Red Hawk Links Style Golf Course NM

[Mr. Satchmo]

i could use a challenge.. courses around there just look so beautiful... hopefully by then i'll have cured the snap-hook that creeps up one me once and a while, so i won't even have to worry about the snakes..

There are so many animals that walk through there, rattlesnakes, coyotes, bobcats, and sometimes deer. It's really nice out there and since it's so far away from the city it's peaceful.

The only negative is that the course features are links style so of course the deep abundant rough, the deep, tall massive sand bunkers-there is one that is so long it engulfs the entire right side of the large green and stretches out forever. It's crazy because missing the green can leave you with a shot out of deep rough or rocky sand.

Don't miss the fairway. . .

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

We have some pretty notable courses in the Area, my other two favorites are Sonoma Ranch and Sierra Del Rio at Turtleback mountain resort. All of the Courses in this area are less than $60 with cart

Sonoma Ranch

Turtleback Mountain Resort
My favorite!

 

[Oregon Jack]

Uriel... I hate you... I almost want to go down there instead of take my vacation to idaho that ive been planning for a few months now..

 

[Lefty78]

Red Hawk looks really interesting. I doubt that I will be that far south of I-40 on my drive out west later this summer but if I do, Red Hawk will be on my list. Black Mesa which is north of Santa Fe is one of my favorite courses in the country but it kicked my butt and I was thinking rematch. Too many decisions...

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

w

Uriel... I hate you... I almost want to go down there instead of take my vacation to idaho that ive been planning for a few months now..

We have some strange courses here, the turtleback mountain resort one has huge rocky hills surrounding the fairway and you really have to pay attention to the fairways, especially at red hawk where the rough sucks! There's a reason that I haven't moved away from NM yet-the courses are superb and so are the prices!

Red Hawk looks really interesting. I doubt that I will be that far south of I-40 on my drive out west later this summer but if I do, Red Hawk will be on my list. Black Mesa which is north of Santa Fe is one of my favorite courses in the country but it kicked my butt and I was thinking rematch. Too many decisions...

I unfortunately haven't played up there but I have heard nothing but great things about Black Mesa, I would love to plan a trip up there and play all sorts of courses in the Albuquerque and Santa Fe area.

But if you do ever make it out to Red Hawk, let me know, it's such a great experience there

 

[Lefty78]

w

We have some stance courses, the turtleback mountain resort one has huge rocky hills surrounding the fairway and you really have to pay attention to the fairways, especially at red hawk where the rough sucks! There's a reason that I haven't moved away from NM yet-the courses are superb and so are the prices!



I unfortunately haven't played up there but I have heard nothing but great things about Black Mesa, I would love to plan a trip up there and play all sorts of courses in the Albuquerque and Santa Fe area.

But if you do ever make it out to Red Hawk, let me know, it's such a great experience there

There was another course closer to Albuquerque, Paa Ko Ridge, it was OK but I want another shot at Black Mesa. Still undecided on route--we go a different routes every year and I had been considering I-10 part of the way. So it is not out of the picture. Maybe we can tee it up. Will certainly let you know.

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

There was another course closer to Albuquerque, Paa Ko Ridge, it was OK but I want another shot at Black Mesa. Still undecided on route--we go a different routes every year and I had been considering I-10 part of the way. So it is not out of the picture. Maybe we can tee it up. Will certainly let you know.

Definitely, I'll have to check out Paa Ko Ridge as well

 

[livegolf]

Thanks for all those pictures. I have been to new mexico once and would love to go back. The golf there doesnt seem to get much attention and i do not know why.

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

Thanks for all those pictures. I have been to new mexico once and would love to go back. The golf there doesnt seem to get much attention and i do not know why.

I don't know either, it's perfect golfing weather all year round, I love the fact that I can golf in January or july or november and the weather is pretty tolerable. Most of the golf courses here are so beautiful-except for the T or C municipal course haha.

The contrast between the desert and green fairways makes it even more special

 

[dadoffive]

I don't know either, it's perfect golfing weather all year round, I love the fact that I can golf in January or july or november and the weather is pretty tolerable. Most of the golf courses here are so beautiful-except for the T or C municipal course haha.

The contrast between the desert and green fairways makes it even more special

Currently living in Maryland, but my wife is employed at Sandia National Labs. We may be relocating to ABQ for her job. May be in the area in a a couple weeks to scout out ABQ. Recommendations? I'm a 24 handicap, not sure if I'm bringing my sticks (never traveled with them before), or renting.

