The lift up the mountain is nice, but the lift down is insane due to its steepness. There are great views from a few holes. The course starts with a bomb shot on #1. The basket on #14 is located high on top of a boulder. The rec tees play like a regular course where a good shot can give you a birdie (2). Trees are used well in three ways: near the tee, along the fairway, or blocking the basket. I had problems finding #1, but the course is easy to navigate.

I could not find #1 when I exited the lift because there were no signs. When you exit the lift walk down to the restaurant on your left. The tee is on the opposite side of the building. Besides #1 & #2, there is no elevation changes at all. I have never played a flat course on a mountain. I was very disappointed. The map shows all green, but the course is mostly trees and rocks. The pro tees add a huge degree of difficulty.

$12 is waaaay too much to pay for this course. I would only recommend playing this course if you happen to be staying at Angel Fire. You could hike up the mountain and play for free if that is your thing. The last half mile up the mountain is really steep. You could then take the lift down for free as they did not scan my ticket on top. If you are near Taos go to Sipapu and have a ton more fun for free.

As expected, the new 2016 layout has improved a bit since July.

-Stunning Views, both on the course and from the High Speed Chairlift. This has got to be the best ride up and down in the country, especially as it stays open for the fall colors. At 12 bucks it's actually a bargain.
-New course and tee signs at least get you around the course and show hole lengths.
-Mostly new rubber tee-pads did the job.
-Some very demanding and fun tunnel shots and other tight gaps.
-A few long bombs, especially L to R, to balance a pretty technical course overall.
-A few nice looking holes.

-No more Hole #1 Epic 800' foot BIIIG AIR!?!? Really. The signature hole is gone.
-Tee sign 'maps' are pretty lame.
-Hole 7 is boring and 8 is worse: a long schlog up broken rock scree without any interest.
-Several Am tees are barely reachable by a decent drive off the pro tees.
-Most of the 'rough' is boulders, fallen trees or super dense woods.
-Several holes play up or down main hiking paths. (In fairness, you don't throw near the much more crowded mountain bike trails.)
-IF you are the Rec player the course is catering too, this is pretty tough going.

Please Note: This course has a new layout. 9 entirely new holes have been subbed in on a new route. 6 holes are about the same, 2 have been modified. The new #1 hole is an improved version of the old #3, but not the signature start to the course of old.

A small group that included TDs and over 50 years of experience was pretty disappointed back in July, but a few changes have improved things some. The course signs now follow a sensible route and there are no antler like stumps aimed at your shins at the end of a tee pad LOL. (Swear I'm not making that up.)

Your are unlikely to spend 40 minutes in line to sign the dang chairlift waiver like we had to on the 4th of July. But figure on several minutes. Once in the computer though, my 2nd time was quick and easy.

The bottom line here is that Angel Fire is trying and this might be a 3.5 star course next year. But they need to get at least an experienced course pro type to savvy it up.

-Bring EVERYTHING. Once on the chair, you are committed to 3-4 hours at 10,500 feet.
-Strong shoes or boots are a must on the rocks.
-Hang on to your hat on the lift down. 10 secs after you get on, the updraft is awesome.

It starts with a breathtaking hole 1, 500 ft. down,down, down hill. The you have Donald working on the pads,greens,fairways,and making nice trails from all baskets to the next pad.

You have to pay 12 bucks or so and ride the chair lift.(unless you know a local. )

I heard rumers there mite be more holes added soon.

This is a beautiful course at the very top of the angel fire resort that offers spectacular views of surrounding mountains. There is a practice goal to warm up with at the bottom of the lift. Holes vary from short(<200ft.) to long(>500ft.) and will provide a good challenge for most players. Amateur pads are provided on the longer holes to ease the challenge for inexperienced players. Most holes have nice alleys to throw in, but errant throws will be punished. Bring your hyzers(or anhyzers) to this course because there a lot of doglegs and blind shots. The tee pads are rubber which is a rare sight for being a mountain course. There are also signs with hole info at every hole and everything is very well marked when you need to find the next hole. We didn't even have to use the course map. This course can be played by amateurs and pros alike.

It is $12 a person to take the lift, which is a little much just to play the course. Although the course has a lot of trees to dodge, many holes have plenty of room to work with and don't have many tight wooded holes that make a mountain course dynamic. Some of the shorter holes are too easy. It is only playable during the off season.

This is my first ski resort course, so I still have a lot to explore, but I would say it's worth playing if you are passing by or staying by Angel Fire. There are some great mountain biking trails up there which would make the $12 pass more worth it since you can disc at the top, then bike down.