What did Kathy Whitworth, notable LPGA Hall-of-Fame golfer, and Charles T. Sinclair, notorious robber and murderer have in common? Was it that Ms. Whitworth with 88 career wins was arguably the greatest female golfer in history, and Sinclair, know as the Coin Shop Killer, robbed approximately 88 coin shops in the 1980/1990’s? Or was it that Jal, NM was the childhood home of both these famous and infamous individuals? Let’s take the path of Kathy Whitworth and discuss our round at Jal Country Club, the course where she learned to play this game.
The base of the statue read, Kathy Whitworth, JHS Class of 1957, LPGA Hall of Fame, 88 Professional Tour Victories, and 7 Time Player of the Year! We felt a little intimidated by this tribute as we walked to the first tee box.
Before you arrive at Hole #1, there is a sign with silhouettes which must have a secret meaning to the club members – golfer, margarita, naked lady diver, and a cactus. Puzzle or puzzling? Anyway, Mr. Always Time for 9’s brother did Ms. Whitworth proud as he smashed his drive down the middle on this opening par 5. The Landing area is quite wide, however a big banana slice could find the road to the right.
Hole #2 is an uphill par 3 and playing about 170 yards today. There is out-of-bounds to the right and a scattering of trees to the left. The “flags” are the strangest I have ever seen. There is no flag, just a “whiffle ball” set on top of pin with a ribbon to show the wind direction. Hole #3 is a straight par 4 of about 370 yards. The water tower in the distance gives you a great aiming point. We are “guesstimating” the yardages today as we play from the white tees. According to the scorecard, there are only two tee boxes – Black (3164 yards) and Red (2599).
The runway is long and wide at the fourth hole. Not much trouble to encounter at this par 5, 470 yard hole. This is an excellent birdie opportunity – no sand, no water, no trouble! So far the holes have been straight, back and forth, and not much of a challenge. Hole #5 changes all that. A long dogleg to the right with a large tee, native waste area, and a deep depression that will discourage trying to cut too much off the bend in the fairway.
We are back to a straightforward hole design at the sixth hole. Your wild shots will still have unobstructed views of the green as there are no trees or out-of-bounds. Hole #7 – no clue. A par 3 of 151, 136, or 80 yards with the tee markers scattered around the teeing area. It was difficult to get a good yardage reading with my GPS AWAL in Jal – it was hit and hope. I chose the wrong club as I flushed a 6-hybrid over the green and OB. On a positive note, it was the best 6-hybrid I have ever hit – just the wrong time!
Hole #8 (par 4, 395 yards) – ditto, or in other words – long and straight, but with a few large trees bracketing the fairway. There is out-of-bounds to the right which has a barbed-wire fence protecting another property. There are a series of ladders that “might” be there to climb over to search for a lost ball, but I would use at your own risk. Luckily, all our shots expertly found the fairway. Hole #9 (par4, 362 yards) – as Yogi would say, deja vu all over again including the barb-wire fence.
Rating – Par (30 out of 60): This was the third leg of the SE New Mexico UFO Extraterrestrial Golf Experience. The UFO stands for Ugly Flighted Orbs! There were many of those, but still no alien sightings. The course was of an unimagined design and what you find in many small towns around the United States. A course where people can congregate and enjoy a friendly round among friends.
They are proud of their course and the woman who put it on the map -LPGA Hall of Famer – Kathy Whitworth! The same cannot be said of Charles Sinclair!
1001 N. 3rd St., Jal, NM 88252; 575-395-2330; www.jalcountryclub.com
