Palm Springs Teaser continued for 2024 Golf Vacations

[ZipinZ]

4 hours ago, Warrick said:

Just booked last 2, Dunes Monday, Silver Rock Wednesday. We have all 6 times booked, stoked

You got a number of great courses booked .... have fun.

 

D.

 

[ZipinZ]

Went on a RECCE this afternoon, stopped at Escena my home track, the GM told me that the Escena Club Members rates went down a couple of bucks and the general public rates went up slightly.  No major changes or upgrades, they're still removing scrub bushes along some of the fairways to make it easier to find balls and more condos have been built. They also got new range balls. The fellas out front said the course was closed for reseeding all of October and is in really-really nice shape, it wasn't very busy. I get 1 free round under my membership, plan to booked a t-time next week.

 

Went to the PGA Superstore to see if the new Ping G430's were in, was told sometime in January. For a Sunday the place was empty, no smoken hot deals, didn't buy anything. Went down HWY 111 to Pete Carlson's Golf/Tennis, lots of inventory, but no-body shopping. Looking forward to going to there DEMO days event in February, all the major golf suppliers will be there with all the latest clubs for me to try out on the COD driving range. 

 

Picked up the Golf Discount Book and Golf Expo Info, for those who play Desert Willow the January Discount Promo Code is only 10% off in the past it was 20%, blame it on inflation or the economy.

 

Cheers

 

D.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 9, 2023 by ZipinZ

[jongalt55]

On 1/3/2023 at 4:28 PM, pmang said:

I’m still interested in a current report of the north and south courses at Terra Lago.

bump this.  We used to enjoy playing there, then one year (3-4 years ago?) they ran out of carts, course was in dog-track condition, and we were 3 hours in after nine and walked off.  Haven't been back.  Is it being run better now, or still much of the same?

[ZipinZ]

On 1/10/2023 at 6:21 PM, jongalt55 said:

bump this.  We used to enjoy playing there, then one year (3-4 years ago?) they ran out of carts, course was in dog-track condition, and we were 3 hours in after nine and walked off.  Haven't been back.  Is it being run better now, or still much of the same?

 

Tera Lago - Sorry, don't have any intel to share, will ask around and advise.

 

I checked the Google Reviews, the most recent were bad, the others are very-very old.

 

Link .... https://www.google.com/search?q=terra+lago+golf+reviews&hl=en&source=hp&ei=Ihu-Y4y2B7jCkPIPv8GQyAM&iflsig=AK50M_UAAAAAY74pMlMNZDLg7D8Hxm4d71lIndij9Evn&oq=tera+lago+golf&gs_lcp=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&sclient=gws-wiz#lrd=0x80daf711bf819a4f:0xcee20532f5084975,1,,,,

 

A few Notables ....

 

5 Days Ago -  South course is awful. Better off playing cheap golf now course for half the price and will probably be in better condition. Went to Palm Springs on holiday used to play college golf and wanted to try a new course. North and South could not be more different. Beware south course is not good if you know golf.

 

6 Days Ago - Great day on a great golf course. Sand Traps need to be improved for a 5 star review.

 

1 Week Ago - It’s a skeleton of a very nice golf course. Played the north course and the layout was impressive and challenging. However the greens and fairways were very inconsistently kept. Especially on the front nine beyond the fairways was just plain unsightly.  Fun course but overpriced and not well kept.

 

Nov - This was a terrible round of golf. We got an early morning tee time and they were running the sprinklers on a bunch of the holes we played. If you need more time for maintenance, why do you sell such early tee times? Because you only care about revenue and not your customer’s experience? The greens and bunkers were also completely inconsistent. Just a badly run course.

 

Dec 3 - green fee $109. Played the south course. The course ground was in very bad condition. The fairways and tee boxes are full of bald or grassless patches. Many holes’ surrounding area are like construction sites with metal fencing. The course condition does not deserve a $109 fee.

