Lou, et al:
Without taking away from Adam's listing a few personal thoughts on the best of New Mexico golf.
First, Black Mesa is beyond anything one can play in the state. The combination & pacing of holes, the terrain, the on & off course vistas, routing, are without peer. From the minute you encounter the unique 1st hole (if you're a whiner with the first hole proceed back to paring lot and go home!
) the game is most certainly on at Black Mesa. One last thing -- should the wind pick up in velocity everyone had better hold onto their hats! Credit to the flks at Black Mesa for understanding how a course should be presented and not backing down to play to the masses who yearn for a desert experience they usually find in Scottsdale or Palm Springs.
Here goes my listing ...
1). Black Mesa (see comments above) *One last thing -- IMHO I rate Back Mesa among the tp 50 courses I've played in the states. A tour de force experience that has elements of Sand Hills and Pine Valley. That's no hype -- just the facts!
2). Paa-Ko Ridge -- minus the over-the-top par-3 4th with its goofy green you have a course of first rate design. Ken Dye layed out a course tat encapsulates beauty with shotmaking strengths. Minus the par-3 4th the rest of the par-3's at Paa-Ko are extremely strong. IMHO Paa-KO is one of the finest mountain type courses you can play -- in fact, I believe an argument can easily be made that it's right near the top in terms of a golfing experience -- the mixing of nature and golf is quite impressive.One other thing -- the course is usually in tip top shape and although I thought there was too much water applied by man's hands in a previous visit in 2002 -- that's not the case with my last visit in late June -- the course was simply stellar. One of my personal top 50 as well.
Last comment -- although the folks at Paa-Ko are indeed selling homes you will NEVER see one even remotely close to the course.
3). Twin Warriors -- Gary Panks is vastly underrated as an architect and TW is a solid achievement and another gain for his portfolio of work (see also Chapparal Pines in Payson, AZ). TW encourages the strong play on many of its holes -- if you can hit the driver and work the ball off the tee TW will reward you. There is plenty of width to accomodate the gusting winds that come through the site on a daily basis. The worst element -- a waterfall par-3 at the 4th. The golf course really kicks into gear with the 7th hole and the start of the back nine is highlighted by the delicious 10th -- one of the best 18 holes you will find in NM IMHO.
4). Pinon Hills -- hate to disaree with my buddy Adam but Pinon suffers the same type of fate you see at too many NM courses -- overwatering. Nothing would give me greater pleasre than to see PH play mega fast and firm. If that were possible then the course wold challenge Paa-Ko for the second position in my listing.
The other issue at PH is that the powers-that-be flipped the nines simply to permit the staff to monitor the 10th (now 1st hole) from the pro shop. Ken Dye designed PH with a purpose and flipping the nines may be a good idea for staff but it's not what the architect envisioned. Nonetheless, PH gives you plenty of solid holes and one very underrated aspect of the course is the demand on solid driving. You have to hit the ball with adequate distance and shaping tee shots is a must to score well.
5). Las Campanas (Sunrise) -- Good Jack Nicklaus design but it's geared towards an abundanceof housing and the overshaped fairways seem a bit out of character for the pre-existin terrain in NM. It's still a course that requires deft play but the character is more "gated community golf." Sunrise has body -- no doubt -- it just lacks the soul of the others that are rated above it. Can't comment on Sunset because I have only walked a few of the holes and never have played it thus far. Looks to be a cut'n paste of Sunrise but maybe others can comment for sure.
6). UNM / Championship (South) -- Red Lawrene gets plenty of points for his work at Desert Forest but UNM is no less a victory for his design skills. The rolling terrain is quality stuff but the issue is a simple one -- everytime Ihave played it (4) the amount of man applied H20 is beyond reason. Here is a layout that cries out for firm and fast conditions and many times the possibility exists for tee shots to hit and roll no more than a few yards at best. Just like Pinon -- UNM wold go up if less water were the rule.
7). Santa Ana (Tamaya & Cheenya) -- Most people only venture to TW but SA is right next door and calls upon the player to provide solid driving on many of the holes -- especially for the bulk of the Cheenya nine which ends with a gangbuster trio!!!
Most Overrated Course --
Cochiti -- Can't understand all the hype the course generates. The scenery and out in "nowhere" location is quite good but the golfis purely lite stuff in my book.
Pick of the pack courses --
Isleta -- good 27-hole complex just south of Albuquerque.
Marty Sanchez -- above average town course -- just outside of Santa Fe and very affordale.
Towa -- good 27-hole layout but I have only played the first 18 that opened last year. Just outside of Santa Fe and right down the road from Black Mesa. I will say this the par-5 1st on the Irwin nine that's 575 yards is one of the best you can play in NM. What a hole and view from the tip tees!!! The other nine I playedhas some issues -- namely a recreation of the island par-3 concept surrounded by water. That may work in Florida -- not in NM!
Taos -- Another good course but lacking in any real architectural details. The town of Taos is worth seeing and if you've got the golf itch Taos GC will help but just don't get real excited. Even at 7,300 yards from the tips the course does play short -- to the credit of the superintendent in the two times I have played it the course was extremely firm and fast! It's also quite reasonable in fees.
South New Mexico --
Inn of the Mountain Gods (Mescalero) -- Gets by on the scenic meter -- the Ted Robinson layout really offers very little of real architectural consequence.
Links at Sierra Blanca (Ruidoso) -- don't be fooled by the term "links." The layout, I believe Jim Colbert was involved, is better than Inn of the Mountain Gods but the layout is overdone with plenty of earth moving and shaping. Good holes are there but nothing worth the ride to see if it's the only course on the itinerary.
There's a couple of new courses in the Las Cruces area but I have not played them thus far.
I would also recommed if anyone is in Southern New Mexico to ake a short trek over to El Paso (TX) and play Ken Dye's winning layout called Painted Desert Dunes. It's very good and one of the most affordale you can play -- I believe it's even cheaper than Pinon Hills -- and that's saying something for sure. How good is the layout. The average wind speed is usually 15-20 mph and the PGA Tour has held their qualifiers there on a few occasions.
Hope this helps ...
