Just took a closer look at those Cochiti reviews and have to take back what I said - sounds like things have gotten progressively worse this year. I can’t comment on Santa Fe CC but Marty Sanchez is also nearby and I have heard a lot of good things about that muni. They have a well regarded par 28 short course as well.
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Friends of mine who are members at Santa Fe CC have good things to say, but I haven’t made it out with them.
Haven’t seen Marty or Cochiti this year. Last year Marty was pretty fried and Cochiti was decent. So if reviews hold up, give Marty a try.
Agree with @RolandOfGilead, Paako is always great. I’d also say missing out on the $25-for-third-9 is a mistake if you have the time…
It looks like they’ve been rotating the 9’s to replace tee boxes currently. Holes 19-27 will be getting fixed up and will be closed while we’re there otherwise we’d be all over just doing the whole day at Paako.
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Hey. I’m down here for a few months. Looking for someone to play with. Working my ass of during the week but weekends open for nothing but golf. If your still here and need a 4th let me know. -fro.
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You gonna be in Albuquerque?
Yep. Down here for a while working. Playing twin warriors tomorrow. 10:24 solo. Played dam nine tonight.
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Did you decide on Paa-ko & Cochiti? I played Cochiti in the late spring & thought it was good. It’s a really fun track. Agree with the guys about chilling at Paa-ko on the patio as well. No better place really. The Taos CC is a really good track as well, and 90 min from SF. And Marty is always fun, but gets a ton of play. Love the Rawls course. Hope you guys have a good time.
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We actually leave on Thursday for the trip. Playing Rawls on Thursday, Paako on Friday morning, Santa Fe CC on Friday afternoon, and Black Mesa on Saturday morning. Cochiti was getting such bad reviews for conditions that we figured we’d skip it this go around. Half the guys going are also most likely going to shoot 120+ at Paako, so SFCC was an easy swap in for a cheaper laid back round.
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Zero info here. They surprisingly didn’t wanna showcase my terrible game apparently haha
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Any predictions on which courses they hit?
Guessing they had to stop at the UNM Champsionship course… I hope they made it to Red Hawk but that’d be a lot of driving around. Same with Rockwind… Santa Fe seems to C-Suite so my guess is mostly around ABQ.
Maybe Santa Fe Country Club. It’s semi private, but pretty cheap to walk it. Most others in Santa Fe are in the $70+ range.
Well it’s called New Mexico and not Albuquerque, that might matter. Our state is great for long drives but that would be tough on a typical Strapped schedule. I really hope they hit UNM North and drove 90 mins up to Black Mesa. Black Mesa sucks to walk and costs $60 to ride on a weekday, but I think they’ve made one expensive round work before. Those two plus a muni would make for a solid season. I’ve made that case before though (here and in a Strapped Suggestions thread, pre-paywall). I don’t know how much they read here versus talk to other locals. @jsauce UNM Championship is great too, but I love North because it’s a totally unique golf vibe in these parts. Lots of trees, better land movement, people generally move their asses.
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Very good point… I’m moving back to El Paso at the end of next month and am definitely looking to make my way up to ABQ and play the courses around there. Very excited to see where the Strapped Boys ended up going.
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Just played Black Mesa on our golf trip out there. We hit the Rawls course in Lubbock on the way out, Paako Ridge, Santa Fe CC, and Black Mesa. While Paako was absolutely incredible, everybody was blown away by Black Mesa. The way they used the landscape is really awesome and almost felt like a desert/mountain/links course. It’s on everybody’s list as a must play when we return. The conditioning was top notch and the course is really unique. SFCC was flat, cheap, and fairly easy which we needed following the morning at Paako. PR lived up to its reputation and was in perfect condition. The views were spectacular, the service was top notch, and the course was great.
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That’s awesome - confirmation that our Black Mesa takes aren’t the local New Mexico koolaid talking is always a good thing. I was supposed to get back up there this Wed but we are pushing it out until (hopefully) next week. Also glad that you all liked the high desert so much to make a return trip.
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While on the subject of Black Mesa…I have an open spot in my 9am tee time there on Friday morning 9/10. Coming down from Denver for a long weekend. Just booked a twosome time but if anyone here is interested in being sherpa for the day you are welcome!
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I can’t swing it but I wish I could. I still haven’t made it back for a return trip but I am hoping to during the fall. Navigating the course website is an absolute disaster, especially on mobile, but I did find a detailed hole-by-hole description that was very useful during my first round there. The link below is pretty detailed too, if you have the time and desire. Enjoy, and let us know what you think.
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Thanks for the article! Really looking forward to seeing the course. Any amenities around the pro shop that I can’t miss out on?