Edited December 26, 2023 by ZipinZ

[tips09]

This seems like the main page for Palm Springs golf. Heading down with the wife at start of April and I am wondering on thoughts for the tentative lineup. PGA West Dye Mountain and then I am trying to pick 2 from:

Silverrock

Desert Willows Firecliff

Classic Club

Indian Wells Celebrity

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Its our first time down to Palm Springs so any food rec's would be awesome as well. We are staying just down the road from PGA West if that helps at all. Thanks!

[ZipinZ]

11 hours ago, tips09 said:

This seems like the main page for Palm Springs golf. Heading down with the wife at start of April and I am wondering on thoughts for the tentative lineup. PGA West Dye Mountain and then I am trying to pick 2 from:

Silverrock

Desert Willows Firecliff

Classic Club

Indian Wells Celebrity

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Its our first time down to Palm Springs so any food rec's would be awesome as well. We are staying just down the road from PGA West if that helps at all. Thanks!

 

Desert Willow - Firecliff & Classic Club are two of my favorites if you pick these you won't be disappointed, unless the wind is howling. Silver Rock was great but the recent changes messed up a number of the holes. I haven't had the opportunity to play Indian Wells/Celebrity, however, heard a lot of good things about the course. Wind in April is always an issue, you may wish to consider Indian Canyons "South" not the North, it's up against the mtns and not that bad if it's windy, while Classic Club can be unplayable. There are a number of excellent restaurants in Old Town La-Quinta you won't have a problem dining out.

 

Check out some of the other golf options in the attached list there's lots of pic's.

 

Enjoy your golf vacation.

 

D.

 

 

Created a “Index of Course Pic’s/Reviews or Things-to-do in P.S.” to make it easier for those who haven’t played some of the more popular tracks in the Palm Springs area or wish to take a day off to do something different.  When they upgraded the forum, we lost the actual post numbers, to find the applicable post with pics go to the page number and scroll down accordingly.

 

1.) Escena Golf Club - Page 1 near bottom.   

2.) Westin Gary Player, Mission Hills North, 70705 Ramon Rd - Page 2 near top.

3.) Desert Willow – Firecliff – Page 2 near top.

4.) Terra Lago – North – Page 2 near bottom.

5.) Classic Club – Page 3 near top & Page 17 bottom.

6.) Indian Canyons - South – Page 3 in middle.

7.) Silver Rock Resort – Page 3 middle.

8.) Rams Hill Golf Club, Borrego Springs – Page 4 near top & more info past middle page 4.

9.) Eagle Falls – Page 4 near top.

10.) Pete Carlson Golf Expo & Demo Days late Feb every year - Page 4 near middle & Page 9 middle.

11.)  P.S. Air Museum – Page 5 near top.

12.) San Diego road trip & Torrey Pines, La Jolla - Page 5 in middle.

13.) Joshua Park Road Trip – Page 7 near top.

14.) PGA West – Stadium – Page 7 near top & Page 17 near bottom.

15.) McCormick’s Classic Car Auction – Late Feb every year – Page 10 top & Page 17 near middle.

16.) PGA West – Nicklaus – Page 11 near top.

17.) Westin Mission Hills, Pete Dye, 71777 Dinah Shore Dr, Rancho Mirage,  Page 15 past middle.

18.) Volunteering at AMEX PGA Tournament La Quinta – Page 16 near top.

19.) Coachella Valley Firebirds & new Acrisure Arena – Page 16 in middle.

20.) Salton Sea Road Trip up to Salvation Mtn & Slab City – Page 17 at top.

21.) Tahquitz – Resort Course – Page 17 near middle.

22.) Dinah Shore - Tournament Course, Mission Hills Rancho Mirage – Page 18 near top.

 

 

[ZipinZ]

Jan 11th .... Monday they closed the range for maintenance, Tuesday was a rain day, Indian Canyon Dr., Gene Autry Trail, and Vista Chino were closed due to wash outs and will remain closed through Wednesday night.

