I had the pleasure of playing Desert Dunes in the gk guru event. Our group teed off at about 7:40 on a cool, windy morning. I played with Brian, Ron, and Peter ... three of the swellest guys with whom... Continue »

I had the pleasure of playing Desert Dunes in the gk guru event. Our group teed off at about 7:40 on a cool, windy morning. I played with Brian, Ron, and Peter ... three of the swellest guys with whom you'd ever have the pleasure of playing.

The course was in good shape. The tee boxes and fairways were very good. The rough was a little ragged, but I shouldn't have hit it there ... so often. The sand was playable. The greens were pretty good, but who can really tell when the wind is blowing so hard. I liked the layout. Many of the holes had a unique personality which demanded a lot of thought.

This is the kind of course you should play when you think your game is at it's peak. If you can shoot a good score here ... on a windy day ... you ARE playing very well.

Played Desert Dunes for the first time this morning 2/16/21 out at 7:25am with Pedro, Johnny and Gus. Really laid back fun group. Weather was blustery with wind 15-25mph with gusts in the 35 range. No... Continue »

Played Desert Dunes for the first time this morning 2/16/21 out at 7:25am with Pedro, Johnny and Gus. Really laid back fun group. Weather was blustery with wind 15-25mph with gusts in the 35 range. No frills pro shop, they have a huge grass range, nice putting/area next to the first tee. Carts I don't believe had GPS. Friendly pro-shop staff. Man I really loved this layout and place. Dogleg's, straight grip and rip, some tighter holes, enough sand, water features and natural desert areas to keep you honest and in talking with some locals at the cart barn I guess this layout used to host amateur qualifier tournaments. Really loved hole 10 and 11 hitting through a shoot of trees and 9/18 was a trip and had a huge shared green complex. Greens were quick, holding with spin or higher trajectory shots. They were not super smooth and contained some minor bumps but did not roll too bad. Rated 6.5/10 Fairways were mostly green and semi-lush and in above average shape. Rated 7/10 Tees(I played the gold stones) were mostly level, semi lush and in good shape. Rated 7/10. Was in back greenside bunker on 7 that was wet but easy to splash out of. Rating 7/10. Looks like most bunkers were on the muddy/wet side. Rough was thin in places, lush in places and overall would say in the 6/7 shape. I was lucky enough not to lose any balls in the clovers that are just off some fairways(we spent a couple minutes on the first couple holes looking for balls that were submerged in the clovers). Reading past reviews I think some of the ratings are to low. My rating should come out close to a 6.75/7 shape. Also would agree with most reviews I read in relation to the wind. Although I had a good round the wind was pretty strong today and should be considered if you come out here for a round. I would highly recommend the layout here and I thought the conditions were in the 7 range.

Desert Dunes Friday January 30, with a 7:20 tee time and 12:00. It was drizzling when we got there but it stopped after after a half hour we got there but it rained all night there, and still lots o... Continue »

Desert Dunes Friday January 30, with a 7:20 tee time and 12:00. It was drizzling when we got there but it stopped after after a half hour we got there but it rained all night there, and still lots of rain clouds but no wind till the 18th hole. High heavy winds and slushy ice rain came down. It has been a couple of years since I played here last but today, the course was disappointingly in bad shape from tee to green. Disappointing because there were many times I have played here and the conditions were good. The course is playable and it surprisingly drained well for the most part. The greens fairways were not soggy but just not good at all. Very sad for the course. Never the less we went out again after the rain stopped and there would be no rain anymore throughout the day. Local friends say it’s been bought and sold a few times in a short period of time and that may have had something to do with the neglect. Needless to say that we won’t be back for a while on this very good track. I feel sorry for the staff. There’s not many of them and they juggle the tasks around themselves, but still they maintain a professional and helpful attitude towards us. Good night for a while Desert Dunes. I hope you find a good operator soon.

