Golf Course Reviews
Golf Course Reviews: California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Utah, Florida, Hawaii!Played on 09/02
I love this course because I always feel better about my golf game after playing it. It's also my go-to spot on busy days.
The layout is arguably the shortest regulation course you'll ever play, but it still has a lot of charm. The course is fairly narrow, but a lot of the holes have fairly difficult tee shots and approach shots, with a few elevation changes as well. Altogether though, there are some very, very good scoring holes, including some questionably short Par 4's.
Conditions wise, the course is in better shape than what you would expect at a municipal course geared for beginners. The fairways are pretty nice and green, and the rough is decently thick and can be fairly tough to get good contact out of it. The bunkers could use a little bit more sand, but the sand levels are definitely playable. The greens are soft and fairly smooth, rolling at a medium speed, and I had no complaints about them at all.
It always surprises me that the course is so open at almost any time of the day, as I can come and play on weekends and there will hardly be anyone on the course. The price is reasonable, and the enjoyment factor is always pretty high.
I love this course because I always feel better about my golf game after playing it. It's also my go-to spot on busy days.
The layout is arguably the shortest regulation course you'll ever play, but it still has a lot of charm. The course is fairly narrow, but a lot of the holes have fairly difficult tee shots and approach shots, with a few elevation changes as well. Altogether though, there are some very, very good scoring holes, including some questionably short Par 4's.
Conditions wise, the course is in better shape than what you would expect at a municipal course geared for beginners. The fairways are pretty nice and green, and the rough is decently thick and can be fairly tough to get good contact out of it. The bunkers could use a little bit more sand, but the sand levels are definitely playable. The greens are soft and fairly smooth, rolling at a medium speed, and I had no complaints about them at all.
It always surprises me that the course is so open at almost any time of the day, as I can come and play on weekends and there will hardly be anyone on the course. The price is reasonable, and the enjoyment factor is always pretty high.
Played on 08/22
There hasn’t been one time where I’ve come to Palm Desert and not played the courses here. It never really fails to meet my expectations.
For being a resort course, the layout is a perfect blend of fun and challenge. The course is fairly open, but approach shots have to be on target in order to score well here, as every green is really well protected on all sides. There is a lot of undulation in the fairways as well, making for some deceptively tricky stances to hit from. There is a lot of water on this course, which brings a lot of beauty and fun to the layout, but also makes for some difficult course management.
Conditions wise, this course is always kept in great condition, even in the middle of August. The fairways were really green and lush with no bare spots, the rough was not too thick and pretty manageable, and the bunkers were decent, although they could use more sand in them. I could tell the greens had a good amount of time to recover from their aeration, because they were rolling really smoothly and pure the entire time.
It’s always so relaxing to play this course, and it’s definitely not overpriced, as the conditions are pretty fair for the pricing year round. I’d definitely recommend this course to anyone who hasn’t played it yet.
There hasn’t been one time where I’ve come to Palm Desert and not played the courses here. It never really fails to meet my expectations.
For being a resort course, the layout is a perfect blend of fun and challenge. The course is fairly open, but approach shots have to be on target in order to score well here, as every green is really well protected on all sides. There is a lot of undulation in the fairways as well, making for some deceptively tricky stances to hit from. There is a lot of water on this course, which brings a lot of beauty and fun to the layout, but also makes for some difficult course management.
Conditions wise, this course is always kept in great condition, even in the middle of August. The fairways were really green and lush with no bare spots, the rough was not too thick and pretty manageable, and the bunkers were decent, although they could use more sand in them. I could tell the greens had a good amount of time to recover from their aeration, because they were rolling really smoothly and pure the entire time.
It’s always so relaxing to play this course, and it’s definitely not overpriced, as the conditions are pretty fair for the pricing year round. I’d definitely recommend this course to anyone who hasn’t played it yet.
Played on 08/21
This was a last minute reservation, as we happened to see that it was only $40 to play in the afternoon and thought it was a pretty good deal.
It was the first time playing a Greg Norman design, and even though there was no “wow” factor to the course, I still enjoyed the layout. There are a TON of bunkers, which are the main defense on the course, considering how deep most of the bunkers are. Water adds a lot of beauty on a number of holes, especially on a lot of the Par 3’s. Otherwise, the layout is pretty straightforward and tame, and admittedly a tad forgettable.
It was apparent that the course wasn’t in peak condition, which most likely explains the lower price, but the course still was in pretty good condition. The fairways were nice and green, except for a number of holes that patches of dirt and sand. There’s no rough on this course, but the desert area that replaces it is fairly tough to hit out of. The bunkers has good sand all around. The greens were smooth and true, but the only problem was how slow they were rolling. It took some time getting used to such slow greens.
It was a pleasant experience overall, as we were also able to play the entire 18 holes in 2 and a half hours. I’d be curious to come back and play in peak condition.
This was a last minute reservation, as we happened to see that it was only $40 to play in the afternoon and thought it was a pretty good deal.
It was the first time playing a Greg Norman design, and even though there was no “wow” factor to the course, I still enjoyed the layout. There are a TON of bunkers, which are the main defense on the course, considering how deep most of the bunkers are. Water adds a lot of beauty on a number of holes, especially on a lot of the Par 3’s. Otherwise, the layout is pretty straightforward and tame, and admittedly a tad forgettable.
It was apparent that the course wasn’t in peak condition, which most likely explains the lower price, but the course still was in pretty good condition. The fairways were nice and green, except for a number of holes that patches of dirt and sand. There’s no rough on this course, but the desert area that replaces it is fairly tough to hit out of. The bunkers has good sand all around. The greens were smooth and true, but the only problem was how slow they were rolling. It took some time getting used to such slow greens.
