Played here in the most recent GK event and have to agree with all the current reviews on the conditions. As for the greens, I would prefer a faster green, but was somewhat pleased with the condition.... Continue »

Played here in the most recent GK event and have to agree with all the current reviews on the conditions. As for the greens, I would prefer a faster green, but was somewhat pleased with the condition. I was in the last group and could not find many unrepaired ball marks. Great job GK!

The entire staff at Desert Willow were very pleasant and helpful.

I played in the GK outing yesterday and I agree with many of the reviews that the course was generally in nice condition. The greens were a bit of a disappointment due to the slower speed and the rece... Continue »

I played in the GK outing yesterday and I agree with many of the reviews that the course was generally in nice condition. The greens were a bit of a disappointment due to the slower speed and the recent small-tine aeration. The bunkers were also a disappointment. Regardless of any upcoming work on the bunkers, I think the course should be doing regular raking to keep them in a more playable condition. Did they charge us less green fees? Anyway, I found the teeing ground, fairways, and rough to be in very good condition. Great company with Wendy, Kevin, and Dean. Big thanks to Johnny for all his efforts to get us the many prizes and another fine outing at a very nice golf course.

Played in the GK Saturday outing at Desert Willow, my buddies and I had a great time. I agree with all the earlier reviews. I just want to say "Thank You Johnny" for organizing these events. Keep up ... Continue »

Played in the GK Saturday outing at Desert Willow, my buddies and I had a great time. I agree with all the earlier reviews. I just want to say "Thank You Johnny" for organizing these events. Keep up the good work!

Had a nice time at the Desert Willow GK Event on Saturday in the company of Steve, Al, and Steve. Weather was very pleasant with some early round humidity in the air but once the anticipated storm fr... Continue »

Had a nice time at the Desert Willow GK Event on Saturday in the company of Steve, Al, and Steve. Weather was very pleasant with some early round humidity in the air but once the anticipated storm front began to roll in, things cooled off a bit and the overcast skies I was hoping for blanketed the course. As far as course conditions go, it was a mixed bag: fairways and rough were immaculate...as good as one could hope for...but I did encounter a few tee boxes in need of leveling. Sadly, still not fully recovered from the last round of aeration...whenever that was...the putting surfaces clearly didn't attain the standard set by the fairways. The greens were okay, despite a couple of them not looking all that great (such as #1), but very sluggish speed-wise. In fact, our group was amazed at how "sticky" some of the downhill putts were on various holes, particularly the slope leading down to the cup on the Par-3 14th. However, despite their lack of speed, the greens did roll fairly true and without any discernible bumpiness. Simply put, the sand traps were a disaster. Hard-packed with practically a non-existent "soft" upper layer, I was disheartened that the round came with a "disclaimer" that a bunker renovation project is scheduled to take place next month which, for all intents and purposes, made it an "enter at your own risk" proposition. In looking at the overall picture, I was extremely disappointed with the total package presented by the Firecliff Course. It's a great layout with plenty of variety, challenge, and desert beauty, yet I was measurably let down by the current state of the greens and bunkers, especially after being led to believe we were in store for something really special, based on this March 8 quote from the 'Downsize or Reschedule Desert Willow Thread'... "OH BTW - the course is in fantastic shape, the best its been in 10+ years according to Desert Willow's tournament director (who is a friend so I know he is telling the truth)." (Johnny GK) This certainly isn't on Johnny...we all know how hard he works to secure the best sites for these events...but rather the tournament director who made that statement. Have things changed that drastically over the past four weeks or had conditions in recent years deteriorated to the extent that what I encountered on Saturday is the best they've been able to offer in the last decade? I understand the need for on-course maintenance can oftentimes infringe on the playability and quality of a golf course but had I known things were not as "fantastic" as advertised, I most likely would not have made that last second decision to participate.

Most fun day yet at Desert Willow - enjoyed the outing with Mattias, Allan and Keith so much. Despite a rough day off the tee it was such a pleasure to play this course.

Much has already been said... Continue »

Most fun day yet at Desert Willow - enjoyed the outing with Mattias, Allan and Keith so much. Despite a rough day off the tee it was such a pleasure to play this course.

Much has already been said about conditions, so a short review ahead.

Fairways, rough and tee boxes were all excellent. So much fun hitting balls off great lies, regardless the slope. You adjust as necessary and rip it. The rough was cut so that balls sat up in it just right - so much fun.

Bunkers were hardpan as warned ahead of time, and greens were showing signs of recent punching but still rolled pretty true despite lack of speed. It wasn't too hard after 3-4 holes to get the speed down and make some good putts.

Customer service always excellent at Desert Willow and the layout this time around spoke to me more than ever before - there are no gimme holes here with the possible exception of 15. The rest? Must work hard for good scores.

Wish we could have stayed for the after festivities but it's a long drive back to LA. Thanks Johnny for setting up this fun day ... will definitely return anytime to DW.

