Fred Couples, a Hall of Fame professional golfer and former three-time captain of the Presidents Cup U.S. team, will be on hand to celebrate the May 18th official grand opening of the City of Hobbs’ new Rockwind Community Links. An exciting day of activities with Couples is planned to mark the occasion.
“We are most fortunate to have Fred Couples join us for our grand opening celebration,” said Hobbs City Manager J.J. Murphy. “Fred is admired not only for his impressive playing record but also as a gracious competitor, role model and approachable personality. This will be a memorable day for Hobbs.”
The highly anticipated municipal facility includes a championship 18-hole course, a 9-hole par-3 circuit and expansive practice facilities all designed by Scottsdale, Arizona, architect Andy Staples, ASGCA. Embracing the name “Community Links,” a concept introduced by Staples, the focus of the entire project was to link the golf course to the fabric of life in Hobbs. Rockwind Community Links provides a welcoming environment to bring families, kids and new golfers of all ages together via the game of golf.
Couples, who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2013, has enjoyed a distinguished career. He earned 15 PGA TOUR victories, won the Masters in 1992 and to date has claimed 11 Champions Tour titles. Couples also played on five Ryder Cup teams and four Presidents Cup squads.
An evergreen fan favorite, Couples is noted for his seemingly effortless swing, booming drives and easy-going manner. He learned to play golf at a Seattle municipal course and so his participation in the Rockwind Community Links opening is a meaningful connection. Following a ribbon-cutting and ceremonial drive, Couples will join groups in the invitational golf tournament to hit shots, pose for photographs and present awards afterwards.
The City of Hobbs is marketing teams of four golfers to play in the official grand opening tournament on May 18 with Fred Couples. The cost of a foursome is $1,000 and no individual playing spots will be sold. Lunch and an awards reception with Couples are part of the package. Pre-paid reservations for groups may be made through Rockwind Community Links starting on April 30 by calling (575) 397-9297. Tournament e-mail inquiries should be sent to Linda Howell at lhowell@hobbsnm.org.
About Rockwind Community Links: The main course, which offers five sets of tees with playing lengths ranging from over 7,100 yards for the accomplished player down to approximately 4,200 yards for the forward “express” tees, has been designed to embrace the flat nature of the southeastern New Mexico landscape, keeping irrigation to a minimum and the turf fast and firm. The design provides challenging features such as large elevated greens, disguised bunkers and interesting ground contours. Architect Andy Staples has incorporated characteristics typically found on courses along the eastern Seaboard of the U.S. built during the turn of the 20th century. Rock walls line fairways and a large interior lake is in play on a few holes that attractively punctuates the course routing.
The 9-hole par-3 course called Li’l Rock is meant to complement the expanded practice range and short game area. It was built to facilitate walking, families, beginner golfers and kids. The length of shots range from a sand wedge to a driver. Rockwind Community Links also participates as a member of The First Tee of Southeastern New Mexico.
The public will be able to book tee times online at www.rockwindgolfcourse.com or by calling the golf pro shop at (575) 397-9297.
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