Played this execute course today for the first time in about a year. Its almost as if this place never changes, and neither improves or gets worse.

The tee boxes here are pretty much the worst part of the course. On the few par 4s they seem to do a good job keeping them level, and in fairly good shape. However, the par 3s really take a beating and are in need of some serious TLC. Most of them are sloped, or slanted in one direction or the other which is a big pet peeve of mine. They suffer from tons of un-repaired divots, and are very thin in most spots. In general about 75% of the tee boxes here are in bad need of repair.

The fairways here have gotten quite thin in a lot of spots, but the general high traffic play areas seem to be okay, as if they are specifically targeting those areas for maintenance. The rough on the other hand is quite poor. Very spotty, tons of crab grass, and burned out brown grass in general.

The greens were by far the best part of the course. Since there are so many newer / beginner golfers on this course they have very few divot marks. They roll pretty true, and smooth, with a fairly slow pace to suit the normal crowd that wanders these holes.

After playing here today, I recall why I have not been back in more than a year. There are too many brand new golfers out here, and the pacing is just too slow. This is a good course to learn to use all the clubs in the bag, and I recognize that, so perhaps I belong somewhere else. The other thing that bothers me is the never ending geese droppings on nearly every hole, and on many of the greens. It really detracts from the course experience. With a Saturday green fee around $35-40 its just not worth it.

Played this LA Municipal on Sunday July 3rd. Was one of the first groups out around 6:15, and finished around 9:45, so POP was excellent. You can usually get around this track in less than 4 hours if you are one of the early groups out. After 7am you are likely looking at a more than 4.5 hour round.

The tee boxes were in fairly good shape, they do a good job of rotating the tee locations at this course. They also have the benefit of having some of the larger tee boxes in the LA city muni system, so this gives them the luxury of having the space to rotate them. The only exception being 3 of the 4 par 3 holes, which are a bit more cramped, and a bit more beat up.

The fairways here are mostly good. There are definitely some thin spots on several fairways, and generally my ball ends up on these thin spots. Other players seem to be doing a good job replacing their divots, and filling with sand. The rough is quite thin, and I suspect they do this to keep the pace of play moving. There is not a ton of punishment for going into the rough as opposed to the fairways here. Although there are some exceptions on several holes where one side of the fairway will have thick rough.

In general the greens here are doing quite well. Most divots are repaired, and they are rolling pretty smooth, and on line. They are not fast, but that is expected at this type of course.

In general this is a good course that is fairly wide open and will not punish you too badly for an errant drive. The greens can be somewhat challenging to read on some holes, as you have to remember everything, and I do mean everything breaks away from the dam.

Played this course last week after wanting to play it for years. I went off in the afternoon mid-week so the crowds were thin. Having reviewed GreensKeeper just prior to going there it was noted that maintenance was pending in a few days. With having said that it appears that the maintenance was already starting the week prior. Which is okay, and it was somewhat expected.

The point of this review is just to state how much fun I had at this course! It is extremely difficult, and will punish virtually every mistake. But it just felt so different from the rest of the desert courses there in the Palm Springs Valley. The variation in holes, and risk reward options are virtually limitless, and there is more than enough length for any size hitter. I found myself using different clubs for weird shots, and always had an awkward stance, it was great!!

I have heard great things about the courses condition so those minor infractions can be easily overlooked considering the pending maintenance. I will definitely be going back this fall to play again when it is in top shape.

POP was 2.5 hours as a single. A few groups waived me through without hesitation. The beverage cart was seen many times, and as always the service at this course is top notch. I really enjoy the Starters out at PGA west they are super friendly and make sure you are going to have a great time.

This was the first time I had played a TPC course. Had heard very good things, and wanted to see what the hype was all about. We played on Friday August 1, 2014. Had a early tee time, and the course was not to crowded at all. We let a twosome play through our four on about the 10th hole, but did not see many other groups. Pace was 4.5, but that was due to our play and not waiting on anyone.

Tee boxes were in excellent shape. Only the par 3s showed some damage. They have several different tee boxes on each hole, and you can tell they are rotated frequently. No crowning issues, and always a nice place to put a peg in the ground.

The fairways were for the most part in really nice shape. Only a couple rare spots were the grass was getting thin, and generally in high traffic areas. None of these spots were ever in play, so I cannot complain. The rough was quite thin, not surprising during the summer as it takes a lot of water to keep it up. Also I bet they keep it down to keep the pace of play low. Which is always a good thing in my opinion, as I am known to have a few stray tee shots.

