1) 18 Glorious Disc Golf holes in what could be considered a cross between a desert landscape, a "Mad Max" film set, a Ronald Dahl painting, and masterclass in post industrial wasteland.

2) Two large concrete tee pads for both long and short tee locations (long pads are large and circular) (shorts are traditional rectangular shaped). Great tee signage with accurate distances and info. Older DGA mach baskets but still caught well.

3) Course design takes full advantage of a massive 20 plus feet deep probably 60 feet wide arroyo that is hidden on most holes and cuts through the center of the course.

4) Course does a wonderful job providing a challenge for all skill levels with the two sets of tee pads on each hole. Both provide a unique challenge despite being a relatively treeless barren landscape.

5) Despite several gimmicky non-traditional additives to the first few holes (an old Christmas tree, motsarella sticks guarding a green, old oil drums, animal skulls on stakes, artificial lined out islands, etc) the course design does a great job of making the most out of an empty landscape and doesn't feel like it tries too hard. You can tell a lot of love and work went into making this course fun to play.

6) The large sage bushes, cacti, few trees around the arroyo, and the steep arroyo itself do a good job of forcing you to have touch and accuracy on your tee shots.

7) Wonderful combination of natural desert, decaying industrial leftovers, and native spiritual imagery that come together to create an almost artistic feel.

8) Several course additions worth mentioning, there is a rope on hole #4 to aid in lowering yourself into the arroyo to retrieve errant discs rather that walking all the way around to hole #7/#8 slope crossover to get down there. A pair of metal staircases to help you on Hole #14. And unique DIY wire and conduit directional signs on the baskets pointing to the next tee location.

9) The views are wonderful for those that appreciate the desert. Rolling hills with bike trails everywhere, deep arroyos, and distant horizons.

1) This course is not for everyone. If you are looking for a polished lush course like you'd find on the east coast, this is NOT it. The desolation and emptiness is an acquired taste. Know what you are getting into before you plan a trip here.

2) There are no real amenities to speak of. There is no water, there was one port o potty that I would probably highly consider soiling myself before choosing to use in the July heat, and you are quite a distance from civilization.

3) Common desert creatures to be aware of, flies abundant, rattlesnakes (especially in the arroyo and the piles of wood throughout), and lizards that are harmless but will probably scare you every time you go to grab your disc from a sage bush and seeing it move (thinking it might be a rattlesnake).

4) The city dump/recycling center is across the street from this course, meaning if you happen to be downwind while playing it won't smell the greatest.

5) The arroyo can be VERY annoying the first time you play here because it is not marked well and multiple baskets are right on the edge of it. You will think you parked a basket only to walk up and discover you disc at the bottom of the abyss.

From a personal perspective, maybe July when it was over 100 degrees was not the smartest decision to play this course, but I won't hold it against the course itself. This is a VERY difficult course to rate fairly and accurately. If this course were on the eastern side of the US it would rate pretty low, but for a desert course and the sheer amount of work (that is obvious) that has been put into this course makes it stellar for what they have to work with. I can certainly see why people would rate this both high and low. Honored to have had a chance to experience this course on our way through, but probably would not go out of my way to play it again even if I was back in the area.

Very creative use of industrial art, artificial obstacles -- fencing, scrap metal, old oil tans, etc. The locals clearly put their hearts into this course. Stark wasteland location surrounded by desert, some local industry, and dozens of mountain bike routes on the nearby hills. The parking is on the dirt off the side of the road near a fence. No crowds. Indeed, nobody was there. Nice mailbox with map. Great arrows on circular pads showing direction of ther basket, and good plastic pointers on each basket showing direction to next tee. Stunning scenery.

The place is without any shelter, and is very hot and sunny, with desert flies everywhere. Cacti/brambles/brush, 3-5 feet high, grow all over, making it hard to site the baskets from many of the tees. You need to know this course well to play it. There are no maps on the tees - just scribbled distance markers. The arroyo (20 foot deep gulch that surrounds the course) is not visible until you almost fall into it. Some baskets are tucked right up against it -- a nice idea if there were maps showing the placements. It is easy to lose a disc especially if you play solo, but I did not lose any in the end. If you like post-apocolyptic mood disc golf -- this is the course for you... I love the skulls on pikes that surround and warn the fast green on hole 16...

The course could be good -- but the lack of diagrams for each hole, and the difficult routing make it just okay...

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

- 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

~ 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

Not in a park or near a park. Strictly a disc golf course and fairly isolated, that means no kids, runner, bicyclists. Great tee pads and easy to navigate. Spray painting arrows on the round tee pads to indicate direction of basket is golden. Is not crowded. Really quirky if you like that sort of thing. Awesome color maps available in the mailbox near tee pad 1.

