Part two of our marathon Sunday in the heat of the desert was our wily foursome of Nick (Nickesquire), Tim (Rudyclub) and Gus (Adigitalg87) going out on the Desert Willow Mountain View 18 thanks to th... Continue »

Part two of our marathon Sunday in the heat of the desert was our wily foursome of Nick (Nickesquire), Tim (Rudyclub) and Gus (Adigitalg87) going out on the Desert Willow Mountain View 18 thanks to the excellent customer service guys allowing us to play it at no cost since they really do appreciate what GK does I believe.

I have played the Firecliff 18 many times in the past few years, but never this Mountain View side of the property, so needless to say I was very excited by the prospect. If Firecliff is the famous Broadway performer drawing in rave reviews and huge crowds, Mountain View is the ever so capable understudy that has all the chops to step in at a moment's notice and get the job done almost as well. Outside of some of the visuals, there's really not too much between the two.

Sure, there was also a bit of contrast in the conditions, but both courses are really fine tests of golf and they're both set in wonderful locations with just the right amount of added touches from modern technology and landscaping. The lakes and natural features on Mountain View, while not quite as stunning or frequent as Firecliff, are ample and done in very good taste. Bottom line - it's a good course that can stand alone if need be.

The greens as Nick mentioned in his review were not the same quality as the Firecliff greens, but they were certainly not to any standard that complaints would need to be lodged. I'm no expert on grass sorts but it seemed as if they were a different grass than Firecliff and this resulted in slower putts and a bumpier surface that sometimes affected a few rolls throughout the day. But the greens did hold shots just fine and we adjusted accordingly as the round progressed.

The fairways were in good shape as well with only hints of browning and drying out mostly on the outer fairways. Most of the lies were just fine all day unless you were hitting to save yourself from a poor shot. The rough seemed a bit thicker than Firecliff and more penal but nothing too crazy. Sand was consistent and the tee boxes were a bit shaggier but plenty good to work with all day.

The layout definitely throws you a few softballs to start with and get your confidence up, but there are definitely a few more down the road to really test your accuracy and confidence. Later in the round some good sized carries will stare you down, and you have to be selective with your clubs off the tee as it's not just a grip it and rip it track that requires driver on every hole. I found the layout to be quite fun but thank goodness for the GPS on the carts and the good signs between holes because there are some funky bits in between finding holes with this design.

Once again, great customer service throughout the day with the cart personnel coming around until pretty late in the day which happened to be an extremely hot one. And kudos to the staff earlier in the day for coming around with ICE COLD towels to cool ourselves off with - that was a super touch. They also had functioning ice and water stations every three to four holes which is a must out there - well done.

Thanks again to Desert Willow for taking such good care of us GK folk and I would highly recommend a visit to either 18 at the moment, but make sure to check on upcoming closures and reseeding/aeration before you go. Hmm, if only there was a place to find out such information ...

Played the Blues (6507/71.5/128) in 4H, 20M. Thanks to DW for having us out! After a nice lunch, went out for 18 more with Roarsown1, Adigitalg87 & Rudyclub. Robert, Gus and Tim are excellent guys to ... Continue »

Played the Blues (6507/71.5/128) in 4H, 20M. Thanks to DW for having us out! After a nice lunch, went out for 18 more with Roarsown1, Adigitalg87 & Rudyclub. Robert, Gus and Tim are excellent guys to play with! The weather was breezy, clear, muggy and around 100... the heat was affecting us all by the final 9 of the day! From tee to green, Mountain View was in almost as good of condition as the immaculately maintained Firecliff course we played in the morning. First thing we noticed was that the tees/fairways were mowed closer. However, the greens were a huge step down from Firecliff. The Bermuda tees were mostly lush with only the par 3 tees needing divot repair. The lush Bermuda fairways had very few unfixed divots. They were firm and provided a decent amount of roll. The ball generally sat up in the Bermuda rough and playing even longer clubs was a viable option. Also good to chip out of around the greens. The traps were nicely maintained with good quality sand. The greens were disappointing. Medium slow and bumpy, not nearly as good as Firecliff. I did notice that they seem to be in the process of changing the shape of and expanding several greens. The customer service has been superb every round I have played here. Drink cart out making the rounds & complementary range balls are included with your round on a very nice practice facility. Lunch in between rounds got high marks from everyone, the quantity and quality was excellent. This is a challenging course that is not quite as tough or picturesque as it's sister Firecliff course, but it's still an excellent course overall. I enjoy the layout and look forward to playing here again. Definitely recommend this course.

Played Saturday 8/19 on a $40 GK coupon special - an excellent price for this track. Played from the blues, tee boxes were in fine shape and nice and flat, fairways are pretty wide and well-kept, the ... Continue »

Played Saturday 8/19 on a $40 GK coupon special - an excellent price for this track. Played from the blues, tee boxes were in fine shape and nice and flat, fairways are pretty wide and well-kept, the rough was just high enough to be somewhat punishing when you found it. Bunkers were in great shape with nice fluffy sand. Greens were dry, firm and held approach shots well - rolling medium-fast I'd say, with some very tricky reads at times. Of particular note were pin positions: very often they were tucked close to the edge of the green, a nice touch. All in all, a really great experience, beautiful range and clubhouse, only disappointment was not getting to try the restaurant as it closes at 4pm in the summer.

