Posting this review late. Played here for the very 1st time with a buddy last Wed morning 7/25/12. We were on the FIRECLIFF course. Per pro-shop upon ck-in, Mountain was closed down for aeration. No big deal since we wanted to play Firecliff. Used $39 vouchers purchased via GroupGolfer.com. Temp was in the low 90’s to start. By time we finished, temps in the 105 range. Winds were relatively calm & a non-factor throughout the round.

Pace of Play – 4.00 stars. Teed off from the TIPS @ approx 10:30am. Walked off #18 @ exactly 2:30pm. 4 hrs was great! We could have easily finished the round in 3.5 or less. But there was absolutely nobody in front or behind us. It was like we were playing our own private country club. Thus, we took our time to enjoy the course & nearly pristine conditions.

Tee Boxes – 3.75 stars. Just shy of excellent. Completely level & lush. Can only recall 2 boxes w/some divot damage.

Fairways/Rough – 4.00 stars. WOW!!! EXTREMELY WELL manicured. To exemplify…on 1 of the holes, the mower dude was mowing the fairway and immediately right behind him was the blower dude to clean it up. Thus, an immediate sign that they take course maintenance seriously (most courses I play cut the grass, but leave the loose shavings/fresh cut there). Fairways were like hitting off of carpet. Absolutely lush with ZERO brown spots anywhere & hardly any divot damage. Rough cut to approx 1.5-1.75 inches & very lush as well. Truly remarkable, considering this is a desert course that bakes in heat.

Bunkers – 3.25 stars. I definitely found the bunkers (more on this in challenge area). Some of the bunkers were heavy, some were powder like. Overall, good bunkers.

Greens – 3.50 stars. Very nice greens. Beautiful in color & barely marked up. Surprisingly, greens played slower than anticipated (esp being a desert course & hot). Starter claimed they were playing to 9-9.5. Both my buddy and I felt they were playing closer to 7.5-8.

Challenge – 3.75 stars. The course is fairly wide open. From the box (even from the tips), you have a pretty wide landing area. You really need to have a bad push or pull to be taking a drop or re-tee, IMO. The challenge definitely comes w/length (7000+ from tips) & bunkers. Firecliff is ABSOLUTELY LITTERED w/bunkers galore. Per their website, Firecliff has >100 bunkers. This is certainly no exaggeration. On EVERY hole & EVERY shot, you have to factor/consider a bunker. This is where the GPS on the carts comes in super handy (more on this in next section). Plenty of “beach” on this desert course.

Amenities – 4.00 stars. Excellent pro-shop. Excellent practice area. Driving range = grass and stalls were hardly beat up. There’s also a chipping area as well as practice green. Entire staff extremely friendly and helpful. Plentiful water stations all over the course. Marshall passed by a few times to ck-in on us & give us wet towels to stay cool. The biggest amenity I have to commend them for = the GPS on carts. Their system is 1 of the more advanced 1’s I’ve seen. You can choose to get a flyover of the hole. You get yardage to numerous areas on the hole you’re on. Touch any spot on the screen and & a little hand pops up to give you not only distance to that spot, but the next distance from that spot all the way to the flag/hole. And, the system was accurate (I have a scope and would veryify/agree w/posted #’s). All courses that need gps on the carts should have this. It made the round/course that much more playable & enjoyable (esp for us that were rookies to the course). If I have to call out a knock in this amenities section, it would be that we only saw the cart girl once (mid-way thru front-9). Then again, it was a Wednesday & nobody was out there. So, can’t blame her for trying to stay cool & not wanting to do multiple trips around the course.

Overall experience – 4.00 stars. I haven’t played many Palm Springs courses. But this course has set the bar & has set it HIGH!!! Absolutely 1st class facility IMO. $39 voucher = ABSOULTE STEAL to play here. I now wish I had bought the max # of vouchers allowed to buy. Courses like this make the 2-hr drive from LA well worth it. If you’re in PS area, make this 1 of your stops. Whether you’re doing a same-day trip or are in the area for a few days, you MUST play this course. You won’t regret it!!!

