I’d planned to play in West Texas today (3/10/16) but it was pouring rain with more forecast, so we kept driving and wound up in Las Cruces, NM, under clear sunny skies with only a light breeze. I got... Continue »

I’d planned to play in West Texas today (3/10/16) but it was pouring rain with more forecast, so we kept driving and wound up in Las Cruces, NM, under clear sunny skies with only a light breeze. I got out early and arrived unannounced at the course, only to be told there was a shotgun event scheduled at 9AM – DRAT! I mentioned that I might try another local course when the shop decided that I could start on #10, and if I made the turn by 9AM I would be in the clear. Off I went at 7:30 as a single with little warmup and trying not to feel too hurried, and playing the whites (67.5/126/6088) to save time, but even with occasionally hitting two balls I made the turn to #1 as the event was loading carts, and so never waited on others at any time the entire round, finishing in 2:50. This is a fun and pretty nice public course, built originally as the centerpiece to an upscale 55+ community, playing up/down and across a broad slope on the east side of town, on ground with surprising elevation changes amidst very nice+ custom-type homes. The layout and terrain are similar in my mind to Anthem Revere (more Concord than Lexington), Sienna, and Stallion Mountain (with more interesting topography), or Black Gold without all the ESA. The front is a little shorter and plays higher up the slope and has more cross-slope holes; the back nine plays down to the lower part of the property before rising back to the clubhouse; more holes there are up/down the slope. The finish on both 9s was uphill/into the wind today, a pretty brutal closure. The course was dry and firm, fairway lies were generally OK but could be thin/bare; many fairways have a lot of movement and there aren’t many level lies on the back nine. There are many dogleg holes, both long and short, increasing the interest factor and pointing to the need for repeated plays to know the best approach angles. Greens were damp to start. Greens are generally large, most with substantial movement, and some with significant tiering. They had consistent speed and breaks; the grass on the greens was dense, fairly firm and held shots, and was good for mark-fixing. Greens rolled well at medium-fast speeds, especially as they dried out; some greens had scattered poor/bare spots. Fairway and rough lies were dry, short, and generally OK. Boxes were flat but could be dry/clumpy in places; par 3 boxes were pretty small and torn up. Sand was damp/fairly heavy/plentiful to play from. You get a basic cart, but no GPS or yardage book available; the par 4s and 5s are marked every 50 yards with colored posts in the middle of the fairway. An iPhone app is supposedly available. There is sand/seed in the carts and there’s plenty available elsewhere. There’s no water available on the course – just a roving guy with a cooler, even in summer!!! Saw the cart girl once around the 16th hole (~10AM). Signage at the entry and on the course needs improving so out-of-towners know where to go! Recommended.