Painted Dunes Golf Club: Lush Fairways, Desert Fringes, It's Like Arizona in Texas

By David R. Holland,
Senior Writer

EL PASO, TX -- Painted Dunes, a true desert golf course, is certainly unique in the landscape of Texas golf.

Far away from the traditional parkland layouts of the early Texas inner cities, all you have to know is some geography to discover why this affordable, but upscale city municipal, is kin more to Arizona than to Dallas.

First of all, El Paso is closer to Phoenix than to Houston. It is also closer to four state capitals than it is to its own capital of Austin.

But don't think of this far West Texas city as a lonesome boondocks nowhere, either. As part of the greater Juárez, Mexico and Las Cruces, N.M. population center, it's the largest international metroplex in the world, with 2.3 million inhabitants.

And it has mountain views -- the Franklin Mountains frame many golf shots -- a view you certainly can't get in Fort Worth, Dallas or Houston.

This desert-style links layout, designed by Ken Dye of New Mexico's Piñon Hills and Paa-Ko Ridge design fame, is packaged around artificial mounding, small lakes and traverses toward large undulating bentgrass greens, which typical of Dye, are elevated and surrounded by treacherous bunkers well below the putting surfaces.

During this visit, Painted Dunes was depriving the greens of water, hoping it would kill out some poa annua. The greens were pretty ugly, with bare and brown spots. But they putted fairly well.

The fairways were green and lush, something you don't see very often in Texas, unless it is an upscale country club or resort with lots of money dedicated towater.

Because the landscape is very flat only 100,000 cubic yards of dirt were moved in construction. One will see native cacti, mesquite, creosote bushes and Mormon tea plants, which signifies the area was once used as a trail by pioneers. But even with the flatness, on a couple of tees you might have to go on tip-toes to see over a forced carry of six-foot high bushes.

Since it opened in 1991, Painted Dunes has been one of the most acclaimed municipal layouts in the state, although it's getting recent competition from Euless' Texas Star and Arlington's Tierra Verde.

Five different sets of tees give the golfers a choice of playing the East-West nine combination at 6,925 yards or less. Painted Dunes opened a third nine designed by Jeff Brauer, the North, in 1998.

"I think the golfers like the bentgrass greens and the desert-style links layout," said assistant pro Ron Decker. "There are lots of undulations out there and in the past we were really known for the real tough knee-high swirling love grass, but there's not as much of it any more. People recognize it as the toughest golf course in the area, for sure."

Painted Dunes has hosted three PGA Tour qualifying events (1994-96), and is where New Mexican Notah Begay earned his card.

"I play this course twice a year and I look forward to it every time," said Bob Jordan. "It is a true desert course designed with great imagination. It's also a terrific value even on the weekends. My compliments to the City of El Paso for providing for an opportunity to play a ‘high end' course and still making it affordable."

No. 8 on the East, a par 3, 149-yarder, is guarded by water on the left side to a large green. No. 2 on the West uses the same pond on a 173-yarder. The view from the tee is obscured somewhat, so you have to make the right decision and take enough club. Overall, the par threes are very challenging.

Dye presents the golfer with ample driving space, but the mounding and numerous fairway bunkers can cause problems. The real difficulty comes on the approach shot. Dye demands accuracy or the penalty of deep bunkers. Most likely on any Dye course you will be muttering about how close you came to a good shot, only to see it hit short, and bounce dramatically left or right into a hazard.

Desert Water: Water is a challenge for any desert golf course. At Painted Dunes, the use of treated wastewater has recharged the Hueco Bolsonaquifer. The greater El Paso-Juárez uses it for 65 percent of its water.

Today, this area's treated wastewater is processed by the Fred Hervey Water Reclamation Plant and then injected into the bottom of the Hueco Bolson Aquifer. It's a process known as aquifer storage and recovery. The balance of the water is sold to the El Paso Electric Company for its cooling towers, to the Painted Dunes Golf Course and the Bowen cattle ranch for irrigation.

The term "bolson" refers to the sediment-filled basin bounded by the Franklin Mountains on the West, and lower divides and valleys on its remaining boundaries. Built in 1985, the 10-million gallon-a-day Fred Hervey Water Reclamation Plant treats wastewater from the northeast side of El Paso to Environmental Protection Agency drinking water standards, then conveys the water to the three end users. Within the aquifer, reclaimed wastewater mixes with groundwater, shoring up aquifer reserves. About 15 percent of El Paso's water needs are met by reclaimed water.

