What is the toughest golf hole in El Paso?
That’s going to get almost as many answers as people it’s posed to.
“All of them,” local golfer Norberto Madrid said shortly before teeing up at Painted Dunes Desert Golf Course. “All golf holes are hard.”
On some level, we all might agree with that.
By all other accounts, some of El Paso’s 171 golf holes are harder than others.
So what’s the hardest? Here’s our answer:
No. 5, Ascarate Golf Course
This is a 251-yard par 3 that leads to a small green with three bunkers guarding it.
Fred Albers, an announcer for the PGA Golf Network, offered up his 10 hardest holes and this topped his list.
“It’s a long par 3 with a green that’s elevated with soft edges,” Albers said. “It’s a green seemingly built to receive a wedge that you hit a long iron or head cover into. Flanked left and right with bunkers, and the green is multi-leveled. Very hard.”
The green is turtleback green, meaning it’s convex; the middle of the green is higher than the edges.
“Depending on which tees you play, it can range from 215 to 250 yards,” Ascarate pro Mike Smith said. “It’s elevated, turtleback green with two bunkers in the front. What makes it difficult is 1) to hold the green if you can get it up there; the other thing, if you’re around the green, maybe in a bunker, you have to chip up and sometimes the grain is working against you.
“The majority of the issue is the length of it, and also that it’s a turtle-back green.”
As for his advice, don’t be a hero.
“What you want is to try to hit it to the front of the green and roll it up a bit,” Smith said. “Your better players can fly back there, but I would shoot for the front-middle of the green, I wouldn’t be trying to carry it all the way to the back.”
No. 15, Painted Dunes Desert Golf Course
Formerly known as No. 6 on the West Course, this is the hardest-rated hole on the course with the most trouble to be found.
It’s a 455-yard par 4, and if the tee shot flies wide of one of those signs admonishing “No carts in the desert” it has indeed found trouble. Once in the scrub and bush, finding an angle to get back on the fairway can be brutal.
No. 7, El Paso Country Club
The 451-yard, par-4 hole features a canal that forces a decision on the tee box.
“It’s a tough par 4, you have to lay up or try to carry a creek,” said avid golfer Bernie Olivas, the director of the Sun Bowl Association. “If you layup you have a long second shot.”
Per El Paso Country Club’s website: “To go or not to go? A question you must ask when deciding what club to hit from the tee. #7 is a fairly long par 4, but with a twist. A large canal cuts the hole in half. Only a well-struck driver will carry over the canal. Leave the drive in the bag and be left a long, but dry, second shot of nearly 200 yards into the only green not protected by a bunker. Your success on this hole depends mainly on your decision on the tee.”
No. 16, Butterfield Trail Golf Club
The length contributes significantly to this difficulty: This is a 510-yard par 4, one of the longest par 4s in El Paso. It’s a dog-leg left that requires a 300-yard tee shot to have a look at the green.
No. 2, Lone Star Golf Course
On this 438-yard par 4, the narrow fairway slopes to the right and makes it hard to keep balls in the center of the fairway.
No. 18, Coronado Country Club
Several different holes at Coronado got mentioned, but club pro Vernon Bane is going with this one, an uphill 418-yard par 4 that leads to the clubhouse.
“The last hole is a tough driving hole,” Bane said. “The second shot is straight uphill and there are two bunkers in play.”
No. 12, Horizon Golf Course
No. 2 at Horizon also got a mention. As for No. 12, it’s a 210-yard par 3.
“From the black tees it’s tough,” said club pro Dustin Blair. “It’s an elevated green with a bunker in front to guard it. There’s a little bit of undulation at the back of the green and it can be tricky.”
No. 18, Underwood Golf Complex Sunrise Course
“It’s a long par 4,” club pro Kenny Meador said of the 441-yard hole. “Dog-leg right into a narrow driving area. It will be a mid iron to the green, there’s water down the right side and two bunkers around the green.”
No. 18, El Paso Country Club
The 388 yards for a par 4 doesn’t sound daunting, but there are two different water hazards that can come in play and not much room for error.
From EPCC’s description: “Just because it’s the last hole doesn’t mean you are going to be able to let down your guard. This difficult dogleg left par 4 is a tough test from the start. Out of bounds and several trees penalize any shots that stray left. The right side of the hole is well defended by trees and a fairway bunker. Since the green is protected by a water hazard that lines the front and left side, it is paramount that you find the fairway from the tee.”
The description goes on and it doesn’t get easier from there.
Vote below on toughest El Paso golf hole
Local experts have identified the most challenging holes on the course. Now, we’d like to hear from you. Which of these do you find the most difficult? Share your opinion by voting below, or click here if you encounter any issues with the voting tool.
Other holes worth a mention
No. 13, Coronado Country Club, 425 yards, par 4
No. 2 Lone Star Golf Club, 433 yards, par 4
No. 8 Painted Dunes Desert Golf Course, 149 yards, par 3
No. 2 Horizon Golf Course, 449 yards, par 4
No. 14 Ascarate Golf Course, 563 yards, par 5
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Think you know El Paso golf? These nasty 9 holes might change your mind
Reporting by Bret Bloomquist, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
