theballguy
New member
In 2003, Black Mesa Golf Club was named Golf Digest's "Best New Affordable Course". Located about 30 minutes north of downtown Santa Fe, Black Mesa boasts 18 of some of the most scenic holes of golf you'll ever play. Designed by architect Baxter Spann and opened in 2003, Black Mesa sits just over a mile high at 5,400 feet of elevation. Open year round and offering 5 separate tee boxes, Black Mesa is still an affordable, minimalist 18 holes of golf. Their website states that the "environment at Black Mesa is pure, absent of any man-made distractions." This is apparent from the moment you exit the highway and enter onto Black Mesa's dirt road that winds its way up toward a windmill standing beside the club house.
Practice Area: A-
They offer a large, wide open driving range with room to hit all the clubs in your bag. There are two putting greens, one located near the driving range and another located next to the club house, just a few feet away from the 18th green. Down by the range there's a short-game practice area where you can practice your chipping and sand-saves. While there's nothing fancy about their practice facilities, they may be the best (and only) option for miles around.
Course Condition: A-
This "A-" grade is heavily influenced by the fact that there is a new management team in charge of turning this course around. And oh, what a job they've done. As recently as late 2014, you can find negative reviews online denouncing the condition of the tee boxes, fairways, and greens. But our experience was much different, and this can be attributed to the management team that took control of the course in May of 2014. According to the course manager, the course was "basically dead" in late 2014. If this was the case, then the team has really done an incredible job of getting the course back on track. While some of the tee boxes were a mix of green and dormant grass, most of them were in excellent condition, flat, and level. As well, while there were a few rough spots of dormant grass or earth on some of the fairways, the majority of them were as striking to look at as the scenery that surrounded us. Lastly, there were a few greens with some rough patches, but nothing that interrupted our putting or made us think any less of the course. As a matter of fact, if you consider the state of Black Mesa just one year ago, you'd be extremely surprised at how nice it has become just a short time later. Unfortunately, it rained heavily for the 24 hours leading up to our round, so there was standing water in many of the bunkers, but I give them a pass on this - they said they had more rain in 24 hours than they usually get in a month. Bunkers aside, the course handled the rain quite well, and was basically dry by the time we teed off.
Layout: A+
Having not played golf in northern New Mexico, we were stunned by the beauty and scenery in this part of the state. Since I'm struggling to find words that accurately describe the course and its surroundings, I'm going to defer to a description from their site:
Dramatic vistas of sprawling valley climbing to distant mountains on beautiful Santa Clara Pueblo serves as an inspiring backdrop at Black Mesa Golf Club...The course plays through dramatic sandstone ridges with Black Mesa visible from several locations. Each hole features characteristics that make them both strategic and memorable in its own unique way. They layout showcases distinctive bunkering, native arroyos as hazards, and green contouring in keeping with the scale of the natural landforms.
While the layout at nearby Towa Golf Club felt forced and cramped at times, Black Mesa felt sprawling and challenging, but fair and enjoyable.
Pace of Play: A
We showed up for our 10:30 tee time an hour early, hoping to browse the facilities and loosen up on the range. At the time, there was no one there and we happily teed off an hour early. We were able to play at our own pace and enjoy the scenery without anyone playing in front of us or behind us. During our round, we probably saw only 5 or 6 other groups on the course. While not the most desirable scenario for the owners of Black Mesa, it was a wonderful day to play golf there.
Price: A
While their website states the weekday price at $82/person (cart included), we were only charged $62 for a weekday round before noon (cart, range balls, and bottles of water included). The carts had very nice GPS screens but no coolers, or ball/club washers.
Amenities: B
Considering Black Mesa's minimalist-by-design atmosphere, rating the amenities is tough. The club house offers a nice (but small) pro shop, the Black Mesa grill, restrooms, and free bottles of water. Prior to teeing off, the starter warned us that there are no beverage carts or drinks of any kind out on the course. So he recommend we load up on the free bottles of water before we hit the first tee. Like the rest of Black Mesa, the course signage was minimal at best, and sometimes hard to follow. While my wife found their lack of signage/direction "annoying", I found it charming and in keeping with the overall minimalist design. There were ball washers near most tee boxes, but some of them were broken and/or had no water. The menu for Mesa Grill is more extensive for sit-down eating/drinking after the round, but there were only a few items available at the turn, and most need to be ordered ahead. We called the Grill from the 9th tee box and ordered sandwiches for the turn. The food was good - above average for what you typically expect at the turn.
Overall: A
Golfers used to playing this style of southwest golf course may disagree, but I found Black Mesa to be one of the more spectacular golf courses I've ever played. I'm certainly pleased I played it in 2015, as opposed to just last year when it was struggling to stay afloat. The course staff was much more friendly and welcoming than other courses we've played in the area. On their website, the course architect states:
I have been designing courses for more than 25 years. More than any other project, I eagerly anticipated every trip I made to this course, always knowing that I would find something new to experience. I hope that golfers will feel the same way about Black Mesa.
