When people think of Roswell, NM, their minds usually drift straight to neon-green aliens, flying saucers, and the infamous 1947 crash. The City of Roswell’s tourism industry is based on ufology museums and businesses, as well as alien-themed iconography. This course sets up perfect for another Always Time for 9 adventure. Alien-themed – sometimes I feel as though aliens have taken over my golf swing! As for UFO‘s – This is the SE New Mexico Ugly Flighted Orbs Extraterrestrial Golf Experience.
Our two golfing partners, Justin and Fred, assured us there will be no small, green creatures hiding behind trees, nor will there will be any flying discs falling from the sky. That being said, I thought I noticed a green hue around Justin’s face. Maybe it was just the suns rays reflecting off the nearby green scrub bushes, but just maybe…
Hole #1 is a par 4, dogleg left of about 380 yards. The safe shot is straight down the fairway, but for the adventure seekers, threading your way through the trees is an alien possibility. The trees seemed to mysteriously bend in the sudden breeze as Justin’s ball screamed through the grove without hitting any wood – hmmm. Hole #2 is straight with a wide open tree-lined fairway. The green at this par 4 is crowned, so any shots that find an edge, may slither off the green in all directions. All the tee markers have disappeared (hmmm – alien activity?), so you have to guess the distance on each hole. The scorecard shows regular yardage (3244) and ladies’ (2799) yardage.
Standing on the tee box at the third hole the green is a visible straight 388 yards away. However, a beeline shot may be interrupted by two large trees that stand in the middle of the fairway. The prudent course of attack is hitting down the left side, and then you only need to be concerned about a large bunker guarding the green at this par 4. A fun risk/reward hole. Hole #4 is a par 3 of somewhere in the neighborhood of 170 yards. This is a short hole with some character. There is a large tree with branches the encroach into the fairway, and could cause an issue for any shot that leaks to the left. Any “wormburner” will find deep rough or possibly water short and right.
Hole #5 is a par 5 of 484 yards. It’s straight, and has a pond at the front right of another “turtle-back” green. Hole #6 has a big 90 degree dogleg to the left. There is really no way to cut this dogleg because of water and tree trouble. Fred said the water is not in play, but changed his mind when he saw the flight of my misguided drive. This is such a funny game. After a terrible drive, I hit a “majestic” third shot to post a par on this four shot hole. This is such a frustrating, but rewarding game!
Hole #7 is straight, a long par 5, and 530 yards. Just keep hitting a club that can keep you in the fairway, because any big slice will only find rattlesnakes. A lake emerges from the dry New Mexico landscape on Holes #8 and #9 and may cause an issue on both holes. The former is a par 4 of 342 yards with tree concerns both left and right, plus the water lurking behind the green. The latter is a 165 yard par 3 with that same body of water to clear with your tee shot, and a “crowned” green to add to the excitement of this finishing hole.
Rating – Birdie (40 out of 60): Unidentified Flying Objects none; Ugly Flighted Orbs plenty! The greens were in excellent shape and the fairways were a little spotty, but in April in a rain-deprived environment, this is to be expected. This semi-private course had just enough golf accessories for our round and the staff was very professional.
Our thanks again to Justin and Fred who seemed normal, however after our round something quickly blocked the sun, and when Steve and I looked around – they were gone. To conclude our adventure, we visited the International UFO Museum and who did we encounter inside – Justin and Fred! Hmmmmm.
2601 Urton Rd., Roswell, NM 88201; 575-622-2050; www.seeroswell.com
