New Mexico- Santa Ana Pueplo?

[DNice26]

Anyone have any course recommendations for around here? I'm headed out there this week and wanted to see what is worth trying to get out to play on......

 

Cheers,

D

[Ezgolfer]

[quote name='DNice26' timestamp='1366293471' post='6870855']
Anyone have any course recommendations for around here? I'm headed out there this week and wanted to see what is worth trying to get out to play on......

Cheers,
D
[/quote]

http://mynewmexicogolf.com/
http://www.paakoridge.com/

Twin warriors and Paako ridge a must if you are around albuquerque .
Courses are in great shape greens were aerated 2 -3 weeks ago .
UNM championship course is also well rated .
Sandia is also good course , well maintained somewhat of a links style resort golf course . There are a number of other local muni style courses as well. Weather is warming up 70-80 's and afternoons are windy 10-15 mph.

http://www.blackmesagolfclub.com/
Black Mesa if you are around Santa Fe a tight links style course .

[DNice26]

[quote name='Ezgolfer' timestamp='1366294747' post='6870983']
[quote name='DNice26' timestamp='1366293471' post='6870855']
Anyone have any course recommendations for around here? I'm headed out there this week and wanted to see what is worth trying to get out to play on......

Cheers,
D
[/quote]

[url="http://mynewmexicogolf.com/"]http://mynewmexicogolf.com/[/url]
[url="http://www.paakoridge.com/"]http://www.paakoridge.com/[/url]

Twin warriors and Paako ridge a must if you are around albuquerque .
Courses are in great shape greens were aerated 2 -3 weeks ago .
UNM championship course is also well rated .
Sandia is also good course , well maintained somewhat of a links style resort golf course . There are a number of other local muni style courses as well. Weather is warming up 70-80 's and afternoons are windy 10-15 mph.

[url="http://www.blackmesagolfclub.com/"]http://www.blackmesagolfclub.com/[/url]
Black Mesa if you are around Santa Fe a tight links style course .
[/quote]

Thank you! Twin Warriors is right next to my hotel. Is the aeration fixed or at least very unnoticeable?

[Ezgolfer]

Yes
The aeration should be barely noticeble , was obvious last weekend and was playable .

[DNice26]

[quote name='Ezgolfer' timestamp='1366299385' post='6871499']
Yes
The aeration should be barely noticeble , was obvious last weekend and was playable .
[/quote]

Thank you! Might try and play Sunday morning....cheers.

[MileHighClub]

[quote name='Ezgolfer' timestamp='1366294747' post='6870983']
[quote name='DNice26' timestamp='1366293471' post='6870855']
Anyone have any course recommendations for around here? I'm headed out there this week and wanted to see what is worth trying to get out to play on......

Cheers,
D
[/quote]

http://mynewmexicogolf.com/
http://www.paakoridge.com/

Twin warriors and Paako ridge a must if you are around albuquerque .
Courses are in great shape greens were aerated 2 -3 weeks ago .
UNM championship course is also well rated .
Sandia is also good course , well maintained somewhat of a links style resort golf course . There are a number of other local muni style courses as well. Weather is warming up 70-80 's and afternoons are windy 10-15 mph.

http://www.blackmesagolfclub.com/
Black Mesa if you are around Santa Fe a tight links style course .
[/quote]

Great recommendations. I like Paa Ko and Black Mesa the best. UNM would be least favorite, but it is pretty good. Golfers in ABQ are lucky to have so many great courses. They won't break the bank either.

[Guia]

UNM was aeriated 2 weeks ago. I would skip it and hit Cochiti, Black Mesa, or Twin Warriors.

[Seattle_Maslow]

Cochiti is the hidden gem. Love that place.

[burkbomber]

Another vote for Cochiti!

[Ninja]

Will have time for 3 rounds so looking at: Black Mesa, Paa-Ko Ridge & Cochiti Lake.

Anyone know when they start to aerate courses in the Albuquerque/Santa Fe area?

[SkyyDesigns]

I was just in the area all last week as my grandfather died and lived in Pena Blanca, only 10 minutes away from Cochiti. Under the circumstances I didn't play golf but my great uncle ran Cochiti Lake for over 20 years and he said was a good little course, not long, but trouble all over. We went to the Santa Ana Casino 3 times while I was there which is in Bernallio, from the parking lot course looked good with crystal blue water. My uncle said that Paa-Ko was best of the bunch, but obviously played Cochiti everyday for nearly a third of his life. I can recommend one thing non golf related. You must, and I say must go to Sadie's restaurant inside the casino at the Santa Ana in Bernallio. The sopipia sliders and red chile beef enchiladas were some of the best Mexican food I have ever had and my grandmother cooks same style and was taught by my grandfathers family only 15 miles away. Sorry I can't attest to the golf but from my uncles words living near ABQ his whole life Paa-Ko and Cochiti Lake are his 2 favorites. Weather was good in low 80s but windy on last day I was there and even snow in Flagstaff,AZ on my drive to Vegas comin home to Cali. Do yourself a favor and hit up Sadie's, it's a meal you won't soon forget and enjoy your trip.

