Played on Friday, 2/11, with a 7:30 tee time, $65 with the Arroyo/Siena card. Business seemed a bit slow for Super Bowl weekend on a perfect Vegas weather day. Range is all grass and is included, plus a large putting green in the starting area which matched the course speed.

Course is in good shape. The fairways were almost completely lost over the summer and they are coming back nicely, there are still some areas they are working on, but easily the best conditions I've seen here since last spring. Rough is about 1-2 inches, just enough to cause some issues. I don't know if they worked on the bunkers, but the 1 I was in was in great condition, no rocks/pebbles, and some slightly heavy sand. The greens were just awesome. Some ball marks, but receptive, and the fastest I've seen them. I've been playing consistently for the last couple of years, and I've never seen some of the hole locations I saw today. They were definitely set up for tournament conditions with lots of pins tucked in corners and behind bunkers.

Again, Siena is more an above average locals' course and not a destination, but it's a fun course to play. Nice mix of par 3s and it seems all the par 4s are different. It it continues to improve the conditions, it's making it back in the rotation.

Played on Sunday, 2/6, thanks to an invite with a buddy from Cocky & Lucky Golf and Social Club. Course had a frost delay but by noon was all caught up and we actually got out 20 minutes early. Course is completely private now, after some "semi-private" times. Customer service is what you would expect from a high end course, super friendly, and drink cart was around multiple times.

Course is dormant right now but it didn't really affect play. Plenty of cushion in the fairways, and they had some run to them. The rough was cut down so it was like extra wide fairways. Bunkers were amazing, just perfectly groomed and soft, fluffy, pro tour like sand. Greens were a bit firm early, but as the temps warmed they became bumpy with shoeprints everywhere.

A fantastic experience and would take any opportunity to play here again. Course has 27 holes designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr, and each 9 has a different feel (Sunrise, Canyon, Lakes). Clubhouse is huge with a large patio overlooking the range. Range is all grass and has a large putting green.

Played Friday, 2/4, with my usual MGF crew. 10:15ish tee time for $65 with the Arroyo/Siena card. After the overnight low hit the low 30s, knew we were in for a frost delay so we showed around 9:45. When we checked in, found it was about 1:45 but they were pushing groups out and we teed at 11:15. Unfortunately it meant for a slow round and we finished in about 5 hours (it's usually a bit slower here, averaging around 4:30).

Full grass range (included) was open and recently renovated. They have a nice chipping/bunker area at the range that looks barely used. However, the only practice green is a very small green behind the clubhouse that usually doesn't match the course.

Course was in outstanding shape and they continue to work on the bunker renovation, reducing or outright removing them. The new sand was fine, beach like that was incredible to hit from. The holes with the new sand have the best bunkers in Vegas right now. Fairways are lush, with no thin/bare areas. Rough is as gnarly as ever, 2-3 inches that really affect the shot. I think the greens were suffering from the frost. As the day went along, they became soft with tons of footprint indentions, especially around the cup.

Great course, it may not be one if on a Vegas golf trip, but good for the locals. Residential course with some long, disjointed drives between holes. You don't go back by the clubhouse once you leave, but the drink cart was around 3-4 times. They need a halfway house around 8/9 to fill out the course.

Played on Friday, 1/21 at 8:50ish with Famed02, John_T, and Larry.

There's nice driving range, currently on mats due to temps. There's a small putting green/chipping area at the first tee, but there's nice large putting green near the 10th tee/bar area which made more sense before they flipped the 9s. It's tucked away and doesn't flow with the current setup.

Course is in really good shape. Tee boxes did have some divot damage, to include some of the longer "driver" holes. Fairways were lush with great grass coverage and no visible thin/brown areas. Rough was about 1-2 inches, just enough to define the fairways and not too penal. Bunkers were decent, with thick heavy sand. Greens were great. Smooth and and medium fast.

Customer service was good. Carts have GPS to the pin and 2 bottles of water. The bar/grill is excellent. Great food and drinks and good service. After a delay where we didn't see the drink cart until the 8th hole, we saw both drink carts 3 times on the back 9.

So here's my issue with Chimera: Famed02 booked and prepaid through their website for $85, plus a $2.50 each golfer "convenience fee. So the price is about $10 above comparable courses, but I think Friday is a "weekend" rate day, plus its a prime time, so ok. However, to charge extra for prepay is ridiculous. Almost every course I know that offers prepaid rounds, offers them at a discount compared to paying at the course (Revere, Coyote Springs, Sunrise, etc).

