If it’s wide open spaces, blue skies, scenic golf and spicy food you’re after, New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment, might be just what you’re looking for, especially if you make time for some sightseeing and pop-culture treasure hunting.
The fifth-largest state in the union by size is also just the 14th smallest by population. It’s wedged between Texas and Arizona, and it probably gets less attention than its Four Corners brethren, but don’t think of New Mexico as flyover country.
As you travel the highways and byways of this corner of the U.S., you’re going to find those wide-open spaces, with miles of open roads between stops.
The list of Golfweek’s best public-access and private golf courses in New Mexico typifies this spread-out sensation. Our list goes 10 deep with four situated around the greater Albuquerque area. If you were going to play all 10, keep the gas tank full, the cooler iced and the podcasts downloaded, but don’t forget to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells. After all, there’s nothing like driving with the window down and the smell of moisture in the air as you watch an afternoon rainstorm brewing in the distance.