NIGHT DRIVING
Popular nine-hole event will return in September
… and chipping, and putting — all are part of a fun after-dark adventure at Sandia Golf Club.
One Friday night every July, a local golf course takes on the feel of the River of Lights.
And the event has gotten so popular, that it is having an encore Sept. 23.
“This is the best $100 I could spend,” said Robert Price, one of a few dozen golfers who descend on Sandia Golf Club each summer for nine holes of night golf. “It lasts a hell of a lot longer than it does at the casino.”
Price has been part of this night golf event for six years, most recently on July 22. “This is a hoot,” he said.
From Sandia’s back nine, you face the back of the nearby hotel/casino and even hear some of the partying.
Along those nine holes on the northeastern side of the property, these golfers are having their own party. Flying blind, in a manner of speaking.
True, the fairways are lined with green glow sticks, much like the runway at an airport — only darker. The bunkers are surrounded by white glow sticks. The flagsticks are lit up, red and blue. There are green bracelets in each cup, and those bracelets also line cart paths.
The four members of each group are given three lighted golf balls — white, red, blue, green. They will lose their color if they find water. “It’s pretty funny,” said participant Brad Sopher.
Once you strike the ball, it starts to glow. It stays glowing for 10 minutes, giving golfers plenty of time to hunt them down. If you do lose one — which is pretty tough to do with a glowing ball in the dark — just yank out another. Each player gets three balls. If you do lose all three, well, then it’s time to call it a night.
“I’d be on the couch, watching a movie,” Renee Rogers said, asked what she’d normally be doing on a Friday night.
The field is limited to 48 players and typically fills up quickly. Most certainly, this night is for friends and couples and laughter.
“It’s a blast,” said Donna L. Lopez, part of an all-female foursome. They are cheating a bit, since the four of them have affixed a light — like something attached to a miner’s helmet — to their golf hats. “It’s great having a night out with your girlfriends.”
This is their first go-round with night golf, they say, and they plan to be back next summer, only with a hotel room reserved.
The carts don’t have lights, so even with the paths having some florescent glow to them, it can be difficult to navigate. It almost makes one wonder if anyone has accidentally driven a cart into a lake or a bush during one of these night excursions.
No lakes, one of the Sandia staffers said with a laugh. But into a bunker, yes.
Unless you’re standing right next to someone, the night golf can rattle your equilibrium. A red ball on a tee suddenly becomes airborne, though you can see no human swinging a golf club. A putted green ball scoots toward the hole. (Incidentally, not much green reading going on at this thing.)
“It’s hard when it’s black,” Stacy Lamberty said.
So, they line up and aim for the lighted cup and hope it disappears.
“You can’t see what you’re doing,” Darin Davis said, smiling.
“It’s intriguing,” said Cat Roessler, a first-timer. “You have to use totally different senses, which is hard.”
The red and white golf balls that go into the night sky sort of look like a firework that doesn’t explode. None of the groups the Journal spoke to have yet to record a birdie.
“We’re 2-over after four holes,” John Lamberty said with playful frustration. “It’s embarrassing. I’m a 6 handicap and I haven’t hit one shot yet that I’m happy with.”
Getting clean contact is one of the difficult aspects to this, Lamberty added.
“There’s no pressure,” said Jill Stone, part of another foursome. “Everyone is just the same.”
The scramble format is straightforward, as the foursome selects the best and/or longest drive before hitting their next shots. When one golfer picks up a blue golf ball to walk to the spot of the longest drive, it’s comical: all you see is a blue dot swinging back and forth in the darkness.
Not surprisingly, the beverage cart at the back of the 10th green is the epicenter of activity. The 11th and 15th tees are nearby, as are the 10th and 14th greens.
Many of the golfers are making multiple stops here, and the Sandia staffers are not getting many, if any, requests for, shall we say, soft drinks. At least, not as a stand-alone drink. As a side note, these beverage cart staffers are pocketing some hefty tips as golfers fill the cart’s cup holders.
“This is the most fun round of golf we play every year,” said golfer Scott Harenberg. “I mean, you don’t know what you’re doing, you don’t know where you’re hitting it, you’re just having fun.”
For more information about September’s night golf event, contact the Sandia Golf Club pro shop at 505-798-3990.