University of New Mexico GC (Championship Course)
Albuquerque, NM
1966, Red Lawrence
'03 Fees: $17-$67
Fat Guy Review: This course is consistently rated as as tops among collegiate and New Mexico courses, and regularly hosts the NCAA Championships. You don't realize it at first, but this course is at over 5,000 feet in elevation. The local clowns I got paired up with didn't mention it until I'd flown 4 consecutive greens. Club down one on everything but tee shots. Lots of up and down, some severe elevation changes. I wouldn't walk it in the heat. It's in good shape. Bring the long ball and a good bunker game. Pretty vistas of Albuquerque area. A good value for the price. Rating: 8.75
T&L Golf Review: University of New Mexico ***1/2
Phil Mickelson captured the 1992 NCAA Championship here at one of the nation's standout collegiate courses. The layout makes a strong first impression, offering a view of downtown Albuquerque from the ridgetop first tee. The balance of the course unfolds over heaving terrain that effectively narrows the playable areas, as shots spinning the wrong way scurry into the sagebrush. Architect Red Lawrence is best known for his back-to-nature design at Arizona's Desert Forest, and here, too, he listened to the land. It's big, rugged country, with vast and sloping greens. The course is also close to the airport, so if you want to play right after you land or right before you take off, this is the spot.
3601 University Boulevard, SE, Albuquerque; 505-277-4546, golobos.collegesports.com/facilities/nm-facilities.html. YARDAGE: 7,272. PAR: 72. SLOPE: 133. ARCHITECT: Red Lawrence, 1966. GREENS FEES: $57–$67.
Golf Magazine Review: Rolling, pine-strewn "UNM South" as it is known in these parts, is long, traversing gullies and ridges. After a decade of stiff local competition pushed UNM South down a notch or two, new management has restored it to its rightful place among the area's top courses.
Golfcourse.com Review: "GOLF Magazine" rated it 54th among the "Top 100 Courses You Can Play in the U.S." for 1998. There are several areas on the course where you can see all of Downtown Albuquerque. This course has rolling fairways and undulating greens that will challenge every level of golfer. It is consistently rated as one of the country's top public courses and many consider it to be the best layout in New Mexico. The signature hole is #8, a 248-yard, par 3, which requires a long tee shot to an elevated green past water and bunkers on the right. If you don't nail the green, "you'd better have a deft short game," says the local pro.
Best Bar Nearby: For Gentlemen's clubs, Dave Attell from Comedy Central's Insomniac recommends The Ice House (506 1st St NW, 505-247-2665).
Where To Grub: Snack bar on premisis but they don't serve alcohol. Golf Magazine says, towering over the teeming Mexican-food throng is El Pinto (505-898-1771) in north Albuquerque, a 40-year-old, massive carnival in a rustic setting. Other favorites include 66 Diner (505-247-1421) for hearty grub on the Mother Road; Bien Shur (505-796-7788) serving fine seafood and native dishes on the Sandia Pueblo; Artichoke Cafe's (505-243-0200) casual American/French/Italian mix; Il Vicino (505-266-7855) for tasty pizza in a hip college neighborhood; or Prarie Star (505-867-3327, @ Santa Ana GC) for superb SW cuisine. Also there's plenty of great BBQ places in Albuquerque.
Where To Stay & Play: Golf Magazine likes upscale and golf-friendly Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa (www.tamaya.hyatt.com) on the Santa Ana pueblo, alongside the recommended Twin Warriors GC ($80-$125, www.twinwarriors.com, woven through 20 ancient cultural sites, an extinct volcano, and lava flows, pricey but invigorating) and Santa Ana GC ($18-$55, www.santaanagolf.com, Notah Begay's boyhood track, hosts Nationwide Tour event, 27 holes bounded by mountains and desert) courses. The Hyatt features 3 pools, a 2-story water slide, 2 restaurants and a casino. For the B&B route, hit quiet downtown spot Casas de Suenos (505-247-4560) or historic Victorian Bottger-Koch mansion (505-243-3639) in Old Town.
Reasons To Go: Consider Albuquerque as an alternative golf destination to Phoenix. At 5,314 feet in elevation, it averages summer temps of 90 vs. Phoenix's "dry" 103. Play quality golf on bentgrass any time of year. Not quite the selection of the 50-plus courses in Scottsdale, but it's all the variety and challenge you can handle for about 1/3 the price.
Other Area Tracks To Play: Per Golf Magazine, near the airport hit Isleta Eagle GC ($26-$50, www.iseletaeagle.com), 27 holes of walkable tribe-owned tall mounds, ponds, and the tranquil Rio Grande; local fave Pueblo de Cochiti GC ($29-$52, 505-465-2239), a tight, strategic RTJ, Jr. field tucked into the red-rock foothills halfway to Santa Fe, where a clubhouse sign reads "DON'T FEED THE COYOTE PUPS ON HOLES 13 & 14", $3.2 mil' '02 renovation; Paa-Ko Ridge GC ($48-$79, www.paakoridge.com) for sheer drama, captivating, rambling through pines and pinons at over 6,500 feet, with 50-mile vistas.