 

Today the sun was out, 67F with no wind, finally got to the range after lunch, price went up cost $10.00 for large bucket. I need more work, lost some S/S since my last round back in mid-Oct. Focused mainly on my tempo, trying to maintain 3.1-3.2, found I was too quick, need to slow things down.

 

D.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Socrates]

Rain days are a big deal in the Valley.  Amounts that I wouldn't give a second thought to around here can produce some wild events in PS area.  Unfortunately, PS doesn't seem to be in the cards again this year.  Maybe I can convince the wife to let me out for a week in February.  I sure do miss playing in the Valley.  Don't feel too sorry for me.  We are headed to Huatulco, Mex. today for 2 weeks.  Hopefully the airlines don't send my golf clubs to Dubai and I just have to lay on the beach for 12 days.

[tips09]

11 hours ago, ZipinZ said:

 

Desert Willow - Firecliff & Classic Club are two of my favorites if you pick these you won't be disappointed, unless the wind is howling. Silver Rock was great but the recent changes messed up a number of the holes. I haven't had the opportunity to play Indian Wells/Celebrity, however, heard a lot of good things about the course. Wind in April is always an issue, you may wish to consider Indian Canyons "South" not the North, it's up against the mtns and not that bad if it's windy, while Classic Club can be unplayable. There are a number of excellent restaurants in Old Town La-Quinta you won't have a problem dining out.

 

Check out some of the other golf options in the attached list there's lots of pic's.

 

Enjoy your golf vacation.

 

D.

 

 

Created a “Index of Course Pic’s/Reviews or Things-to-do in P.S.” to make it easier for those who haven’t played some of the more popular tracks in the Palm Springs area or wish to take a day off to do something different.  When they upgraded the forum, we lost the actual post numbers, to find the applicable post with pics go to the page number and scroll down accordingly.

 

1.) Escena Golf Club - Page 1 near bottom.   

2.) Westin Gary Player, Mission Hills North, 70705 Ramon Rd - Page 2 near top.

3.) Desert Willow – Firecliff – Page 2 near top.

4.) Terra Lago – North – Page 2 near bottom.

5.) Classic Club – Page 3 near top & Page 17 bottom.

6.) Indian Canyons - South – Page 3 in middle.

7.) Silver Rock Resort – Page 3 middle.

8.) Rams Hill Golf Club, Borrego Springs – Page 4 near top & more info past middle page 4.

9.) Eagle Falls – Page 4 near top.

10.) Pete Carlson Golf Expo & Demo Days late Feb every year - Page 4 near middle & Page 9 middle.

11.)  P.S. Air Museum – Page 5 near top.

12.) San Diego road trip & Torrey Pines, La Jolla - Page 5 in middle.

13.) Joshua Park Road Trip – Page 7 near top.

14.) PGA West – Stadium – Page 7 near top & Page 17 near bottom.

15.) McCormick’s Classic Car Auction – Late Feb every year – Page 10 top & Page 17 near middle.

16.) PGA West – Nicklaus – Page 11 near top.

17.) Westin Mission Hills, Pete Dye, 71777 Dinah Shore Dr, Rancho Mirage,  Page 15 past middle.

18.) Volunteering at AMEX PGA Tournament La Quinta – Page 16 near top.

19.) Coachella Valley Firebirds & new Acrisure Arena – Page 16 in middle.

20.) Salton Sea Road Trip up to Salvation Mtn & Slab City – Page 17 at top.

21.) Tahquitz – Resort Course – Page 17 near middle.

22.) Dinah Shore - Tournament Course, Mission Hills Rancho Mirage – Page 18 near top.

 

 

Thanks a ton for the reply. From the information I've gathered I thought I had a good list of options so I am glad to see that has been confirmed. When it comes to the wind are we talking blowing 15-20 mph or closer to 40? I really enjoy playing in 10-15 mph winds but when it gets to the mid 30's I know the wife wont be too happy. Is it more windy in the morning or afternoon in Palm Springs? Thanks for the help.

