City: Albuquerque, NM

Category: Golf

Telephone: (505) 771-6155

Address: 1301 Tuyuna Trail

Description: Designed by Gary Panks and opened in 2001, this 18-hole championship golf course is part of the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa but is also open to nonresidents. The 72-par course offers five tee positions, with yardage ranging from 5,843 to 7,736 yards. Land features in this spectacular high-desert environment with superb views of the Sandias include expansive grassy knolls, juniper- and piñon-studded ridges, arroyos, and the sacred butte called Tuyuna, or Snakehead. Holes 15 and 16 run alongside the butte.The signature hole 4 is a par 3, with the green protected by a large lake and a series of ponds and waterfalls. This is the only water feature on the course, but it’s an impressive one! Probably the most challenging hole is number 10, a par 4, where you’re forced to hit over a large box canyon and then avoid a ruthlessly positioned deep bunker by the green.The club is named for the twin warriors who guided the ancestral people of Santa Ana Pueblo, showing their path to the “Upper World” along the Rio Grande. As it is set on ancient Indian grounds, the course is routed around 20 cultural and archeological sites, including a cave dwelling and horse corral; the protected sites themselves are off-limits. The nationally acclaimed course, which has placed consistently in rankings by Golf Digest and Golf Magazine, hosted the 2003 and 2009 PGA Professional National Championship. Greens fees include a cart with GPS. You can walk the round (fees are discounted), but carts are encouraged, as the walk is quite demanding. Only soft spikes are permitted. There is a driving range, a large putting green, short game practice areas, and a private teaching area for lessons with the club professional. The Atush Bar & Grille with a shady porch serves a casual-fare menu, including popular breakfast burritos and hot dogs, and players can order ahead on their cart GPS, pick up their food, and keep playing. A beverage cart also runs round the course. Fine dining is just next door in the Corn Maiden restaurant at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa, plus the Santa Ana Cafe and a lovely lounge bar and patio. There is also a large golf shop at Twin Warriors, including Native American art and craft works. Resort guests can book up to 150 days in advance, nonguests seven days in advance. Longer reservation periods are possible for groups of 16 golfers or more; contact the club. Twin Warriors is open year-round and is about 26 miles north of the Albuquerque airport. Take I-25 north to exit 242, then head west on Highway 550 about 2.5 miles to Tamaya Boulevard on your right. From here the turnoff to Tuyuna Trail and the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa are clearly sign-posted.