Cathedral Canyon is much improved this season over previous years. The new management does of good job of keeping the c... » More

Cathedral Canyon is much improved this season over previous years. The new management does of good job of keeping the course in good shape. They have abandoned the Arroyo 9 which leaves just the Lake 9 and Mountain 9. Arroyo was the weakest 9 so I think it was a good idea to focus on maintaining 18 holes.

This is a tough course....It only plays 6600 yards from the tips but you must be accurate off the tee or you will have a difficult time saving par. LOTS of water, forced carries, narrow landing areas on some holes, mature trees that come into play on many holes, and thicker rough than most of the resort courses in the area make Cathedral Canyon a challenge.

The greens are medium/fast and are in good shape but there are some unrepaired divot marks. The quality of the sand is not as good as some of the other Palm Springs area tracks but it isn't bad...many of the bunkers were wet, however.

If you don't mind a moderately challenging course this is one of the better deals in the Coachella Valley with prime time rates under $60....that is a good deal for this time of the year.
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I don't know how they did it but they have the course back down to a 3 or less. I was just there 3 weeks agp and it was ... » More

I don't know how they did it but they have the course back down to a 3 or less. I was just there 3 weeks agp and it was nice and green. I go back yesterday 3/12 and the place is a disaster. How does a course go from green to brown and hard pan (fairways) with the rain we had. I hate to see what the conditions would be like this summer. I know I won't be finding out. To many other courses 3 times as good or better in the area.
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I’ve been looking forward to playing Maderas Golf Club for a long time and yesterday was well worth it. I have not exper... » More

I’ve been looking forward to playing Maderas Golf Club for a long time and yesterday was well worth it. I have not experienced many Johnny Miller layouts but if this course is what they typically are, I want to play more. The layout at Maderas is fair, yet challenging and above all beautiful. Big severely undulating greens, many challenging perfect positioned sand traps, elevation changes, doglegs in both directions, water hazards (ponds, lakes, creeks), majestic oak trees, exceptional use of the natural terrain – one of the most entertaining and thought provoking layouts I’ve played…an INSTANT top 10 favorite courses for me.

Today the course was in great shape and no doubt, within a couple months will become immaculate as temps warm up. The course did NOT overseed for the first time this winter and as a result, the bermunda fairways are in the process of waking up from dormancy yet thick/matted creating compete coverage and excellent lies/roll. (not overseeding removes the transition period and allows the current bermunda grass to be stronger since it does not have to complete with rye – transition periods can take up to 3 months in San Diego – I thought this was a very smart move by them). The greens were smooth (with the exception of some unrepaired ball marks for previous groups – which we fixed off course), around a 10 on the stimp, held shots well and true. The rough was dormant but coming back (this will be a much tougher course in the summer if they let that bermunda rough get up). The tee boxes were is great shape, level and lush.

The facilities at Maderas are top-notch high class with a spectacular clubhouse that provides beautiful views for the course and scenic surroundings. Speaking of surroundings, one can not help but notice the stunning multi-million mansions up on the hill tops surrounding the course. Regarding the service, it’s a Troon property…exceptional as expected.

I recommend playing this course now and even more so in a couple months. Love it.
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Played Thursday, March 11. I was pleasantly surprised at how much the conditions have improved from three years ago when... » More

Played Thursday, March 11. I was pleasantly surprised at how much the conditions have improved from three years ago when I last played the course. The greens are in great condition. The greens are the challenge of the course. Several greens have quite a bit of undulation. The fairways were in good shape, vastly improved from the last time I played the course. The tee boxes and rough are also in good condition. The bunkers have plenty of sand in them but the faces have too much. A ball can easily plug in the face of the bunkers. Now that the conditions have improved so much I will play the course more often. The staff was pleasant. The club house and grill are nice.
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This course has a wonderful, tough but fair layout. A par on 3 of the 4 par 5's being a good score shows just how great... » More

This course has a wonderful, tough but fair layout. A par on 3 of the 4 par 5's being a good score shows just how great these holes are. The key to playing well is to judge the slope both from the tee/fairway and on the greens. Uphill holes are more uphill than you think and vica versa. Uphill putts are much slower than it seems and downhill putts can easily get away from you. 2 putting from 25 feet or more is a job well done. The course is not immaculate but in great shape especially the tees and bunkers. I was amazed at how many ball marks I had to repair on the greens even at this high end facility. Please think of others that will play the course after you by fixing, raking, filling in, and keeping up with the group ahead of you!!
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Greens and fairways are begining to harden up a bit. Rough has been cut down. It is still lush and plentiful. I got a lo... » More

Greens and fairways are begining to harden up a bit. Rough has been cut down. It is still lush and plentiful. I got a lot more run on the fairways than usual. #2 and #15 greens were pretty hard. They seem to be more exposed to the wind than the other greens. Awesome day great course and fantastic service.
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