Pagosa Springs Golf Club - Pinon Course Review
Golf - Public Course · 27 Holes · Par 36
Pagosa Springs, CO
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Pagosa Springs Golf Club - Pinon Course Review
Review of Pagosa Springs Golf Club – Pinon Course
Pagosa Springs Golf Club is home to three nine hole courses that are framed by towering Pagosa Pines, some clear lakes, beautiful mountain homes, and the stunning San Juan Mountains. Each of the nines has its own unique personality and characteristics:
- Meadows is the longest at 3734 from the tips and it’s a links style course that has water on 7 of the 9 holes and several intimidating forced carries over the water – bring a life jacket or at least a long ball retriever
- Pinon is the middle of the roader in terms of length and difficulty and it’s got wide forgiving fairways, some elevation changes, and good greens
- Ponderosa plays up and down through the towering ponderosa pines and is the shortest of the three and the only par 35
We didn’t have time to play the Meadow Course but here is a link to our review of the Ponderosa Course.
In June 2013, Pagosa Springs Golf Club was in receivership, being managed by Tri Star a premier golf management company, and was going through a transition waiting for new owners. In addition, Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico were suffering through a third year of drought and no rain, which has had a significant impact on the course conditions. In addition, the snowpack was light this year which also impacts the conditions. And even worse, in mid-2013 the water pump for the Pinon Course broke! What a streak of bad luck – pray for rain!
The Pinon Course is home to a little bit of everything – you’ll encounter some elevation changes, water on a couple holes, some dog legs left and right, six bunkers, some uphill as well as downhill shots, and some demanding putting surfaces. It’s relatively short at 2769 to 3419 yards and it’s the middle of the road course in terms of difficulty.
Some of the holes that we enjoyed included:
- #2 is the #1 handicap hole and it’s a challenging uphill 415 yard par 4 with one of the most challenging greens on the course
- Both of the par 3’s are fun – one has a fairly easy carry over a small ravine and the other is a 216 yard intimidating carry over a pond to the green
- #5 is great – a 328 yard hole with a dramatically elevated tee box and a sharp dog leg right – leave the big dog in the bag or you may overdrive the fairway and end up on the highway – the brave might try to fly the trees on the right to go for the green but it’s very risky
- #7 is a long 435 yard par four with a sharp dog leg left with a small creek crossing the fairway about 100 yards out, a large pond on the left side if you really spray the ball off the tee, and a tricky green that slopes right to left
When we played in June, the light snowpack, limited to no rain, and the broken water pump had severely impacted the fairway conditions – there were lots of dandelions, several damaged areas, as well as cracked and bare spots. The fairways are still very playable and don’t let this stop you from playing the course. We talked to several people who told us that normally the conditions are very good.
The fairways are ample and generous from tee to green, they range from flat to gently rolling, and there are several that run either uphill or downhill.
The greens on the Pinon Nine at Pagosa Springs range in size and shape with most being on the large side. All have some slope and contour that require some very careful study before you putt. They were in very good condition when we played, ran true, held the ball well, and ran at a good speed of between 9 to 10.
There are only six bunkers on the Pinon Nine and they seemed easy to avoid. But they are not pleasant when you do land in them - the sand was gritty and thin when we played.
Slope and rating are based on playing the Pinon and Ponderosa Nine.
Read all about this fun trip to Southern Colorado/Northern New Mexico where this is one of the courses we played.
Course Slope & Ratings
| Tee Box | Yardage | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | 3,419 | 69.5 | 115 |
| White | 3,260 | 67.5 | 113 |
| Red | 2,769 | 68.2 | 123 |
Course Information
- Course Architect:
- Johnny Bulla
- Greens Type:
- Bent
- Greens Condition
- 8.8
- Greens Difficulty
- 9.0
- Fairway Condition
- 8.5
- Bunker Condition
- 8.0
- GPS:
- No
- Walkable:
- Yes
- Course Map
- Beware of water on 3 holes and the 6 sand traps.
Texas Outside Rating
- Overall Rating:
- 8.4 out of 10
- Beauty:
- 9.0
- Difficulty:
- 8.0
- Variety:
- 8.0
- Fun to Play:
- 8.8
- Value:
- 8.0
- Condition:
- 8.8
- Front Nine Rating:
- 8.5
- Back Nine Rating:
FEES & AMENITIES
Approximate Weekend
Rates: $39.00 to $86.00
The pro shop has a limited supply of the basic gear, the outside grill at the turn has good burgers/dogs/sandwiches, and the range is adequate. Service is ok.
Here's How Texas Outside Determines the Scorecard RatingThe Texas Outside rating scale ranges from 1 to 10 – a perfect 10 course would be something like this: links along a cliff overlooking the Pacific ocean and bordered by tall trees; lush fairways on rolling hills with lots of natural hazards; water (which is crystal clear) on most of the holes; immaculate greens (but they are undulating and tough); lots of variety and character (each hole is completely different and includes blind shots, elevation changes, doglegs, and significant challenges); perfectly manicured traps with the whitest and prettiest sand you’ve ever seen; a nice club house with great food and a 19th hole; a GPS; plenty of beverage carts or your own cooler and ice; and it only costs $40 bucks! What this means is that you probably won’t find any 10s in Texas – try Cabo San Lucas, Pebble Beach, or some of the Hawaii courses!
All of the above determines the overall score for the golf course. In other words, we like courses that are pretty, fun, very challenging with a lot of variety, and fairways and greens in excellent condition – all for $40. We also tend to play the courses that are affordable for the masses, which means in the $30 to $80 range. We rate hard and we haven’t found a 10 in Texas yet – don’t worry we haven’t given up and we’re still looking.
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About Texas Outside
Texas Outside has been alive & well since 1996 - that's ancient by today's internet standards! Texas Outside was originally developed by Lone Star Internet which is an Austin based web development company with an excellent reputation & client base. In March of 2006, we purchased Texas Outside & made a commitment to add new, exciting, & informative content on Texas outdoor activities & fun things to see & do.
