While our golf pals pack up and head for Arizona or Palm Springs at the first sign of winter, Mr. McMulligan and I relish the cooler temperatures and falling snow, catching up on Jeopardy recordings and playing Scrabble by the fire.
But we have our limits. Sometime after the holidays, we’re ready to escape for a week or two of warmth. This winter, we opted for the 600-mile drive to Las Cruces in the Southern New Mexico desert.
Why would we go there, you ask, instead of a more happening resort destination like Palm Springs or Scottsdale?
First, check the weather: The sun shines 320 days a year and winter temperatures average in the 60s. Next, check the map: Three 18-hole layouts that Mr. McMulligan has always enjoyed lay within about 15 minutes of each other and, as he points out, you can get just about anyplace in Las Cruces in 15 minutes. Finally, check your wallet: Snowbirds can play every day of the week at Cruces’ courses for less than the price of one round at the TPC Scottsdale course that hosted the Phoenix Open, and stay at a beautiful vacation rental for a fraction of the cost of accommodations in more popular winter spots.
But now that we’re heading home after a two-week visit here, we have much more to add to the case for Las Cruces. We loved the mellow vibe and not having to plan for traffic jams every time we ventured out for a green chile fix. That might explain why both residents and visitors at this intersection of cowboy, Mexican and Native American culture seemed friendlier and less stressed than back on the Front Range. We loved that with a population of about 115,000 and a major university, Las Cruces gave us plenty to do away from the golf course. We couldn’t get enough of the Organ and other mountain views, which surely inspire the brimming creativity from the city’s well-organized art community. And, we loved the food – meals at local restaurants taking advantage of their access to fresh produce and meals we cooked ourselves with local ingredients, outside on the grill.
A golfer’s escape to Las Cruces doesn’t have to be all about the golf, and probably shouldn’t be. But I’ll let Mr. McMulligan tell you about that.
First…
Short-term visitors can catch a cheap, short flight into El Paso and drive to Las Cruces in no more time than it takes to drive to Denver from DIA. For a roadtrip, it’s a straight shot south from Colorado, most pleasantly accomplished with an overnight in between.
We stopped for two nights each way in the Albuquerque area, the first one to circumvent a storm in Northern New Mexico, the second to get a round in at Sandia Resort and Casino before heading home. Santa Fe could be another alternative but we make a point of getting a meal in at The Range Café in Bernalillo when we can. It’s not far from the Hyatt Tamaya, a swanky resort with access to Twin Warriors Golf Course.
There aren’t any golf resorts in Las Cruces or its sister/neighbor, Mesilla. Las Cruces has about 3,200 hotel rooms and a fine selection of VRBO/AirBNB options. We rented a house in the Sonoma Ranch golf community with easy access to both towns and three golf courses.
Three months out of shoulder replacement, I reveled in my nine-hole walk with putter at scenic Red Hawk. But I’ll have to let Mr. M tell you about the golf on this trip. Here’s his report:
Las Cruces tourism officials told us the drive is the main issue for Coloradoans, about 10 hours on average from Denver down Interstate 25. This is unfortunate, because Cruces has all the elements of a classic guys or girls group golfing bonanza road trip: Four good courses – New Mexico State University, Red Hawk Golf Club, Sonoma Ranch and Painted Dunes, a 40-minute scenic drive over the Anthony Gap to north El Paso.
Sunny temperatures are typically in the 60s and 70s, with occasional windy or cold spells, as in any desert location. Gorgeous desert mountain views abound, the staffs fall over themselves to be helpful, tee times are easy to come by and the apres-golf dining scene is some of the best you’ll find, especially for authentic Mexican food and drink. The Sunset Grill restaurant at Sonoma Ranch is one of the best and most popular date-night spots in town.
But Colorado golfers traditionally favor the big course reputations, status and rich rye grass overseeding of fairways of Arizona. Winter conditions in Las Cruces can be a challenge. The four courses mentioned do not overseed during the winter, or if they do it can be hit and miss. Red Hawk and Sonoma have a rye-bluegrass combo that thrives in the spring, and stresses in the summer. At NMSU and Painted Dunes, the fairways are typically that dull, Bermuda brown with a healthy dose of hardpan.
On the other hand, with rates as low as $30 for a round after 11 a.m., and no more than $50 before then plus $20 for a cart including weekends, all these courses are a bargain compared to other desert winter options. Two are walkable – Painted Dunes and NMSU – while Red Hawk is a tough walk and walking Sonoma is a poor option that some might describe as a mistake. All accept the use of player owned push and e-carts.