While I was there in April and it was overcast and cool, I know from living here that it will be brutally hot in summer with little shade. Plan accordingly.
While it won't last forever, construction can make getting there a bit of a hassle. It is a bit of a drive out of town, but that is also a pro.

Others have said it is the best course in Albuquerque. I agree. It's a desert course. If you have not played in the desert, there is small, thorny scrub bushes, rattlesnakes, and sandy dirt. Prepare yourself. Some have complained about losing discs in the scrub bushes. It is not really that bad. Try playing the Arroyo Chasimos course in Santa Fe, then you won't complain about the bushes. There is a DEEP arroyo that runs through the course, and the dirt at the edge of the cliffs crumbles easily. Steer clear of this. This course is a great place to play and not be bothered by others. No screaming kids, no oblivious runners, no entitled dog walkers. Play and enjoy.

Was probably fun in it's former glory.

Weeds are way too overgrown. It would be very easy to lose a disc in them. At one point you need to cross the arroyo to finish the last 9 or 10 holes but there isn't a safe way to do so.

Mailbox with map on first see was GREAT! Tee pads were great. Uniqueness of the course was fantastic. The man made features challenged your lines to the basket and made it super fun. Great use of the arroyo. Arrows on tee pads pointing to baskets. PVC pipes on the baskets pointing to the next tee pad made this course easy to navigate.

Might be considered "quirky", some unusual decorative pieces that had a bit of a spooky feeling. We went in April, apparently April and May can be very windy. Be careful around the arroyo, it's a long way down!

Overall this course was lots of fun. Great layout and features. This is a desert course that the designers have done a great with. Definitely would recommend this course, but if the wind is up, there is nothing to stop it and it may not be as enjoyable. I would love to be able to play this course more often.

Good use of terrain and limited resources.
Good baskets and very large tee pads.
Almost always have the entire course to yourself. I have never had to wait behind over frolfers.

Easy to lose discs in the heather.
Some weird course rules with mandos and out of bounds. (You can choose to follow or not)
Some blind holes can be hard to find if not a regular player at this course.

Very long course. Right next to an airport, so there will be multiple flyovers per round.

-Lots of long shots
-Terrific use of natural and manmade obstacles
-Unusual setting
-Well marked and easy to follow with map
-Very little traffic ... area is totally dedicated to the course with the exception of a few motorbikes in the general area

-No shade; would not recommend in summer
-Isolated area, bring a friend if you are concerned for personal safety
-In summer, you have to carry water
-The canyon could suck your disc into frisbee heaven
-Longest walk of all the NM courses we played; nearly 4 miles (this could be a plus if you want exercise)

We played here as part of a tour of NM disc golf courses; it was our next-to-last and my favorite after Grindstone. Found the course with no problem following directions from this website, and used a map with only a few glitches. When we arrived - about 10 am - there was one other couple on the course. I am used to heat, being from AZ, but it was an unseasonably hot day in ABQ, hitting close to 100. We played in 90 to 95 degree heat, which was a bit much. Despite this, I really enjoyed this course and got a chance to practice a lot of long shots. Several of the baskets are on the edge of a mini-canyon and make for psychologically challenging shots. The abandoned industrial remnants make terrific obstacles.

If you do want to play in summer, go early and carry at least a liter of water...and hydrate before you get out there, preferably bringing a cold drink for after since the nearest convenience store is probably 15 miles away.

Was out in Albuquerque for a conference and wanted get out of the hotel for a while so I didn't go crazy. Really interesting and fun course! Thought that the holes made the most of the landscape and natural obstacles, really great layout. Most holes were pretty open which allowed for big S-curves compared to the very tight wooded courses back in Wisconsin. The use of all the small tree groves and old dead snags was very well done. The added man made features were a cool addition adding some very unique challenges to the course. Really nice mix of distances too from some shorter birdie chances to big arm bombs. Both pro and am cement tees provide good options for any level of player.
As a Midwest native, it was fun to see the local habitat and how disc golf is played in the south west.
Holes were marked very well and finding the baskets was quite easy and logical, except maybe on the super long #9? (700+ foot hole), I got a little crossed up throwing at the #4 pin until I got close and realized that was on the other side of the ravine... Whoops. Maybe cost me one stroke but probably not.
Met up with the (or one of) the course designers and played the last few holes with him which was fun and nice to have the last few mandos explained to me, #18 mando is through a very tight spot and I probably would have never realized it had he not explained.
Probably the biggest thing I noticed in the southwest was how far a disc flies in that thin air. Im a 270-300 thrower back in Wisconsin but could relatively consistently bomb 350-400 out there... Actually overshot a 425 foot pin earlier in the week! Never going to do that back home! Maybe I just had some throws finally "connect" but I highly doubt they made that kind of distance jump.

