seen BM yet, but I certainly look forward to it someday. Most of what you touched on referred to blind shots and walkability issues. Those are certainly legitimate issues that can seriously effect ones enjoyment of a course. I am curious what you thought of the holes themselves, the strategies involved, and the green complexes. From what I have heard of the course it is the green complexes that sound most compelling. Of course, my bias is towards courses that have interesting greens/surrounds. Thanks for your thoughts.

[Garland Bayley]

Garland,
Be that as it may, its not the fault of the golf course that you could only play it once or twice. It sounds more like you like blind holes once you've seen them enough times to know where you're going!  

Given its location, there are going to be an awful lot of people that will play it once or twice. I believe that is something that should have been understood from the beginning. So perhaps it is a bit of the "fault of the golf course".  

[Garland Bayley]

Garland, There are some oservations I would take issue with. One is the characterization that the walk from 7 green to 8 tee is long. I can see it, if a person exited the green on the right and them had to follow the path all the way back up. But, honestly exiting green left is a short climb. There are other tricks to the walking paths from hole to hole which you must've missed also. These tricks aren't really tricky, they just require better observation.

I believe you meant 6 to 7 tee. Let's just say that you definition of short is apparently different than mine.

All that aside, walking on turf from green to tee is a luxury only a few of us are fortunate to have. The NM project could not and would not have been built if these path$ were irrigated and gra$$ed. Your other suggestion about the 18th tee would've required extensive earthmovng and whose to say it would be a better hole for all that expense?

Walking from green to tee should be short. Not as much luxury necessary there. My point was the walk from tee to landing area was forced onto cart paths (which reflects the forced carry nature of many of the tee shots). I know it would be expensive to do it differently. So they will get their $$ from the cartballers.

My thoughts while reading your review basically justified Ran's ethos of accentuating positives.

I suppose if all restaurant reviews only accentuated the positives, we would end up eating a lot of bad food.

Also, Your using Forrest's 16th at the Hideout as an example was a bit fuzzy. Could you elaborate? Are you saying Forrest was justified and Baxter wasn't? I found the trip up to the sixteenth hole in Monticello to be one of the most dangerous situations in American golf I have ever seen. The corner that wraps around the 4th green is blind and very close. Witht he cant of the fourth fairway, many right handers pull their ball long on approach, creating the danger.

My example of using Hideout's 16th was simply to say that uphill holes can be great too. I felt the walk from 6th green to 7th tee was partially to avoid creating a hole that played uphill.

[Garland Bayley]

Ed,

Of course there are strategic and interesting holes there. For that, I need only refer you to Ran's review. However, I can find such without seemingly endless cartpath trekking.

The green complexes and their surrounds are also very interesting as you already know from all that has been written about the course.

[Tom Huckaby]

Garland - great pics, I tend to like Black Mesa a lot more than you did, but no hassles, honest difference of opinion there.  One thing that I'm curious about though is calling Rustic Canyon a "walker's paradise."  Are your standards really that low? What about the hike from 9 gree to 10 tee? The climb backwards up to 16 tee?

It's a very nice walk, for sure - not bad at all. But "walker's paradise" is taking it a bit too far, no?

[Garland Bayley]

Garland - great pics, I tend to like Black Mesa a lot more than you did, but no hassles, honest difference of opinion there.  One thing that I'm curious about though is calling Rustic Canyon a "walker's paradise."  Are your standards really that low? What about the hike from 9 gree to 10 tee? The climb backwards up to 16 tee?

It's a very nice walk, for sure - not bad at all. But "walker's paradise" is taking it a bit too far, no?

Did you ride or walk Black Mesa?

At Rustic, I missed the walk from 9 green to 10 tee as they started us on 10 since they were plugging the front tees that day.

Comparatively speaking, Rustic might be thought of a walker's paradise compared to BM. But, then I played my best golf in 25 years at Rustic, so my judgement may be a bit clouded.

[Tom Huckaby]

I believe I rode at BM - but then again I never commented on the walkablity of that course.  I'd assume it's pretty tough.

Rustic is a far easier walk than BM, no doubt.

It's just also not a "walker's paradise."

TH

[cary lichtenstein]

Garland:

What I like so much about your post, is how you qualified it from the beginning, so from your prespective it is difficult to argue.

From my point of view, I like both cart and walking courses, I like eye candy, blind shots, forced carries and a lot of deep bunkers, I find Black Mesa to be excellent in all respects.

