Palm Desert / La Quinta...WHERE TO PLAY

Got 16 of us going out there on June 12-14. If you could pick one course to play what would it be...Having a mini tourney with friends and for the one time we play sober out there we want to play a really great course. Need Suggestions.

Just came back from PS.

We played Escena in the howling wind. Desert Falls in the rain. Desert willow firecliff and then Mission Hills Dinah Shore.

For this trip Escena was my favorite. Wide and lush. Firecliff was great but after a few holes they all looked the same. Bunkers lining the edges of fairways and it was tight for me. Was not having a great driving day... But loved the challenge.
Dinah was depressing. Was in the worst shape I've seen in years. Drought is really affecting this course and I know when it gets hot they let the course go...

I think you'll find a lot reviews here. I like silverrock, la quinta mountain and indian wells. Haven't played Classic but hear great things. Check out greenskeeper.org for recent reviews. June can be very hot so play early and hydrate well! We really need rain in Cali.

Go to the travel forum. Your head will spin with great reviews and threads.

Skill range of the group? If a group of better players, I'd vote Classic from the blacks...that will certainly separate the pack and determine a clear winner...hahah.

Classic club, shadow ridge, desert willows fire cliff in that order.

So i should skip pga west? Ive played classic before and that was fun. Just trying to see if any other courses were in good shape right now. Is desert falls in good shape??

[quote name='onewest84' timestamp='1432101098' post='11591768']
So i should skip pga west? Ive played classic before and that was fun. Just trying to see if any other courses were in good shape right now. Is desert falls in good shape??
[/quote]

I played Palmer and Nicklaus private a couple weeks ago and Palmer was definitely superior in terms of conditions, while Nicklaus was noticably more dried out...and I can only assume it hasn't gotten significantly better with the water restrictions...not sure on the tournament or stadium courses though...

Played Indian Wells Resort last weekend and that was in good shape. I'll be going back this weekend to play in the Troon Challenge qualifier there.

It's been a couple weeks since I've been to Classic, but they are doing a pretty decent job keeping that place in good shape. I'm partial to that course though as it's what I'd consider my "home course" in the area.

I really like La Quinta Resort both courses. I just booked and payed $71 to play dunes and am going to replay the mountain course for $50 same day. Silver rock Resort just sent me a $110 for twosome with free same day replay, I like that course a lot.

Here are my favorites:[list=1]
[*]Indian Wells (both Celebrity and Players): awesome courses, great facility
[*]Eagle Falls: at the Fantasy Springs casino in Indio. Best greens I have ever putted on
[*]Silver Rock: back nine gets a bit tough, but really cool course up against the mountain
[*]PGA West: I like the Stadium course, but it is really tough. This year we played the Nicklaus Course and I think I might like it better than Stadium. Norman was ok too, but definitely below the first two in my opinion.
[*]Desert Willow Firecliff. I heard the greens are not great this year so we bumped it from the rotation, but it is good too.
[*]Classic Club. Check the wind forecast though, because if it is blowing this place is basically unplayable.
[/list]

Hope this helps.

I like PGA west Nicklaus tournament over Stadium or Norman.

Desert Falls was in a pretty good shape. It's more of an old Country club feel. It was a fun track but it doesn't off spectacular views/setup like Firecliff, indian wells or la quinta mountain.

I played in Palm Springs in February. I rank the courses I played in this order: 1) Dessert Willow Fire Cliff, the greens are fine, the layout is excellent, and the staff was great. 2) PGA West Nicklaus, challenging and excellent conditions. My only knock is every hole is surrounded by cookie cutter houses. 3) Indian Wells Celebrity. Great conditions and staff. It's a fairly easy resort course. 4) Escena. It's nice and pretty easy. But not in the same league as the others. For $50 it's great, but I would rather play the others. My first trip to Palm Springs, I will definitely go back.

Personally, I think the best test of golf among those is probably Shadow Ridge. Not as difficult as the PGA Stadium Course but requires use of every club in your bag and thinking your way through the course.

[quote name='SpeedyH' timestamp='1432072206' post='11588890']
Just came back from PS.

We played Escena in the howling wind. Desert Falls in the rain. Desert willow firecliff and then Mission Hills Dinah Shore.

For this trip Escena was my favorite. Wide and lush. Firecliff was great but after a few holes they all looked the same. Bunkers lining the edges of fairways and it was tight for me. Was not having a great driving day... But loved the challenge.
[b]Dinah was depressing. Was in the worst shape I've seen in years. Drought is really affecting this course and I know when it gets hot they let the course go... [/b]

I think you'll find a lot reviews here. I like silverrock, la quinta mountain and indian wells. Haven't played Classic but hear great things. Check out greenskeeper.org for recent reviews. June can be very hot so play early and hydrate well! We really need rain in Cali.
[/quote]

Wow, was out there in February and the Dinah Shore course was one of the best conditioned courses I have played in awhile. The fairways were immaculate and the greens were perfect. Does them letting the course go when it gets hot happen every year? Just wondering because we were kicking around going back out there next year but waiting until the first of May.