Ladera Heights in Albuquerque, NM

Ladera Heights sits on Albuquerque's West Mesa in the 87120 ZIP, on the ground between Ladera Golf Course and the volcanic cones that break the western horizon. The course anchors the neighborhood: city-owned, open since 1980, it fits a 7,107-yard championship layout, a nine-hole executive course, a driving range and four lakes onto the mesa, with the Sandias filling the view east. The neighborhood is organized as the city-recognized Ladera Heights Neighborhood Association, which meets once a year. West Mesa High School and Chaparral Elementary are among the Albuquerque Public Schools campuses drawing from the neighborhood.

The course is municipal rather than a private club attached to the neighborhood, so tee times are open to anyone. Its driving range stays lit seven nights a week from April into late October, well past sunset.

One named pocket sits inside the boundaries: West Winds.