Out in the desert this week for a few days and first stop is the always good Marriott's Shadow Ridge. I have always been quick to praise this great facility but right now it's quite literally in the b... Continue »

Out in the desert this week for a few days and first stop is the always good Marriott's Shadow Ridge. I have always been quick to praise this great facility but right now it's quite literally in the best shape from tee to green that I've ever seen it. It's tremendous. Fairways are lush and just perfectly maintained - not a single bad like all day. The rough is thick and lush but also still playable, while the tee boxes are perfectly set up, level and a pleasure to hit from (we played the green tees). Bunkers have very good sand in them as well and consistent throughout. The greens are tremendous right now. Just as close to perfect as you can get. They roll beautifully, no pitch marks anywhere, they're fast but fair and they hold good shots well but make you really work hard on your chips to get into the right spot. But overall, just fantastic. We caught the most beautiful and warm early winter day as well without any wind, so really couldn't ask for more. We had cart service throughout the day, and the POP was perhaps a little on the slow side due to the groups in front of us, but it was hardly a bother when playing in perfect conditions all around. Nothing can really bring you down on a day like this. The course is an absolute value for the greens fee and you're not going to find better conditions anywhere in the desert right now, although I'm looking forward to the Desert Willow GK Event this weekend to see if it can give Shadow Ridge a run for its money!

Out in Palm Springs to meet up with some friends and celebrate the birthday with a few rounds out at our old favorite Shadow Ridge. Unfortunately we picked the coldest, rainiest weekend of the year to... Continue »

Out in Palm Springs to meet up with some friends and celebrate the birthday with a few rounds out at our old favorite Shadow Ridge. Unfortunately we picked the coldest, rainiest weekend of the year to get out here this time, but the course held up well despite the conditions.

This Faldo design is a real desert treat that throws it all at you, but does it in a very fun and fair manner. Most of the holes are also free from any housing in the nearby vicinity with the exception of holes 10-11 and 15-17. You've got more room than you think out there, but there are also some very easy trouble spots to find if you're having an off-day.

Right now the course is in pretty superb condition though so it made up for a lot of the weather woes that intermittently beset our rounds. Fairways are lush and green and the rough is thick but playable. It's beautiful desert carpet right now so you're not going to find a bad lie all day. Bunkers are in really good shape, as are all the tee boxes (we played the green tees). They put effort into every little aspect of your experience here.

The greens were running really nicely but because of the weather in different spells they became a little bit inconsistent - not at all the course's fault but all on the climate gods. They held shots really well, allowed for some nice bump-and-runs, were smooth and true - everything you could want in your greens. Some of the softness out there did lead to some unfixed ball marks, but nowhere near enough to throw off your putting.

Check-in is convenient, friendly and efficient, practice and warm-up facilities are superb, and we had cart service hovering about throughout each day to really make things terrific despite the spells of rain and cold. POP was great mostly because there just weren't that many people out there who decided to stick through the worst of the weather.

This is just an all-around tremendous facility that always takes care of its customers, puts pride and effort into the course conditions, and is actually a pretty darn good value in comparison to many of its desert counterparts who charge a lot more and deliver a lot less.

Played a week or so ago before the greens were being aerated and they were in good condition and holding shots. The fairways were in great condition with carpet like conditions. They have a great sh... Continue »

Played a week or so ago before the greens were being aerated and they were in good condition and holding shots. The fairways were in great condition with carpet like conditions. They have a great short game area as part of a great range. Love this facility.

I played Shadow Ridge on 5/15/2022. Greens super fast, my approach shots where to the front of the green and often ran off the back end. I guess I needed a loftier shot on to the green. The course ... Continue »

I played Shadow Ridge on 5/15/2022. Greens super fast, my approach shots where to the front of the green and often ran off the back end. I guess I needed a loftier shot on to the green. The course is in beautiful shape and there is plenty water and ice stations by each of the restrooms. I think I passed 3 stations. There was a cart lady as well. Nice practice area pitching/putting/sand. Tee off was at 7:30am and it was hot out there, but tolerable with plenty of sips of water.

Currently out in Palm Desert and doing the work/play thing with customers and staff, taking advantage of the gorgeous early spring weather with a few days at the always fun Shadow Ridge. The course is... Continue »

Currently out in Palm Desert and doing the work/play thing with customers and staff, taking advantage of the gorgeous early spring weather with a few days at the always fun Shadow Ridge. The course is in fine late season shape and is always a must-play out here.

Helpful, friendly and well-organized staff from the moment you pull up will start your day off right. Then you head over to the ample driving range ahead of your round. Maybe the only slight inconvenience is the pro shop not quite near enough the cart staging area, but that's just a minor nitpick. Once warmed up at the practice putting green by the first hole, you're off to the races.

The greens right now at Shadow Ridge are tremendous. They're rolling faster than usual but on great lines and barely any blemishes on them. It's often hard to find your pitch mark since they're so firm, but they're still quite receptive to good shots and definitely not too tricked out, but you're going to have to be solid with the flat stick here.

Fairways are in very nice shape with just a few thin spots near the popular collection areas, while the rough is pretty much perfect - super thick but playable in most spots. Tee boxes are in fine shape (we've played both the gold and green tees so far) but we have found inconsistent bunkers with a fair share (too many in fact) definitely on the thin side so that's the only gripe about course conditions but one that will bring the overall grade down.

Cart service all day long is optimal and the carts have a nice but basic GPS on them however they won't allow you to gauge exact distances so I would still recommend your own and/or a range finder. This great Faldo design with throw a lot of different looks at you so be prepared to work for a good score, but have a great time doing it.