NMSU and Painted Dunes will never have houses lining the fairways, while hilly Sonoma is already there and Red Hawk is a planned golf community. While winning awards early in their existence, Sonoma and Red Hawk fell on hard times during the pandemic and conditions reached their worst. Local trucking businessman Royal Jones acquired Red Hawk and the adjoining real estate after the original developer failed. Plans are in the works for a private club at Red Hawk, tied to home sales, we were told.
Now golfers can hope for better days. Homes are selling again, and they require a good golf course. Investments are being made to improve conditions. Red Hawk, a sprawling, muscle-back Ken Dye (no relation to Pete) design stretching to 7,500 yards with gigantic bunkering and pond hazards, broke ground on a new clubhouse in December 2024, to open in 2026. Its views of the Organ mountains will be spectacular. The course is also getting new lined and French-drained Billy bunkers to replace the old, damaged ones, and thankfully for the senior golfers, the total number of bunkers is being reduced from 70-plus to 41; other massive bunker complexes are being reduced in size and made less severe. Improvements should be completed by June 2025.
Jones also acquired nearby Sonoma in 2021 with plans to improve course conditions. The hilly, playable course is recovering from being temporarily shut down during Covid and greens are now excellent, with fairways and tee boxes on the road to quality. These two courses are the key to returning superior golf options to Las Cruces.
OK, that’s enough out of Mr. M. He’s just making me jealous that he could play and I couldn’t. The courses here haven’t yet adopted the Colorado trend of installing a more forward tee option for short hitters, but the hardpan fairways compensate with plenty of extra roll.
These favorites provided a sample of the area’s most special attractions:
The Las Cruces Farmers and Crafts Market, one of just a few year-round markets in the country, seems to bring out the whole population on Saturday mornings. We were blown away by the range of creativity we saw over seven blocks of booths filled with attractively priced art and jewelry. In spring and summer, maybe the farmers have a stronger presence. Check it out asap when you arrive in Las Cruces and stop at the visitors center on the south end to find out what’s happening in and around town.
We loved our little “hike” at the Dripping Springs Natural Area of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peak National Monument. It was only about 3 miles roundtrip, straight uphill on a rocky trail that challenged our feet but gave us eye candy views of the valley and mountains, and provided a history lesson with the sanatorium and mine at the top. This region abounds with scenic outdoor adventures for hikers, bikers and campers, with winter temps and enthusiastic rangers boosting their appeal.
Rare cold, snowy or blustery days call for a visit to Las Cruces museums. The Branigan Cultural Center, Museum of Art, Museum of Nature & Science and Railroad Museum are all free and in town. We found an entertaining collection of parody art, referring to famous works in contemporary themes, filling the art museum’s galleries when we visited. Outside town, the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum offers surprising insight about the state’s roots, with the chance to view seven breeds of cattle and other farm animals.
White Sands National Park, an easy 52-mile drive over the mountain pass, was established as a national monument in 1933 and has drawn visitors from all over ever since. They picnic, walk on the gypsum and even sled down the dunes. It’s an easy place to get lost, so the park used bright posts to mark out the 5-mile Alkali Flat Trail, which a ranger fortunately told us is, “Not the least bit flat.” We spent an entertaining hour or so hiking up and down giant hills of deep, soft sand before we pooped out and found a scenic spot for sandwiches.
Finally, any visit to Las Cruces must include an afternoon or evening in Old Mesilla. It’s a nice place to walk around and browse shops, but the real point here is to sample the New Mexican and Mexican cuisine with a meal at the likes of local favorite Andele, fine-dining staple Double Eagle or historic La Posta, an iconic destination dating back to 1939 in a colorful space full of art, plants, fish and parrots. By now we’ve had our fill of green chile, but still on our future must-do list: a margarita flight at La Posta!
Visit Las Cruces publishes an excellent annual visitors guide that’s well worth requesting ahead of your trip, visitlascruces.com. … … There’s a wine trail here, where the nation’s first grapevines were planted in the 1600s along the Rio Grande to provide wine for religious sacrament, and a beer trail for exploring the local craft concoctions. We were more obsessed with the prolific pistachio and pecan crops. … The Artists Association of New Mexico assembles a packed calendar of shows, classes and studio tours it calls For the Love of Art each February. … Golfers will want to get ahead of the March winds!