The Albuquerque area is a unique place to play golf. With average altitudes of 5,700 feet above sea level, the air is crisp, clean and thin. Higher altitudes increase ball flight distance, and to our delight, we learned that golfers gain 20-40 additional yards off the tee.
Albuquerque has nearly 300 days of sunshine every year, so sunglasses and sunscreen are a must. Temperatures range from 50 degrees in the winter months to 90 degrees in summer. Predictable year-round low humidity and high temperatures encourage comfortable outside activity,
In October each year, Albuquerque hosts the world-famous Wells Fargo International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, where 700 hot air balloons launch simultaneously from Balloon Fiesta Park. The incredible flood of colors fill the sky with breathtaking beauty and make this autumn month an ideal time of year to visit Albuquerque.
The Santa Fe Golf Trail consists of nine world class golf courses, all within a two hour drive from each other. From the high desert atmosphere of Black Mesa, to the mountain air at Paa-Ko Ridge, golf on the Santa Fe Trail offers the ultimate New Mexico golf adventure. Although we didn’t have time to play all nine, we tackled four of the most spectacular during our five day visit.
From the airport in Albuquerque, we drove directly to the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa at the Santa Ana Pueblo. The 500-acre resort was built inside the 73,000 acres of Native-American reservation. Our spacious room maintained the Native-American theme in its design. The view from our room was spectacular, displaying the majestic Sandia Mountains and the Rio Grande River on the horizon.
Grabbing our clubs, we hopped aboard the shuttle to the Twin Warriors Championship Golf Club. The Twin Warriors, designed by Gary Panks, was named after two Indian warriors who led the Santa Ana Pueblo to settle along the Rio Grande hundreds of years ago. The 18-hole layout is built in and around 20 ancient Native-American cultural sites along the banks of the Rio Grande. The golf pro, who played with us, took us on a short detour to point out an old abandoned turquoise mine.
The fourth hole, a 183 yard par-3, has a multi-level waterfall pouring into a seven acre aqua-blue lake. (See photograph above)
The course was very enjoyable and we added it to our list of must play in NM. After playing the tranquil Twin Warriors course, we were given a tour of the Tamaya Resort and discovered that the resort provides a variety of activities for guests of all ages. In addition to golf, visitors can go horseback riding, take a hot air balloon ride, or even participate in Native-American classes on Pueblo bread-making in an authentic kiln.
Every Saturday guests are entertained with Native-American dancing in the courtyard. The resort has a full service spa, outside movies, and even story telling by elder Native-Americans under the stars.
The next morning we headed to Santa Fe, the oldest capital city in America. Santa Fe will celebrate its 400th birthday in 2010. La Posada Resort and Spa, a Rock Resort, combines a large complex of adobe Spanish haciendas, decorated with southwestern colors and textures for the large but cozy suites. We walked the streets of Santa Fe, where a wealth of historic sites tell the story of the city’s colorful past. Next, we headed to the La Posada spa for an hour of relaxation. The hour went too quickly as the full body massage was an exceptional opportunity to relax and unwind. Ahhh… simply marvelous! The Fuego Restaurant at the resort presented innovative and original culinary cuisine, using the ingredients and flavors from the region.
Our next golfing adventure took us to Black Mesa Golf Course, a newly-built course just north of Santa Fe.
The sandstone bluffs protruding out of the earth in such irregular shapes, alongside patches of lush greens and fairways, laid out an incomparable surrounding for golf. This magnificent golf course built on the Santa Clara Pueblo Reservation is a must play if you visit Santa Fe.
The 7,300-yard layout of Black Mesa twists around the acreage. Snake-like arroyos, (deep cuts made in the earth by a fast-rushing stream of water) meander through the course. We were warned to watch for rattlesnakes but didn’t see any, just one coyote, several rabbits, and a couple of cute little roadrunners, the New Mexico State bird.
The land formations are second to none. More than 1,500 acres gave architect Robert Baxter Spann a pallet on which to create a one of a kind masterpiece. The GPS system truly reduces the guess work on distance and the suspense of what lies ahead on those blind shots. Black Mesa quickly rose to a favorite in my golf course diary. I guarantee that Black Mesa will be an unforgettable experience
We then returned to Albuquerque, where we settled in to our suite at the newly-opened Embassy Suites Hotel in the downtown area between the campus of the University of New Mexico and the Convention Center. The hotel is just minutes from the Albuquerque airport with a great view of the city.
The next morning, we rose early to make our first tee time at 8:00 am. We played the day’s first 18 holes at the Sandia Resort & Casino on the Pueblo of Sandia. A Scot Miller design, the 7,774-yard golf course at the Sandia, was refreshingly challenging but not overly so. The course is routed through the uneven, colorful desert landscape, featuring carefully-placed bunkers and thought-provoking green complexes. The fairways are generously proportioned, and the greens were impeccably maintained. From almost every hole, we enjoyed a scenic view of the city of Albuquerque and a few hot air balloons suspended in the distant desert air.
The final 18 holes played out at Paa-ko Ridge Golf Club. Respected architect Ken Dye designed Paa-Ko on a beautiful tract of land on the east side of the Sandia Mountains. The dramatic contrast in the landscape differed greatly from the previous rounds we had played. Paa-Ko Ridge is not a desert course, but more of a tree-lined mountain course. At 6,500 feet, the terrain’s magnificent landscape, filled with thriving vegetation, flowers and trees, reminded me of the mountain courses in New England.
A fast-moving rain storm delayed our round, but before long, clear skies and a mammoth rainbow appeared to the west as we finished our round. Seeing a rainbow was a beautiful sight and a memorable way to end four rounds of golf in New Mexico.
For more information about golfing the Santa Fe Trail, visit the following:
www.tamaya.hyatt.com
www.laposada.rockresorts.com
www.blackmesagolfclub.com
www.rockresorts.com
www.paakoridge.com
2010