[ZipinZ]

1 hour ago, tips09 said:

Thanks a ton for the reply. From the information I've gathered I thought I had a good list of options so I am glad to see that has been confirmed. When it comes to the wind are we talking blowing 15-20 mph or closer to 40? I really enjoy playing in 10-15 mph winds but when it gets to the mid 30's I know the wife wont be too happy. Is it more windy in the morning or afternoon in Palm Springs? Thanks for the help.

 

Save this Bookmark, it's invaluable.  The blowing dust can take the paint off your car, it can be brutal.

 

https://wind.willyweather.com/ca/riverside-county/palm-springs.html

 

As for wind, it sure can blow a storm in and last a day or two. Cut and paste from last year, these turned out to be hot tub days.

 

 

 

 

 

Gene Audrey & Indian Canyons were closed today. KESQ NEWS took this pic in the afternoon,that's the new arena under construction next to Classic Club, blowing dust is brutal.

 

 

 

[ZipinZ]

A few pic's of the rain we got on Tuesday, it was less than 1/2", the road washouts should all be cleared up today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's Vista Chino had to take Ramon to get to Escena.

 

 

 

[Socrates]

1 hour ago, tips09 said:

Thanks a ton for the reply. From the information I've gathered I thought I had a good list of options so I am glad to see that has been confirmed. When it comes to the wind are we talking blowing 15-20 mph or closer to 40? I really enjoy playing in 10-15 mph winds but when it gets to the mid 30's I know the wife wont be too happy. Is it more windy in the morning or afternoon in Palm Springs? Thanks for the help.

I always preferred to play in the morning when the winds are lighter.  Afternoons can be a crapshoot.  Most of the courses in the 'inner' parts of Palm Springs aren't too affected by the wind, but if you play somewhere that is exposed (Classic Club) you can be in for a rough ride.

 

Pay heed to the wind warning and if driving take notice of any dust devils you see.  I got caught be one going to Cabazon on, taking the old 111 route, and it almost blew me off the road.  I can see why they suggest making sure you have windshield damage if you rent a vehicle.  

 

 

[vernon]

I remember the four incher that I think was four years ago.  Wiped out the last two days of our trip.

 

Exceeded the average annual rainfall in less than twenty four hours.

 

Epic!

[ZipinZ]

20 hours ago, vernon said:

I remember the four incher that I think was four years ago.  Wiped out the last two days of our trip.

 

Exceeded the average annual rainfall in less than twenty four hours.

 

Epic!

 

Feb 14th, 2019, I was here when we got the 4" rain in 48 hours. A number of courses suffered major damage, I took these pic's of Cimarron which is next to were we stay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It took the construction crew almost 1 year to rebuild Cimarron's 9 holes that were destroyed.

 

 

 

[JLew]

On 1/10/2023 at 7:21 PM, jongalt55 said:

bump this.  We used to enjoy playing there, then one year (3-4 years ago?) they ran out of carts, course was in dog-track condition, and we were 3 hours in after nine and walked off.  Haven't been back.  Is it being run better now, or still much of the same?

Can report that last year in January it was still in bad shape.

We had 36 holes set up for our annual trip out there, never had played it before.  I think our first tee time was North.  The course was in horrendous shape.  Fairways were bare in many spots and greens were shaggy and bumpy with the occasional bare patch.

One of our carts died on the 6th tee.  Between not answering the phone or answering and then hanging up on us 3-4x, the two riders of that cart ended up walking the rest of the front nine.  And when I say hang up, I mean that they knew exactly what was going on but wouldn't transfer us to the shop and instead hung up.  

Turned in our one remaining cart after 9, told them where they could find the other one and left without even playing the back 9 of North or going to South at all.  I think we went and played Big Rock because that was the only other place we could get on with short notice.

Top 3 worst experience I've ever had on a golf course.

[daegyu]

On 1/11/2023 at 10:08 AM, tips09 said:

This seems like the main page for Palm Springs golf. Heading down with the wife at start of April and I am wondering on thoughts for the tentative lineup. PGA West Dye Mountain and then I am trying to pick 2 from:

Silverrock

Desert Willows Firecliff

Classic Club

Indian Wells Celebrity

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Its our first time down to Palm Springs so any food rec's would be awesome as well. We are staying just down the road from PGA West if that helps at all. Thanks!