Desert Willow Resort Golf Course Review
Palm Desert California Golf Course Reviews

Played here Wed afternoon, 7/10/12, as a single. Booked tee-time via GolfNow.com & got a rate of $37 for a 3:04pm tee-time. Temp was 111. But winds were relatively calm @ approx 8-10mph. For those that are familiar w/this course, that wind condition is pretty good.

Pace of Play – 4.00 stars. Teed off from the BLACK tees @ approx 3:15pm (skipped range session, but took time to drench self in ice cold water b4 starting). Walked off #18 @ exactly 6pm. Under 3 hrs was absolutely excellent!!! Of course, I was by myself with absolutely nobody ahead or behind me. Played 2 balls entire 18. Pretty sure heat kept everyone away.

Tee Boxes – 4.00 stars. B4 I continue w/this review, let me say that I can count on 1 hand my “country club” experiences. That said, this place is on that level, IMO. EXCELLENT tee-boxes that were completely level & lush w/hardly any “significant” divot damage.

Fairways/Rough – 4.00 stars. WOW!!! Well manicured & extremely lush fairways. It was like hitting off of carpet. Rough cut to approx 1.5-1.75 inches, but very, VERY lush. ZERO brown-spots to report anywhere. Absolutely amazing, considering this place is in the middle of the desert & just bakes in heat.

Bunkers – 4.00 stars. Luckily, only found greenside bunkers twice. It was like hitting from a desolate beach in Maui. Pure powder.

Greens – 3.75 stars. Just shy of excellent. Beautiful in color & not really marked up at all. Typical w/Vegas courses, played fast and firm. Shots into the green wouldn’t hold & would just roll. I adjusted quickly and played to hit the fringe & just let the ball roll.

Challenge – 3.50 stars. The course is fairly wide open for being a desert style course. You really need to have a bad push or pull to be in the rocks & unplayable, IMO. Challenge definitely comes w/length. I went from black and total yds = 7,009. And when hitting into the wind, it makes it longer. And as stated in “Greens” section, iron/wedge shots wouldn’t hold. Thus, would club down to hit front & let ball roll. #15 = my favorite b/c its their replica of TPC Sawgrass Island Green.

Amenities – 3.25 stars. Excellent pro-shop. Excellent GRASS driving range. Bag drop very friendly and helpful. Plentiful water stations. The knocks I have = no gps on carts and didn’t see a cart person at all. And snack shop at the turn was closed. Maybe b/c it’s a weekday & later afternoon they shut these particulars down. But gps would be nice & @ least 1 pass on each side by a cart person.

Overall experience – 3.75 stars. My absolute favorite course for the Vegas area = Coyote Springs. Tied for 2nd would be this place & TPC LV. I have yet to play Rio Secco or Cascata. Until then, Paiute sets the bar pretty high IMO. If you only have 1 round to play in Vegas, this place NEEDS to be HIGHLY CONSIDERED!!!

Las Vegas Pauite Golf Resort
Las Vegas Nevada Golf Course Reviews

Posting this review late. Played here for the very 1st time on Sat 6/23. Based on previous reviews and word-of-mouth, got there super early to avoid crowd & potential slow play. Was paired with a two-some (I walked course while 2-some carted). Teed-off @ 6:45am from Blues. Walked off 18 @ approx 10:50am. 4 hrs was SOLID pace, IMO. Greens fee = $40 (L.A. resident walking rate)

Tee Boxes - 3.25 stars. Mostly lush & level. There were several instances where box was "semi" beat up w/divots (basically the typical par-3 holes). But overall & being a muni, very nice boxes.

Fairways – 3.50 stars. This was an absolute pleasant surprise to me. Consistenly lush & well groomed. Could not recall seeing any brown spots. Not too many divots & when noticed, was filled w/sand. These traits are particularly impressive considering its a city muni located in the super hot part of the valley. FW just short of excellent in my book.

