The Outlaw at Alto Lakes Golf & Country Club

The Outlaw at Alto Lakes Golf & Country Club sits in the mountain village of Alto, New Mexico, at approximately 7,000 feet elevation in the Sacramento Mountains. Designed by John LaFoy and opened in the mid-1990s, the course occupies forested terrain where ponderosa pine, oak, and juniper frame the holes. The elevation and mountain setting create conditions distinct from New Mexico's lower desert courses—cooler temperatures, thinner air that affects ball flight, and a routing that works with significant elevation changes and natural contours.

LaFoy's design navigates the property's slopes and wooded corridors, requiring accuracy off the tee and careful club selection on approach shots where altitude and uphill or downhill lies complicate distance judgment. The layout incorporates natural features including rock outcroppings and native grasses, and several holes offer views across the surrounding mountain landscape. Water comes into play selectively, and the greens vary in size and contour to match the terrain.

Alto Lakes serves a membership drawn partly from the regional population and partly from seasonal residents attracted to the area's mountain climate and outdoor recreation. The course operates as part of a residential community, and the club provides dining and social facilities typical of mountain resort developments in the Southwest. The Outlaw represents one of the higher-elevation golf experiences in New Mexico, where the combination of altitude, forest setting, and mountain topography defines the character of play.