As always, highly recommend at this time.

Made the not-so-quick drive out to Palm Desert early this morning to play a round at the always fun Shadow Ridge course designed by Nick Faldo. It's always a favorite when friends come into town on a ... Continue »

Made the not-so-quick drive out to Palm Desert early this morning to play a round at the always fun Shadow Ridge course designed by Nick Faldo. It's always a favorite when friends come into town on a lark to visit, so of course I'm not going to turn down the chance to play this desert gem. We had an 8:30am tee time and it was a very cold morning but the warmup session on the ample range proved a nice distraction. After about three or four holes though, that desert sun began to rally and it turned into a tremendously perfect winter day in the Coachella Valley. We played from our customary green tees and had an outstanding POP all day long which really helps the course flow from hole to hole. Great conditions across the board at Shadow Ridge right now. The greens were in terrific shape, rolling nice and quick, very consistently and very true. There aren't any gimmicks on the Shadow Ridge greens but you do have to pick your spots very accurately depending on the pin placements. The greens do have their fair share of false fronts and roll-offs into collection areas, so be advised. Fairways look very lush and green for this time of year, and the rough is just perfect to hit from with some areas a little overgrown. Tee boxes were all flat, level and well-maintained, while the sand in the bunkers was also quite good, just a small level below excellent. In short, there's just nothing currently condition-wise to complain about at this notable facility. Cart service also came around numerous times which is wonderful for a Tuesday morning, and the staff are all very friendly and accommodating. It's well worth the rack rate in its current shape. You have a lot of options in the Palm Springs/Palm Desert area, but if you happen to find yourself at Shadow Ridge in the next few days, you're going to be very satisfied with the experience and knowledge that you made an excellent choice. (Not sure why my rating for the course came out at 7.6, but that's a good bit lower than what I had in mind. I'd actually call it more of an 8.3 right now.)

Played a Sunday round at Shadow Ridge this weekend just ahead of their annual re-seeding and the course was in pretty darn good shape despite the upcoming closure. Our threesome had a 10:40am tee time... Continue »

Played a Sunday round at Shadow Ridge this weekend just ahead of their annual re-seeding and the course was in pretty darn good shape despite the upcoming closure. Our threesome had a 10:40am tee time and we rode carts playing the green tees - greens fee a very good $90 per person. That's a great rate for a course of this quality.

Of course now in October you're never going to find the super green and lush fairways that you'll discover here during the prime-time winter months, but you're not going to have any troubles getting good lies all day long and plenty of decent rollout since they're a little firmer than normal. The rough is in good shape, as are the bunkers (which have rakes), and the tee boxes are fine, but again, not as perfect as you'll find in a few months.

The greens at Shadow Ridge were running really nicely and they're not gimmicky or tricked out at all. You'll have to put some thought into them, but nothing is going to make you question who signed off on these things? There were a few areas that were pretty thin and visually less appealing, but nothing that seemed to affect the roll too much at all. They also seemed a little faster than usual since they're normally a touch off the pace here.

Great practice area here at Shadow Ridge and the service is exceptional. We had cart service out on the course 2-3x on a very hot day, so that was nice. Some of the water stations were finally operational again, and the carts have a pretty rudimentary GPS system on them that gets the job done. POP was a little slower than usual as we had two very slow groups in front our threesome, but we managed to finish still in around 4.5 hours, maybe just a touch longer.

Super fun layout here and remains one of the best in the area. They'll be shut down for a spell but I've no doubt we'll be back here again in November for our next trip out and it will be in super shape as usual.

6/9 Nick's review nailed it. !st time playing here and must say I enjoyed it as it is a nice layout and mostly more forgiving than it looks although bad shots are going to be punished. Design wise ... Continue »

6/9 Nick's review nailed it. !st time playing here and must say I enjoyed it as it is a nice layout and mostly more forgiving than it looks although bad shots are going to be punished. Design wise I would call it a resort course with generally wide fairways and some escape areas around the greens. However with the size of the greens and the use of quadrants for hole location it could easily be converted into a brutal test of golf.
Another enjoyable round with Nick.

Rode the Greens (6621/71.5/130) in slightly more than 4H twilight with Gary00. Great POP for 13 holes, then we waited every shot from hole 14 on. The weather was in the high 90's, overcast and fairly ... Continue »

Rode the Greens (6621/71.5/130) in slightly more than 4H twilight with Gary00. Great POP for 13 holes, then we waited every shot from hole 14 on. The weather was in the high 90's, overcast and fairly calm. First time here in over 2 years, which is too long a gap for this place. One of the more underrated layouts in the greater Palm Springs area IMO. Tees mowed close, with only a few needing divot attention. Fairways semi lush and firm. Well maintained, mowed low, nice to play from. Rough mostly lush, not overly tall and nice to chip out of. Numerous traps on this course are large, deep, and need to be avoided by most. Green side sand traps were well maintained with good quality white sand. Some fairway traps are waste bunkers & less maintained. Large Bermuda greens have lots of break/undulation. Rolling well at medium fast speed, they were firm but held approach shots with some run out. Usually no significant ball marks because of their firmness. Fun Nick Faldo design with generous landing areas for most tee shots. Few forced carries. Great variety of holes. The par 3's offer a good variation in look and length. Customer service was very good from everyone encountered. Drink cart out and around numerous times. Some water stations on the course were open, others closed. Nice GPS on the carts. Excellent practice facility is all grass and includes balls with your fee. Highly recommended.