Cimarron, NM

Philmont Scout Ranch

Permanent course
25(based on 1 reviews)
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Philmont Scout Ranch reviews

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cefire
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 24.8 years 1123 played 136 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Get your Orienteering Badge Ready 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 22, 2005 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

The Philmont course in Cimarron is located in the back of the famous backcountry Boy Scout Ranch on a dusty hillside with plenty of brambles and small shrubs. The course itself is, for the most part, quite underwhelming but the venue is fantastic at the edge of a large chaparral wilderness area. Wildlife abounds with lots of small birds, reptiles, etc. in the area - while playing this course in 2005, I nearly stumbled on a rattlesnake and accidentally hit a large mule deer as it jumped out into the fairway on one of the back holes! All holes are short to medium length par 3's and the lack of tree coverage allows players large flexibility in shot selection. While accuracy isn't a premium here, you will want to have some control in choosing landing areas that aren't deep in brush or prickers.

Cons:

The course is not well kept at all and you'll find plenty of pokey, prickers in the 'rough', in the fairway, and even right around the baskets. The nature of all of this low coverage rather than mature tree growth means that on most holes, you will be able to circumvent most of the obstacles with big sky hyzers over the top. As you can see in the picture (taken 2007), the baskets are also quite out of date and showing some wear. These are all the classic Mach I's with a single row of chains and a relatively shallow dish for catching - all of this goes to say that you'll likely get some bounce outs, spit outs, fly throughs, and so on! Finally, the tees are relatively difficult to find and there is no map or signage available as far as I know - if you are into exploring (as many scouts are!) then you'll have a fun time tracking down the next tee and searching out baskets.

Other Thoughts:

Again, this isn't a course you go to play for great golf, but the views and the wind whipping over the brushy landscape give the sense of a wild loneliness that is vast and serene.
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