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

Currently living in Maryland, but my wife is employed at Sandia National Labs. We may be relocating to ABQ for her job. May be in the area in a a couple weeks to scout out ABQ. Recommendations? I'm a 24 handicap, not sure if I'm bringing my sticks (never traveled with them before), or renting.

I would check out sandia Club and Black Mesa, absolutely beautiful I really haven't gone to up there in a while-someone else may have to chime in about courses up there- now if you move there permanently you'll have to drive down to T or C and play at the Turtle Back Mountian Resort or the Inn of the Mountain Gods course in Ruidoso-amazing mountain course in the forest-yes there is a "forest" in NM if you ever travel to LC by any chance-let me know and we can play Red Hawk!

I am going to have to do a hole by hole break down of Red Hawk golf course now like JB said

 

[jmatt]

Man. That course around here would be the better part of 100 a round. Easily. Looks like a challenge, for sure.

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

Man. That course around here would be the better part of 100 a round. Easily. Looks like a challenge, for sure.

it really is, it's a really long course and that rough is killer+we actually have water in this course so it makes it harder-the other courses in the are have tiny little ponds

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

I really haven't played here since like early july and I'm excited because my buddy wants to play here tomorrow!

It's such a hard course so I'm pretty scared haha. I'll take hole by hole pictures of the holes I play (I may only play 9) for the first post

It should be fun since the weather cooled off quite a bit here

 

[DufferToo]

If Red Hawk was 30 minutes closer to my home, it would be my home course. Fort Bliss, with two 18 hole courses that are in great shape is still Home. I look forward to playing Red Hawk again.

Sunrise and Sunset I know them well. Did they ever cut down the "bee" tree on Sunset? (posted just in case someone might know the answer)

I really haven't played here since like early july and I'm excited because my buddy wants to play here tomorrow!

It's such a hard course so I'm pretty scared haha. I'll take hole by hole pictures of the holes I play (I may only play 9) for the first post

It should be fun since the weather cooled off quite a bit here

Satchmo,
I am looking forward to your updated review now that the course has had a chance to mature a bit.

 

[Bogey317]

Awesome looking course. Truly a beautiful sight.

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

Sunrise and Sunset I know them well. Did they ever cut down the "bee" tree on Sunset? (posted just in case someone might know the answer)



Satchmo,
I am looking forward to your updated review now that the course has had a chance to mature a bit.

Yeah I'm super excited, I wonder how crazy the rough must be now, because they do not trim it from what I understand-it would be a massive chore to do so.

This is by far my favorite hole, I used some of the footage for my ATV testing project but this a video of a bunker shot to the green which kind of shows the area. They have some deep bunkers there

and this is how deep the rough was

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

Great round today, I got tons of pictures, I only played the front 9 but I will do a hole by hole thing with suggestions on how to play it when I get home!

There have been some improvements though, each cart has its own ball and club cleaner built into the back, it was a great addition, and the course employees pick up your bags and clean your clubs for you, it's really new to this area

 

[DufferToo]

Yeah I'm super excited, I wonder how crazy the rough must be now, because they do not trim it from what I understand-it would be a massive chore to do so.

This is by far my favorite hole, I used some of the footage for my ATV testing project but this a video of a bunker shot to the green which kind of shows the area. They have some deep bunkers there

and this is how deep the rough was

That is some serious rough

Great round today, I got tons of pictures, I only played the front 9 but I will do a hole by hole thing with suggestions on how to play it when I get home!

There have been some improvements though, each cart has its own ball and club cleaner built into the back, it was a great addition, and the course employees pick up your bags and clean your clubs for you, it's really new to this area

Glad to hear that you had an enjoyable round this morning. Looking forward the the updated review.

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

That is some serious rough

It's gotten worse haha, I was afraid to step on a snake everytime I lost a ball

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

First post updated with a better review, I only got to play 9 holes today but I will finish the back nine hole by hole play tips

I took loads of pictures for this review and the pictures don't do it justice.
Enjoy and let me know what you think !

