The Elfego Baca Shootout

The Elfego Baca Shoot was begun as a special attraction along with the then Conrad Hilton Open in 1960 by First State Bank and the Socorro County Chamber of Commerce. This novelty tournament was begun to generate more interest in the Socorro Community. Competitors are leaded into four-wheel drive vehicles to ascend Socorro Peak, 7,243 feet above sea level. Here they will battle in a one-hole shoot. The hole, a fifty foot patch of dirt, is located on the New Mexico Tech campus, about 3 miles away and 2550 feet down hill. The shoot is based on a rugged course, Socorro's "M" Mountain, and has been aptly named as "one of the world's most unusual golf events."