 

Classic Club is my favorite. Firecliff probably second. Silverrock and Celebrity were perfectly fine but if I only had time for one or two rounds they wouldn't make the cut. Mountain has a ton of bland holes but there are a few on the back nine that are really cool. 

[DColton]

On 1/11/2023 at 1:08 PM, tips09 said:

This seems like the main page for Palm Springs golf. Heading down with the wife at start of April and I am wondering on thoughts for the tentative lineup. PGA West Dye Mountain and then I am trying to pick 2 from:

Silverrock

Desert Willows Firecliff

Classic Club

Indian Wells Celebrity

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Its our first time down to Palm Springs so any food rec's would be awesome as well. We are staying just down the road from PGA West if that helps at all. Thanks!

 

Desert Willows is my home track down south. I personally like Firecliff over Mountain View, but they're both great and I can't say enough good things about them.

[JLew]

We're heading out there next week.  Settled on:

Escena
36 @ PGA West Mountain & Dunes
Ram's Hill
36 @ Indian Wells
Classic Club

We've played all of those before except Escena and Ram's Hill.  Really looking forward to Ram's Hill.

[ZipinZ]

8 hours ago, JLew said:

We're heading out there next week.  Settled on:

Escena
36 @ PGA West Mountain & Dunes
Ram's Hill
36 @ Indian Wells
Classic Club

We've played all of those before except Escena and Ram's Hill.  Really looking forward to Ram's Hill.

 

Those are a number of good choices, it should be a memorable trip.

 

When I played Rams Hill, I found whoever did the pin placements that morning must of been pizzed off big time, a number of them were is the worst spots you could imagine, which made it tough & not all that fun when you make four 3 putt's. Hope he doesn't work there anymore, it's a great track in the middle of no where.  If I recall the course is about 900 ft above sea level, I found ball distance is a bit further than Palm Springs area which is in the order of 200 ft.

 

As well, we didn't see a Bevy Cart all day, they give you 2 bottles of water & have water/ice on various holes. No food or bevies at the turn, it’s on #14, that was disappointing, so plan accordingly.

 

I would suggest to check Google Maps the day before you depart, drive down Hwy 86 and go past the Salton Sea Way to Hwy 78 to Borrego Springs, it's 13 miles further down Hwy 86, before turning west on Hwy 78, but the road is much better.

 

Go to page 4 of this thread, just past the middle for more info with lots of pic's of Rams Hill.

 

Enjoy

 

D.

Edited January 16, 2023 by ZipinZ

[JLew]

40 minutes ago, ZipinZ said:

 

Those are a number of good choices, it should be a memorable trip.

 

When I played Rams Hill, I found whoever did the pin placements that morning must of been pizzed off big time, a number of them were is the worst spots you could imagine, which made it tough & not all that fun when you make four 3 putt's. Hope he doesn't work there anymore, it's a great track in the middle of no where.  If I recall the course is about 900 ft above sea level, I found ball distance is a bit further than Palm Springs area which is in the order of 200 ft.

 

As well, we didn't see a Bevy Cart all day, they give you 2 bottles of water & have water/ice on various holes. No food or bevies at the turn, it’s on #14, that was disappointing, so plan accordingly.

 

I would suggest to check Google Maps the day before you depart, drive down Hwy 86 and go past the Salton Sea Way to Hwy 78 to Borrego Springs, it's 13 miles further down Hwy 86, before turning west on Hwy 78, but the road is much better.

 

Go to page 4 of this thread, just past the middle for more info with lots of pic's of Rams Hill.

 

Enjoy

 

D.

Awesome, thanks for the info!

We like tough greens but hoping they aren't just silly spots.

Should be a fun trip.  We do it every year and try to rotate courses every year and add a new one or two.