Uriel

Red Hawk Golf Club Review
Uriel Ortega

Red Hawk Golf Club is the newest golf course in the Las Cruces Area. It was designed by Ken Dye who has designed many well known golf projects around the world. The course covers 200 acres in the natural desert of Southern New Mexico and it features link-style golf designs such as deep rough, large greens and enormous sand traps and water hazards. The course specifically has 5 lakes, 76 bunkers, and the surrounding desert plant life serves as more danger due to the tall rough. Although the course has large open fairways, play can become rather difficult rapidly.The course also features a nice restaurant and full service bar

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Typical Deep Rough that surrounds the course

One of the 76 bunkers that make playing this course difficult

Large Greens like this are typical of this course.

Practice Facilities

The course also features a spectacular practice facility complete with short game and bunker practice greens, oversize putting greens, and a range which makes it a great place to practice.

Pricing for Practice Balls:
$4 Small Bucket
$7 Large Bucket

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View Of Club house and practice greens.

Short Game practice Area with the Organ Mountains in the Background

One of the Massive Putting Greens

Another Putting Green with the beautiful desert behind it

The Range

Course Rating

Red Hawk Golf Club offers 6 different tee boxes that range from 7505 yards to 5505 yards so anyone can find a comfortable or challenging tee box for their game. The slope rating as determined by the USGA is shown below

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Tee Name	Gender	Slope Rating	Yardages
Black	Men	74.9/133	7505
Gold	Men	73.0/129	7175
Red	Men	70.9/126	6695
Blue	Men	68.2/124	6080
Blue	Women	73.4/133	6080
White	Women	70.0/122	5505

Pricing

The prices for this course are quite reasonable, this is the most expensive course in town, but the price includes a cart, as well as wonderful service from the employees at the course. The employees pick up the golf bags and load them on the gas powered cart and they clean off each persons clubs when they return from their round. The course also has various seasonal specials such as family night, couples night and other special promotions.

These promotions can be found here:

http://golflascruces.com/2012-weekly-summer-activities/

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Green Fee	Standard Rate	Senior (65+)	Active Military	Student	Twilight
Monday-Thursday	$30	$20	$20	$20	$20
Friday-Sunday and Hoidays	$40	$30	$30	$30	$30
Cart Rental (Each Person)	$16	$16	$16	$16	$10

The Golf Carts
The golf carts are quite large and are gas powered. They can easily accommodate large staff bags and they feature a built in ball cleaner and club cleaner.

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Golf Cart

Golf Cart Bag area with large Staff bag

Newest addition ball and club cleaner

Course App and Animated Flyover

Red Hawk golf club developed a free android and iphone app that can be used as a golf GPS to help golfers with their yardages. They also have an animated course flyover so golfers can see holes in detail and have their plan of attack ready before they play. I find these to be very helpful and I frequently use them before I go play the course.

Spoiler

Course App

Animated Flyover Example

Course App can be downloaded here:
http://golflascruces.com/download-the-red-hawk-golf-club-app/

Course Animated Flyover Can be found here:
http://www.bestapproachflyovers.com/RHW_redhawk/

Hole By Hole Tips

Hole 1-Par 4:

Spoiler

Yardages:
Black:428
Gold:407
Red:385
Blue:358
White:327

Be careful hitting the driver off of this tee. Although the Fairway is wide and open, the fairway is guarded by one of 5 lakes on the left and several large bunkers on the right. Landing correctly on the landing area will leave an open approach from the left of the green but careful with the uneven lies on the right!

Hole 2-Par 4

Spoiler

Yardages:
Black:447
Gold:429
Red:396
Blue:366
White:329

A large landing area on the left makes this hole great for the driver, go ahead and tee off with the big dog.
In my experience, the fairway slopes from right to left so aiming at the right of the fairway can give you extra roll but be careful with the deep rough!

Hole 3-Par 3

Spoiler

Yardages:
Black:242
Gold:226
Red:198
Blue:165
White:142

This Par 3 is one of my favorite holes, the green is large and but depending on the pin location, the large bunkers and water hazard on the right comes in to play. There is also a small bunker on the left side. A nice Hybrid or long iron will get the ball close to the hole.
.

Hole 4-Par 4

Spoiler

Yardages:
Black:487
Gold:467
Red:443
Blue:394
White:365

A long Par 4 that has a large open landing area. This hole has a bunker on the left as well as an elevated green. the Fairway slopes from right to left. Be careful with the strong winds, they really affect the ball flight on this hole, be prepared to take the wind into play when choosing what club to use off the tee.

