Sun Country Golf

If you’re heading to Carlsbad Caverns or the chic galleries of Santa Fe, golf in New Mexico, once a word-of-mouth secret among avid golfers, is a secret no longer.

There are four distinct destinations for golf in New Mexico, each boasting a cluster of high-quality, low-cost courses with great scenery and shot values.

Golfing in New Mexico’s North

Golf in New Mexico’s Northern section: Taos Country Club, Black Mesa Golf Club near Espanola and Marty Sanchez Links de Santa Fe are all modified desert-links courses winding across the high plateau. East of Taos is Angel Fire Golf Club, a mountain course. South of Santa Fe is Pueblo de Cochiti Golf Course, a Robert Trent Jones Jr. design.

Central New Mexico golfing

Golf in New Mexico’s Central area: Paa-Ko Ridge Golf Club east of Albuquerque, Twin Warriors Golf Club and Santa Ana Golf Club, as well as Sandia Golf Club, all north of town, offer resort golf, with Paa-Ko being the crown jewel of the bunch. The University of New Mexico Championship Golf Course, a hilly test and frequent venue of NCAA events, is just a 7-iron from the Albuquerque airport rental-car center. Only seven minutes south on Interstate 25 is the 27-hole Isleta Eagle Golf Course, part of the Isleta Casino & Resort.

Golf in New Mexico’s Southeast section

Golf in New Mexico’s Southeast section: Lincoln County, N.M., is where Billy the Kid did most of his gun-toting and Ruidoso lies in the heart of the Kid’s old stomping grounds. Nearby are the Links at Sierra Blanca, Rainmakers, Cree Meadows and the Inn of the Mountain Gods, a Ted Robinson design. All are mountain courses rising and falling through Ponderosa pines. In Roswell, where two aliens bought it in a 1947 space-ship crash, play the Spring River and New Mexico Military Institute golf courses. In Carlsbad, you’ll Lake Carlsbad Golf Course, a low-cost muni gem.

South New Mexico Golfing

Golf in New Mexico’s Southern section: Between Las Cruces and Socorro, N.M., lie a handful of true bargains, starting with New Mexico Tech Golf Course, a tight parkland layout in Socorro. Farther south on Interstate 25 in Elephant Butte, N.M., Sierra del Rio Golf Course follows the folds of the Sonorran Desert. In Las Cruces are New Mexico State University and Sonoma Ranch Golf Club. In nearby El Paso, Texas, is Butterfield Trail, the only Tom Fazio design for hundreds of miles in all directions.

Out of the way but worth the drive if you want to explore golf in New Mexico elsewhere: Pinon Hills Golf Course in Farmington, N.M., in the Four Corners area; Silver City Golf Course in the Southwest New Mexico; and Coyote del Malpais Golf Course along Interstate 40 in Grants, N.M.

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An 18-man squad led by David Senn of Truth or Consequences decimated a team from Northern New Mexico over two days of match play Sept. 29-30 at Sierra del Rio Golf Course in Elephant Butte, N.M.

The Ryder Cup-style event pitted teams from Northern and Southern New Mexico in three rounds of gross competition. Players were paired by ability in three matches: 2-man alternate shot, four-ball and individual. The South took a commanding lead after 36 holes of play on Day 1 and won the event 68-40 at the conclusion of play on Day 2.

“People are telling us this is one of the really fun events of the year,” said Monty Mills, captain of the losing North squad, which is now 1-2 over three years.

The competition, conceived by Bob Logefeil of Las Cruces, is for low handicappers across the state over age 50. Four spots on each team are reserved for players older than 65.

“We like to think this isn’t just about Albuquerque vs. Las Cruces, but will grow to become an event for the entire state – including seniors from Ruidoso, Farmington, Silver City and other cities,” Logefeil said. “As the event grows, so will the teams.”

Senn, the winning captain, congratulated Sierra del Rio’s head professional, Victor Torres, for hosting “a tremendous event that is getting more popular with each year.” The golf course was in superb condition and windy conditions in the afternoon provided a true test, Mills said.

Guest speaker at dinner on Sept. 29 was Sun Country Golf columnist Guy Wimberly, a PGA of America lifetime-achievement award member, who detailed the growth of the Sun Country Amateur Golf Association and Sun Country Section PGA starting in the 1970s.

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Paa-Ko Ridge Golf Club is No. 11 on GolfWorld’s magazine’s Readers’ Choice List of the top 50 public golf courses in the United States. It is the only Sun Country region golf course on the annual compilation of the magazine’s readers’ favorites among public, private and resort courses.

In the public category, Forest Dunes Golf Club in Roscommon, Wis., is No. 1, followed by Orange County National in Winter Garden. Fla. In the resort category, Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina was No. 1, followed by Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon. Among private courses, Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., was No. 1, followed by Augusta National in Georgia.

Paa-Ko scored highly in overall value and quality of golf, but lost points for its lack of a clubhouse, nearby off-course amenities and dining.

The full list can be found here.

In a state-by-state ranking, the following New Mexico courses also scored highly:

Black Mesa Golf Club, La Mesilla.

Twin Warriors Golf Club, Santa Ana Pueblo.

University of New Mexico Championship Golf Course, Albuquerque.

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This blog is destined to become the online forum for Sun Country Golf, New Mexico’s leading golf magazine.

You’ll find charity events, pro-ams you can play in, competition results and news of interest to golfers across New Mexico, West Texas, Southern Colorado and Eastern Arizona.

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