Painted Dunes Golf Club

The North Course at Painted Dunes Golf Club in El Paso was designed by Jeff Brauer and Ken Dye, opening in the late 1990s as part of a 36-hole municipal facility that serves the far west Texas community. The course occupies desert terrain characteristic of the Franklin Mountains region, where the Chihuahuan Desert landscape provides a stark, arid setting with minimal vegetation beyond native scrub and scattered desert plants. The routing works across relatively flat to gently rolling ground, though the site's natural contours and strategically placed mounding create visual interest and playing angles typical of desert golf in this part of the Southwest. Brauer, known for accessible public course designs across Texas and the Great Plains, collaborated with Dye to produce a layout that balances playability for everyday golfers with enough strategic variety to maintain interest. Wide fairways accommodate the wind that frequently sweeps across this exposed terrain, while large, undulating greens require careful approach work. Bunkers are positioned to frame landing areas and greenside complexes, their light-colored sand contrasting with the darker desert floor. Water features appear sparingly, as befits the climate and municipal budget constraints. Painted Dunes serves as an important public golf resource for El Paso, a city where golf options reflect both the challenges and opportunities of desert course maintenance. The North Course, alongside its companion South layout, provides straightforward golf in an environment where heat, wind, and water conservation shape both design philosophy and playing conditions throughout much of the year.