The green complexes in general were excellent. The rough, shaved collars, and chipping areas near the greens were very clean and a great challenge. Several times I putted from off the green they were in such great shape. The greens were running very quick, and in general were in excellent shape with only a few rare un-repaired marks. The greens dried out as the day went, and often an approach shot would roll right on through. Greenside bunkers were in excellent shape, and had plenty of sand to execute a tough shot up to the green.

Overall our foursome had an excellent experience here at TPC. This course is very challenging, and some local knowledge is a must. I enjoyed the layout, and the variation in hole styles. As noted in prior reviews there are LOTS of forced carries on this course, some are green side, and others are off the tee. The customer service was excellent all around, saw the beverage cart several times, and the snack shop between the 9s was also open. This may become one of my favorite Vegas courses, and I will definitely be returning on my next visit.

Played Lexington on Thursday July 31, 2014. We were a foursome, and tee'd off during the mid morning. The temps were going to be very hot so getting out early would have been better. The pace of play was not so great at 4.5 hours, this included skipping a hole. We were behind a foursome that appeared to have 3 beginners. So we skipped them to avoid a 5 hour plus round. I had played the Concord course a year or so ago, and greatly enjoyed it. Therefore we thought we should give Lexington a try.

The tee boxes were in excellent shape. They are dead level, and I did not notice hardly any crowning. Their was a bit of damage on the par 3's just like every other course.

The fairways were generally in very good condition, especially for being in the middle of Summer now, with very high temps. I did notice a fair amount of burned out patches, and some of them were in play during our round. The rough is virtually non-existent, thus your ball will run through a fairway, and into the desert areas if you are not accurate off the tee.

I found the bunkers on the course to be very frustrating. They did not appear to be waste areas, but they contained tons of rocks/gravel. In addition I found the level of sand to be quite thin, making traditional bunker shots nearly impossible.

The greens were in fairly good shape, I did notice a bunch of un-repaired ball marks on each hole. I suspect there was a lot of morning play, and people were not doing their part to repair after their approach shots. Some of the greens had inconsistent speed, and several were also quite bumpy.

Overall the course is very enjoyable, and has a fun layout. Obviously this course is nearly identical to the Concord course. If you have played one, you have played both. I really enjoy the elevated tee boxes, and the surrounding views.

Only had one customer service gripe, we saw the course marshall on about hole 7, we inquired into our pace to make sure we were keeping up, as we had not seen another group for a while. We also politely inquired into whether or not he could radio the beverage cart, as we were looking for adult refreshments. The marshall seemed to be very put off by our request, and seemed to take it as a personal affront as if our request was beneath him. Having played my fair share of resort courses, I have found that this is a simple request, and marshals or any other customer service member is usually happy to help out, on this particular day though that did not seem to be the case. Maybe he was having a bad day because of the 105 degree heat. Hopefully this was an isolated incident, as the rest of our interactions throughout the day were excellent.

Played Indian Canyons South on 7/24/14. Thursday morning, and lucky to join the first group out. The temp was supposed to be 115 that day, so getting out early was great. Pace of Play was fantastic, our threesome finished in just under 3 hours.

The tee boxes were in decent shape, with the markers having been moved to an acceptable place on almost every hole. The par 3's were particularly rough though with lots of divot damage. Overal they were fine, and rather level which is the most important in my mind.

The fairways were probably one of the nicer parts of the course, they were in excellent shape, very little divot damage, and not much browning or bare spots. This can be an issue obviously during the high heat of summer. The general rough of the course was really hit or miss. There were several areas around the greens, and in the approach that were very thin, and bare. I found my ball in these areas several times throughout the round. It made chipping up to the green very difficult.

I found the sand in the bunkers to be in fairly poor shape. The bunkers are littered with small stones and gravel. I am not sure if this is on purpose of not, but having some stones just behind your ball makes you think twice about your shot. Unfortunately I saw many bunkers this day, so it was not an isolated incident on one hole, all the bunkers had the gravel in them.

I noted on GK that the greens had been punched a few weeks ago at the beginning of July. They still have not yet recovered. The greens are VERY bumpy with the ball skipping and jumping on its way towards the hole. The speed was also inconsistent from hole to hole. Some down hill putts still end up stopping short. Very few un-repaired ball marks so that is good.

Overall it was an enjoyable FAST round, but being the first group out helps with that of course. I am not sure of the usual PoP here. I note that several of the prior reviews state that this is a "classic" or "old school" Palm Springs course. Well if that is the case, then I prefer the "new-school". I found the layout rather average, and the none of the holes were particularly memorable. It really feels like any other average PS course, very flat with average greens. I probably won't play again, but thats just my 2 cents.