Assuming the staff and ownership are able to keep Black Mesa in its current condition (or better), it would be a pleasure to play again and I hope I'll have the opportunity. Considering the price, the incredible course, the beautiful surrounding scenery, and the fact that we basically had the course to ourselves, you truly can't ask for a better deal.
Practice Area: A-
They offer a large, wide open driving range with room to hit all the clubs in your bag. There are two putting greens, one located near the driving range and another located next to the club house, just a few feet away from the 18th green. Down by the range there's a short-game practice area where you can practice your chipping and sand-saves. While there's nothing fancy about their practice facilities, they may be the best (and only) option for miles around.
Course Condition: A-
This "A-" grade is heavily influenced by the fact that there is a new management team in charge of turning this course around. And oh, what a job they've done. As recently as late 2014, you can find negative reviews online denouncing the condition of the tee boxes, fairways, and greens. But our experience was much different, and this can be attributed to the management team that took control of the course in May of 2014. According to the course manager, the course was "basically dead" in late 2014. If this was the case, then the team has really done an incredible job of getting the course back on track. While some of the tee boxes were a mix of green and dormant grass, most of them were in excellent condition, flat, and level. As well, while there were a few rough spots of dormant grass or earth on some of the fairways, the majority of them were as striking to look at as the scenery that surrounded us. Lastly, there were a few greens with some rough patches, but nothing that interrupted our putting or made us think any less of the course. As a matter of fact, if you consider the state of Black Mesa just one year ago, you'd be extremely surprised at how nice it has become just a short time later. Unfortunately, it rained heavily for the 24 hours leading up to our round, so there was standing water in many of the bunkers, but I give them a pass on this - they said they had more rain in 24 hours than they usually get in a month. Bunkers aside, the course handled the rain quite well, and was basically dry by the time we teed off.
Layout: A+
Having not played golf in northern New Mexico, we were stunned by the beauty and scenery in this part of the state. Since I'm struggling to find words that accurately describe the course and its surroundings, I'm going to defer to a description from their site:
Dramatic vistas of sprawling valley climbing to distant mountains on beautiful Santa Clara Pueblo serves as an inspiring backdrop at Black Mesa Golf Club...The course plays through dramatic sandstone ridges with Black Mesa visible from several locations. Each hole features characteristics that make them both strategic and memorable in its own unique way. They layout showcases distinctive bunkering, native arroyos as hazards, and green contouring in keeping with the scale of the natural landforms.
While the layout at nearby Towa Golf Club felt forced and cramped at times, Black Mesa felt sprawling and challenging, but fair and enjoyable.
Pace of Play: A
We showed up for our 10:30 tee time an hour early, hoping to browse the facilities and loosen up on the range. At the time, there was no one there and we happily teed off an hour early. We were able to play at our own pace and enjoy the scenery without anyone playing in front of us or behind us. During our round, we probably saw only 5 or 6 other groups on the course. While not the most desirable scenario for the owners of Black Mesa, it was a wonderful day to play golf there.
Price: A
While their website states the weekday price at $82/person (cart included), we were only charged $62 for a weekday round before noon (cart, range balls, and bottles of water included). The carts had very nice GPS screens but no coolers, or ball/club washers.
Amenities: B
Considering Black Mesa's minimalist-by-design atmosphere, rating the amenities is tough. The club house offers a nice (but small) pro shop, the Black Mesa grill, restrooms, and free bottles of water. Prior to teeing off, the starter warned us that there are no beverage carts or drinks of any kind out on the course. So he recommend we load up on the free bottles of water before we hit the first tee. Like the rest of Black Mesa, the course signage was minimal at best, and sometimes hard to follow. While my wife found their lack of signage/direction "annoying", I found it charming and in keeping with the overall minimalist design. There were ball washers near most tee boxes, but some of them were broken and/or had no water. The menu for Mesa Grill is more extensive for sit-down eating/drinking after the round, but there were only a few items available at the turn, and most need to be ordered ahead. We called the Grill from the 9th tee box and ordered sandwiches for the turn. The food was good - above average for what you typically expect at the turn.
Overall: A
Golfers used to playing this style of southwest golf course may disagree, but I found Black Mesa to be one of the more spectacular golf courses I've ever played. I'm certainly pleased I played it in 2015, as opposed to just last year when it was struggling to stay afloat. The course staff was much more friendly and welcoming than other courses we've played in the area. On their website, the course architect states:
I have been designing courses for more than 25 years. More than any other project, I eagerly anticipated every trip I made to this course, always knowing that I would find something new to experience. I hope that golfers will feel the same way about Black Mesa.
Assuming the staff and ownership are able to keep Black Mesa in its current condition (or better), it would be a pleasure to play again and I hope I'll have the opportunity. Considering the price, the incredible course, the beautiful surrounding scenery, and the fact that we basically had the course to ourselves, you truly can't ask for a better deal.
