Where To Play
Archive for January 2009
Bob Hope - Desert Golf Classics
This week the PGA Tour stops in the Palm Springs area… La Quinta, to
be precise. Perfect golf conditions are leading to record scores… 20
under in 2 days? Sheesh. But, I’ll take perfect golf conditions any
day… 75 degrees, no wind, perfect greens… sign me up. However, this
year for some reason, 3 out of the 4 courses used are private… only
Silverrock is a public course. (I haven’t played it, but some friends
highly recommend it.) Where do you play down in the desert?
First stop: Desert Willow, in Palm Desert. One community over from La Quinta, Palm Desert contains several high-end resorts, like the Marriott Desert Springs. There are 2 ok courses there, designed by Ted Robinson, but I would suggest going right across the street to Desert Willow. There are 36 holes here, and strangely for the area, not connected to a resort. It’s actually owned by the city, which makes it a municipal course, but you’d never notice it as such by the level of service, and the the level of golf. The Firecliff course is probably my choice, but both are fun to play, and the main thing you’ll notice is the beauty of the courses. Desert golf can be a bit stark sometimes, but here it’s like playing in a desert garden of some kind. All of the cactus is flowering, and colors abound in the waste areas, giving a gorgeous backdrop to the perfect green fairways and greens. This is one of the better deals in Palm Springs, with fees usually around $150, and twilight for under $100. That’s not exactly cheap, but for average costs down there this is way more golf for your buck.
Right up Monterey ave from Desert Willow is Shadow Ridge, a very nice course designed by Nick Faldo. It’s not the usual desert design you see in the area, there’s a lot more grass, and a few less forced carries… if you watch these courses on TV and aren’t sure about constantly having to hit shots over desert areas, Shadow Ridge might be for you. Not to say it’s a pushover, it has plenty of length, and tons of very challenging bunkers. It’s supposed to be inspired by Australian courses… I’ve never played down under, but apparently they like their sand traps bigger, taller, and more numerous. It’s also a good value at around $100-$125 per round, and less if you stay at the resort there, which I highly recommend… very nice timeshare resort, and if you take their tour you can get vouchers for some free rounds! Another benefit there is one of the nicest practice areas you’ll see anywhere.
A bit outside of town, towards Indio, is The Golf Club at Terra Lago, which used to be called Landmark Golf CLub, host of the Skins Game a few years ago. It has 2 courses on site, both classic desert designs, with quite a bit of water in play, and bighorn sheep roaming around on some of the higher elevation holes. They also have a timeshare being built there, so check for the same deals for free golf!
There are too many options in the Palm Springs rotation to mention, but a good way to save some cash on tee times is to call a tee-time service… probably Stand-By Golf (standbygolf.com). They scoop up unused tee times from almost all the courses in the valley, including all of the ones I’ve mentioned, and if you don’t really care where you play the next day, you can grab off-peak times for at least 50% off. I played Terra Lago 1st time out - by myself, for $65, and I got put with a threesome at Desert Willow for under $50. If you have a group of 4 guys, this might not work, but for 2somes and singles, I would give it a shot. Either way, you’ll be warm and playing golf, and I’ll be freezing in Spokane writing blogs at least 2 people find almost interesting.
First stop: Desert Willow, in Palm Desert. One community over from La Quinta, Palm Desert contains several high-end resorts, like the Marriott Desert Springs. There are 2 ok courses there, designed by Ted Robinson, but I would suggest going right across the street to Desert Willow. There are 36 holes here, and strangely for the area, not connected to a resort. It’s actually owned by the city, which makes it a municipal course, but you’d never notice it as such by the level of service, and the the level of golf. The Firecliff course is probably my choice, but both are fun to play, and the main thing you’ll notice is the beauty of the courses. Desert golf can be a bit stark sometimes, but here it’s like playing in a desert garden of some kind. All of the cactus is flowering, and colors abound in the waste areas, giving a gorgeous backdrop to the perfect green fairways and greens. This is one of the better deals in Palm Springs, with fees usually around $150, and twilight for under $100. That’s not exactly cheap, but for average costs down there this is way more golf for your buck.
Right up Monterey ave from Desert Willow is Shadow Ridge, a very nice course designed by Nick Faldo. It’s not the usual desert design you see in the area, there’s a lot more grass, and a few less forced carries… if you watch these courses on TV and aren’t sure about constantly having to hit shots over desert areas, Shadow Ridge might be for you. Not to say it’s a pushover, it has plenty of length, and tons of very challenging bunkers. It’s supposed to be inspired by Australian courses… I’ve never played down under, but apparently they like their sand traps bigger, taller, and more numerous. It’s also a good value at around $100-$125 per round, and less if you stay at the resort there, which I highly recommend… very nice timeshare resort, and if you take their tour you can get vouchers for some free rounds! Another benefit there is one of the nicest practice areas you’ll see anywhere.
