I would have to play this course multiple times to understand the proper lines to play in order to score well. I understand Nick&Jims' evaluation and partially agree. Kevin caught
my ear with his "gp... Continue »

I would have to play this course multiple times to understand the proper lines to play in order to score well. I understand Nick&Jims' evaluation and partially agree. Kevin caught
my ear with his "gps or yardage book" comment. There is the hook. Why should management pay the big bucks for gps when they can sell a book for 10 bucks?. Don't forget, they are in the business of providing and recouping on their investment. Takes lots of capital to run this establishment.
Crap! I forgot, we are supposed to be fair and generous in our reviews of properties we play!
Sorry for getting off on a tangent.
IT WAS ALL GOOD!
A reflection of the old adage- "you get what you pay for"!
The glaring aggravation for me was no comfort station on the back 9!
Weak bladders require attention!

After playing in the GK event on Saturday, I wanted to wait to see if some of my initial opinions were tempered a bit. I'm glad to see the variety of opinions so I don't think I was being too harsh. I... Continue »

After playing in the GK event on Saturday, I wanted to wait to see if some of my initial opinions were tempered a bit. I'm glad to see the variety of opinions so I don't think I was being too harsh. I went in a bit overhyped about this bucket list type course and it may have swayed my on course opinion.

I found the conditions to be pretty good overall. The tees and fairways were in excellent shape. The Bermuda rough is coming out it's dormant stage and was in various length and thickness. Just a mix bag of good and bad lies. The sand was good for the desert. Not hard packed and thin and not super fluffy, but a little heavy. Greens were really firm and I thought they were medium/fast. I didn't see one ball mark the whole day.

Now to the design and layout. I've played Pete Dye courses before so I thought I knew what to expect. I wasn't a fan of mounds EVERYWHERE. I hit in the rough, mounds. I find the fairway, mounds. I did think he made the greens pretty easy. Not very difficult to read and easy to approach to if you were short but on grass. I even tried putter from 40 yards off. It didn't really match what I expected until about the 5th, when the water made it's 1st appearance. For a high handicap, I did find it as difficult as I thought it would be, and I think I shot right around what I thought.

Customer service was ok. Food was good, drink cart was awesome. They do lose points for the drink cart ending early (I think we were on 10) and the unannounced auto gratuity which he wasn't mentioned until after I questioned the bill amount.

Overall, I can say I played it. Would I go back? Probably, if I can get on for under $100. I think I'm middle of the pack. Didn't love it, didn't hate it.

Played in GK event on 5/16. Overall the condition of the course is very good. The greens rolled well with medium/fast pace. The only drawback is the greens are very firm but that is typical of desert ... Continue »

Played in GK event on 5/16. Overall the condition of the course is very good. The greens rolled well with medium/fast pace. The only drawback is the greens are very firm but that is typical of desert golf. The fairways are excellent. The rough is good and not very penal. The tee boxes are good. The bunkers are in good shape. The layout is difficult but enjoyable. There is plenty of water to avoid. There are some greenside bunkers that are quite a bit below the surface of the greens making recovery very difficult. There is a large grass driving range, practice putting green, and two chipping greens with bunkers. The clubhouse is nice and the staff was very friendly.

Played Sat May 16th with the GK group. This was my first time here and I must say I really enjoyed it, even though I play poorly. I think the 1st time you are in awe of the course and since you don't ... Continue »

Played Sat May 16th with the GK group. This was my first time here and I must say I really enjoyed it, even though I play poorly. I think the 1st time you are in awe of the course and since you don't know it, it beets you up a little. I would love to play this several more times because I think I can do ok here. It is like The Retreat in Corona, My 1st time out I did terrible, hated it, but now that I have played it 5 times and scored better each time, I really like it. I think PGA West would be the same. Too bad it is so far away.

Good times in the GK event on Saturday, May 16, 2015. My second time at this course; this time I moved up a tee box and found that it plays a bit easier. With that being said, it is a good idea to hav... Continue »

Good times in the GK event on Saturday, May 16, 2015. My second time at this course; this time I moved up a tee box and found that it plays a bit easier. With that being said, it is a good idea to have a yardage book or gps that shows you the yardages to the hazards because there are many hidden traps that you need to avoid. For the most part, just hit to where you can see because in all likelihood, that is the only level ground you will find. The tees and fairways were in great condition: green, lush, and level. The rough was also in good shape: mostly bermuda grass from 1" to 2" with a lot of mounding and tricky lies. How do they mow all of it? It's got to be an art, because a large riding mower would scalp many of those steep moguls. The greens were in transition from the winter overseed to summer bermuda grass. They did look funny; however, they rolled great! They were super firm and that is the biggest factor in the course's defense of par. I had no skills to keep a long iron from stopping on the greens or getting a chip to settle in tight. Even short irons would roll out a little. Combine that with missed fairways and it could get ugly real fast. Great course with some stunning views and amazing lakes, but not as visually pretty as many in the area. If you can get this on a discount, it would be worth it. Our event was $95 for golf, range and cart included. Ernie's Bar and Grill has good food, but it is also expensive. I paid $10.50 for a well margarita before teeing off, then an appetizer and beer after was $14. Nice atmosphere and vibe from the patio area overlooking the Nicklaus course. Great customer service from the bag attendants who bring your bags to and from the club drop to your cart.