12/3 had a time share reservation in anticipation of the guru outing which was cancelled and was too late to cancel it so somehow managed to luck into a teeoff deal time at 708. Got there about 630 a... Continue »

12/3 had a time share reservation in anticipation of the guru outing which was cancelled and was too late to cancel it so somehow managed to luck into a teeoff deal time at 708. Got there about 630 and was advised if I went immediately I could get out ahead of a couple of groups. Quickly to the tee and negotiated with the 4some there who let me play ahead. Probably saved at least an hour and a half as I finished in 245 and that was with some fiddle time with a few extra putts and searching for an errant shot or two.
Fairways are somewhat spotty with the overseeding not completely filled in but overall had ok lies. Rough was fairly short and more on the thin side on the edges before the sage brush. Generally playable and not too penal. Tees were ok. Bunkers were freshly groomed and the one I found was a little damp but the fine grained sand was nicely compacted and forgiving.
Greens played better than they looked as many appeared thinly covered but rolled pretty smoothly. Greens are large a club or more difference from front to back. Red white and blue flags were randomly assigned as most on the front 9 were red or blue. Speed medium fast and though there did not appear to be that much slope there definitely was some trickeration especially on #11 front flag with a 29 foot putt above the hole with an apparent 6 inch break left to right---no== more like 3 feet and picking up speed to leave a 10 foot comebacker.
Staff very friendly. Had a good time and hoping for a return with the guru crew.

I played here on Thanksgiving morning. My tee time was 7a.m. while it was still a brisk 40 –something degrees out. Check in was fast and friendly as always. I was paired with a twosome of members on ... Continue »

I played here on Thanksgiving morning. My tee time was 7a.m. while it was still a brisk 40 –something degrees out. Check in was fast and friendly as always. I was paired with a twosome of members on their winter stay from Canada. Course conditions were really good with the exception of the bunkers, which were hard, damp or muddy. The tees boxes were just a tiny bit shaggy but large and level. The fairways are green and well cushioned with only a few thin spots. The rough is in really great shape. It’s super lush and varies from about 1-3 inches. The shorter stuff was perfect to hit from as the ball sat up nicely. The longer grass was definitely more of a challenge, often hiding the ball. The greens are always interesting here (and more than a bit frustrating.) There are many subtle breaks that are hard to see. I don’t think I’ve played any other course where I’ve had more lip-outs than here. Every time. The greens are fast and unless the putt is exactly on center, it’s not going in. POP was good at just a bit over 3 hours. I’m glad we finished early as the wind hit suddenly on the 16th hole. It was blowing 12mph when we finished and expected to be stronger later in the day. I had been hoping to do a replay but abandoned that idea. Desert Dunes is my favorite course in the valley. Sometimes I wonder why when I still haven’t been able to score decently here. But then I realize how much of a visual thing it is for me- the course’s mounds and swales, its sparkling lakes, and the beautiful mountains nearby. And it’s completely quiet – well, except for what sounds like hundreds of chickens somewhere near the 2nd green. I’ll be back, hopefully soon while conditions are still good. Recommended.

Some friends of mine were looking for a good deal Sunday morning and I came across an underpar deal that was 2 players for $25 including replay. Even knowing that the course was not in the best shape ... Continue »

Some friends of mine were looking for a good deal Sunday morning and I came across an underpar deal that was 2 players for $25 including replay. Even knowing that the course was not in the best shape it was too good of a deal to pass up at $12.50 a player. Upon arriving to the course it was apparent that they are struggling to keep this course playable. The last few weeks it has been windy and 110­° each day so very hard to keep the grass alive. The tee boxes were decent but many of them had divot damage and not a ton of grass. Fairways depending on where you landed were firm and 50/50 on if you had a good lie. Rough was in ....well rough shape, Lots of bare ground and not a ton of playable grass. The bunkers were very wet with most of them having standing water in them. They were very firm but with a 60° wedge not terrible to get out of as long as you get under it. The greens were the only part of the course that was not in bad shape. They were not perfect but you can tell that they was a lot of attention paid to them. Most were on the firm side and rolled medium speed and smooth but there was a few that had some divot damage. We encountered one green that the pin location had moved side by side for at least 7 previous hole locations next to each other, it was the strangest thing a line of 7 previous cup and had the pin been place there on Sunday it would completely ruin any line from that side of the cups, to me thats bad ground keeping. The highlight of the course was the staff they were very friendly which takes a little of the sting out of playing here but I think even they know the course is doomed.

I would not recommend playing here unless you really really need to play a cheap round of golf. The turf conditions are better at a local park right now.