It was a pleasant experience overall, as we were also able to play the entire 18 holes in 2 and a half hours. I’d be curious to come back and play in peak condition.
Played on 08/21
I had played this course a few months ago, so I didn’t come in with high expectations, but I was slightly disappointed by the recent change.
The layout is pretty neat, with a number of difficult holes. You have the drive the ball well to play well here. The scenery or views aren’t exactly pretty, but each of the holes have some cool and unique features that make them interesting and challenging.
The conditions appear as if the management doesn’t mind letting it go a little bit, especially if they can put more care into the North course here. The fairways were mostly green, with a few bare spots and a few muddy spots. The rough was pretty good, a little thick but overall manageable. The bunkers could definitely use a little more sand in them. The main problem were the greens, which were dry, really bumpy, and often had big patches of different types of grass protruding on the green, all making for a frustrating experience with putting.
I know they’re more concerned with the North course, but perhaps a little more care put into this course would be nice. It’s still a great layout to play, and with better conditions it would certainly bring in more business.
I had played this course a few months ago, so I didn’t come in with high expectations, but I was slightly disappointed by the recent change.
The layout is pretty neat, with a number of difficult holes. You have the drive the ball well to play well here. The scenery or views aren’t exactly pretty, but each of the holes have some cool and unique features that make them interesting and challenging.
The conditions appear as if the management doesn’t mind letting it go a little bit, especially if they can put more care into the North course here. The fairways were mostly green, with a few bare spots and a few muddy spots. The rough was pretty good, a little thick but overall manageable. The bunkers could definitely use a little more sand in them. The main problem were the greens, which were dry, really bumpy, and often had big patches of different types of grass protruding on the green, all making for a frustrating experience with putting.
I know they’re more concerned with the North course, but perhaps a little more care put into this course would be nice. It’s still a great layout to play, and with better conditions it would certainly bring in more business.
This has been a long time favorite course of mine, so it was nice to come back to this hidden gem and play. Despite the 115 degree temperatures throughout most of the round, the weather was definitely tolerable and actually enjoyable at times.
To put it best, the layout is what makes this course so relaxing to play. It's not a terribly hard or lengthy course, and it's pretty wide open on most holes from tee to green, but there's just enough bite on each hole to keep you on your toes. The water design makes for some pretty views and tough shots. It also helps that in the middle of summer, I can count on pretty much having the entire course to myself.
Conditions wise, it's nothing short of amazing, especially for the time of the year and season for golf. Every single fairway is perfectly lush, the rough is good height but not terribly hard to hit out of, and all the bunkers have great sand levels. Even though the greens were dry and just a tad sandy, I was surprised that they stilled rolled perfectly smooth and pure.
The staff and service is always great, and there's water stations on nearly every three holes. However, the best part is the value for this course in summer, as we only paid $30 per person for conditions that usually price at $100. I consider it a sort of hidden gem, and it's definitely a course that should be on any Palm Desert golf trip rotation.
To put it best, the layout is what makes this course so relaxing to play. It's not a terribly hard or lengthy course, and it's pretty wide open on most holes from tee to green, but there's just enough bite on each hole to keep you on your toes. The water design makes for some pretty views and tough shots. It also helps that in the middle of summer, I can count on pretty much having the entire course to myself.
Conditions wise, it's nothing short of amazing, especially for the time of the year and season for golf. Every single fairway is perfectly lush, the rough is good height but not terribly hard to hit out of, and all the bunkers have great sand levels. Even though the greens were dry and just a tad sandy, I was surprised that they stilled rolled perfectly smooth and pure.
The staff and service is always great, and there's water stations on nearly every three holes. However, the best part is the value for this course in summer, as we only paid $30 per person for conditions that usually price at $100. I consider it a sort of hidden gem, and it's definitely a course that should be on any Palm Desert golf trip rotation.
I had heard a bunch of great things about this course from different sources, so going into the course I had relatively high expectations for the course, and having played the course I can say that those expectations were met.
The layout is very compact, with holes being really close to one another, but it's a very interesting design, taking full advantage of the land that resort had to work with. There are a lot of elevation changes on the course due to the hilly terrain, and the course is also not that long, as I found myself using wedges on a lot of approach shots. The course really amazes with its closing stretch, holes 15-18, where the layout opens up.
Conditions wise, the course matches the price that's being charged. The fairways were lush and green with no bare spots in sight, the rough was really tame and not too difficult to hit out of, the sand levels in the bunkers were great, and the greens, although a little bit on the slower side, were rolling very smoothly.
All in all, it's a really fun, shorter course that's poses just enough challenge for being a resort course. We happened to get the twilight rate, which made this course a steal, but even for regular pricing, it's a course that anyone in the area should definitely play.
The layout is very compact, with holes being really close to one another, but it's a very interesting design, taking full advantage of the land that resort had to work with. There are a lot of elevation changes on the course due to the hilly terrain, and the course is also not that long, as I found myself using wedges on a lot of approach shots. The course really amazes with its closing stretch, holes 15-18, where the layout opens up.
Conditions wise, the course matches the price that's being charged. The fairways were lush and green with no bare spots in sight, the rough was really tame and not too difficult to hit out of, the sand levels in the bunkers were great, and the greens, although a little bit on the slower side, were rolling very smoothly.
All in all, it's a really fun, shorter course that's poses just enough challenge for being a resort course. We happened to get the twilight rate, which made this course a steal, but even for regular pricing, it's a course that anyone in the area should definitely play.
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