As much as I enjoy Chimera, there's always something with it that makes me want to avoid it unless someone else books it. They seem to push "appearance" over substance, like the silly drone food delivery system. (You can order food for delivery, but only on holes 8-10 due to flight restrictions, even though 10 tee is at the bar/grill. They then send a cart and drone spotter out to you, and then the drone flies in with your order. Instead of just driving your order out to you)

Played on Sunday, 1/9 (sorry for the late post!) with a noonish tee time. Paid $65 local rate and it's an absolute steal.

Paiute lived up to it's reputation of great service and phenomenal conditions. Dropped the bag at the front and it's ready on a cart when you walk down from the pro shop after paying. Wolf has its own all grass driving range (included) and a large putting green, plus a bunker/chipping area.

Course is in incredible shape in spite of the week of sub freezing temps overnight. Level tee boxes with barely any divots. Fairways were just spectacular, lush, and with some run. Bunkers had some thick, almost heavy sand which was nice to hit from. Greens were incredible. A bit firm with almost no chance of leaving a ball mark, and on the fast side. A bit of local knowledge that they break harder going away from the freeway helps.

Overall, Paiute never disappoints. Incredible views, the feeling of being secluded on every hole, and great conditions always makes this a must play. It helped the typical Paiute wind was just a breeze all day.

Played my home course on 12/17 and 12/23. 12/17 was a 11:10 tee time pushed to 11:40 due to an early frost delay, still finished in about 4:20, 12/23 was at 8am, and finished leisurely in just under 4 hours.

Conditions were pretty much the same both days. The course has hosted a handful of tournaments in the last month and the course was prime shape. Fairways were pretty lush, with more run in the afternoon. Rough was about 2-3 inches and caused a bit of issues hitting out. Bunkers depended on the day: 12/17 they were heavy but a nice thump to hit from, not thin; 12/23 were still wet from rain, so a bit muddy to hit from. Greens on both days were outstanding. They are running almost as fast as they can get them, a bit firm, but some unfixed ballparks.

Great way to end the year and hoping the course holds up as the temperature drops over the next month.

Played on Monday, 12/13 with the GK Guru crew. Upon arrival, found out there was a morning frost delay which pushed us back 20-30 minutes. I hit the snack bar and enjoyed a chicken salad and some chips at a good price.

I've played this course in summer and winter, and it's always in great shape. Tee to green overseed that didn't leave any bare/thin/brown areas. Tee boxes were mostly damage free, except around the par 3s. Fairways were lush, almost carpet like. Rough was a bit up, causing some issues and the possibility of a pop-up with a fairway wood or hybrid. Sand was in good shape. Greens were terrific. Very firm, with little to no signs of any ball marks, and rolling smooth.

Going out behind PGA tournament did slow down to first 9, but no real issues. Once they were finished after 9, we blazed through the second 9 in about 1:15 and putted out on 18 as the sun was setting.

The fact this complex is technically a "muni" makes me laugh. Absolutely as good as the surrounding resort courses and a must play in the Palm Springs area.

Played Monday, 12/13, with the GK Gurus. I love this place as it drips class all the way through. I enjoyed a great chorizo breakfast burrito as I watched everyone warm up on the large all grass range and adjacent pitching area, along with a putting green all situation in the same area just before the 1st tee.

The course is typical Arnold Palmer design, wide fairways but danger lurking, with water on 13 holes. Fairways were lush, green, and incredible. Rough was about 2 inches, no real issues to hit from. Bunkers were real nice, easy to hit from with nice white sand. Greens were smooth and medium fast. Just all around great conditions.

Classic Club is a fun but difficult course, I think it's harder than it looks. It should be in the rotation for any Palm Springs area golf trip.

Played in the year-end GK event on 12/12. If you've never taken part, definitely pencil it in for next year, always a great time and such a fantastic course. I was able to sneak into the Pisarski clan's AirBNB, situated on the 2nd hole, and enjoyed the weekend. The house's putting green was definitely not at course speed but it did have a little room to practice some thick rough chips. Staying at the house really made the weekend easier, with a 2 minute drive to the course on Sunday morning and able to hit the shower before heading out.