A bit outside of town, towards Indio, is The Golf Club at Terra Lago, which used to be called Landmark Golf CLub, host of the Skins Game a few years ago. It has 2 courses on site, both classic desert designs, with quite a bit of water in play, and bighorn sheep roaming around on some of the higher elevation holes. They also have a timeshare being built there, so check for the same deals for free golf!
There are too many options in the Palm Springs rotation to mention, but a good way to save some cash on tee times is to call a tee-time service… probably Stand-By Golf (standbygolf.com). They scoop up unused tee times from almost all the courses in the valley, including all of the ones I’ve mentioned, and if you don’t really care where you play the next day, you can grab off-peak times for at least 50% off. I played Terra Lago 1st time out - by myself, for $65, and I got put with a threesome at Desert Willow for under $50. If you have a group of 4 guys, this might not work, but for 2somes and singles, I would give it a shot. Either way, you’ll be warm and playing golf, and I’ll be freezing in Spokane writing blogs at least 2 people find almost interesting.
New NW Courses get top rankings
It seems like just yesterday when the national media largely ignored
the Northwest as far as premier golf courses are concerned. If it
wasn’t somewhere in California, a western course was unknown. The
creation of Bandon Dunes in Oregon brought much attention to this part
of the country golfwise, and the latest new course rankings seem to
continue the trend of recognizing great NW golf.
Golf Digest and Golf magazine both gave Best New Course honors to Chambers Bay in Tacoma, and the praise keeps coming. Home to the 2015 US Open, Chambers Bay is a testament to having golf as a vision… turning an unsightly quarry on Puget Sound into a top golf course takes vision like few have these days. Having played it this summer, all I can tell you is get there before 2015, so you can still get a tee time, and bring extra balls. This is not your typical public course, and certainly not a resort layout that pampers you while stroking your golf ego. Chambers Bay is more of a golf mugging. It’s big, tough, rough around the edges… and you have to walk. Period. Bring good shoes and a good knockdown shot into the wind, but you won’t be bored.
Top new private honors went to Gozzer Ranch on lake Coeur D’ Alene, and with some heavy competition, this is a huge honor. With competition from Black rock across the lake, and the venerable CDA resort course in view, how does Gozzer Ranch compete? With Tom Fazio doing some of his best recent work, on an incredible piece of property. Add to that incredible amenities, like “comfort stations” that are quaint log cabins filled with anything your heart desires (espresso, homemade elk jerky), and top-notch service top to bottom, this place has it all. Mostly though, it has a golf course that may possibly be the best in the Inland northwest… time will tell if Gozzer or the Engh course at Black Rock will hold that honor.
Honorable mention went to another new NW layout, the Home course in Dupont, Wa. Where?? Dupont is just south of Tacoma, so you could hit Chambers Bay and the Home course back to back. It is also a reclamation site, built on an old dupont manufacturing site, the only reminder are the sticks of dynamite that mark the tee boxes. Is the course a blast? I haven’t played it yet, but I’ll report back later.
With new golf options close to home and on the coast, it’s looking like 2009 might be the time to take a Northwest golf tour. Although… the courses in Seattle are wet, but open. Maybe I’ll start the tour early.
Golf Digest and Golf magazine both gave Best New Course honors to Chambers Bay in Tacoma, and the praise keeps coming. Home to the 2015 US Open, Chambers Bay is a testament to having golf as a vision… turning an unsightly quarry on Puget Sound into a top golf course takes vision like few have these days. Having played it this summer, all I can tell you is get there before 2015, so you can still get a tee time, and bring extra balls. This is not your typical public course, and certainly not a resort layout that pampers you while stroking your golf ego. Chambers Bay is more of a golf mugging. It’s big, tough, rough around the edges… and you have to walk. Period. Bring good shoes and a good knockdown shot into the wind, but you won’t be bored.
Top new private honors went to Gozzer Ranch on lake Coeur D’ Alene, and with some heavy competition, this is a huge honor. With competition from Black rock across the lake, and the venerable CDA resort course in view, how does Gozzer Ranch compete? With Tom Fazio doing some of his best recent work, on an incredible piece of property. Add to that incredible amenities, like “comfort stations” that are quaint log cabins filled with anything your heart desires (espresso, homemade elk jerky), and top-notch service top to bottom, this place has it all. Mostly though, it has a golf course that may possibly be the best in the Inland northwest… time will tell if Gozzer or the Engh course at Black Rock will hold that honor.
Honorable mention went to another new NW layout, the Home course in Dupont, Wa. Where?? Dupont is just south of Tacoma, so you could hit Chambers Bay and the Home course back to back. It is also a reclamation site, built on an old dupont manufacturing site, the only reminder are the sticks of dynamite that mark the tee boxes. Is the course a blast? I haven’t played it yet, but I’ll report back later.
With new golf options close to home and on the coast, it’s looking like 2009 might be the time to take a Northwest golf tour. Although… the courses in Seattle are wet, but open. Maybe I’ll start the tour early.