Rough - 3.25 stars. Avg length between 1-1.25 inches. Some parts thin. But overall, not really penal & easy to get out of.

Bunkers - 3.25 stars. Lucky to not find any bunkers (esp being a newbie to course). The 2-some found a couple of times. When watching them hit out, sand seemed a little on the “heavy” side.

Greens - 3.25 stars. Decently maintained. Not too marked up. Nice in color. Roll was mostly smooth w/a couple bumps here & there. And even playing early morning, greens were firm & medium-fast, IMO.

Challenge - 3.50 stars. Definitely not “football field” wide like Woodley. But its still fairly wide (comparable to Encino & Balboa). Trees not really a concern until you reach the back 9. But the back is still wide IMO. The challenge, really, is in the elevation changes and greens. For a muni, I find it to be a nice.

Overall experience – 3.50 stars. When I play LA City courses in the valley, I usually rotate between Woodley, Encino, & Balboa. I’m now gonna throw Hansen Dam into the mix. It was truly a pleasant round. I hear that pace-of-play can be an issue. But it wasn’t for me. And the drive is only an extra 15 min north. It’s a well-maintained course and definitely a better/different challenge compared to Encino & Balboa. Not as long as Woodley. But still plenty long.

Hansen Dam Golf Course Review
Los Angeles California Golf Course Reviews

Played here for the very 1st time yesterday, 6/15/12, as a single. Used a $45 voucher via GroupGolfer.com that included a cart, small bucket, & replay (if available). I only had time for 1 round. Was paired w/a 3-some of seniors. Really nice guys who played the course before & was able to offer me lots of tips.

Pace of Play – 3.5 stars. Teed off from the blues @ approx 9:30am. Walked off 18 @ exactly 2pm. 4.5 hrs was decent, IMO, for a Friday morning. No wait on any hole whatsoever & ZERO pressure behind us. Could’ve easily finished the round in 4.25 hours or less, but our group took its time & enjoyed the “country-club” like atmosphere. Saw starter/marshall once (think his name was Steve) on the front-side & he just pretty much waved by & asked how the round was going. “June Gloom” might’ve had a factor & maybe scared some golfers away (was drizzling @ 1 point).

Tee Boxes – 3.25 stars. Very, very good boxes. For the most part, level & lush. Par-3 holes were “semi” beat up with a fair amount of divots. But that tends to be the norm for most courses. I can tell the course gets a lot of play. But the staff does a pretty reasonable job making it seem that it doesn’t. This will be a common theme all throughout this review.

Fairways/Rough – 3.25 stars. Again, very good. Well manicured & very good. Rough cut to maybe .75-1 inch. Not penal, but not FW. Still easy to recover. FW had divots 7 & maybe 2 times (in total) where I noticed brown and/or thin spots. Again, kudos to staff for making sure the FW in as best condition as possible.

Bunkers – 3.00 stars. Good. Today I found the beach (unfortunately). Both FW & greenside. More about this in challenge section. In terms of playability…front 9 = wet & “mucky”. But “June Gloom” and drizzle had a lot to do w/that. On the back side, started to dry up. However, nearly “powder-like” in all of the greenside bunkers (with only 1 exception). So, overall = good.

Greens – 3.50 stars. Just shy of excellent IMO. Nice in color, pretty big, & sloping. Not too marked up (a tribute to both players & staff fixing). Front played a tad soft. But again, “June Gloom” and drizzle had lots to do w/that. Back 9 started to firm up & play medium to medium-fast (at the end). Very well maintained greens IMO.

