Taos

Taos Country Club has an interesting origin story. The founders, perhaps, had not accurately estimated the cost for developing a golf course and realized they would be woefully over-budget if they went with a bigger name for the design. Fortunately they found Texan Jep Willie, who made them an offer they couldn’t refuse. It doesn’t sound very promising, but Willie pulled through and gave them one of the best public-access courses in New Mexico.

The high desert terrain is often the star of the show, and Willie uses it to his advantage, featuring the natural arroyos as forced carries. Of course, players will also need to carry some less-than-natural hazards on the front nine as well: Two tee shots will traverse the same residential road that winds through the course.

Back-to-back par fives occur at nos. 14 and 15. The latter features a behemoth greenside bunker that blends the line between “Lion’s Mouth” and “Road Hole.” Regardless of what you call it, you’ll need to be wary if you go for this green in two! Coming off that green, you’ll cross a footbridge to the No. 16 tee.