Day 44 - Sunday, October 2 - Arizona << Index

Anticipated: Play golf at Hidden Cove Golf Course in Holbrook, Arizona.

Travel:   Itinerary: Leave motel for 9:00 tee time at Hidden Cove Golf Course. After golf we will drive to a motel in Santa Fe, New Mexico. casino   States/Provinces Played:

Web: Hidden Cove Golf Course - Holbrook, AZ

Actual: (Photos and text)

Click on the photos below to enlarge Golf shop attendants, Greg Perkins and Rose John with Pat Arizona state sign and golf course signs View of the golf course from the clubhouse balcony Golf course scenery

We left the Comfort Inn motel and drove ten miles to the Hidden Cove Golf Course, arriving at 8:30AM. There were only 2 twosomes on the golf course and we were able to tee off immediately. The terrain in the area is desert-like with large outcroppings of red buttes comprised mostly of boulders and “slab-like” formations. Prior to our arrival at the golf course we were wondering how a golf course could exist on the local terrain. But we soon saw how the golf course was named. It exists in a hollow amongst the craggy rock formations. If one uses his/her imagination, he/she can visualize a cove off the Maine or Nova Scotia coast, only instead of water there is the green grass of a golf course. The course is quite nice and we enjoyed playing it. It is flat except for three holes that have elevated tees/greens of 50-60 feet. The fairways and roughs need some work, but the greens and green approaches are excellent. The sign on I40, which advertises the course says “Best greens in Arizona”, and we will have to agree with it. Jim shot 95 (yardage = 5814) and Pat shot 114 (yardage = 5356). The course was reasonably short, but it played long because the fairways were well watered (perhaps over-watered) and there was virtually no roll). When we teed off the sky was clear, but after a few holes the wind picked up and a few clouds appeared. Pat started out with her “sunblock hat”, but had to revert back to a baseball cap because of the stiff breeze. When we finished the 18-holes, the temperature was in the mid 80s, but with the breeze we got some relief from the heat. We would like to thank Greg Perkins and Rose John, the pro shop attendants for their courtesy and hospitality during our short stay at Hidden Cove. Greg is a high school teacher and Rose is a librarian for the county library. They both help out at the golf course on weekends. Our thanks also goes to Pete Tafoya, the club house manager who was kind enough to “comp” us on our green and golf cart fees. Unfortunately Pete had the weekend off and we were unable to meet him. We left the golf course at 12:30 and soon were on our way to Las Vegas, New Mexico and our New Mexico round of golf. Our route took us on I40 to Albuquerque, then north on I25. We decided to stop for the night in Bernalillo, NM (about 15 miles north of Albuquerque). Tomorrow we will have about 1 ˝ hours to drive to the golf course in the morning. We lost an hour when we crossed into New Mexico, so we thought it best to stop early.