Golf DigestTexas Rankings
1. Colonial C.C., Fort Worth.
2. Whispering Pines G.C., Trinity.
3. Champions G.C. (Cypress Creek), Houston.
4. Brook Hollow C.C., Dallas.
5. Shadow Hawk G.C., Richmond.
6. Preston Trail G.C., Dallas.
7. Barton Creek C.C. (Fazio Foothills), Austin.
8. Waterwood National G.C., Huntsville.
9. Crown Colony C.C., Lufkin.
10. Horseshoe Bay C.C. (Ram Rock).
11. River Oaks C.C., Houston.
12. Barton Creek C.C. (Fazio Canyons), Austin.
13. The Quarry G.C., San Antonio.
14. Painted Dunes Desert Golf Course (East/West), El Paso.
15. The Tradition Cse. at Cypresswood, Spring.
16. Canyon Springs G.C., San Antonio.
17. Meadowbrook Farms G.C., Katy.
18. Austin C.C.
19. Lochinvar C.C., Houston.
20. The Hills C.C., Austin.
21. La Cantera G.C. (Resort), San Antonio.
22. TPC at The Woodlands.
23. High Meadow Ranch G.C., Magnolia.
24. Southern Oaks G.C. Burleson.
25. Mira Vista C.C., Fort Worth.

Awards: Nominated as one of the best new courses in America, 1991 by Golf Digest. Host of the U.S. Senior Open Qualifying, 1992-1995. Rated in 1994-1995 as one of only 25 Super Value Courses. Golf Digest's "Places to Play" (4 star award winner). Awarded Public Golf Achievement Award, 1993 -- National Golf Foundation. Selected as the site of the 1995 Southwest Amateur Championship. Rated the number two Municipal Golf Course in the nation, 1996 -- Golf Digest (4 1/2 star award winner). Chosen as one of America's 500 best places to play, 1996 -- Golf Digest.

El Paso Facts: The city is almost exactly midway between the cities of Houston and Los Angeles. It's the fourth largest city in Texas and 17th largest in the USA. Seventy-six percent of El Paso is of Hispanic descent and it's one of the youngest cities in the USA with a median age of 28.

This land of the Rio Grande River, which borders Mexico, was first inhabited even before the Spanish Conquistadors arrived in 1598. Descendants claim the first Thanksgiving Day celebration took place here, 20 years before the Pilgrims of New England.

In 1858 the first Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach arrived in El Paso. The stage line covered 2,700 miles from Tipton, Missouri to the Pacific Ocean at San Francisco. The entire trip was three grueling, bouncing, dusty weeks of travel.

Where to Stay

Chase Suite Hotel by Woodfin
6791 Montana Avenue
El Paso, TX 79925
Telephone: 915-772-8000.
Fax: 915-772-7254.
Toll Free: 888-433-1936.
Internet: http://www.woodfinsuitehotels.com/hotels/index.html.

This is a comfortable, roomy place to stay with great security. It is only a half mile from the airport. Each suite is as large as an apartment and suites have full kitchens. Chase Suite Hotel also has meeting rooms for up to 120, Manager's Hospitality Hour (Monday through Thursday), Cable TV with HBO and ESPN, Airport shuttle and complimentary upgraded extended continental breakfast.

Nearby Attractions: Cielo Vista mall, two miles. Bassett Shopping Center, 2.5 miles. Cordova Bridge (Juárez), six miles. Downtown El Paso, seven miles. University of Texas/El Paso, eight miles. Sunland Park Race Track, 14 miles.

Directions: From I-10 exit at Airway, north to Montana Avenue, turn right one block on left. From Airport south on Airway to Montana, turn left and one block on left.

If You Go

Painted Dunes Desert Golf Course
12000 McCombs St
El Paso, TX 79934
Telephone: 915-821-2122.
Fax: 915-821-2165.
Internet: www.painteddunes.com.

Directions:
From I-10 going north, take Hwy 54 going toward Alamogordo east. Exit at McCombs, about 9 miles, follow the directional signs to the course.

David R. Holland is an award-winning former sportswriter for The Dallas Morning News, football magazine publisher, and author of The Colorado Golf Bible. Before launching a career as a travel/golf writer, he achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force reserve, serving during the Vietnam and Desert Storm eras. Follow Dave on Twitter here.

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management.