Played Desert Dunes at 9:30 Sunday 3/29/20, with Vic, and Uncle Jimmy. Clear skies, 65 degrees, & 20 mph West winds! What were we thinking! It was easily a two club side wind and a four club wind if ... Continue »

Played Desert Dunes at 9:30 Sunday 3/29/20, with Vic, and Uncle Jimmy. Clear skies, 65 degrees, & 20 mph West winds! What were we thinking! It was easily a two club side wind and a four club wind if head on. Everything was blooming, mixed bag/clover/cactus & ladybugs.

Tees, in decent shape but noticeably firm due to days worth of sustained winds, some mixed bag, 5 out of 10. Ladybugs.

Fairways, firm side, they were decent but still had 'winter thin' type give and roll out. Some mixed bag and some acne, not expected but I could deal with it, 5 out of 10. Ladybugs.

Rough, the rough here had many flavors of depth and density... like a box of chocolates. Easy to challenging and plenty of mixed bag too. 5 out of 10. Ladybugs.

Traps, about 20% of fairway bunkers were pretty thin and had some standing H2O...I was in one of those and was able to pick it clean. The greenside bunkers were ok, with more acceptable depths of sand and density, 6 out of 10 rating. No ladybugs.

AARG(Areas ARound Greens), within 20 yards, were like the rough...mixed bag and lots of varying length. It was challenging at times to decide which club to chip, flop or pitch with. 6 out of 10. Ladybugs.

Greens, these were firm(scratch that, they were hard), mowed tight, and without a lot of final break( but not unplayable). They were hard enough that we rarely had to repair ball marks, but they were holding a surprising number of approach shots. 5 out of 10. No ladybugs, they didn't loiter on the greens...

The practice range is dirt and weeds, some grass, not mowed much. The practice putting green pretty much matches the course holes. The chipping green is rough, and with ladybugs everywhere. Thank goodness the practice & course greens were void of them.
Saw the beverage cart 3 times, and had hot dogs from their complete outdoor grilling setup between 9 & 10. The clubhouse sheltered them mostly from the wind. Speaking again of wind, it was clearly blowing more while we were on the back 9, easily more than a five club wind when going head on!
Cheers,

Played yesterday 1-11-20 For the most part the tee boxes decent and somewhat level, the fairways are very thin lets the ball run a mile, some of the bunkers (the ones I was in) had a decent among of ... Continue »

Played yesterday 1-11-20 For the most part the tee boxes decent and somewhat level, the fairways are very thin lets the ball run a mile, some of the bunkers (the ones I was in) had a decent among of sand but there were other bunkers with very little sand. The Greens were very hard and solid made it hard to put your divot tool into the greens to fix any mark. Customer Service was quick, easy and friendly. We played 2 rounds. The morning round was a bit cold with No wind at all but the but the 2nd round around 1pm the Wind came in with a fury.

I played today using a GN Hot Deal. It had been several months since I last played what is still one of my favorite area courses. I had a 7:44 am tee time but after pairing with another single, we got... Continue »

I played today using a GN Hot Deal. It had been several months since I last played what is still one of my favorite area courses. I had a 7:44 am tee time but after pairing with another single, we got out about 20 minutes early.

The course is in decent condition. I expected (hoped) it would be better after the recent over-seeding, but it needs a couple more weeks. From a distance it appears to be all green and lush but underfoot, it’s not quite that good. The fairways are thin which did get me some good roll out, but also gave me a few unlucky bounces. The rough was in good shape, well on its way to its usual long, thick, ball-hiding condition. The tee boxes were in need of mowing but were all level. The bunkers were terrible- all mud with good sized ponds in several. My playing partner landed in a couple of them but fortunately was able to fish her ball out with the rake. Sadly, the greens were very disappointing. They were slow, thin and bumpy- kind of like putting on Berber carpet.

As far as the lay out, I just enjoy it so much. It’s very peaceful with no houses and only occasionally a bit of freeway sound. There’s a lot of wildlife around the course. I love the huge playful roadrunners. Other than the big drop offs from the fairways on holes 1 & 3, it’s pretty straightforward and there is water on only 3 holes. It’s the only course on which I can score so badly every time and still look forward to my next round to try to do better.
There was no one in front of or behind us the entire round. POP was great at 3 hrs. I wish I could’ve stayed for a replay. I will try to get back again soon. Recommended.