
Tamaya/Cheena Course
Santa Ana Golf Club
About this course
Santa Ana Golf Club's Tamaya and Cheena courses occupy land within Santa Ana Pueblo, a Native American community located along the Rio Grande northwest of Albuquerque. Ken Killian designed both eighteen-hole layouts, which opened in the mid-1990s as part of a resort development on pueblo land. The courses sit in high desert terrain at roughly 5,000 feet elevation, where the landscape transitions between cottonwood-lined river bottomlands and arid mesa country characteristic of New Mexico's middle Rio Grande valley. The Tamaya course plays through terrain closer to the river corridor, incorporating mature cottonwoods and native grasses into a routing that follows the natural contours of arroyos and sandy washes. The Cheena course occupies higher ground with more pronounced elevation changes and wider views toward the Sandia Mountains to the east. Both layouts reflect Killian's approach to working with native desert vegetation and existing landforms rather than imposing heavily manufactured features on the property. The courses serve resort guests and outside daily-fee play, functioning as part of the pueblo's economic development initiatives. The setting provides a contrast to traditional parkland golf, with playing corridors defined by scrub vegetation, volcanic rock outcroppings, and the spare aesthetic of high desert landscapes. Water management and turf maintenance in this arid climate shape the conditioning and playability throughout the year, with cooler temperatures and stronger winds common during spring and fall months.
Quick facts
- Location
- Santa Ana Pueblo, NM, USA
- Access
- Public
- Year built
- 1991
- Designer
- Ken Killian
- Holes
- 18
- Par
- 72
- Length
- 7,338 yards
- Difficulty
- 75.1/134
Getting there
The journey to Santa Ana Golf Club unfolds across the high desert landscape north of Albuquerque, typically beginning at Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ), roughly an hour's drive northwest through the Rio Grande Valley before the terrain rises into the Pueblo lands. The final approach winds away from Interstate 25, trading the urban sprawl for quieter roads that traverse piñon and juniper scrubland, offering glimpses of the Jemez Mountains to the west as you enter the sovereign territory of Santa Ana Pueblo. Private aviation can land at nearby Santa Fe Regional Airport (SAF), though the drive from Albuquerque remains the more direct route, delivering you to the club's gates with the high-desert silence and clear light that define this corner of northern New Mexico.

FAQ
Common questions about Tamaya/Cheena at Santa Ana Golf Club
Ratings, design, and course details pulled from Course Vaults.
Tamaya/Cheena was designed by Ken Killian.
Yes. Tamaya/Cheena at Santa Ana Golf Club is listed as welcoming public or guest play on Course Vaults.
Par at Tamaya/Cheena is 72.
Tamaya/Cheena plays 7,338 yards from the back tees on Course Vaults.
The slope rating at Tamaya/Cheena is 134.
Tamaya/Cheena is a 18-hole course.




