Butterfield Trail Golf Club
El Paso, Tex.
7,307 yards, par 72
Green fees: $65-$80
915-772-1038, butterfieldtrailgolf.com
Tom Fazio is known for his stylized, flawlessly
landscaped, big-budget designs that are as
polished as a Beverly Hills trophy wife. At
Butterfield Trail, not far from El Paso
International Airport, each hole is named for a
different Stagecoach stop on the 2,800-mile
Missouri-to-San Francisco trail used by the
Butterfield Overland Mail Company from 1858
to 1861. The fairways are wide enough to
accommodate shots in the roaring west Texas
winds, but there are sufficient strategic options
to keep you interested. The Trail's final stop is its
finest, a classic gambler's par-5 of 566 yards that
buttonhooks to the right around a lake. If you
want an on-time arrival at the green, your
approach had better be letter-perfect.