[fore_life]

I'm actually in ABQ right now, played twin warriors and arroyo del oso, the muni.

I've played paa Ko, sandia and UNM previously, paa Ko would be my favorite, sandia would be at the bottom.

Twin warriors was just ok in my opinion, the arroyo muni was super fun and the greens were fantastic, faster and better than twin warriors, and it was only $25 vs $90.

I think paa Ko just punched but I know that twin and arroyo have already punched. Look on greenskeeper.org for condition updates.

[OspreyCI]

I lived in ABQ for 14 years and played all course talked about here. Can't pay $90 every week, so I played Aroyo Del Oso many many times. Best muni by far!
Yes, ABQ golfers are spolied with very good courses at great prices. Amen to the awesome Mexican food too.
Now that I am lucky to move from there, I do miss the cheaper golf and the food. Anyone going to ABQ, and going to golf, should enjoy themselves.

[duffer987]

Me and a couple mates were thinking about ABQ (not sure I could spell it properly without looking) in mid-Nov, but were wondering are we really cutting it close as far as acceptable (not freezing, not snowing, preferably in the 50s once it warms up) weather is concerned for Paa-Ko and Cochiti?

[tesuquegolfer]

I live 50 miles north in Santa Fe and play all winter down in ABQ. We are experiencing frost delays already at the mountain courses north 100 miles and possibly PaaKo which is situated at the base of the mountains east of ABQ. So, it is all suspect depending on the weather. I would say though that you could very likely get 50+ degree temps in the early afternoon. I played Bernalillo (15 miles north of ABQ) on Sat in the low 60s with a mild breeze and it was awesome. Twin Warriors is one of my favorites and it overlooks the river valley which is half yellow right now and gorgeous. PaaKo will change their rates starting Nov. 1st with a 12:00 twilight at $59 which is a steal compared to the regular rate of $114 and PaaKo is one of our best. Sandia is also one of my favorites and my home course. They have an awesome hotel with good dining and a casino if you are into that. It is a very playable course that doesn't beat you up like PaaKo can. Abq may get some snow but it usually melts by noon. We play if it is above 40 which is most of the time, but you have to watch the wind. 40 degree F with a 15 mph wind can be brutal. Good luck.

[duffer987]

Thanks for that overview of the conditions, much appreciated
I guess if anything the frost delays might just impact our ability to squeeze in 2 rounds a day.
Played Bandon last Thanksgiving and then Feb, so wintery conditions won't put us off too much... that's what multiple layers and underarmour are for.

[tesuquegolfer]

If you are looking for 2 rounds a day, Santa Ana is a good choice as it has 27 holes. Also, Twin Warriors is 1 mile down the road (sister course). We have played Santa Ana in the am and Twin in the PM. I believe Twin charges a $15 cart fee for a replay. I think Sandia is the same at $15 for a cart on replay. I would guess in mid-November a 8:00 start could put you in a possible frost delay if it happens but you should be able to play fast and be ready for a 1:00 tee time that would likely take 5 hours. However, sunset in mid-Nov. is 5:00 so it would be tough to squeeze in 36 on the weekend when 5 hrs in the pm is probably standard. PaaKo has 27 holes also and they may have a rate for playing as many as you can get in. PaaKo usually isn't that crowded but can be slow since it plays pretty tough (don't let the slope fool you). I know very few people that say they score well at PaaKo. Their greens are undulating and there isn't much room for error off the tee or around the green. It is a beautiful course and fun to play if you don't mind a rough score card. I am hoping to play there a few times in early Nov. when the twilight goes to $59.

[duffer987]

Thanks again for the solid advice

Looks like we're going to try and get in 27/36 holes two days in ABQ and then since we're only going to play 1 round the third day, we might actually pop up and play Black Mesa.
After Vegas, Palm Springs, and Scottsdale, really looking forward to New Mexico's version of desert/highlands golf!

[fore_life]

New Mexico golf is so much better than anything arizona has to offer

[lapslgg2]

Ditto for Cochiti, it is well worth the drive from Albuquerque.

[duffer987]

[quote name='fore_life' timestamp='1382543015' post='8045853']
New Mexico golf is so much better than anything arizona has to offer
[/quote]

Surely that is grass is greener syndrome, seeing your location. Next you'll say the girls are prettier too

I thought Saguaro was an absolutely fantastic course and has set the bar pretty high as far as 'desert' based golf is concerned.
Definitely looking forward to being able to compare/contrast.