Played early May and conditions were lush. Lots of undulated greens. It meanders through some housing/apartments on the back nine but overall very scenic. The other course, Firecliff, was more gimmick... Continue »

Played early May and conditions were lush. Lots of undulated greens. It meanders through some housing/apartments on the back nine but overall very scenic. The other course, Firecliff, was more gimmicky and maybe a bit of a links style layout but very little housing. Customer service was excellent. I highly recommend both courses.

Round 2 was on the Mountain View Course and I dare say it was in better overall condition than Firecliff. Tees, fairways, bunkers, and rough were identical on both courses. The greens, as Sixpez menti... Continue »

Round 2 was on the Mountain View Course and I dare say it was in better overall condition than Firecliff. Tees, fairways, bunkers, and rough were identical on both courses. The greens, as Sixpez mentioned, haven't been punched yet here and that was the differentiating factor as they were smoother and quicker, although didn't hold as well as Firecliff. Fun times as always with the Guru crew and big thanks to Johnny once again!

Played in the GK Guru group with Keith, Kevin and Brian. I really like this course. I think it a fair test of golf. The course is in very good shape. A couple of tee boxes did not feel level but other... Continue »

Played in the GK Guru group with Keith, Kevin and Brian. I really like this course. I think it a fair test of golf. The course is in very good shape. A couple of tee boxes did not feel level but other than that it is in great shape. The greens were in better shape than the Firecliff and seemed to put a little faster. Fairways were in great shape along with the rough. There were no bare spots anywhere. Sand traps were soft and had ample sand in them . Will definitely come back

There was four of us playing the second round today on Mountain View. kevbig, kg1791, dangerousbri and I teed off probably a few minutes before our 2:45 tee time. All the morning crowds were gone by m... Continue »

There was four of us playing the second round today on Mountain View. kevbig, kg1791, dangerousbri and I teed off probably a few minutes before our 2:45 tee time. All the morning crowds were gone by mid-afternoon. We played through one group on the front and then caught up to some other groups for the final few holes. Still, the total pace was excellent at around 3.5 hours.

Mountain View was also in very nice shape all around. Tee boxes, fairways and rough were really nice, maybe a tiny step down from Firecliff in some areas if I'm being super nit-picky. Still quite excellent by any standards. Bunkers good. The greens were actually nicer on this side as they get ready to punch them next week. They were rolling quicker and smoother than Firecliff today.

I think Mountain View is underrated as the "little brother" at this facility. It has its share of very memorable holes, along with similarly great scenery and conditioning throughout the layout. Highly recommended, though I am still not a fan of using this wonderful course as a foot golf venue.

Played here as Day 2 of our mini golfing getaway, Thurs 9/22 (Thanx to AcesFull & TeaGal for offering up a coupon they had and couldn't use). We set a tee time up for 8:55 a.m. and arrived a little e... Continue »

Played here as Day 2 of our mini golfing getaway, Thurs 9/22 (Thanx to AcesFull & TeaGal for offering up a coupon they had and couldn't use). We set a tee time up for 8:55 a.m. and arrived a little early and were offered to go out right away (cold)...I opted to warm up a little, with no problem as the twosome couple in front of us wanted to play by themselves. As many of you know, if you've ever had the pleasure of playing Desert Willow, this place is Top Shelf Amazing from the minute you arrive. We played Mountain View as they were working on Firecliff (you did have the option of playing one of its 9 twice though if you wanted to play it). Green Green Green...lots of moisture on the course. Tee boxes level/lush. Fairways early morning didn't roll out much due to the moisture, but they were nice to hit your sequential shots to the greens. Bunkers were damp but very playable/consistent throughout. Rough lush, and penalizing as you'd expect. Greens had been punched within the last week or two, small holes, not sand filled, so maybe they were planning on seeding them soon...so greens were slow, bumpy, and extremely difficult to sink putts from any distance. Regardless...this was a much more enjoyable track to play.
Flies/Gnats were a Big nuisance, so wear some sort of bug repellent. Twosome in front of us were quite slow, so a twosome behind us had caught up with us and we had the pleasure of their company the last 11 holes (they were Great Fun). Course maintenance staff were out in full force, but very courteous to stop while addressing your shot. Cart person made his rounds frequently and was very courteous as well. Stellar practice areas at this course. New lodging areas going up all around the property. Clubhouse, the food, Pro Shop, and Staff are simply Amazing!! If you've never played here...you truly owe it to yourself to go. (*Mountain View has less bunkers than Firecliff, but both deserve a go.) Love this place... a Top 10 fav!

Played Friday the 13th at 11:00, first stop of a weekend of golf. It was very hot, but there were ample water stations so it wasn't an issue. The course is in pretty great shape, close to immaculate f... Continue »

Played Friday the 13th at 11:00, first stop of a weekend of golf. It was very hot, but there were ample water stations so it wasn't an issue. The course is in pretty great shape, close to immaculate from tee to green. The rough is slightly above fairway height, with great lies everywhere. Some bunkers were more firm than I would have liked. The greens were fairly fast and very grainy bermuda, to the point where visual slope and angle almost went out the door. Read the grain, sink your putt. Customer service was great.