“The original plan, it wasn’t a bad plan. Motivated and financed to stave off a “What was” label, Black Mesa regained footing, step by step. But, in that interim, we had an engineering firm come in to design a pipeline, and now we’ve got a stable water source.” That began a whole timetable of getting permits, which took well over a year. So, when it happened the last time - even though it wasn’t anything new or different - we found out that nobody had ever received permission to do that. “And when it turns over, all the piping comes up and you have to get in there with an excavator and trench back in.
#Black mesa golf club professional#
“Our water lines come up from the Rio Grande through this dry arroyo and the arroyo, through the years, didn't get enough rain and so it turns over,” says Tom Velarde, head golf professional at Black Mesa, where he’s worked since 2002. The course now irrigates via what are basically a pair of artesian wells - one a filter catch that feeds into the second, which provides a fast enough recharge for the course.Ī lone member of Black Mesa’s original team remains, able to recall the grounds’ tale of debut, descent and comeback. Originally, Black Mesa, located 25 miles outside the capital city of Santa Fe, used to have two seed ponds from the river. That’s where we stand today, and we work hard to make sure that water source is protected and cared for.”
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So that brought us full circle back to finding a good-quality water source down at the Rio Grande. And then, the assumption was that the problem was solved with wells on the property, but those just didn’t produce enough water. “There was a considerable flood with the original well coming off the river, and that put the course behind. “There were actually two separate water problems here,” he says.
Aaron Sunderlin has led Black Mesa’s turf team since 2017. Upon Sunderlin’s arrival, he received the challenge he was seeking, as Black Mesa’s water issues had taken the course from Rising Star to Aging Afterthought in a mere decade-plus of existence. “It posed a challenge, but that’s where I was at, what I was looking for in my career - a challenge with great potential,” says Aaron Sunderlin, who accepted the superintendent gig at Black Mesa in 2017. Only six states have fewer.Ĭompliments of a reinvestment in the grounds from Santa Clara Pueblo tribal ownership, reworked irrigation logistics and an energized superintendent looking for a fresh test, Black Mesa is on the rebound. The state supports 76 golf facilities, according to the National Golf Foundation. New Mexico, a state with just over 2 million people - and flanked by golf-rich Arizona to its west and Texas to the east - is no doubt hoping for a rank rally. Yet, amid the solitude of the scene’s natural ledges, arroyos and desertscape, the course is rising anew. hook in both narrative and playing conditions. Nearing a 20-year anniversary since its celebrated debut, Black Mesa Golf Club in northern New Mexico is enjoying a rebirth after flooding and well issues saw the unique, attractive grounds hit a serious O.B.
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