[ZipinZ]

Jan 19th .... first volunteer day at the AMEX tourney at PGA West in La Quinta as the Putting Green Capt. We were not permitted to take any pic's of the players, waited until they were all out on the course. There were some low scores, Davis Thompson leader at -10 (62), it would of been fun to walk with his group. A few pic's of nothing special.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top 10 today ....

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by ZipinZ

[ZipinZ]

Jan 20th .... showed up early for my shift and walked over to Alcatraz the 17 hole on Stadium it was playing about 168 yds from the tips. Took a few pic's before any of the players arrived. My favorite place to watch the tourney.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ZipinZ]

My second day working at the AMEX tourney on the Stadium course, was out at the Putting Green & then working outside the entrance of the Scoring Trailer making sure only the Pro's & Amateurs have access. It was a unique experience watching the Pro's come in & go straight into the trailer to record their scores with their assigned walking score keepers. Very few said much, Jason Day spent a bit of time with the media that were in a booth next door set up for TV interviews. It was interesting to watch including a few players who signed autographs & handed out golf balls to the young kids.

 

I work both Sat & Sunday from 7:30 to noon on the Stadium Range & Putting Green. Going to be a early early morning drive down the I10.

 

 

 

 

 

Today's Top 5

 

Link .... https://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 21, 2023 by ZipinZ

[vernon]

On 1/20/2023 at 12:15 AM, ZipinZ said:

Jan 19th .... first volunteer day at the AMEX tourney at PGA West in La Quinta as the Putting Green Capt. We were not permitted to take any pic's of the players, waited until they were all out on the course. There were some low scores, Davis Thompson leader at -10 (62), it would of been fun to walk with his group. A few pic's of nothing special.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top 10 today ....

 

 

 

 

 

Looks like you've lost some weight!  Wish I could say that.......

[ZipinZ]

Jan 21st .... showed up at Vol HQ at 7:00 am, got to the Practice Area, was assigned the Stadium Putting Green exit to Hole #1.  Got to see all the marquee players as they headed off to the first T. The largest crowd followed Jon Rahm & Rickie Fowler. My shift ended at 11:00 am, got to watch Rahm birdie 9 & 10, then I ended up munching on my box lunch on #17 Alcatraz and waited for Rahm to come around on back. Same T & pin location as yesterday, it was playing 168 yds from the tips. Took a few pic's of Rahm's & Fowler's balls on green before they showed up, Rahm was closer to the pin, however, they both missed their birdie putts.

 

Pic's will give you an idea of crowd size, tomorrow there will be many more spectators as all remaining players will be on the Stadium track, cut was -10. 

 

The leaders are tied at -23, hope Davis Thompson plays well tomorrow, however, I think Rahm will take the win .... going to be fun to watch.

 

Paul ... I slimmed down as a result of a cut back on my beer & wine consumption, to much of a good thing was starting to give me migraine headaches.

 

Volunteering has a few other benefits, today I received my 50% discount certificate on a round at the Stadium track, expiry date is 2024. I'm back at the Practice Area tomorrow from 7:00 to 11:00, then spend the remainder of the day following the leaders.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What an experience for such a young guy, tied with Jon Rahm going into the final round .

 

Edited January 22, 2023 by ZipinZ

[ZipinZ]

Final round, light wind & sunny all day, some good pairings in the last few groups.

 

Edited January 22, 2023 by ZipinZ

[Bonneville85308]

I just spent a few days playing in the Palm Springs area and here's my report:

 

Mission Hills North-Gary Player Course: I enjoyed this layout. Good conditions all around, but at this price I'd like to see some of the rough along the fairways overseeded . Pace was 3:55 for an early AM round. $128 including range balls. This will be on my list to play again.

 

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Westin Rancho Mirage Pete Dye Course: I am generally not a fan of Pete Dye courses in general, so I had a chip on my shoulder going in. This course did nothing to improve that opinion. Conditions similar to Gary Player, maybe very slightly better fairway overseeding, dormant rough was maybe a little higher/less matted down due to the mounds not getting much cart traffic. Finished in 3:50 with an early AM tee time. $144 including range balls which was a bit pricy even if I liked Pete Dye's work. The distance from the parking lot to the cart staging area and pro shop was an odd detail but they did have a shuttle cart to take you the quarter mile or so. This course is a once and done for me. Nice looking resort though.

