The 5 best golf courses in New Mexico (2022/2023)

By: GOLF's Course Raters and Ran Morrissett, Architecture Editor

December 27, 2022

Piñon Hills is a muni haven located in a place you'd least expect it.

Courtesy Piñon Hills

As part of GOLF’s course rating process for 2022-23, our fleet of 100-plus expert panelists identified the best golf courses in New Mexico. Browse the links below to check out all of our course rankings, or scroll down to see the best courses in New Mexico.

SYMBOL GUIDE
1 = Top 100 Course in the U.S.
P = Public/Resort Course
V = Top 100 Value Course in the U.S.
M = Top 30 Municipal Course in the U.S.

Ed. note: Some courses were omitted from our rankings because they did not receive enough votes.

The best golf courses in New Mexico (2022/2023)

1. Las Campanas (Sunset) (Santa Fe)

2. Black Mesa (Espanola) [P, V]

New Mexico has one course in the Top 100 but four courses in the Top 125, making it a must-visit destination for every golfer. Situated on the Santa Clara Pueblo 30 minutes north of Santa Fe, this burly design boasts numerous classic design features: blind tee shots, false fronts, central hazards, greens that run from front to back. Architect Baxter Spann incorporated them all into this heaving desert landscape. The par-5 16th through a narrow canyon is a love-it-or-hate-it hole, depending on how well you fare! Max fee: $60

3. Paako Ridge (Sandia Park) [P]

4. Las Campanas (Sunrise) (Santa Fe)

5. Piñon Hills [P, M]

The northwest corner of New Mexico might be a surprising location for one of the country’s best muni courses, but that’s where you will find Piñon Hills. Elevated tees and generous fairways are surrounded by a mesmerizing High Desert landscape dotted with Piñon and Juniper trees, plus some cool sandstone rock formations like the one behind the green (but in play) at the par-3 6th. The toughest holes end each nine: the par-5 9th plays almost 600 yards from the tips with a fairway bisected twice by arroyos, and the par-4 closer is a dogleg right that usually plays into the wind. Three ponds come into play on four holes, while the multi-tiered greens, many with three distinct sections, can befuddle even the best putters.

How we rank our courses

For GOLF’s course rankings lists, each panelist is provided a list of hundreds of courses and “buckets,” or groupings. If they believe the course to be among the best in its category (World, U.S. Value, etc.), they check the corresponding box to place it in a specific bucket. Panelists are also free to write in courses they felt should have been included on the ballot. Points were assigned to each bucket; to arrive at an average score for each course, we divide its aggregate score by the number of votes. From those point tallies, the courses are then ranked accordingly.

The key to the process is the experience and expertise of our panel. Hailing from 15 nations and all the worldwide golf meccas, each of our 115 handpicked panelists has a keen eye for architecture, both regionally and globally. Many of our panelists have played more than 1,000 courses in 20-plus countries.

Because we don’t prescribe a set method to assess courses as other ranks do, no one opinion carries the day — our rank is a democracy. Some panelists believe that enjoyment is the ultimate goal, and thus prioritize design attributes such as width and playing angles, while frowning on upon having to constantly hunt for balls in thick rough. Other panelists value challenge and the demands of hitting every club in the bag. Still others consider a course’s surroundings and overall environment of paramount importance, thereby emphasizing the setting and naturalness of the course. In the end, allowing raters to freely express their tastes is what produces the desired eclecticism in our Top 100 lists.

Panelist integrity is vital. Voters with any ties or associations to eligible courses must flag such conflicts. Panelists also know not to let the quality of their play influence their ballot — same for a luxe experience or clubhouse. While opulence may make for a more a memorable outing, it’s not what GOLF’s course lists are about. Our focus is on design and architecture. We study the course, not the trappings around it.

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