Cary

[ed_getka]

Garland,
   I know what others think about Black Mesa. I was wondering what you thought. I don't mind at all if you don't care for the presentation of the course in terms of blindness and walking factors.
   Some day I plan to do the same rotation you had planned on. I too want to see Talking Stick, Apache, BM, Pinon, plus when I make it that far I'm going to see the Rawls course also.

[Tony Petersen]

If Black Mesa is "Desert Golf" then what is Desert Forest??? It never occured to me when I've played Black Mesa that it's a desert course... On the contrary, I found the natural use of the features to be organic, flowing, call it what you will... But not desert golf. The rumor is that Doak is designing the second course... I know the owners have deep pockets and want it to evolve into a Bandon Dunes of the Southwest...

[cary lichtenstein]

If Black Mesa is "Desert Golf" then what is Desert Forest??? It never occured to me when I've played Black Mesa that it's a desert course... On the contrary, I found the natural use of the features to be organic, flowing, call it what you will... But not desert golf. The rumor is that Doak is designing the second course... I know the owners have deep pockets and want it to evolve into a Bandon Dunes of the Southwest...

I hope the rumor is true

[Paul Thomas]

If Black Mesa is "Desert Golf" then what is Desert Forest??? It never occured to me when I've played Black Mesa that it's a desert course... On the contrary, I found the natural use of the features to be organic, flowing, call it what you will... But not desert golf. The rumor is that Doak is designing the second course... I know the owners have deep pockets and want it to evolve into a Bandon Dunes of the Southwest...

I hope the rumor is true

wow, hadn't heard that one before...I hope its true too!

as at Bandon, Mr. Doak has a tall order to follow up on BM!

[Lloyd_Cole]

Garland
I, for one, really appreciate any constructive differentiation between golf and cart golf here. I'm less and less interested in desert/mountain/desert golf (I only have so much time to play and I must figure out my priorities...) but Black Mesa was a course I had thought I might like to see. I am certain that you have saved me from an almost certainly frustrating visit. Cheers.

[Steve Lang]

 

Caveats aside..  

I prefer to read and more greatly value course reviews related to qualitative gca, not how someone played a course.. sorry  

If the latter is to prevail or have any reference value then we need to know how you warmed up, typical versus actual carry distances and shot heights for your clubs, hcp. index, last time you played, did you drink too much at the Pink Flamingo the night before, what time you played, the temp, the round's pace, quantitative issues..

At the BM Land of Enchantment Tour, there were a group of walkers in the morning round as I remember.. Ms Sheila and I rode for two rounds as a means of preservation, but there were many times that both of us walked good portions of holes for interests and good cart management..

I would not advise anyone to miss playing this course.. especially due to a mis-labelling of it as cart ball!   that's absurd.

[Andy Troeger]

Garland,
Be that as it may, its not the fault of the golf course that you could only play it once or twice. It sounds more like you like blind holes once you've seen them enough times to know where you're going!  

Given its location, there are going to be an awful lot of people that will play it once or twice. I believe that is something that should have been understood from the beginning. So perhaps it is a bit of the "fault of the golf course".  

Garland,
With all due respect, the same could be said for just about any course.
For Black Mesa, given its location, most people are going to skip it entirely. Given its location, the only chance the course had to be profitable was to create an interesting course that people would want to come see from miles and miles. People that want to see it badly enough the first time will come back if they like it. Those who don't care for it won't come back. Better than no one showing up in the first place!  

[Garland Bayley]

Garland,
   I know what others think about Black Mesa. I was wondering what you thought. I don't mind at all if you don't care for the presentation of the course in terms of blindness and walking factors.
   Some day I plan to do the same rotation you had planned on. I too want to see Talking Stick, Apache, BM, Pinon, plus when I make it that far I'm going to see the Rawls course also.

Ed,

Beside the green surrounds of which most were quite interesting, there are definitely parts of BM that are real fun. #4 is a neat Dell style hole. #11 is a good par 3. #14 is a wonderful hole with temptation, strategy, the whole nine yards. #16 was a whole new par 5 experience for me. #17 is a good hole.

Although most all holes are solid, the bunkering seems a bit over the top on some. Look up the course just southeast of Esapnola on google earth. Decide for yourself whether you feel there is a need for all that sand on some of the holes.

[Garland Bayley]

If Black Mesa is "Desert Golf" then what is Desert Forest??? It never occured to me when I've played Black Mesa that it's a desert course... On the contrary, I found the natural use of the features to be organic, flowing, call it what you will... But not desert golf. The rumor is that Doak is designing the second course... I know the owners have deep pockets and want it to evolve into a Bandon Dunes of the Southwest...

