Elfego Baca Shoot

By: © Nelson Taylor 2008

Festival Location: Socorro, NM, USA

Festival State: New Mexico Festivals

Festival Type(s): Stick and Ball Sport Events, Bizarre Sports Events, Bizarre Festivals

This is another all-terrain, gorilla golf match a la the Pillar Mountain Classic. But the Elfego Baca Shoot is actually the older of the two as it's been held since 1960. And my money goes to this one as being the tougher of the two. Which would you prefer to battle? I think a little cold, wind and the chance of breaking your butt slipping on ice is no match for rattlesnakes, scorpions, cactus barbs, biting black gnats and high desert sun mixed with the potential for falling in an abandoned mine shaft and never being heard from again. But that doesn't stop the ten brave souls who participate every year. That's ten maximum, so if you plan to enter, get your registration in early. If you plan to play, here's what to expect at this June tourney.

First, you will need three good friends who owe you a big favor. They will be your designated spotters, those who keep an eye on where your ball flies, which you'll realize is a must after watching your tee shot whistle 1,000 yards down the face of the mountain. Also, each player only gets ten balls to finish and each lost ball adds a stroke to your score. So choose your friends wisely. Equipped with a few old drivers, heavy socks, rugged boots, caps, canteens, walkie-talkies, binos and bug spray, you and your team will mount a 4-wheel drive vehicle which will carry you to the top of the 7,243-foot Socorro Peak. Here begins the longest one-hole golf tournament in the world, a course that descends 2,550 feet and spans about three miles of ultra-sketchy terrain. The payoff for risking your life? $200 in golf gear. In other words, you really have to love the sport. While the scores often range in the 70s (the scorecard goes to 75), Mike Stanley, the reigning champ, shot an impressive 9.

The tournament's name comes from Socorro's infamous Sheriff Elfego Baca, who deputized himself at the age of 19 to control the desperado population. The story goes that in 1884 Baca was pinned down in an adobe hut by a gang of outlaws. After pumping 4,000 rounds of ammunition into the hut, sure that Baca was dead, the desperadoes let down their guard. When the dust had cleared, Baca emerged and arrested all of them single-handed.