 

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Desert Dunes: Good bones, an interesting RTJ Jr. layout that is different than most other courses in the area, has a bit of everything out there. Fairways had uneven growth/random tufts here and there, kinda patchy with a few different grasses. Greens also seemed to have several different types of grass fighting each other and were bumpy, none of us were making any putts. The bunkers that probably get the most play (greenside) were good but some of the fairway bunkers were lakes. I think #11 green had major bare areas. You get what you pay for, this is one of the cheaper courses in the area, but a fair value for $59. Glacial pace, waited on every shot, two groups on every tee box, 5 hours. The starter (who might have been a teenager) had the first tee under control and was helpful but the rest of the staff here were indifferent and seemed a bit behind what was happening.  Also had to wait for carts as they ran out.  I'd play it again but would get an early AM tee time next time. I had heard horror stories about how windy this course gets, but fortunately I caught it on a rare calm day.

 

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Indian Canyons South Course: Came away from this one extremely pleased. Perfect conditions, wall-to-wall overseed, course played somewhat firm, not a blade of grass out of place it seemed. The layout has a bunch of similar not very memorable holes, but a few interesting ones, and nothing really junky. Staff was great and helpful in moving up my tee time as I arrived a bit early. $150 included range balls was a fair value given how good the conditions were. Clubhouse has a great patio overlooking the course, next time I'll get lunch before or after the round. 4:00 pace with an early afternoon tee time, only waited once, they use 10 minute tee time intervals which I think really helps. When the sun goes down behind the mountain, this course gets dark and cold QUICK in the evening. Just seems like a very well-run facility. Will definitely come here again.

 

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Palm Desert Resort CC: I was expecting a scruffy geezer course but was pleasantly surprised by the conditions here, excellent all around with a good attention to detail. Had a 20 minute frost delay for my early AM tee time, so they shotgunned the first few groups off the first few holes. The lead group played slow as molasses for the front nine but eventually got it together and we finished in about 4:15. #18 is a goofy hole that is the weak part of this course in my opinion, the forced water carry on the second shot is probably impossible for a significant percentage of their clientele unless they know the hole and put their tee shot in the perfect position. The group behind us were senior regulars who had been playing the ~5,900 yard green tees that I was, but I could see they moved up to the forward tees on #18 which changes it from a par 4 to a par 3 and avoids the water carry. Otherwise this layout reminds me of one of the Sun City West courses in AZ, which is a good thing. Fair value for $95 including range balls. Would play it again.

 

 

I stayed at the Best Western Plus at I-10 & Bob Hope Dr, 2 year old hotel that was pretty nice inside but really loud from the highway traffic being right next to it, $169/night. Breakfast not served until 6:30am weekdays/7:00am weekends so not good for someone like me who prefers early AM tee times. Will try somewhere else next time. Most of the resorts are too spendy for me in winter traveling solo.

 

Final note, I was a single and had awesome random pairings at all 5 courses...golf is even more of a pleasure when you get matched up with fun, friendly, civil people who know their way around a course regardless of ability.

Edited January 23, 2023 by Bonneville85308

[jpdx]

14 hours ago, ZipinZ said:

Final round, light wind & sunny all day, some good pairings in the last few groups.

 

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What a great finish  a treat for you to be there!

[ZipinZ]

15 hours ago, Bonneville85308 said:

I just spent a few days playing in the Palm Springs area and here's my report:

 

Final note, I was a single and had awesome random pairings at all 5 courses...golf is even more of a pleasure when you get matched up with fun, friendly, civil people who know their way around a course regardless of ability.

 

Tks for taking the time to provide some excellent feedback on the courses as well as your accommodations. That will be helpful for others following this thread.

