Black Jack’s Crossing Golf Club

Depending upon how far out of the way you like to get, this could be the place for you.

The 27,000-acre Lajitas Golf Resort gives new meaning to the term “out of the way.” It sits on the Rio Grande along the Mexico border, in a remote flat area of West Texas that’s 300 miles west of San Antonio and 250 miles southeast of El Paso. [The facility was the ­subject of our very first Getaways feature, in our October/November 2004 issue.–Ed.]

You may feel as if you’ve traveled through time as well as across miles to arrive at the resort: the newly expanded Lajitas is a retro Old West frontier town–replete with saloon, country store and corral–that in many ways looks as if it has been here since around 1900, back when this was an active border crossing.

The property’s par-72 golf course, stretchable to 7,413 yards and a whole lot more comfortable and accommodating at the three more forward tees, ambles up and down through rock canyons and across dry washes. The Lanny Wadkins-designed course, which just opened this year, replaces a layout down in the valley that was washed out when floods ravaged the region. For those with a hankering, there is an opportunity to strike a blow for international solidarity by standing on the back tee of the par-4 15th hole, turning dead left and driving a golf ball over the Rio Grande into Mexico.

When the game ends, you can retire to one of Lajitas’ 103 rough-hewn, comfortable rooms, some of them part of the main inn, others spread out through town. And if golf doesn’t exhaust your recreational needs, you can enjoy hiking, horse trails, sport shooting, live country and western music or a tour of the onsite longhorn-steer museum. There’s also a business conference center.

Lajitas may be remote to get to, but once here you’ll have your days and nights full of clear air, clear skies and the wild, wild Southwest.

Course:

Black Jack’s Crossing Golf Club at Lajitas Golf Resort & Spa, Lajitas, Texas. For information, call (432) 424-5000 or visit www.lajitasgolfresort.com.

Airports:

Good thing Lajitas has its own airport, as the nearest airline destination is 220 miles to the north in Odessa-Midland. Lajitas International Airport has a 5,000-foot asphalt runway, hangar facilities and jet fuel. You can arrive on your own aircraft or arrange for a charter flight. Free transportation is available from the airport to the resort. For more information, contact the resort at the above phone number.