Golf - Resort Public Course · 9 Holes · Par 36
Pojoaque Pueblo, NM
Website
Towa Golf Club is part of the Buffalo Thunder Resort and Casino which is about 15 minutes from Santa Fe. Towa Golf Club is home to 27 holes which are a modified desert links style that run along ridges against the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, overlook the Posjoaque Valley, and are studded with boulders, pinons and Cholla Cactus.
Towa takes advantage of the natural topography, unique rock formations and natural vegetation indigenous to the region - all of which provides scenic beauty that can grab your attention as well as challenges that require you to focus on club selection and course management.
Each of the three nines has it's own unique personality and characteristics, for example:
Common to all three courses are extraordinary vistas from every tee, stunning southwestern high desert terrain, rambling fairways, some fun as well as challenging holes, five sets of tee boxes, dramatic elevation changes, and large greens averaging 6,500 square feet, which is slightly larger than the national average of 6,300 square feet.
When we played in late September 2011, Towa was still trying to recover from some harsh winter conditions that had virtually destroyed the greens as well as a lot of damage to the fairways. As such the conditions were not the best but very playable.
The Boulder nine plays through some amazing and very interesting boulder formations and along the top of a ridge offering fantastic 360 degree vistas. Make sure you walk to the tips on the 9th hole and take in the view and hit a couple to see if you can nail the green.
Of the three nines, Boulder was our favorite - it throws a little bit of everything at you (forced carries, elevation changes, contoured fairways, dog legs, water, strategically placed bunkers, and more), it was a little harder, much more scenic, and had some very fun and interesting holes. For example:
As mentioned earlier, the conditions were improving but there was stills signs of damage to both the greens and fairways. The fairways range from ample to tight with a playable rough - but miss and you're in the desert and most likely lost.
The greens on the Boulder Nine are good sized and have both slope and undulation. They had been recently sanded, so it was hard to tell how true they ran. We were told they normally run around a nine to nine and a half on a great putting surface.
The bunkers, which were all sizes and shapes and mostly steep and deep could also use some work.
The Rating/Slope is based on playing Boulder/Pinon courses which is the toughest combination of holes from all of the tee boxes.
Here is a link to the review of Towa's Pinon and Valley nines.
Towa Golf Club is part of the fantastic Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino which has some good stay and play packages. Read our review of Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino to learn more
According to the head pro, the winter weather just about destroyed all of Towa's greens - the course is finally starting to recover and in September 2011 was close to being back to normal.
Tee Box | Yardage | Rating | Slope |
---|---|---|---|
Black | 3,578 | 72.6 | 132 |
Blue | 3,095 | 68.1 | 127 |
White | 2,822 | 66.0 | 115 |
Gold | 3,288 | 70.0 | 129 |
Red | 2,429 | 62.6 | 127 |
Approximate Weekend
Rates: $55.00 to $79.00
Service is ok, the pro shop is very well stocked, the restaurant has some good food, and the practice facilities are good.
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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