 

I played Mission Hills North & share your thoughts, I enjoyed that track. I played Desert Dunes about 8 years ago, early morning round and would never go back or even recommend it.  It was in very poor condition and very windy that day. My playing buddy from Canada stepped into a sprinkler hole covered with tall grass near the green on back 9 and almost broke his ankle, that ended his round and the course wouldn't do anything for him for a refund, even after he suggested he would be contacting a lawyer. Indian Canyons "South" not "North" is also one of my favorites and recommend it highly especially is wind is in the forecast, it's almost non existent there. I played Palm Desert Resort about 4 years ago when some friends from Canada came to visit, they normally have a number of discounted rounds on Golf Now. It was a fun course, but very slow play, every one from the community owns a cart and the course is busy all day, have never gone back. Pleased to read you got paired up with good people, in 8 years of spending 3 plus months in the desert, I only had 1 bad experience on Escena with a fella who drove me around that had no patience with big attitude and was more interested in alcohol than golf.

 

That said, I've met some great people including WRXers & try to get together with them every year. Hope my buddy Vernon (Paul) from Kansas City and Jarederco (Jared) from Texas, can make it back this year. If you plan to return perhaps we can get out together at Escena, my short stay membership includes discounted rounds for guests. 

 

Cheers

 

David

 

 

[ZipinZ]

Was exhausted last night & experiencing cold systems this morning.  Arrived at the Stadium course at 6:45 am on Sunday for my last volunteer shift in the Practice Area putting green.  Turned out to be a BTY day, very light to no wind, 65F, ideal conditions.

 

Cut was -10, there were 69 players which included 6 amateurs. Had to ask the first 2-3 Pro's & their caddies not to enter the putting green due to frost, we were waiting for the Greens Super to give the OK. Sun burned it off in 6-10 minutes, no issues the guys understood. My shift was over at 11:15 am went over to #18 in the grand stands, stayed for about 1.5 hrs, beer sure is expensive at these events. Then headed back to the Volunteer HQ's for happy hour, they feed you & give you a bunch of free drink tickets. After that, off to #17 to watch Rahm/Thompson/Poston come in, wow, they had a large group of spectators following. It was noisy when Thompson's putt hit the stick & didn't drop. Went over to the 18th T, watched them hit but decided, it was time to head home, feet needed some hot tub time.

 

A few pic's from yesterday enjoy ....

 

David

 

 

 

Stadium ..... Volunteer HQ on the 10 green at the crack of light.

 

 

 

#18 nice and calm.

 

 

 

It was 36F .... #10 fairway frost covered, no one allowed out there.

 

 

 

 

#10 fairway on Stadium was white.

 

 

 

 

#18 from grand stands at 1:30 pm, not 1 birdie during the time I watched.

 

 

Alcatraz #17 just before Jon Rohm's group arrived.

 

 

 

That's Rohm's ball, my Samsung phone camera sucks, the other pic's were blurry.

 

 

 

 

 

This is what it was all about .... they wouldn't allow me to touch it.

 

 

 

 

Winners pay out & prize money .... purse of $8 million.

 

Link .... https://sports.betmgm.com/en/blog/pga/the-american-express-winners-payout-prize-money-earnings-bm10/

 

 

 

Last 10 players got .....

 

 

 

For Volunteering I got this certificate of appreciation with a 50% discount, I plan to take advantage of it when the time changes to ensure I finish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plan to Volunteer again next year, perhaps something different maybe put my name in for a Shot-Link position and work what ever location I get assigned to at Stadium.

 

COMPETITION SUPPORT- LOCATION BASED OPERATORS (FORMERLY SHOTLINK)
- Responsibilities: Members of this committee assist with Shotlink scoring system that is stationed on the fairway and green of each hole.
- Be able to operate Shotlink devices. This device is used to record information about the
players’ shots and disseminates real-time scoring and statistical data.

- Must be available to work 4 full days (Thursday – Sunday) at Stadium Course at PGA WEST
only.

 

 

 

Edited January 23, 2023 by ZipinZ