ALERT: (Aeration Alert)
Will be aerating the greens on the North Course as well as other maintenance and reopen it 7/4. They will be closing the South Course 7/4 – 8/31.
* Please note that although we put a great amount of effort into forecasting course maintenance, we still recommend you contact the golf course to confirm this information.
Formerly known as Landmark Golf Club, The Golf Club at Terra Lago is stretching the legs of its new identity. An impressive facility with an entertaining view from the clubhouse and grill, Terra Lago has many things working in its favor. It's apparent that the management at Terra Lago is working very hard to estalbish their new community brand and personality, and if they depend on the strength of their 2 excellent golf courses as the centerpiece of their development, they'll do just fine.
Set just north of I-10 in Indio, Terra Lago occupies a (relatively) remote setting for the area. I’ll caution you from the start that the fact that this is part of a residential development should in no way bring to mind hives-inducing images of cookie cutter homes lining every single fairway. The vast majority of holes at the Golf Club at Terra Lago are free from homesites.
The South course at Terra Lago, if you trust course and Slope ratings on the scorecard, is the more difficult of the two layouts on the property. While the length between the two layouts is similar, the South course features more elevated greens that are more severely bunkered than the North. While it is a competent layout on it’s own, when compared with the North it loses a bit of it’s luster.
There’s a bit of a giggle factor on the front nine as the two most memorable features are the boxcars (literally, train cars used as bridges) and the channel of water that these cars span. The “Sluice” comes into play on the 2nd, 6th, and appropriately named 9th holes (as well as on the 9th on the North course). While nobody will leave raving about the natural beauty of the thing, it’s impact on strategy is surprisingly compelling. This is particularly evident on the 2nd hole where it’s role as a both a parallel hazard on the tee shot and a diagonal one at the green makes for a sound strategic par 4. On the topic of natural features, the 4th hole is possibly the best par 3 in all of Terra Lago’s 36 holes with a soaring elevated tee, a diagonally situated green, and an infinity of desert peaks and valleys dominating the vista for miles.
The back nine is relatively mundane as it occupies the most featureless land on the property. It’s still good golf, but it suffers in comparison with the other 3 9s at Terra Lago. Flat and with little to offer in terms of dramatic settings, many of the holes are generally wide and indifferent. An exception is the 12th, a devilish little par 3 that likely requires little more than a wedge or short iron for most yet will severely punish even slight misses. The course attempts to find its stride again with the fun 15th (a good short par 4 is always a great way to pique interest), and the grassland-esque 16th and 17th, but ultimately the closing 18th reverts to the ambivalence of the course’s lesser holes.
The golf course is mostly in great condition. The greens are very close to perfect, and in most places the fairways and rough are equally impressive. Strangely, there are a few fairway areas (most obviously the 5th and 8th) where entire parcels of land have seemingly died. Clearly there is some localized and serious issue going on here, and while there is no evidence of these problems elsewhere on the course, they’re bad enough in these spots that they warrant mentioning. I hope they’re able to solve the problem and bring these into line with the top-notch conditions presented everywhere else. As with the North course, my biggest complaint here is the bunkers – the sand quality and maintenance do not seem to be on par with the grass conditions, and as the South course makes frequent use of waste bunkering, this shortcoming likely affects play a bit more here.
On the whole, Terra Lago South is a competent layout that falls a bit short of “cant-miss” status. At it’s best (the 2nd, 4th, 12th, and 15th), it offers standout golf that anyone would be happy to play. The momentum from these holes isn’t enough to bring the course, in my opinion, into the elite company of the North course, but with the strong conditions and a comfortable facility, you shouldn’t find it difficult to enjoy yourself here.
