Los Alamos County golf course reopens back nine, full 18-hole play resumes

Los Alamos County golfers will get the back nine back on Thursday, April 30, but the course is still not in its final form. At least four temporary greens and two tee boxes will remain unavailable until further notice, and warranty work on the front nine is continuing without affecting playability.

The practical answer for regulars and tournament players is that all 18 holes are again in the rotation, but this is still a partial reopening in a course that is finishing its grow-in and warranty-work phase. County staff are keeping the play schedule at Wednesday at 3 p.m. through Sunday, rather than returning to full seven-day golf on every hole. The practice range and main putting green remain open seven days a week, with the range open Monday and Tuesday from midday to evening, Wednesday through Saturday from morning to evening, and Sunday on a shorter schedule because it closes at 4:30 p.m. for Monday mowing preparation.

The county said play availability should expand as summer approaches, depending on warranty work progress, course conditions and project team evaluations. That means the biggest difference will be felt by golfers who pay close attention to routing, green surfaces and tee placement, especially those expecting a fully restored 18-hole experience. Casual players will see broader access again, but the course is still not at its final, fully finished state.

The reopening caps a $6.6 million renovation project built around Los Alamos County’s 6,800-yard, par-72, 18-hole layout. County records show the Los Alamos County Council approved a $4.524 million golf course improvements budget on Dec. 5, 2017, then approved the construction bid award for the Golf Course Improvement Project on Oct. 10, 2023. Mid-America Golf and Landscape, Inc. completed the project, with iCon Golf Studio, Todd Schoeder and Forrest Richardson among the key project participants.

Opened in 1947, the Los Alamos Golf Course has been through what local coverage described as its first major facelift in roughly 75 years. County materials say the renovation is complete, even though detailed work extended into the winter and the course continues to be managed through grow-in and warranty stages. For now, Los Alamos golfers have most of the course back, while a few temporary features remain the clearest sign that the finish line has not yet fully arrived.