I would mark this as a MUST PLAY if you are anywhere near ABQ!

I didn't have any problems but I could see loosing disc being an issue in the scrub brush especially once it greens up... if that happens ever... not really sure what summer looks like out there, ha. Just keep a good eye on your plastic.

It was 55F when I played and I could see this place getting very HOT, bring water. Its a desert, I suppose this should be obvious to most people. Not much shade.

Lastly, the bridge that once crossed the big ravine that splits the course has blown out so you have to cross a long concrete "plank" about 12" wide and 20 feet (?) long. If you fall it isn't going to be good! Hopefully there is another way across but I didn't see one, though I didn't really look either.

Really thought about bumping this rating up to a 4.5 but I just haven't played many courses in this climate and am not sure if it is as great as I through or if I was inflating it because it was so unique to anything I have ever seen. It really is and EXELLENT course.

Set in the outskirts of albuquerque this course has a post-apocalyptic feel. It was almost void of other players. The only sounds were planes/helicopters flying by and guns being shot.

Wierd and strange objects provide challenge and shot placement.

Tees clearly marked and had arrows showing direction.

Course flow was easily followed.

Scenery was unique and interesting. Made each hole an experence.

Hole variety was as good as it could be. The creek bed was used to add some elevation change that otherwise wouldn't exist. Poles and flags marked OB that added to the challenge for the course.

Good variety in short and long holes.

Solid concrete tee pads. All were in good shape. Each hole had a bench, and some were even covered.

No trash cans (except at the course entrance). Beer cans and garbage was blowing over the entire course.

Circular tee pads didn't allow for longer run-ups.

Some holes had no obsticals on them. This made them boring and of little challenge.

All the fairways were covered in thorny, scrubby brush. Sucked to get your disc out.

Older baskets were OK and most were well marked but some were hard to spot.

No tee signs, only distance and pars were marked.

The scenery and uniqueness of this course propelled it to a 4 in my book. With a few changes like trash cans and tee signs it will truly be a 4. Definitely worth checking out.

Brent Baca Memorial is a course set in a remote area that is desert landscape. Mostly flat and sandy, with brushy flora and few large trees. There is an arroyo dividing the course that is fairly deep and comes into play on a couple of holes. Some long drives, and creative manmade obstacles and OB add to the difficulty. 18 holes, with decent baskets and large, circular concrete tee pads. The layout is pretty logical and easy enough to follow. I printed a map just in case, and it is an accurate representation of the course. The baskets are often visible from the tee, and sometimes marked with white PVC pipe extensions to help visibility when tucked in behind brushy bushes. The terrain is largely open, but some spots have heavy rough lining the fairway, so keep a close eye on the drives. Holes 4, 5, 7, 9, 14 and 16 all have pins located along side or next to the edge of the arroyo, and can create tricky approaches and putts. On hole 4 I was fortunate to hang on to the side beneath the large tree, but still missed my putt and took a bogey. Hole 11 is one of the most unique holes I have ever played. 280' on level ground, but the tee shot and green are blocked by numerous industrial metal frames. The square in front of the tee denies a straight shot, and the landing zone is is covered with random uprights and cross bars. I tried a turnover that carried far to the right and into thick brush. After looking for ten minutes I located my disc and threw a poor recovery shot that left me still blocked out but the metal, leading to another two putt bogey. 14 is a long fairway that has OB marked by fenceposts on the right, before turning toward the arroyo with a basket underneath another large tree. The large tank staring you down on hole 17 fairway is another unusual obstacle. 18 has a hard left turn that can be tricky if you are off with your drive.

The sun would be brutal in hot weather, with very little shade. Luckily it was overcast with light wind when I played there, perfect conditions.

I enjoyed my round at Brent Baca Memorial. Very open but making the best of what is out there. Isolated in comparison to Roosevelt, I only saw two other players out there. Some noise from the recycling center, dirt bikes and ATV's, and folks shooting guns, but overall very pleasant. I was several shots over par, scoring a 63, and would probably like to play it again if I spend any time in Albuquerque.

Pro tee boxes are large
Objects at tee box present challenges
Arrows painted at tee box great help
Secluded

Am tee boxes are very short
Tiny thorns (annoying and ouch)
Ants; big/small all fast and annoying
Every bush looks the same at distance

Great high desert course. Visiting the area and had to check it out. Lots of open space if you shank a throw.

