To end on the positive, I can’t say enough about the gorgeous fairways. Doing so, in my opinion, would make this fantastic course, PERFECT. I only spoke of the detractors to encourage the staff to address these minor issues. Cutting steps into the sandstone, or otherwise creating an aesthetic and specific walk up to the otherwise gorgeous tee boxes would be the crowning touch. One last detail that would make this a tier 1 course is access to the tee boxes. It also detracts from the overall beauty and playability of the course. Now there is spotty grass growing in what used to be a sand trap and makes it unnecessarily difficult.

I know they took out some of the sand traps, but even as a high-handicap golfer, I consider this a mistake. If I were king of Black Mesa, I would initiate a 90* rule, and strictly enforce it. Also, better cart paths would encourage golfers not to drive their carts through hazards and unnecessarily through the fairways. I think the crushed black lava gravel is a perfect accent and makes a decent path. This quickly became our favorite course and easily the best we’ve ever played.Īs for the detractors, the cart paths need some attention. The challenge of the course was offset by the beautiful desert setting, manicured fairways, and large, nearly perfect greens. We played it for the first time on a Saturday and found the pace of play to be perfect. There are a few things that need to be addressed, but none of them significantly detract from the overall quality of this great course. Thank you to all the staff at Black Mesa! Then again, if you're not used to play in this area, you might find, like I did a few times, that your clubs fly farther than expected due to the high (7000+ feet) elevation location.Īll in all, a splendid experience, I can only imagine how great the course is in summer conditions. The shortest club I hit on them was a 5 iron. The biggest challenge comes from the par 3s, all of which are beautiful and quite long. I also love that none of the holes or views are spoiled by houses it's all golf and nature around you. There are some blind shots, but you usually know well enough where to go, and there is more room to miss than you might think at first glance I had no problem finding balls that I thought may have been lost left or right. Even the greens, while not fast yet, rolled nice and true.Īll of the staff went above and beyond to make sure we had a good time, and the course itself did not disappoint, with gorgeous views all around, and interesting, varied hole designs. I got treated to amazing conditions considering it was still pre-season if not for the yellow grass color and snowy mountains in the background giving it away, you couldn't really tell. When you arrive, the rustic style of the clubhouse and restaurant set the tone this course has a minimalist approach with all the right elements, and no added fluff.

Black mesa golf course