This was my first time playing here. I had a lot of fun with Kevin, Kevin and Dean. What a beautiful course. As everyone else has said, conditions were very nice. The fairways, tee boxes and rough we... Continue »

This was my first time playing here. I had a lot of fun with Kevin, Kevin and Dean. What a beautiful course. As everyone else has said, conditions were very nice. The fairways, tee boxes and rough were near perfect. The greens were somewhat slow due to recent punching, but still rolled smoothly. Prior to playing, when looking at the course online, admittedly I was somewhat intimidated by how many bunkers there appeared to be…yep there really was that many and I found my way into a lot of them. Although they were quite firm, I did ok getting out with the help of my new wedge (thank you Johnny!) All of the staff I encountered were very friendly and helpful. I would love to play here again.

Another wonderful GK event at firecliff. This is the first time playing here and I was impressed. From the moment you arrive the staff is there to help with your bags and check in procedures. The prac... Continue »

Another wonderful GK event at firecliff. This is the first time playing here and I was impressed. From the moment you arrive the staff is there to help with your bags and check in procedures. The practice area was great a small shipping green as a nice driving range.

Tee Boxes- The boxes were very lush and few divot marks plenty of space between the markers so you can choose your angle nicely

Fairways- almost perfect fairways very lush and evenly cut. you can have issue with a lie because of the contours of the holes. Having a flat lie was 50/50 but hey this is golf nothing is easy

Greens- They were punched a week or two ago and are recovering nicely but still a bit bumpy with a medium/slow speed.

Bunkers- Probably;y the worst thing on the course was the sand. A few others mentioned that they are being redone so that would make sense why they were in bad shape. I did not know that before going out and i sure found a lot of bunkers.

Overall I loved the course its nice to play a course with no houses just you and nature. Thanks Johnny for once again picking a fantastic course

Played in my first GK outing.. It was a lot of fun. Their practice facility was awesome.. nice chipping area, big putting green. Their range was pretty big with complementary balls. POP was good..... Continue »

Played in my first GK outing.. It was a lot of fun. Their practice facility was awesome.. nice chipping area, big putting green. Their range was pretty big with complementary balls. POP was good.. yes it was in the slower side BUT it was consistent, so getting in a good groove was never an issue. The course was super nice. It was my first time playing out in palm springs and its probably the best course I've played to date. Fairways were pure.. a lot of undulations on the fairway so getting a flat lie was unusual. Rough.. was rough but it was lush and not bad to hit out of Bunkers.. They did advice us that they were thin because they were going to remodel.. I personally like thin bunkers to me they are easier to get out of.. and thank god because I hit a lot of them lol Greens: This is where I had an issue with...The greens or the size of the holes that have been punched probably about a week and half ago got worse as the day went on.. I managed to have 32 putts which is not bad.. but I can easily shave about 5 strokes with putting along.. They were slow, bumpy and just bad.. BUT! that comes with maintenance and it doesn't mean anything. because when those greens are fully healed I'm sure they are awesome! Overall. The course was fun and challenging.. It was a great time at my first GK outing.. and I definitely can't wait until PGA West.. I had a great time and I want to thank Johnny for putting it together. How did my rating come out to 6.2!??! I give it a 8!!

Played the Blues (6676/71.7/133) in the GK Plays with rob1563, mswhsu & Steve. Thanks to Rob, Woody & Steve for a great round! Pace of play was okay for a Sat afternoon, around 4 1/2 hours in overcast... Continue »

Played the Blues (6676/71.7/133) in the GK Plays with rob1563, mswhsu & Steve. Thanks to Rob, Woody & Steve for a great round! Pace of play was okay for a Sat afternoon, around 4 1/2 hours in overcast conditions. The tees were mostly lush with even the par 3's fairly well maintained for divots. The over seeded fairways were very lush. Firm with a decent amount of roll. The over seeded rough was good to play out of. The ball sat up and playing even longer clubs still a viable option. Very nice to chip out of. The traps were in the process of being redone. Very firm and thin. We were advised of this beforehand, so you knew what to expect. The greens were just okay today. They had been spiked or lightly punched recently and were a little bumpy and medium fast. Few ball marks and firm. These greens would be considered good on most courses, but they were not as good as I have come to expect here. The customer service was very good from all encountered. We stayed for awards and the food in the bar was a mixed bad. Sliders = excellent, nachos = avoid. Firecliff has a beautiful layout, well above average even by the high standards of the Palm Springs area. The drink cart was out making the rounds & complementary range balls are included with your round on a great practice facility. Really solid course, not tight but at least as difficult as the ratings indicate. Numerous lakes that are very much in play to avoid. One of my all-time favorite driving courses. The contrast between the lush green fairways/white sand bunkers and the huge palm trees/mountains provide excellent aim points. Many of these fairways appear tight from the tee vantage point. However, this is much more of a grip it & rip it course than 1st impressions would indicate. I say that even with native/desert scape down both sides of most holes and with penalty shots lurking everywhere. I find most of the fairways are generous in width once you get out over 175 yards from the blues. One of my favorite courses in the Palm Springs area, highly recommend.