Only major issue I had was the vegetation and how looked the same. I threw a laser, dead straight, I mean straight as an arrow. I watched it fly between two bushes and clip edge as it was about to land. Perfect, I know exactly where it is. I reached down, grab my other disc, look up and suddenly I'm not positive anymore. The vegetation can be deceiving. There are no clear fairways so it's easy to lose track of where you think you disc is when you zip zagging around bushes to get to your disc. Besides that, I highly recommend this place. Locals were extremely helpful. Man made objects and the threat of flying a disc into the arroyo are great compliments to this course. Just one question, what's with the jugs of water by the entrance?

Nice long course. Pro/Am tees. Awesome obstacles and obstructions. I've played all over the US and this is a course like no other. Very cool.

Hole 4 there is a giant arroyo right next to the pin. If you miss you have to go retrieve your disc. There isn't a lot of places to climb into to get it.

Tee Boxes= two sets of Concrete pads, the longs are Huge circles, i can see theses being used to alter the layout of the course (which is important if you're a local and looking for any variety in the area)

Baskets= Baskets seemed to be in good condition. many have flags or long poles to aide in pin location.

Signs & Stuff= Every time I get a chance to go back and play Baca, there always seems to be some sort of improvement made to the course. This time out I saw several new shelters (holes 7 &14) which are welcomed shade during a hot round, Erosion prevention work being done on hole 5, and the addition of wooden barriers being added to hole 13 (a great way to reduce the damage being done to native plants)

Design= Many unique manmade obstacles make Baca a one-of-a-kind place. My personal favorites are the standing railroad ties on hole 2(?) and the giant tank on 17.
Every time I play it, I find more artificial ob...I really like how some of it was being used to protect the native plants.

Dave's Point= Baca was the first place I ever threw a disc, I didn't even make 16 holes that day...every time we're out in Albuquerque I try and get out there and play it...It still challenges me, but I always have a great time. One of the most unique courses I've played and a must visit if you are in Albuquerque.

Tee Boxes=

Baskets= Only one set of pin locations(?)

Design= it is a very long course, and sometimes the holes feel like they are long just for longness sake...but I don't have a cannon for an arm so take that for what it is. Some of the flagged obs are difficult to see and identify off the tee. No real technical shots, for the most part is is just flat and long.

Signs&Stuff= Not much in the way of signage, but navigation is fairly straight forward. I would imagine having a local guide the first time out would make the round much smoother. No playgrounds or alternative actives on site, so not a family friendly course.

Dave's Point= It's way out in the middle of nowhere(kinda) that mixed with a hot round can be a dangerous situation. Take lots of water and a charged up cell phone if you play solo. Also be aware of water in the arroyo especially when there is bad weather in the area. Arroyos can flash flood even if it is not raining in your location.

Please remember when you are playing Baca that this is a high desert environment and great care should be taken with the flora and fauna. Life out there has to scrap and fight just to survive. Many of the plants are very fragile and any damage done to them can be irreversible. A bush that looks dry and dead is probably not...until someones smashes it to bits trying to create a lie. If you do land inside of the plants, please take a casual relief drop from behind the bush and take care in retrieving your disc.

Tee Boxes= 1.0
Baskets= .75
Signs & Stuff= .75
Design= .75
Dave's Point= 1.0
total= 4.25

This course is pretty easy to navigate for a first timer. There were maps in the box at the beginning and the tee pads are concrete circles that are visible. Arrows on the tee pads point you to the basket and with a glance at the map baskets are easy to find. Fun and challenging shots that require a lot of different discs and throws to get you there. The blind shots are easily marked on the map which make them "easier". Wide open area is utilized well and "recycled" metal shelves and structures are put around baskets to make shots more challenging. Great terrain, lots of walking and exercise.

Best to play in morning, course is exposed and gets hot! Weeds can be overgrown which can make finding discs difficult and deceiving. When I played there were cracks in the ground big enough to fall in; be careful falling in them will cause sprained ankles or worse. Erosion is very bad here. Lots of helicopters flying around at all times of day and the dump nearby will make flies unbearable around certain trash cans on the course. The mondo hole on this course (18 I think) has an OB on the left side; don't get it over the fence it is rough and overgrown.

Course is exposed and gets hot, bring a hat and plenty of water. It helps to have a spotter on this course distances and bushes are very deceiving. Watch out for the huge cliffs on the arroyo. Pro tees have obstacles in the way which cause you to have to hyzer or anny around the obstacle. This is a fun course that I would play again. Enjoy!

Great Tee Pads
Scenic
Easy to navigate for first timer

None really that I can think of. There are a ton of ants and I was scared of rattlers, but not sure if there even are any. Chance of losing disc in arroyo.

