The Links at Sierra Blanca

The Links at Sierra Blanca sits at approximately 7,200 feet elevation in the mountain resort town of Ruidoso in south-central New Mexico. Designed by PGA Tour veteran Jim Colbert and opened in the late 1990s, the course occupies rolling terrain in the Sierra Blanca mountain range, with the 11,981-foot Sierra Blanca Peak providing a dramatic backdrop to the east. The high-altitude setting and mountain topography distinguish it from the desert layouts more common elsewhere in the state. Colbert's routing takes advantage of the natural elevation changes and incorporates the ponderosa pine forest characteristic of this altitude zone in southern New Mexico. The course plays through meadows and wooded corridors, with fairways that move across the hillside terrain rather than following a flat plain. The thin air at this elevation affects ball flight noticeably, with drives carrying farther than at sea level, though the cooler mountain temperatures moderate the effect somewhat compared to high-altitude courses in warmer climates. The course serves both the local Ruidoso community and visitors to this year-round mountain resort area, which draws tourists for skiing in winter and cooler summer temperatures. The setting offers a different golfing experience than New Mexico's better-known desert courses, with alpine rather than arid landscape defining the character of play. The combination of mountain views, forested holes, and significant elevation change gives the layout a character more typical of Rocky Mountain golf than Southwestern desert golf.