I feel Rams Hill is one of those courses that is perfectly rated. It's not over-rated, I can't find anyone who didn't enjoy it nor found it in less than spectacular shape, and it lives up to its well deserved hype. The all grass range (with ProV1s) and the large putting area preps you for a fun day. The course opens with a nice "hand shake" par 4 with a wide fairway and not overly challenging, then moves to a gettable par 5 before the challenge starts to increase. I can't think of another course with back to back par 3s, but 9 and 10 fit perfectly into the routing and 10 is probably the best par 3 on the course, especially with the hole on the front left.

The course was just short of immaculate and in pretty perfect shape following their big Ramateur event the prior weekend. Lush fairways with less than a handful of spots showing some browning, but still nice to play from. Rough was about 2 inches and just long enough to make you think about the shot. Bunkers were really nice to hit from, especially for a desert course. Greens were smooth and a nice "10.5" stimpmeter according to the sign at the pro shop.

Rams Hill never disappoints. Great service from bag drop, to pro shop, to the food/beverage. Highly recommend.

Played Saturday, 12/11, as part of a 2 group GK meet-up. A frost delay pushed us back 2 hours, but it was the smoothest ran delay I've seen. Staff had the groups running smooth and despite the delay, we played a sub 4 hour round. I've never had a better experience with trying to squeeze groups out to catch up on a busy tee sheet on a Saturday. Great job by the staff.

The course is in various stages of dormancy and was playing tight, firm, and fast. I love some firm and fast, but many holes have a strategic bunker placed in front of the green which took out a run up and I don't have high wedge off a tight lie in my bag. Fairways were well covered and while dormant, no thin/dead spots. Rough was basically fairway height, unless you found some spots way off or off the beaten path. Bunkers were incredible. Sand felt new, thick and heavy, but nice to hit out. I heard they had renovated all the greens and all I can say is wow. Smooth and fast with an incredible amount of undulations. You definitely need to be confident with the putter or it'll be a long day.

San Vicente absolutely exceeded my expectations. In an area with lots of high end courses, San Vicente is a perfect "one step back" from those. Perfect price point, good to great conditions, and a fun course to play. My favorite was the par 3 15th, with the mini-Biarritz style green tucked into a grove of trees. For a resort, the staff and vibe had a super friendly muni feel to it.

Played on Monday, 12/6, in a charity scramble event. Staff was a well oiled machine, grabbing clubs and loading them on the carts. With the shotgun start, carts were staged and they were running a shuttle to the range across the street despite the easy walk. All grass range with plenty of stalls and a large putting green with some elevation changes.

Course was in incredible condition and what you would expect for a high-end private club. Tee boxes were level with little amount of damage. Fairways were lush, with some fairway edges in the runoff areas a little thin, but no bare areas. Rough was up and thick, and difficult to hit out. Bunkers were well groomed but did not hit one all day. Greens were smooth and fast, with lots of undulations and a bit hard to read.

If you ever have a chance at teeing it up at DragonRidge, absolutely jump on it. Just an experience from start to finish, a very fun course with the best views of the Vegas Valley, and a great vibe hanging out afterwards.

Played on Friday, 11/12, 8am, for $70 with the Cocky & Lucky Social and Golf Club. The driving range is back open but there's still some maintenance going on the left side. The small putting green outside the pro shop was running a bit slower than the course.

Course was in fantastic shape. Tee boxes nice and level. Fairways are lush, just not lots of roll. The rough was thick and juicy, absolutely brutal to hit from as the ball just sunk down in it. They are renovating their bunkers and the front 9 was looking fantastic. They're reducing the size of many: On 1st, they took out the left side bunker completely (last year) and now reduced the front bunker in half; on the par 3 3rd, they took out the right front and back bunkers, and cut the left front in half, and on 6th, they took out the right front bunker. The new bunkers have new, beach like sand that may be some of the best in town. Just a completely new look and its now grass bunkers. I like it since they had such troubles maintaining them. The greens were incredible. Fast and firm, there was no stopping any shots coming in, and anything catching a downhill rolled forever.

Arroyo is my second home course. It's been in good/great shape for the last 18 months or so, friendly staff, easy to get on, and fun to play with some scoring chances. Pace of play is usually an issue, almost a guaranteed 4:30 round, and this round was no different. We were pushed back a few minutes to allow 2 guys from the group ahead to make it to the 1st tee. I've been on those buddy trips and know what happened, but it sucks when it's in front of you. They were a full hole back by 5 and we waited on every tee box. Only negative.