Was visiting ABQ and this course was recommended to me on the dgcr forum. Glad I made it out there, this is a very fun course and worth the effort to play it. Only course in Albuquerque that I have played so I can't compare to others but it seems like the general consensus that this is the course to play. Fairly challenging and uses a wide variety of shots but not too hard for a novice. I love the man-made obstacles on hole 2 and as mentioned above, it was easy to navigate. There were no maps in the mailbox at tee one but i brought up the map on my phone and once I realized the tee pads were spray painted with arrows pointing toward the next hole, I was golden. About the tee pads, I LOVE the round concrete pads. Played these at Fountain Hills in AZ, and in my opinion, they are the only way to go. It is obvious that folks have spent a lot of time and energy on course upkeep and improvements so kudos to you guys. Baskets are in decent shape and are all multi-chain solid baskets. Great course that I will play again the next time I am here.

Nice and open. yet still has enough obsticales (natural and man-made) to keep the course interesting.
Several long holes to work on those long drives.
Several short holes that, with better putting than myself, birdies should be a piece of cake.
Maps/Score cards available at the first tee are handy for finding your way around.
Tee pads are large concrete circles with an arrow pointing towards the basket.

Course can get a bit odd to follow, get the map.
Baskets are fading, but still catch well.

A very fun course to play. Nice layout and well thought out obstacles.
Easy to tell that those that put the course together and maintain it care about the course.
Course would be very rough if the wind is up. Many of the OBs would only take a small gust to cross.
Bring water and sunscreen. You're very much in the open.

The course plays through a large open area. There is an arroyo running through part of the course, and it's used for a couple nice basket placements with rollaway potential. It's deep enough that you can really pay for an errant shot that ends up down in the bottom. A couple other really minor elevation changes are in play as well. The tees are large circular concrete pads, and the signage is enough to navigate the course fairly easily.

There is a nice mix of hole lengths, from shorter reachable holes to a few long bomber shots where you get to really air out some drives. It's nice to get to watch the disc fly a long way, and you definitely have that opportunity here. Lots of man-made obstacles add to the challenge of a mostly open set of shots. My favorite was the hole with the vertical railroad ties, one side was much denser than the other and put a premium on placing your shot on the correct side. The rusty metal scaffolding was another fun obstacle that allows for recovery shots but definitely punishes an errant drive.

Despite great creativity by the course designer(s), the holes still play very open. There just isn't much opportunity for tight technical shots so you aren't forced to shape any specific lines. That leads to a little bit of a repetitive feeling that's a bit unavoidable on this property. The signage could use a little more info, especially on the longer shots. We had to look at the info online to know how far and where to throw.

Beginners will find this course a little long, but not terribly punitive. More experienced throwers will find some nice shot placement challenges and some good chances to air out longer drives, but won't really need technical line shaping skills to score well. I thought this was a very unique course, and would definitely recommend a stop if you're in the area.

-Very cool circular concrete tee pads on every hole add an artistic touch along with man made obstacles on a few holes.
-Distances marked on every hole but no signs
-Logical flow of hole layout makes navigation pretty manageable
-Nice mix of holes both short and long gives some birdie chances and some holes you really have to work for a three.

It's in the desert and is very remote. If the wind is blowing at all, this course can be a real challenge as there are little to no trees or hills to block the wind. As a matter of fact it kind of sits in a canyon between mesas, which can funnel the wind making it worse. No shade for hot days, so bring a lot of water. Very sandy with lots of prickly brush, were good shoes and pants, not a place to wear shorts.

It is a great example of a NM disc golf course

Located just south and close to ABQ. Man made objects really help a few holes out as the previous reviewer mentioned the obvious - this is the desert and these obstacles help things. Several baskets right under and very protected by the few trees along the arroyo make for precise approaches if you wish to make a par (and nearly tap in at that).

Liked the way the last few holes end the round, including the face artwork on the (propane?) tank.

Several baskets right under and very protected by the few trees along the arroyo make for precise approaches if you wish to make a par (and nearly tap in at that). [Hmmm....pro or con?]

Several holes that I think were just way too long. Very dusty (it is the desert, I know) and a bit boring.

At least you don't have to go back and forth and back and forth across the arroyo. Just once across and once back for the round.

Unfortunately, the only course in ABQ I played, so not sure if it is the best or not. Giving it a 3 as I really don't like to play ones rated lower and I am happy that I did play this one.

Be careful when trying to find this one --- if you look at a map it appears you can simply drive south on University before you make the turn on Los Picaros, but there is no access off of University. You need to get to Los Picaros from Broadway and then Bobby Foster Rd.