New name sought for Ocotillo Golf Course

Interested in a free one-year golf membership at the newly renovated golf course?

All it takes is creativity and a catchy golf course name to replace the name Ocotillo Golf Course.

The Hobbs Golf Committee is asking the community to share their ideas and come up with a new golf course name that includes “Community Links” in it.

Residents can mail or email their suggestions to J.J. Murphy, city manager, at City Hall, 200 E. Broadway or j j m u r p hy @ h o bb - snm.org.

The golf committee will decide on the final name.

“We are going to solicit some input from the public to see if anyone can come up with a catchy name, but ultimately we'll sit down with the golf committee and come up with something that we can all live with,” Murphy said. “This is such an important project for the community that we felt it was important to solicit name suggestions for our new community links."

Murphy said, with the golf course being renovated and rebranded, the committee agreed it should also receive a new name.

“In the last couple of meetings that we had it seemed that the majority wanted a new name,” he said. “So we really want to brand it around the community links concept.”

Murphy said the committee has been thinking up of ideas — “Hobbs Community Links” and Murphy’s suggestion, “Rock Wind Community Links.”

“One idea was looking for what we have at our public course that might go into a name,” Murphy said. “One idea was calling it ‘Rock Wind Community Links’ since we have plenty of rock and plenty of wind.”

Murphy said he would like to get input from the community within the next couple of weeks.

Ocotillo is planned to officially close on Oct. 12. Murphy said a Farewell Tournament is planned for Oct. 13.

“On Oct. 13 we're going to have a Farewell Tournament and whoever wants to play — free of charge — can sign up,” he said. “We’ll have a shotgun tournament and have food and refreshments afterwards.”

Throughout the closure, the public will be allowed to use the Hobbs Country Club Golf Course.

“We finalized the negotiation with the country club and they executed that agreement,” Murphy said. “Starting in October, members of the public can go to the country club and pay the posted Ocotillo rates to play out there.”

Reconstruction of the golf course is planned to last more than a year.

The new golf course will include a new course design, driving range and nine-hole, par-three course.

Denise Marquez can be reached at 391-5437 or reporter@hobbsnews.com.