Played Thursday May 8, 2014. Pace of play was excellent at under 4 hours. We tee'd off early though at 6:54. I noted that when we completed there was a back up on the first tee, so others likely did not play in under 4. The customer service here is excellent, as this course is part of the PGA West family. This was my second time playing the course, as I had played it last year in May. I had enjoyed my experience so much that I needed another go round.

The tee boxes were mostly good. Some were a bit scuffed up, especially on the par 3's. Some were a touch un level as well. The majority were in great shape. As most of the courses in the region there are a lot of different tee boxes on each hole, so they do get rotated frequently.

The fairways were green with some brown starting to bleed in. You could see the differences on some of the holes vs. others. There were also several patches where they were doing repairs. Overall the cut, and color were very good.

The rough on the course was virtually non-existent. It was barely cut higher than the fairways, this likely speeds up the pace of play, as this is a very popular resort course in the area.

The bunkers are in excellent shape with nice fluffy soft sand. Pete Dye gives a good challenge with the numerous bunkers all around the green complexes, but usually gives an out on one side of the green.

I thought the greens were in excellent shape, and had a great "green" color. They ran very quick at likely 10+ which is what the starter told us at the start. I thought they got quicker as the round proceeded and they continued to dry. They were quick hard, and it was rare to have a ball mark that needed repair. A couple of greens had some brown patches, but they were always away from the hole placement.

Overall I really enjoy this course, and the back 9 is probably the most scenic in the whole Palm Springs area. 14-17, are the most fun in my opinion. I really enjoy this course, and will continue to play it on my trips out to Palm Springs. Pete Dye gives a good chance to score on most holes, and if you make a mistake you are not penalized too severely. Very enjoyable round.

Played on Wednesday May 7, 2014. I have heard that the service at PGA West is excellent, and my experience was no different. They provide a top notch experience from start to finish. Pace of play was excellent at about 3:45. We tee'd off early at 6:45, and did not see the group in front of us after the second hole.

The driving range was excellent, with the raised areas near the flags that mark yardage. One gripe I had was the lack of a practice putting green? Near the driving range they had a very small putting "space" that only had two holes cut that were filled with sand. On the opposite side of the range was a practice chipping area with a couple flags. I don't know if I missed the putting area, but thought it should have been easier to find if there is one.

The tee boxes on this course were in superb shape. Nothing to note, even on the par 3's they were in great shape, and you could tell they are rotated frequently. They were always dead level, and it was a joy hitting from a great tee box into the rough.

The fairways were rolled carpet! Some of the best I have played in Palm Springs, or likely anywhere for that matter. I noticed a few patches on about 2 holes were they were doing repairs, but the vast majority were flawless.

The bunkers on this course are TOUGH. They are frequently deep, and the sand gives no quarter. Very soft, and ideal for splash outs if you have the requisite skill. I frequently found myself in fair way bunkers that did not leave me a shot at the green, but merely a way to get out to the fairway.

The greens were not really "green" but brownish green. They ran very, very, quick. I would guess 11+. A tap from 3 feet could run 4 feet past. I found them difficult to read, as Jack likes to make you work on the greens to earn a par or bogey, or double. The greens were very hard, and a well struck shot would not leave a mark, it would bounce and roll right on through and off the back edge. The condition was excellent, but made for tough scoring.

Overall an extremely enjoyable experience. This was my first time at the course, and it is probably too tough for my level of play. I tee'd off from the tee range where I usually play, and might have scored slightly better by moving up, but overall this was an extremely tough course. It gives the pros a test during Q school, and definitely tested my average skills. I would like to play again having become a little familiar with it, but this is definitely a real test of golf skills.

Played on Monday May 5. Tee'd off at 715, pace of play just over four hours. The pace was due to our own play as opposed to anyone holding us up. The service was excellent at the counter, and saw the cart girl several times through the round.

Tee boxes were level on 90 % of the holes. Several of them were crowned a bit, and had some unfilled divots. Overall very good.

The fairways were in excellent condition, I noticed some spots that were getting brown, but they were never in play, and more in the side areas. The rough was cut down pretty low, and was not a big deal to play out of. This is likely done to help the pace of play on this resort course.

I found several bunkers, both fairway, and green side. The sand was very fluffy and soft, and made for nice splash outs, sometimes on the second swing :( , But the course is not to blame for that!

