Day 10 36 holes in Las Cruces, New Mexico

3/17  - Day 10 Thirty six holes in Las Cruces, New Mexico

     I played 36 holes today. The last time I did that was in Scottsdale about 4 or 5 years ago. Margaret & I went down there in mid-May to take advantage of MUCH cheaper than high-season green fees. We both played golf in the morning and she chose to hang out by the pool while I went to a different golf course and played another round.

     Today's first 18 was at Sonoma Ranch Golf Course, in Las Cruces. This is a good subdivision golf course (lots of room to NOT hit balls in people's yards) on the front side and a mostly contiguous golf course on the back. I played with a 21 year old, Andrew, who goes to school at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. Nice young man, I have been very lucky with my pairings/playing partners (so far!). The weather was overcast, but dry until a sprinkle on the last hole and the wind was mostly light.

     This is a par 72 golf course. I played the white tees, 6088 yards, slope of 126 and the course rating is 67.5. Andrew played the 6538 tees (69.8 rating, 131 slope). Andrew could hit it a long way, but rarely in the fairway and he did find a few back yards on the front 9. He's fairly new to the game and like a lot of young guys it's all about the long ball, not control. He's a sharp kid and will get better.

     I played my best round of the trip (so far!) and shot an 83. ONLY 37 putts today which doesn't sound great (it's not!), but better than it has been. I had back to back double bogeys on #'s 6 & 7 and I also doubled #10 and #15 (the #1 handicap hole). That's 8 over for 4 holes and since I was only 12 over for the day you can figure out the rest. I DID birdie the par five 18th as the putt fell into the cup on the last turn of the ball.

     The golf course is (mostly) very forgiving off the tees which definitely takes the stress of the driver. The greens had been punched about a month ago and had healed nicely. They had recently had a mixture of light sand and fertilizer applied so there were a few bumps along the way, but overall pretty good. Three of the par fives are 520 yards or more and the other is a 470 dogleg over an arroyo and into the prevailing wind. The par threes range from 122 to 168 and I would've had Butte Ball had I not three putted #17. I would recommend this course and would play it again.

     After Andrew & I had a beer in the clubhouse, I got in the car (I used to "jump in the car", but I don't jump into anything anymore!) and drove 10 to 15 minutes due north and steadily gaining altitude, to play Red Hawk Golf Club. I didn't have a tee time because I couldn't book as a single online and I didn't know how long I would be playing my morning round. The young man at the register asked me if I was ready to go and paired me with another single and said to hurry so we could get out ahead of a fivesome.

     I took a golf cart, drove out the parking lot, put my clubs on the cart, tossed my golf shoes in the back basket and drove out to the starter. He sent me out to the #10 tee and very soon my golf companions showed up.

     Daniel, a 30 something big hitter from Texas, a little north of San Antonio was playing golf. His wife, Alma, rode in the cart with him. She doesn't play golf, but watches Daniel's tee shots so she could help look for them (sometimes) and also had some electronic entertainment and a puzzle book to keep her entertained. I talked to her a bit, she's nice young lady.

     There are five sets of tees at Red Hawk and I played the 2nd shortest ones. Par 72, 6068 yards, 68.2 rating & 124 slope. Daniel played two tees back from me, the second longest set at 7173 yards, 73.0 rating and a slope of 129. The distance was not a problem for Daniel, but the wind and the hazards were a problem for both of us.

     The wind was much more in play at this slightly higher elevation than it was at Sonoma Ranch. This golf course is not at all flat, but there is really no shelter from the wind and little or nothing to slow it down. The course is a bit like a subdivision course, but with desert (much of it unplayable) on both sides instead of houses. There are also a fair amount of water hazards, they all seemed to be in play. I don't think the slope ratings for this course are high enough. It's a bitch!

     I made pars on our first hole (#10) and the par 3 16th hole. That's the end of the good news. I shot the worst round of the trip (so far) and while I only lost two balls in the water, I had to fish out quite a few along the way. Daniel started out well too, but the wind and the slopes wore him out. I think Alma had the best day as she fished out quite a few golf balls with Daniel's ball retriever when we were near any of the (many) ponds.

     The fairways are hilly and have moguls and collection areas, some not to a golfer's liking. The greens are highly contoured with steep slopes in many of them. They were probably the smoothest and fastest greens I saw on the whole trip. If you got near a water hazard at Red Hawk you were going to end up in it because the fairways slope into them, sometimes rather steeply. There are LOTS of cavernous sand bunkers to boot.

     I was really tired when I finished. The was a lot of uphill walkouts from the greens (think Palouse Ridge in Pullman) and carts weren't allowed in a lot of places. I think Daniel was tired too. When I was young I used to like courses like this. It didn't matter if they beat me up. I really can't recommend this course unless you caught it on a calm day and I don't think they are common there. The afternoon green fee with a cart IS A STEAL though, $33 and some odd cents, the cheapest I've paid so far.

     I was afraid I'd cramp up from all the golf and walking, but I drank a LOT of water during and after the round and didn't cramp at all, a pleasant surprise. With a little effort, I found a good local pizza joint (on it's last day before carry out / delivery only). A nice end to a long day!

     No pictures. The weather forecast was a chance of rain and while I only played in a light sprinkle for a short time, the camera never made it out of the car.