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Brent Baca Memorial reviews
9
0
ABQ “Must Visit” Course 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Mar 11, 2020
Played the course:once
Pros:
18 layout in a wide desert valley. If there were a disc golf scene in "Mad Max"....
+ Excellent signage, two sets of large concrete tees, good flow of play, baskets in good shape
+ The design takes full advantage of the deep and wide arroyo splitting the course
+ "Pro" and "Am" tees where the "Ams" aren't afterthoughts: all are concrete, all have signage, and all are challenging
+ The only large trees on the course all happen to be near the edges of the deep arroyo. Several holes take full advantage of this: the trees prevent you from having a clear line for a high spike, and the deep trench beyond the basket requires great care avoiding overthrows or skips. So even though you're standing in a wide open desert plain, you're challenged to throw a very precise line
+ Added elements give the course a personality: bleak desolate desert, mixed with post-industrial decay, mixed with native spiritual - that would be bleached wood, rust and skulls!
+ There are a couple of playing aids created by the local club that deserve mention: there's a rope at the 4th green to enable you to climb down into the arroyo to retrieve discs (That came in handy!); there's a magnificent pair of metal staircases to help you cross on #14. Every basket has a small piece of plastic conduit wired to the bottom pointing in the direction of the next tee. This is the simplest (and cheapest!) solution I've seen
+ Excellent signage, two sets of large concrete tees, good flow of play, baskets in good shape
+ The design takes full advantage of the deep and wide arroyo splitting the course
+ "Pro" and "Am" tees where the "Ams" aren't afterthoughts: all are concrete, all have signage, and all are challenging
+ The only large trees on the course all happen to be near the edges of the deep arroyo. Several holes take full advantage of this: the trees prevent you from having a clear line for a high spike, and the deep trench beyond the basket requires great care avoiding overthrows or skips. So even though you're standing in a wide open desert plain, you're challenged to throw a very precise line
+ Added elements give the course a personality: bleak desolate desert, mixed with post-industrial decay, mixed with native spiritual - that would be bleached wood, rust and skulls!
+ There are a couple of playing aids created by the local club that deserve mention: there's a rope at the 4th green to enable you to climb down into the arroyo to retrieve discs (That came in handy!); there's a magnificent pair of metal staircases to help you cross on #14. Every basket has a small piece of plastic conduit wired to the bottom pointing in the direction of the next tee. This is the simplest (and cheapest!) solution I've seen
Cons:
- The manmade hazards in front of the early tees are a bit gimmicky, but that settles down after the first few holes. Some of the greens have a bit of a heavy hand when it comes to protecting the pin, but it never got obnoxious or felt unfair
- This is probably just a personal experience, but I wish the arroyo had been marked better when it first comes into play on Hole #3. It's out there to the right (well to the right of where you should be throwing), but there's no way of knowing it's there until you're walking after your overcooked tee shot and suddenly find yourself at the edge of a 60' drop. If I had known it was there, I would have at least thrown a provisional to save time
- This is probably just a personal experience, but I wish the arroyo had been marked better when it first comes into play on Hole #3. It's out there to the right (well to the right of where you should be throwing), but there's no way of knowing it's there until you're walking after your overcooked tee shot and suddenly find yourself at the edge of a 60' drop. If I had known it was there, I would have at least thrown a provisional to save time
Other Thoughts:
~ I played in early March, a day with very mild weather. As other reviewers have noted, there's no water on or near this course. Bring plenty of water
~ Baca puts a big dividend on course knowledge, especially knowing where to place your shot for an unobstructed birdie putt. I could easily see playing this course a dozen or more times and staying interested
~ I didn't play all the courses in ABQ, but in the span of four days, I played 10 courses in ABQ, Santa Fe and Los Alamos. In my experience, Brent Baca, IAIA and Arroyo Chamisos are "must visits" if you're in this part of New Mexico
~ Baca puts a big dividend on course knowledge, especially knowing where to place your shot for an unobstructed birdie putt. I could easily see playing this course a dozen or more times and staying interested
~ I didn't play all the courses in ABQ, but in the span of four days, I played 10 courses in ABQ, Santa Fe and Los Alamos. In my experience, Brent Baca, IAIA and Arroyo Chamisos are "must visits" if you're in this part of New Mexico
