New disc golf course opens in Lincoln County

Disc-O-Zozo, located at the Carrizozo Community Park and former Valle del Sol golf course, opened Feb. 25.

Caririzozo Mayor Robert E. Hemphill threw the first disc off the first of 18 tee pads. Everett Brophy and Connor Bryan of Dynamic Discs New Mexico and several players from Ruidoso were present to give clinics and demonstrations to Carrizozo residents.

Disc-O-Zozo will be one of four course locations for Lincoln County Classic IV, a PDGA sanctioned B-Tier event March 22 through March 24, 2024. Both men and women professional and amateur players from various age groups will compete in the two-day tournament. The event is part of the Disc Golf Masters Tour and will utilize four Lincoln County courses. Those courses and others will be featured during the 2025 PDGA Tim Selinske U.S. Masters Championship. Ruidoso was awarded the bid to host next year’s competition, considered the premier event by the disc golf community for players over the age of 40.

“Dynamic Discs New Mexico is honored beyond belief to be hosting New Mexico’s first ever PDGA Major right here in Lincoln County,” Brophy said. “Being chosen to host this prestigious event speaks volumes to Lincoln County’s commitment to outdoor recreation.”

Brophy, a professional disc golfer and course designer, laid out Disc-O-Zozo. Dynamic Discs New Mexico team members cleared the course, installed baskets and poured concrete for the pads. Brophy and his crew also planned and installed Oso Canyon Disc Golf Course in Alto, Moon Mountain in Ruidoso, and partnered with Ruidoso Parks and Recreation to design and build Wingfield Park in Ruidoso. The courses range in difficulty from beginner to Championship-style Moon Mountain, designed by Eric McCabe and home to the longest disc golf hole in New Mexico.

Disc-O-Zozo is considered a beginner-level course, and its high plains terrain is flatter and more open than many of the Ruidoso courses. While lacking the mountainous climbs and numerous forest obstacles, the area is known for its year-round and often gusty winds, and the course features the county’s only water carry. Disc-O-Zozo is easily accessed off Highway 380, just east of the intersection with Highway 54.

“Having Disc-O-Zozo as a part of Lincoln County’s stellar collection of courses makes our community’s nickname, ‘New Mexico’s disc golf Mecca,’ even more appropriate,” Bryan said.

The course is the result of a collaboration of Carrizozo Works, Inc., a local not-for-profit that funded the project, the Town of Carrizozo and employees of the public works department who assisted in the installation. The course is free to play and open to the public during daylight hours. The name was chosen by the Pre-Kindergarten children of the Rocking Horse Learning Center in Carrizozo from a list of online submissions.

For more information on the Lincoln County Classic IV, please contact Dynamic Discs New Mexico at 575-315-2785 or visit the mid-town Ruidoso shop at 102 N. Center.

Information about disc golf courses in Lincoln County may be found on the online UDisc app.