I thought the greens were in good shape, they were very hard. A well struck shot from 150 would not leave more than a slight dimple on the green. No ball marks needed to be repaired. They ran fairly quick, especially after they dried out during the round.

Overall this is a very enjoyable course, and gives a lot of options in the way you want to play. The green complexes are really tough on some of the holes if you do not hit the green from your second shot. This was my second time around the course, and I enjoyed it more than the first with a little local knowledge.

Played this course on Sat Feb 16, this was my first visit to this Vegas course and I had a great time. I have played other Troon managed courses, and they have been excellent without exception, that was part of the reason I came to this course. I was not disappointed, and my two playing partners also had a great time. The customer service was excellent, we saw the cart girl at least 4 times, and the starter was especially great. He gave us several tips on how best to play, and got us out a few minutes early.

The tee boxes were mostly in really good condition, with just a few exceptions on the par 3's. I noticed that they have at least 4 different boxes on each hole so they can be rotated frequently. So our boxes were in good shape for the days play.

The fairways were in good condition for being in the middle of winter. I did notice some thin dry patches, but our groups shots were never really affected. There were plenty of divots in the fairways, but they were filled and repaired to an adequate level. I liked the contrasting yellow color of the rough which is obviously dormant. The rough was cut down and not to penalizing for a stray drive. This definitely helped my groups game as we are known to miss a fairway or two.

The greens were quite challenging, they were extremely firm and shots that are too strong would roll right through into a waiting back bunker. They ran rather quick as well. The undulations made for some challenging putts if your approach was not on the correct third of the green. As noted in other reviews the bunkers are really played as waste areas, so you can ground your club and take practice swings. I found the bunkers to be very thin, and very compact, making a traditional green side "sand" bunker shot very difficult. This type of bunker is not good or bad, just not my personal preference.

Overall the course was extremely enjoyable. I absolutely love the elevation changes, and elevated tee boxes. The course also presented a good challenge, especially on the holes that went back up the mountain sides. These holes were brutal to any wayward shots, and I loved the challenge! I wanted to put another note about customer service, around the 8-9th hole we started to back up a little bit, so the course sent out a starter to let us and another group know that we could move to the other course and play that front 9 if we wanted too. I thought that this was a classy move, as it put the option in our lap. We decided to stay on Concord, and I am glad we did. I will definitely return on future visits to Vegas.

Played this course for the first time on Fri Feb 15. We chose this course because it appeared to be a decent layout and the pictures looked good here on GK.org.

The tee boxes were in very good shape, we did not notice any real issues and the divot damage was limited to the par 3's.

The fairways were fairly firm, but in good condition, I did not find myself with any suspect patches or terrible lies. The rough was nearly non-existent, it was the same color as the fairways, but was cut just above the fairway length. So escape was easy, but if you had a wayward tee shot the lack of rough did not stop your ball from rolling into the surrounding desert.

The greens were rock hard, perfectly high pitched approach shots hardly made a small dent. So fixing pitch marks was not an issue. Some of the greens ran really fast, and others were just regular fast.

Overall the course conditions were decent, but the layout was not my favorite. It felt like a number of simple desert layout courses that you see in Palm Springs. None of the holes were particularly memorable. I always have a good time golfing so I can't really complain. The price is cheaper than most in the Vegas area, and the customer service was very good.

Played Hanson on Friday Sep 29. Started just after 1:15, was in the car at 5:00. Pace was obviously good. In general this course is looking really good, especially considering the amount of high heat days we have experienced in the valley. This course is in way better shape than any of the other LA City Muni's currently. I have played Wilson/Harding, Encino/Woodley all recently, and this course is in much better shape.

The tee boxes were in good shape, they are being rotated frequently, and did not experience any unevenness, or over use.

The fairways were in great shape, noticed some divots from general play, but overall the fairways were very green with just a few rare brown patches. The cut of the fairways is excellent, and I never once found my ball on a poor patch of grass unlike Harding.

The rough is also fairly lush, but not to penal. Also it is getting plenty of water, and is very green. The 2 bunkers that I was in had excellent soft sand. It was not the compact stuff that I have been seeing lately. Although I did not visit a fairway bunker which are usually the culprits for hard packed sand.

The greens were running fairly quick, as they always do at Hanson Dam. The condition was pretty good, they had some thin patches and some unrepaired marks, but that is normal. Overall the condition was very good, and not too hairy.

I see that the course is going to be punched in about 2 weeks. So if you like playing this course go get it now, the condition is not going to get any better than it is right now. I definitely enjoyed the round.

Hansen Dam Golf Course Review
Los Angeles California Golf Course Reviews