Editor’s Note: County Commissioner’s met from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday and this story went to print before a final conclusion was reached. It is our understanding now, however, that the county voted to defund the Marfa Golf Course and Vizcaino Park. Commissioners Beebe and Hisler voted in favor of funding the parks while Commissioners Hernandez, Ortiz and Judge Portillo voted to defund. We will have an updated story soon.
PRESIDIO COUNTY — Locals passionate about the Marfa Golf Course showed up to Presidio County Commissioners Court this week to oppose the idea of defunding the county-owned and operated facility, a historic green space that plays a vital role in the community.
The golf course, which was established on donated land in the 1960s, was targeted for potential defunding, along with adjacent Vizcaino Park, due to the fact that the county is in dire financial straits, with Presidio County Judge Joe Portillo emphasizing the need to focus on looking at things in one of two ways: “Do I want it? Or do I need it?” he said, emphasizing that state mandated requirements have to become the priority.
But for generations of Marfa golfers who spoke in the public meeting and beforehand with The Big Bend Sentinel, the proposal seemed “premature” and abrupt. They argued that the course is integral to the town’s youth, its families and neighboring counties, offering a positive physical activity in an area with limited public parks. Fundraising tournaments are also held several times a year and result in scholarship payouts and assistance with individuals’ medical bills.
Staff photo by Mary Cantrell.
“We have very few recreational outlets in Marfa,” Felipe Cordero, president of the Marfa Golf Association, told The Sentinel. “It has been important in terms of the development of a lot of youth, in terms of running tournaments and giving back to the community. It reciprocates back into the community as much as the community gives to it.”
The Marfa Golf Course — recognized as the highest golf course in Texas at 4,882-foot elevation — is a nine-hole course distinguishable by its scenic mountain views, turtleback greens and mature pine and cottonwood trees. This year a new tree will be planted to honor Gilbert Lujan as part of an initiative to honor golfers of the past. Every Wednesday the course plays host to a “hully gully” event for local golfers complete with a shared community meal. In addition to golf, the course hosts casual walkers, birders and cross-country events. There’s also a clubhouse on site. Many argue the place is more than just a golf course and represents, in part, the identity of Marfa.
Staff photo by Mary Cantrell.
Cordero started playing golf at the age of 15, and his senior year was a part of the Marfa High School golf team that placed second in state under Coach Jay Foster. He went on to play in professional events throughout the country including U.S. Open Qualifiers. Cordero said playing golf was his outlet, and helped him gain independence.
“Once I picked it up, I had great friends, and we’d be there from sunup to sundown,” Cordero said. “We’d hit balls in the morning, and then we’d walk 36 holes every day. Then we’d go home and repeat, seven days a week.”
Another prominent local golfer that spoke out this week to preserve the course was Yvonne Lujan, a 1987 state qualifier who went on to pursue golf at the collegiate level at the University of Texas El Paso. She said she’s been out on the Marfa Golf Course since she was 4 years old, and both her father and her son find special meaning in the place.
“It’s kept the kids busy. It’s kept everybody busy,” Lujan said. “Our family always kept memberships. To this day that’s something that we have.”
Volunteer efforts to improve the course are ongoing. Randy Sanchez has helped make a shade structure for Hole 6 and improved the interior of a bathroom, work he said he’s happy to continue to keep the golf course accessible and affordable for locals.
“It’s important for us as Marfa people, I believe,” Sanchez said. “Because it’s not only me playing golf, but it’s been generations of people, their families, father-and-son memories, daughter-and-mother memories, so many people that have used that course. To see it disappear or give it to somebody else. It’s really, really heartbreaking.”
Staff photo by Mary Cantrell.
Cody Lee, a member of the Marfa Golf Association along with Cordero, Lujan and Sanchez, whose involvement is a little more recent, said the course is punching above its weight considering its resources, with the two county employees at the facility — Ernest Villarreal and Mario Ontiveroz — seeing to a well-maintained site both locals and visitors are impressed by.
He noted that, similar to the community of Del Rio whose 1957 San Felipe High School golf team were the first Mexican Americans to win a state championship, Marfa’s rich golfing history challenges the mainstream narrative that golf is exclusively a wealthy, white sport.
“The fact that the golf club in Marfa is very Latino-centric, very Mexican-centric, it’s an antithesis to some of those ideas of what golf is commonly thought of,” Lee said.
Caleb Taylor, a Fort Davis resident who maintains a membership to the golf course, stated that Marfa, more than any other course, is populated by players in Wranglers and boots who have been out on the green for decades. “Its about the only thing the locals have left in a time of gentrification and economics changing,” Taylor said.
Staff photo by Mary Cantrell.
Still, everyone recognized the need for the Marfa Golf Course to modernize and improve. Common issues that were brought up include the lack of a point of sale system, credit card machine, website, social media, branded merchandise, ability to reserve tee times and schedule tournaments in advance and more. Currently, revenue is limited to green fees, memberships and cart storage fees. The course also closes at 5 p.m., and could potentially explore staying open later until 8 p.m. Several of the modifications relate to making the course more accessible for out-of-towners, who often do not carry cash and are turned away to never return.
Judge Portillo noted that the county’s auditors had recently expressed some concerns about how memberships were tracked, and County Commissioner Deirdre Hisler — whose precinct includes the course — noted that membership fees hadn’t been updated in 12 years and a concessionaire contract was not currently in place.
In order to prevent the defunding of the golf course, Hisler asked the court to give her one year to work with the golf club and other stakeholders to help turn the operation into one that turns a profit. The county is long overdue in assessing the site from a business perspective, she told The Sentinel.
“We need to shift the way we are managing the golf course to make it more viable, so that the county can afford to keep operations going,” Hisler said. “What’s beautiful about this being brought up now is the community is coming to me and stepping up to the plate and giving me ideas.”
Staff photos by Mary Cantrell.
There is pressure from Presidio — which is devoid of county-funded parks — for the county to stop funneling resources into the Marfa parks, and Portillo was clear that he does not think that the county should be in the business of managing the golf course long-term. The possibility of establishing a lease with a private company to run the golf course has been brought up in the past and is being considered once again. It was noted that in comparison to other golf courses, like Lajitas, the Marfa Golf Course’s offerings are sparse in terms of food, beverage, stay-and-play packages, and more.
Previous County Attorney John Fowlkes and current County Attorney Blair Park noted that in the event the county does eventually pursue a lease with a private company, it would be best to preserve the golf course as an asset, keeping it maintained and showing it is financially solvent, in order to make it more attractive to potential lessees.
While Portillo asked Cordero — who generated a loose business plan to improve golf course operations — if he could have it in better shape by October 1, several warned that was far too hasty a timeline, including Park who said any request for proposals (RFPs) put out by the county would be at least a five- to six-month process.
Staff photo by Mary Cantrell.
Help may eventually come from the City of Marfa, according to Marfa City Council Member and golf association member Eddie Pallarez, who told commissioners that Mayor Manny Baeza was willing to offer financial support as of the 2026-27 fiscal year. Hisler said she would be going to the city to request relief on the county’s roughly $1,400 annual water bill for the Marfa Golf Course and Vizcaino Park.
The current budget that the county is considering adopting does not include cuts to the Marfa parks. It was unclear by press time if county commissioners took any action on defunding the Marfa Golf Course or Vizcaino Park or if the court agreed to give Hisler a year to turn operations around.
“We do have to do a lot of things. None of it has to happen today,” Commissioner David Beebe said of long-term budget slashing discussions. “All of it needs to be happening with some judicious and smart decisions and people who actually care about the issues taking charge.”
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