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Painted Dunes Desert Golf Course

The golf : One of the only true desert-style golf courses in the state, this city-owned municipal is one of the most unusual golf courses in Texas. Set in the foothills of the Franklin Mountains and surrounded by native cacti and creosote bushes, Painted Dunes has received much well-deserved acclaim since its opening in 1991.
Ken Dye, of New Mexico's Paa-Ko Ridge and Pinon Hills design fame, set the course up with open areas off the tee, but ample mounding and fairway bunkers present problems. The hourglass fairways weave their way to multi-level greens. The approach shots are difficult, as a wayward iron often finds deep, penalizing bunkers or bounces precariously away from the target after creating the illusion of a perfectly executed golf shot.
Two par 3s stand out at Painted Dunes. Hole 2 on the West plays 173 yards over a pond and is tricky because of the obscured view from the tee, making club selection critical. On the Wast, No. 8 plays 149 yards into a large green guarded by water on the left side. A tough bunker looms for those considering the bail-out area. All par 5s are well over 500 yards. The most difficult hole might be the long, 446-yard No. 5.
Last but not least, the inexpensive aspect of Painted Dunes is its greatest asset. For $35 visitors can walk the course on the weekends (residents pay less), and using a cart is only $10 more.
Other notes: Painted Dunes has been ranked as high as 14th in the state by Golf Digest, including private facilities. The PGA Tour hosted their Q-School tournament here from 1994-1996. In 1998 Painted Dunes opened a third nine designed by Jeff Brauer, allowing the popular course the flexibility to serve more golfers.

The details : 915-821-2122. 12000 McCombs St., El Paso, TX 79934

• Web site: www.painteddunes.com
• 1991. Ken Dye. 18 holes. Par 72. Back - 6,925 (74.0/137). Middle - 6,497 (71.2/133). Forward - 5,717 (74.5/123). Price - $$.
  

Getting there : Located east of El Paso on 54E, 10 miles from I-10. Turn left on McCombs; the course is 1 mile farther on the right.