Ladera Disc Golf Course

Ladera Golf Course is a city-owned facility on Albuquerque's West Mesa, built at the foot of the volcanoes on the west side of town. Since 2020, an 18-hole disc golf course has run through both of its ball-golf layouts — a project the Albuquerque Disc Golf Association put together with Ladera's director of golf, the Ladera grounds crew and the city's Parks and Recreation department. It's the only pay-to-play disc golf course in Albuquerque, with daily rates starting at $9 and no carts available; tee times need to be booked ahead by phone.

The course measures just over 5,500 feet across 18 holes, threading between the championship and executive nines with tight fairways, a handful of mandatories, and four lakes in play. Open tee shots alternate with desert scrub obstacles, and the exposed West Mesa setting means wind — especially in the afternoon — is a regular factor. It's technical enough, and well-organized enough, that it also hosts PDGA-sanctioned tournaments. Spring and fall bring the most comfortable, least windy conditions for a full round.