[tesuquegolfer]

Keep in mind that Black Mesa is about 80 miles north of ABQ. They have some tricked up greens and lot of people dislike it because of that. It is a unique course kind of in the middle of nowhere with some great views. They have an issue right now with something trying to get at grubs and tearing up the grass pretty badly. I hear some big chunks (3-4 ft square) are torn up. I have seen this before in years past. Personally I wouldn't make the drive from ABQ unless you want to visit Santa Fe on the way back to ABQ. A lot of people love Cochiti but I have never loved it myself. I would probably chose Sandia, Twin, or Santa Ana over Cochiti myself, and if the weather is decent, definitely PaaKo. I would say we have great golf value. PaaKo (our most expensive) is $114 during the peak and it is ranked in the top 100 by Golf Digest. Sandia is $85 and is a very nice resort type course, Twin may be $125 for out of staters (?) and is a fantastic challenge/layout, they have held a few Club Pro national championships. I love WeeKoPa in Phoenix area and many others. Santa Ana used to be on the Nike and buy.com tour 15+ years ago, and is pretty challenging and nice.

[fore_life]

[quote name='duffer987' timestamp='1382545965' post='8046167']
[quote name='fore_life' timestamp='1382543015' post='8045853']
New Mexico golf is so much better than anything arizona has to offer
[/quote]

Surely that is grass is greener syndrome, seeing your location. Next you'll say the girls are prettier too

I thought Saguaro was an absolutely fantastic course and has set the bar pretty high as far as 'desert' based golf is concerned.
Definitely looking forward to being able to compare/contrast.
[/quote]

Hey lets not get carried away now, I've yet to see an attractive girl in New Mexico haha.

But the golf blows away arizona courses imO of course. You have more options in arizona, but the options in NM are better. Paa Ko smokes Wekopa. UNM is a better version of Papago.

The only course out here that I would really miss playing would be southern dunes, and maybe aguila, other than that, meh. But I also think desert golf is overrated, if you played one course, you've played them all(kinda). NM has more natural land movement to play with as well, so you have that instead of the desert cutting in and out all the time.

[Ezgolfer]

There are some other really good courses in New Mexico if you can get on ...

[url="http://rainmakersusa.com/golf-new-mexico/"]http://rainmakersusa...olf-new-mexico/[/url]
[url="http://www.theclubatlascampanas.com/Club/Scripts/Home/home.asp"]http://www.theclubat...s/Home/home.asp[/url]
[url="http://www.sierradelriogolf.com/"]http://www.sierradelriogolf.com/[/url]
[url="http://www.pinonhillsgolf.com/"]http://www.pinonhillsgolf.com/[/url]
[url="http://www.albuquerquecountryclub.org/"]http://www.albuquerquecountryclub.org/[/url]

I have played all except the rainmaker which is hard to get on unless, you have connections . Golf in NM is a best kept secret relatively cheap , weather is awesome except march to june can have windy days in afternoon . I have golfed on christmas eve for several years ...
Club memberships are very reasonable .

[duffer987]

Thanks for all the advice and banter fellas, much appreciated
Barring 'terrible weather' we're definitely hitting Paa-Ko, but otherwise we have another week to hum and haw over the other options, as there are a good number. After playing Warren at Notre Dame and Stanford, I'd be keen to play UNM, but again we'll see.

We'll watch the post round pint totals - as they say altitude for us sea level dwellers can mess with our booze capacity - and hopefully have a decent round or two... of golf!

[fore_life]

Ooooohhhh! Post round pints? You must hit up La Cumbre brewing or marble, both are great!

[cruiz3030]

La Cumbre and Marble are by far the best suggestions on this thread. In particular the elevated IPA at cumbre and the red at marble. Both breweries brought home medals from the Great American Beer Festival this year.

[duffer987]

Thanks for the beer recomendations
I think I might just park myself at La Cumbre on Friday night and sample a few offerings and a meatball sub to boot, as I get in a few hours earlier than my friend.
I enjoy my golf, but I sure enjoy being a beer-tourist too.

[Ninja]

[quote name='fore_life' timestamp='1382737403' post='8058415']You must hit up La Cumbre brewing or marble, both are great![/quote]

Wrapping up our NM golf trip today.....thoroughly enjoyed the Red IPA at Marble brewery. Also really liked the Red Runner Ale at the Blue Corn Cafe.

Oh yeah, Paa-Ko Ridge was spectacular and Black Mesa/Cochiti were pretty good as well.

[duffer987]

I was fully consumed by work and cocked up booking our rounds a bit, but in the end we're booked in for an attempt (2nd tee time of the morning) at 36 at Paa-Ko, then the drive up to Black Mesa (GD Top 100 check box influencing that one ) Sunday, and then an early start at UNM Championship course, which should enable us to get in another 18 there or maybe scoot down to Isleta.

Looking forward to the beer tomorrow night