Challenge – 3.5 stars. For a course in the hills, its pretty wide-open IMO. You really, REALLY have to mess up to be in seriously bad trouble. HOWEVER, the bunkers (not that its “beach city”) are pretty well positioned IMO. And if you don’t hit towards the “correct” side, ball will trickle down either into a ravine, into water, or into bunker. Of course, this statement could be said for any course in the hills. But course knowledge goes a long way. And greens (esp on front) are mostly uphill putts. Thus, gotta be sure to give that putt enough juice (esp in June gloom conditions).

Amenities – 3.25 stars. Nice pro-shop. Excellent grass driving range. GPS on the carts (which I should’ve utilized/paid more attention to). Saw the cart girl 3 times (twice on the front & once on the back). Very, VERY friendly staff. The only knock here is that as a single, couldn’t have my own cart. Granted, I enjoyed sharing/playing w/the group I was with. However, it wasn’t a busy morning at all & they had A TON of carts lined-up outside. And post-round, these carts were still lined-up. Thus, I could’ve easily had my own cart for my round.

Overall experience – 3.5 stars. Really enjoyed the course. $45 voucher is a good deal, esp since it includes the cart & small bucket. And its an even better deal if you can take advantage of free replay. I would like to play again on a warmer day when ball will travel & roll & greens play medium to medium-fast (June Gloom made the air thick and the course a tad longer). If I had to pay w/out voucher & be forced to use cart, then $50 would be my weekday ceiling, $60-65 for “primetime” weekend ceiling.

Sterling Hills Golf Club Course Review
Camarillo California Golf Course Reviews

Played early this morning, Sun 6/10/12, w/some buddies. Been about 2-3 months since my last visit here (and played "Players" last outing). We were a 4-some that teed off from Blues at approx 6:40am. Walked off 18 @ approx 11:10am. 4.5 hrs is "ok", esp since its Sunday & all 4 of us walked the course. Green fee = $50 (walking rate)

Tee Boxes - 3.5 stars. Pretty lush & level. Very few instances (like maybe 2 or 3 holes) where box was "semi" beat up w/divots. But was easily able to locate/position to a level spot, at each box, where I was completely comfortable. For a muni, solid!

Fairways - 3.25 stars. Lush & well groomed for the most part. Only 2 instances, that I can recall, seeing brown spots. Not too may divots (& when I did notice a divot, was filled w/sand). For a muni course, I think the FW are just short of excellent.

Rough - 3.25 stars. Avg length between 1-1.5 inches. Def not short, but also not a bear to hit out of. On the par-5's, I would get into rough, but still manage to hit solid 3-wood out of it...

Bunkers - 3.5 stars. Luckily, I only got into 1 FW bunker for the whole round. When I was in it, pretty much powder-like.

Greens - 3.5 stars. Those who know/play M.S. (whether Classic or Players) know that this is their absolute strength. Smooth, nearly ZERO marks, beautiful in color. Putts rolled true. Firm and medium-fast. For a muni course, they certainly challenge some "resort" courses IMO. VERY SOLID!

Challenge - 3.25 stars. Its a muni. Thus, its fairly wide-open. But if you do get into the trees, then you will pay a 1-stroke (or more) price. And b/c "June-Gloom" reared its ugly head this morning, the cooler conditions made it longer to play. I found myself taking an extra club all round long...

Overall experience - 3.25 stars. An overall solid muni-course. If I have to find a negative, it would probably be the greens fee. $50 to walk is steep. Granted, its Sunday and its a popular muni & very well maintained. And maybe I've been spoiled to driving out to the desert and/or canyons & playing equally good (or better) courses for cheaper. But after factor time&gas, it becomes a wash @ the end...

Mile Square Golf Club Review
Fountain Valley Golf Course Reviews

Played this course for the 1st time today, Sat 6/9/12. Purchased a voucher via GroupGolfer.com for $27 (cart included). On weekends, can only use voucher after 11am. Called the pro-shop & was told they would be wide open after 12:30pm. I showed up @ 12:50pm & they got me right out. Was paired w/a 2-some. Teed from the Blues at about 1pm. Walked off 18 @ about 4:40pm. 3.75 hrs was EXCELLENT pace, IMO. Could've easily finished in 3.5 hrs. But we took our time & wasn't rushed.