Tony,

Almost the entire western half of the US would be classified as desert with the exception of some coastal areas. Just because there are no cactii, doesn't mean it isn't desert. At BM if you stray off the fairway, you are in desert. Now there may be some meaning to desert golf that I am not aware of. Perhaps it means it must be 105 in the shade, or perhaps it means you must ride a cart. I play golf in the rain in the Pacific NW. So Black Mesa sure looks like desert to me.

[Garland Bayley]

Caveats aside..  

I prefer to read and more greatly value course reviews related to qualitative gca, not how someone played a course.. sorry  

I guess I don't understand what you mean by "how someone played a course."

If the latter is to prevail or have any reference value then we need to know how you warmed up, typical versus actual carry distances and shot heights for your clubs, hcp. index, last time you played, did you drink too much at the Pink Flamingo the night before, what time you played, the temp, the round's pace, quantitative issues..

At the BM Land of Enchantment Tour, there were a group of walkers in the morning round as I remember.. Ms Sheila and I rode for two rounds as a means of preservation, but there were many times that both of us walked good portions of holes for interests and good cart management..

Is this where you tell us "how you played the course" was to ride both rounds with interludes of walking?

I would not advise anyone to miss playing this course.. especially due to a mis-labelling of it as cart ball!   that's absurd.

Let's see. I walked it, you rode. I played golf, you played cart ball. So I should not label it a cart ball course. Gotcha. Glad I took all that math and logic at the U, otherwise how would I understand all this.  

Don't get too upset. I am just yanking your chain a little.  

I understand that cart ball labels are relative and can be understood to be personal and different for other persona.

I will even fess up that I took advantage of the replay with cart to save myself a little. It was the first time in my 50 odd years that I had ever driven a cart. Played the back 9 first and the cart died in the 6th fairway. It didn't cotton to hauling my 265 lbs. up the hill to the 7th either.  

[Garland Bayley]

Garland,
Be that as it may, its not the fault of the golf course that you could only play it once or twice. It sounds more like you like blind holes once you've seen them enough times to know where you're going!  

Given its location, there are going to be an awful lot of people that will play it once or twice. I believe that is something that should have been understood from the beginning. So perhaps it is a bit of the "fault of the golf course".  

Garland,
With all due respect, the same could be said for just about any course.
For Black Mesa, given its location, most people are going to skip it entirely. Given its location, the only chance the course had to be profitable was to create an interesting course that people would want to come see from miles and miles. People that want to see it badly enough the first time will come back if they like it. Those who don't care for it won't come back. Better than no one showing up in the first place!  

OK Andy,

It is time for me to speak pure heresy. I have not played a Fazio course, but I understand that his resort courses are well liked, because he lays everything out there in front of you. I suspect that if I am going to play a course only once, I might like a Fazio over a Spann.

Probably the biggest fault with that is trying to judge a course extensively with only a single play! Now I've played BM twice so I am an expert.  

The truth be told, part of the reason, I will not go in depth into analysis of the course is that I have so little experience of it. About all the depth I can give you is preferences such as I like the 16th at Hideout better than the 7th at BM.

[Andy Troeger]

Garland,
Hey...what's great about golf courses is that there's different ones for different folks. We can rate and rank and play all we want and good minded folks will still disagree. As I said before, I commend you for analyzing a GCA favorite that you didn't care for.

I've played three Fazios myself...both courses at World Woods and The Estancia Club. I liked all three of those too. I have Black Mesa ahead of all of them, but not by much.

[ed_getka]

Garland,
   Thanks for the response. As Andy pointed out we all have preferences and it useful to know what those preferences are when reading someones opinion.
    Any plans to get back to the area to see the other courses you had wanted to see?

[Matt MacIver]

My two sense, after one round at BM last fall:

- Really tough to play 1x.  No caddies, no yardage books, no signs, no GPS.  On one hole (#5?) there was a B&W checkered aiming flag on a hill...so one would assume the preferred line of play would be directly over that.  Wrong -- try 20 yards right.  Blind shots and serious fairway contours are fun, but the first time out with no help, they're frustrating.

- Walkable?  The group ahead of us walked, and kept up, too, probably because they were locals and knew where they werer going, and we didn't.  But it looked like a LONG walk.  

If I were a local I would play this course often, and probably be a better golfer for it - rolling fairways produce uneven lies, several preferred angles to play towards and practice accuracy, and tough (too tough?) green sites, with trouble on one side and a 15- ft bank on the other.  

But visit NM and BM again?  Once was enough for me, until I see the rest of the (golfing) world.  But I would recommend it to anyone I know, and they will be better for having seen it.