Shannon
Gazze Road Trip
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TAOS, New Mexico - As I departed Flagstaff, I was disappointed to see in the local paper that I would be missing the performance of the world famous "Mambo King," Tito Puente, at the town's Cinco de Mayo festival. Somehow, I don't think Branson, Missouri - where I'm scheduled to be on Friday - will have quite the same Southwestern flavor.
But the golf courses call me, and I must go. I didn't get too far out of town before making my first stop, however. About 30 miles east of Flagstaff, just south of US 40 resides the world's largest and best preserved proven meteorite crater. There I learned all I ever wanted to know and more about a giant hole in the ground in the middle of a cattle ranch.
Meteor Crater is impressive in its enormity. We've all seen it in the motion picture Star Man, but the shots of Jeff Bridges running toward the mother ship could not do it justice. The hole is about a mile across and more than 500 feet deep. It was created around 50,000 years ago when a hunk of metal about 150 yards wide hurtled toward the earth at 44,000 miles per second and thunked into the Arizona desert. Of course, Arizona did not become a state until 49,900 or so years later, but you get the idea.
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The main thought that lingered with me is that there is a decent statistical probability such an collision will occur again in the next few thousand years. I figure Meteor Crater is the safest place to be when the next one comes. Plus, it will not be too far from the beach after California falls into the ocean.
After the educational detour, it was back to business as I headed for Taos, New Mexico. Climbing through Albuquerque to Santa Fe, I figured I was in for another climb to the ski haven of Taos. Instead, I got an abrupt lesson in Geography. It is literally downhill the entire 70 miles from Santa Fe.
In the valley, abutting the confluence of the Rio Grande and Rio Pueblo de Taos rivers, Austin architect Jep Willie designed a top-flight golf course in 1993. Ranked fourth in the state by Golf Digest, Taos Country Club is a model of modern golf architecture. A sophisticated ranch-style clubhouse is surrounded by 18 wide, soft, green golf links cut without regard through a field of sage brush.
The one lake on the course is man-made - almost an afterthought, albeit an expensive one, added to the short par-3 at No. 11. The sprinkler system is computerized to conserve water and everything seems to have been built to look much older than it really is. All of this in the middle of an historic mountain town that is not faking its aged, rugged exterior.
The dry winter has played a bit of havoc with the bluegrass and rye mixture in the fairways and the bent-grass greens are being aerated and thus roll fairly slowly and bumpily, but the excellence in the course can be seen through the flaws. The tee boxes and greens are still as soft as a fresh Krispy Kreme doughnut. The fairways are still beautifully mounded, following the natural lay of the land to create plenty of elevation changes and challenging lies.
Besides, it is still early in the golfing season in Taos. The ski season ended less than a month ago and the course is gearing up for its busiest month in June.
Golfers of all levels will enjoy the four reasonably spaced tee placements on each hole. The course plays to 7,302 yards from the green tees (72.8 rating/124 slope), 6,817 yards from the gold tees (70.7/118), 6,123 yards from the blacks (67.1/111, 73.5/130 for the ladies) and 5,343 yards from the silvers (68.7/121 ladies).
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| Taos |
I could have used a little more bail-out room, however. Don't let the generous fairways of Taos fool you. The fields of sage that tightly line the majority of those fairways might as well be gator-infested swampland, because if your ball goes in, it's gone. My advice is to play the brush as OB. Even if you see your ball go in, your chances of retrieving it are not good. In this case, short and steady wins the race.
On the plus side, the sage does leave off an agreeable smell after you whack it with ball or club.
Greens at Taos are large and multi-tiered and most are strategically protected by large-lipped bunkers filled with firm sand. And don't forget, Taos is at 6,900 feet above sea level. That means your shots will travel about 10-percent farther than they would at the beach.
If you are a resident of New Mexico, Taos Country Club comes as a true bargain, just as do many of the better courses in the state. Resident rates start at $33 for weekdays and $43 on weekends.
Visitors to New Mexico can play for the still reasonable price of $63 anytime, and twilight rates are usually available for all comers.
Since I've been spending most of my time sitting in a car, I like to get out and work my leg muscles when I golf. Fortunately, I'm two for two on my trip, as Taos welcomes walkers and the course is generally pedestrian-friendly. The staff does ask that you wear soft spikes, however, regardless of whether you walk or ride.
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As I mentioned earlier, Taos is just recovering from the ski season. There is consequently not much happening in town this time of year, except of course the slew of museums and outdoors activities such as rafting and climbing that are available year-round.
If you are into losing money faster than you can in a skins game, Taos Mountain Casino is nearby. Another night spot that came recommended to me is Eske's Brew Pub, just off the beaten path of Taos Plaza. Eske's features more than 30 rotating varieties of beer as well as blue-plate specials such as Sushi Tuesdays and Down-Home Sundays.
I saw two humorous or perhaps disturbing signs along the cliff-hanging roads of the Southern Rockies. The first read: Caution, landslide in progress. Much like when someone yells, "fore," and you instinctively look to see what is coming at you, I found my eyes darting up the mountain, half expecting to see a Mazda-seeking boulder. Fortunately, the coast was clear.
The second sign read: Carson National Forest - Land of many uses. "Sure," I thought, "I give them a 2 for originality, but I can see where they are coming from." Then I remembered that it had been almost two hours and three cans of iced tea since I last made a pit stop and I thought of pulling over and adding one more use to their list.
Next stop: The metropolis of Amarillo, Texas. Hey, it's on the
way home.
For more information on Taos C.C., contact:
Taos Country Club
54 Golf Course Dr.
Ranchos de Taos, NM 87557
(505) 758-7300 or
1-888-TAOSGOLF
Legend Trail Golf Club