If you want to play golf in the Gallup, New Mexico area, you have the choice of Fox Run or Fox Run. So we played at Fox Run. Built in 1965 the course was formerly known as the Gallup Municipal Golf Course. Fox Run seems appropriate as we saw several large fox holes on the golf course.
The price to play a round of golf depends on whether or not you sign up online for an email account; Denny and I each paid $20 after noon to play eighteen holes with a riding cart. The next morning I received a notice by email of a variety of discounts including a tee time at 11:20 AM at a cost of $15.20 per person for eighteen holes and a riding cart. So there are some good bargains.
The golf course itself is apparently recovering from mismanagement and lack of proper care so it is rough. Two greens were lost and a couple others are a little dicey. But the new course supervisor is working hard to get the golf course back in shape. The day we played golf the rule was cart path only; I don't know if this is standard until the golf course recovers a bit or not. But it was a beautiful breezy day that was in the mid 80s so the extra walking didn't bother us, although we're still adjusting to the elevation here.
Denny played from the black tees which were the longest at 6634 yards with a slope of 121 and a rating of 71.05. The distance from the blue tees is 6203 yards with a slope of 114/134 and a rating of 69.1/74.6. The white tees have a yardage of 5879 with a slope of 104/128 and a rating of 67.62/72.8 and the red tees are set at 5029 yards with a slope of 118 and a rating of 68. In good condition, this is a links style course, complete with the mandatory southwestern rattlesnakes, I'm sure. At this time the course is pretty open and there is ongoing construction/earth moving going on as you play.
The first tee.
The par 3 eighth hole.
The par 3 eleventh hole.
The thirteen hole.
The course is flat enough to be walkable if you are used to the higher elevation. The layout is fun, the distant mountains provide a nice backdrop and the employees are helpful and friendly. Denny and I would come back and play this again, even in rough condition. The employees seem to be working hard to bring this golf course back and we hope they are successful because it's worth it.
Upon our arrival in Reno, Nevada I started checking the prices of local golf courses online. I noticed that the Sierra Sage Golf Course mentioned that winter prices were still in effect so I called and made a twilight (after 1:30) tee time. I was told that it would be $25 per person to play an eighteen hole round of golf with a riding cart, which is very reasonable.
The unexpected good news when we arrived at the pro shop was that we were actually only charged $40 for the two of us to play golf: $15 each for the greens fee and $5 each for shared use of a riding cart. Better and better.
We were teamed up with a local couple, which is always nice when you are playing an unfamiliar course because they can tell you where to try to land a shot or even how a dogleg runs. Play was a tiny bit slow ahead of us, but that gave us a chance to talk to Mike and Jan about the Reno area and each other while we waited. Denny and I commented that the course was a bit rough, especially the greens, and Mike said that normally the golf course was in much better condition. When I say the greens were rough I'm talking recent aeration, bald spots and burned spots. Three putts were almost a given on these greens.
Sierra Sage Golf Course is a links style course complete with rattlesnakes in the summer. The distance from the blue tees is 6604 yards with a rating/slope of 70.4/122. The white tees have a yardage of 6230 yards with a rating/slope of 68.7/119 and the women's tees have a yardage of 5597 yards with a rating/slope of 70.3/120.
Depending on your shot shape, water can come into play on five holes although only two holes have water directly in play. The setting is scenic and the course is walkable due to its flat and open nature. With the recent lack of rain and snow, the brush area is open enough that you can locate errant shots especially at this time of year when it's too chilly for the rattlesnakes to be out. Later in the season, Mike says he doesn't bother to look for balls in the rough--the snakes can have them.
All in all, due to the company we had an enjoyable afternoon on the golf course but we really had a problem with the very rough greens on this course.