Hole 5-Par 5

Spoiler

Yardages:
Black:601
Gold:578
Red:542
Blue:501
White:465

This par 5 is a long downhill hole, that has a large fairway bunker on the right and also slopes right to left so playing the slope carefully will give you extra distance. Accuracy is a must on this hole so if the choice is between the driver and a 3 wood, choose the one that will be more accurate. The tees are slightly elevated which will be beneficial if a fairway wood is used off the tee. The Green is large and the approach area is also large but be careful with the bunkers on the right and a small bunker in the left.

Hole 6-Par 4

Spoiler

Yardages:
Black:347
Gold:331
Red:303
Blue:276
White:253

This is my favorite par 4 on the front 9, the lake on hole 3 comes in to play on the right this time. The fairway slopes from left to right and hitting in the center of the fairway can result in a ball bouncing into the water. There are also numerous bunkers at the end of the landing area which makes it risky using a driver off the tee. I would suggest a fairway wood or a long iron/hybrid to avoid the bunkers on the back. Careful with the approach shot to the green, the narrow green drops off into the water.

Hole 7-Par 3

Spoiler

Yardages:
Black:177
Gold:159
Red:141
Blue:118
White:97

Another tricky Par 3, the round green is protected by water on the left, the back and by a large series of bunkers on the right and on the front. Hitting a short iron will allow a GIR but, be careful everything bounces to the water since the fairway slopes to the right. Also it is possible to roll the ball off the green into the water if not careful.

Hole 8-Par 5

Spoiler

Yardages:
Black:576
Gold:553
Red:526
Blue:482
White:440

Hole 8 is a tough Par 5 with bunkers on the right and left of the landing area. This hole plays slightly uphill and a large bunker guards the left of the green while a couple of deep bunkers guard to right as well as the deep rough on the back right of the green.

Hole 9-Par 4

Spoiler

Yardages:
Black:474
Gold:456
Red:428
Blue:390
White:353

The 9th hole is an awesome finishing hole. The view of the nearby mountains and desert is astonishing. The water from hole 1 comes back into play and the fairway slopes from right to left. The landing area is large so a driver is a great club to use safely off the tee. There are various bunkers in the right of the fairway and the green is tucked away on the left. This is one of the larger greens of the course and it has bunkers guarding the right.

The wide open fairways with the thickest rough I've seen and the deepest bunkers I've played made this course extremely difficult.
The fact that this course is nestled in the middle of the treacherous desert makes it both dangerous and peaceful, it's strangely quiet most of the time. Although it is not on the ocean, the high winds and various bodies of water makes it a beautiful links style golf course. This rough is so thick that you seriously have to take a penalty and drop because locating the ball can be extremely hard.

overall I was really impressed by this course and even at $50 a person, I believe it is still worth playing here regularly. Anyone who travels through this area should stop and play at Red hawk!

Pros:
Beautiful course
open fairways
gas carts
free iPod app
Great Practice Facility

Cons:
Deep Deep Rough
Expensive Rates
Long holes
High Winds
Water
Tall wide bunkers

Miscellaneous Photographs of the Course

Spoiler

Approaching the club house through the desert

The club house

Beautiful Desert Landscape

The pin at the 8th hole

The fairway of hole 3

The Large Green on the 8th hole

The manmade water hazard on the 9th hole

The contrast of the rough and fairway

The beautiful Mountains

The 7th Green with the Organ Mountains behind

The rough that surrounds the course

A video of the landscape

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

I played really well yesterday, I didn't lose more than 2 balls which is pretty good at this course, I actually hit a few fairways with my driver for once, I'm finally getting my driver swing back! The one thing that I noticed though is that most of the holes slope from right to left and putting the slope into play can add more distance but it can be tricky, the large sand bunkers were pretty scary but I only found a couple this time, all my clubs were working for me for once.

Anyways, if anyone is every in town and wants to play this course with me let me know, it's such a great experience and some great golf!

Check out my first post I had a chance to do a real review and took some great pictures of the area.

 

[livegolf]

I like the mountains off in the distance

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

I like the mountains off in the distance

Yeah man it's such a beautiful scene to play behind, sure there aren't any beautiful trees like in the South east but the mountains make up for them

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

So I played another round today here, they don't officially have the monday special anymore but they mentioned that if we ask about it we still get the price, you can't beat $10 golf at a place like this. . .the only down side is last time we played here we paid $55 for two 9 holes with cart and that was with a coupon, still kind of expensive for this area but then again, it's the newest fanciest course in town