The front 9 is a completely different experience from the back 9. That said, let me start w/my comments on the front:

Tee Boxes: Beat up. Lots of divots. Par-3 boxes were especially beat up. Really tough to find a level area to hit from. And spacing of the blue rocks couldn't be any tighter. They were always placed @ the very back edge of the box (where your back foot could very well be on the down slope). And narrow. Granted I could easily "kick" 1 rock sideways to make the tee-off area a little wider. But I'm not like that. For some of the par-4's, I might as well be teeing-off from the bushes. Going "from the tips" was a little ridiculous on several of the holes. Gotta give the player @ least a level stance to tee-off...

Fairways/Rough/Bunkers: Thin fairways. Few lush spots. TONS of divots. Rough cut short (1/4 inch). So, no real difference if you're hitting from FW vs Rough. Got in 1 FW bunker & 1 greenside bunker. Both times, ball was sitting up b/c sand was hard like concrete.

Greens: By far, the MOST DISAPPOINTING aspect of the front. TONS of marks. 1/4 of each green appeared to have been punched literally days ago. And pin placement @ or near these areas. And b/c of these punched area, VERY SANDY. Also, EXTREMELY spotty (i.e. pesticide spots, dead/brown spots, crabgrass like spots). Roll was inconsistent (smooth @ some points, ridiculously bumpy on other points). Speed was also inconsistent (firm & fast on some points, less firm & slow on others).

Now, on to the Back 9...

Tee Boxes: Level and, for the most part, lush. Par-3 holes were semi-beat up, but nothing like the front. Spacing of the rocks was better. It must be noted, though, that on a few of the holes, the boxes were moved up. Example, #10 blue rocks were @ the 360 white marker.

Fairways/Rough/Bunkers: FW were much more lush. Rough still cut short. Much less divots in FW compared to front 9. Got in 1 FW bunker (#14) & 2 greenside (#12 & #15). #14 was like concrete. #12 were more "powder" like.

Greens: MUCH nicer compared to front. Firm w/more consistently smooth roll. Less marks. Still had 1/4 of each green punched. But pin placement was more or less away from these areas. And less spotty compared to front 9 greens. And few instances (maybe 2) where green was sandy.

Other aspects to comment on:

Course Layout/Challenge -- 3.5 stars. Similar layout compared to its neighbors Eagle Glen, Hidden Valley, etc. Course is wider/more open vs Eagle Glen. Wind is definitely a factor, esp on the back 9. Basically alternate each hole, on the back, if the wind is howling (i.e. at your back on 10, into the wind on 11, at your back on 12, etc.) #11 is a par-3 232 yd hole that played more like 260 yds due to being into the wind.

Amenities/Customer Service -- 2.75 stars. Clubhouse = trailer. But it is equipped w/everything you need & does have a bar inside. Very friendly staff. Girl in the shop was very nice (& cute). Saw cart girl (also cute) once on each side. Decent carts, but no gps. And the big thing = NO DRIVING RANGE, which is why this category gets less than 3 stars for me.

Overall experience -- 2.75 stars. Let me state this now...the course is worth a $27 voucher. Where else can you play a round of 18 on a par-70 6500 yd course WITH CART for $1.50/hole?!? Granted, the front&back are like night/day and the overall course conditions are nowhere close to private country club level. Nonetheless $27 is a good deal to play this course. Now, for people, like myself, that have to drive an hr & change to get here...I would say that its NOT worth the $27 voucher. If they do some work on the front 9 & get the entire course to a consistently decent level on all aspects, then I would change my tune. But if I have to drive out to the inland empire, I would choose Goose Creek, Oak Quarry, & others before coming here. But if I was a local, my price ceiling, based on current conditions of the course, would be $35 to play this course.

Dos Lagos Golf Club Review
Corona California Golf Course Reviews