[December 26, 2021]
With only six days left in the year and three more courses needed to achieve our Tour de New Mexico ‘21 goal, we awork early with a clatter in order to begin a three-day golf adventure. On this second day of Christmas, the winds carried us south.
Desert Lakes Golf Course is situated in the heart of the diverse agricultural and military community of Alamogordo. It was a mild southern New Mexico winter day with sunshine trying to break through high clouds and some winds kicking up the white sands in the distance. Despite the less than perfect weather, it turned out to be a just-right day for these golf nuts (a shoutout to the nearby pistachio and pecan orchards).
We arrived about an hour early for our noon tee time, and fortunately, we were able to get off the course a little earlier. Mark teed off from the tips on the first hole, which was a dogleg left fairway, skirting one of the “desert lakes” on the course. The many ponds and lakes not only presented challenges for splashing fairways shots but were also delightful habitats for ducks and geese.
I was pleased to find the forward tees appropriately placed, providing just the right advantage to ensure I drove about the same distance (sometimes longer) as my partner.
And, while the Bermuda grass was already browned for the winter, the links-style course provided fun, unique opportunities for each hole – no hole was the same, especially with the added wind factor. I enjoyed the scenic views of the Sacramento Mountain bluffs to the east of town and the vast Tularosa Basin to the west, as well as the lovely golf community that lined the fairways.
The back nine presented a new set of vistas and challenges, from par-3 greens with substantial moat-like hazards, to well-placed fairway bunkers to catch your drives … as was the case for mine on hole 18.
This is another course we would like to “come again” and play during summer months when the grass is greener. Alas, this weekend golf adventure is now in the books as another winter wonderland playground.
| Players | Mark and Karli |
| Scores | 86 / 102 |
| Course Conditions | Wintered, but well kept |
| Greens | Good |
| Ambient Temperature | 65 degrees |
| Winds | 10-15 mph |
| Cart path condition | Well-maintained, continuous concrete path |
| Club House | Modern, community hub |
| Snack Bar/19th Hole | Full bar/restaurant (but didn’t partake) |
| On course artwork | Roadrunner broken tee boxes |
| Wildlife spotted | Ducks, Geese, a Sandhill Crane, and two Turtle Doves! |
| Yucca count (New Mexico’s state flower) | Low |
my hankerings 