Rattlesnakes, Cactus, And A Mean Mountain Make This New Mexico Golf Hole One Of The Hardest

Golf is a crazy game, and as golf course design and ingenuity expands with time, so does our imagination with what a golf hole can become. This sport is at no shortage of elaborately constructed golf holes, but one mountain excursion in the always underrated New Mexico takes the cake. For the most unique singular golf hole adventure in the world look no further than a concept that drops over 2,000 feet in elevation where the tee box is carpet, the surface is unforgiving, and a first aid kit is necessary to play.

While the grounds of the New Mexico Tech college golf course in Socorro, New Mexico, is the obvious choice for playing, Socorro Mountain (pictured) is the venue for the annual Elfego Baca Shootout Golf Tournament. This one of a kind adventure for only the bravest of golfers leads them above the local college's "M" logo — hence the nickname M Mountain from locals — and the groups of six golfers are shuttled up the mountain, one group at a time, in 4-wheelers to the tee box of what is very likely the hardest hole of golf they will ever play.

Since it is quite literally golf on the side of a mountain face at a mile above elevation for a majority of this "hole", there are rules in place to avoid complete chaos for contestants. Each golfer that pays the $100 entry fee must finish this 3-mile long golf experience, unlike any of the fancier golf outings in other states, with one of the 10 golf balls they can put in play, or else they are disqualified. A small square of carpet acts as your standing tee for each shot, and there is wiggle room to move your ball if, say, a rock face or boulder impedes your swing. The grueling 5-kilometer golf hole ends with a chalked out circle on the desert "green" where you putt out and finalize your score.

The unofficial course record is just 9 shots from tee to hole, with the average score being between 18 and 21 strokes. Golfers have a limit of 75 strokes before they are asked to pick up and enjoy the views. Beyond the difficulty that golfing this nearly impossible hole from start to finish presents, the natural landscape offers an entirely new set of challenges while playing.

Golfers in the Elfego Baca Shootout golf tournament typically take just two clubs, but more importantly they adhere to a plethora of safety provisions for the harrowing journey. First aid kits, boots, layers, and even hydration to help prevent altitude sickness are all mandatory at over 7,000-feet elevation as you tee off. During the descent, golfers have encountered a vast array of mountain wildlife from traditional hazards, like gnats or cacti, to more severe encounters with scorpions, mountain lions, and rattlesnakes along the way. Beyond the predatory obstacles is the unstable mountainous terrain itself. You're always just a step away from a hidden canyon or cliff, bringing new meaning to the golf adage to "swing smoothly."

It's safe to say this golf hole in the New Mexico desert offers far more risk and adventure than the average jaunt through a lush green country club fairway on a Saturday morning. This event gives golfers the camaraderie of the game in the oddest of settings, and can be an exhausting journey. As a finisher famously told one of the event organizers upon completion (via Golf.com), "I need a beer and a bed."