4 Decades of playing PGA West courses, 4 Decades of quality. Lush conditions as previously mentioned in reviews. The Facility for the resort side in enormous, practice areas have multiple putting an... Continue »

4 Decades of playing PGA West courses, 4 Decades of quality. Lush conditions as previously mentioned in reviews. The Facility for the resort side in enormous, practice areas have multiple putting and chipping areas with bunkering which are also lush. Driving range has
umbrellas and some nice cushiony chairs to sit back and ponder the shots you are hitting.
The ambiance on the patio was great as well as the grub, very tasty! Very courteous staff from a Quality Resort Golf Facility.

Played in the GK event on 5/16 I have played this course many times over the years and have finally started playing it just for fun. I used to go in trying to score well and ended up getting frustrat... Continue »

Played in the GK event on 5/16 I have played this course many times over the years and have finally started playing it just for fun. I used to go in trying to score well and ended up getting frustrated. Pete Dye designed this course to be one of the toughest courses in the country and that is what it is, very hard and many times unfair. Played the white tees and probably scored 8-12 strokes better than when I used to played the blue tees.
Course is in very good shape. Tee boxes and fairways excellent, rough is cut down so you can play out of it. Greens are in transition. They are very hard and putted semi fast.

Thanks again Johnny for setting this up.

Had a great time at the GK event yesterday, despite the fact a bad swing at Alcatraz dunked my chances of a score that met my satisfaction. The course is in good shape, highlighted by the fairways. Th... Continue »

Had a great time at the GK event yesterday, despite the fact a bad swing at Alcatraz dunked my chances of a score that met my satisfaction. The course is in good shape, highlighted by the fairways. The rough was very minimal, which certainly lessens the fear factor out there. The greens are thin, dried out bermuda that run quickly and roll smooth but are extremely firm. Tee boxes and bunkers were all fine. I felt that conditions on Nos. 16 & 17 seemed a notch above the rest of the course.

I've always enjoyed playing this course and the extreme challenge it presents, but part of me really feels Stadium is in need of some restoration. It feels a bit shaggy and like a relic of the '80s era in which was conceived. Some of the extreme angles feel worn down and rounded, where I seem to recall they originally presented a more severe appearance (and were therefore more intimidating). I know the course has evolved over the years, so it's not like it's being neglected, but the "fun" of playing Stadium is embracing its tricked-out nature and trying to avoid those scary spots that will kill your round. Don't get me wrong – I still had a great time and this is only nitpicking. From an architectural standpoint, I feel Stadium is losing some relevance and deserves more detail-oriented care.

Here's a link to my photos of the course from yesterday: https://goo.gl/xP1N2p

Another great GK event and it was fun to see everyone out there and take on this beast of a course in a competitive format. Our group (with Nickesquire, TooBaked and Itslikeimsayin) decided to play th... Continue »

Another great GK event and it was fun to see everyone out there and take on this beast of a course in a competitive format. Our group (with Nickesquire, TooBaked and Itslikeimsayin) decided to play the blue tees to take on more of the Pete Dye torture and we had plenty of fun despite some awful scores. Nick pretty much nailed the conditions as I saw them. Great tee boxes. Excellent fairways and the nice fluffy first cut of rough surrounded by the normally much more penal outer bermuda rough that is semi-dormant. In previous experiences here and on the similar Nicklaus course, this stuff is usually much deeper and the ball naturally settles in. So depending on how you want to look at it, we caught a break with the rough being a non-factor for the most part. Oh the other hand, we definitely didn't get the full maximum torture experience! That all said, you still want to hit fairways and greens here because of all the mounding. Even with a decent lie, you will generally have an awkward stance and unfavorable angle for your next shot. The greens were super firm and extremely hard to hold, which really amps up the challenge because it's tough getting up and down on this course no matter where you miss. The bunkers I found had good sand, including the infamous San Andreas bunker next to the 16th green. It took me four attempts to get back up top and was rather demoralizing. There were a ton of footprints down there, though, probably from people going down there to try "for fun" shots (which is a rite of passage for any first-time visitor), but I just wish they would clean up after themselves! This was my third time playing Stadium and likely not my last. Though it is far from my favorite course in the desert (there are many I prefer much more) and it doesn't really have a "pretty" look or lush conditioning as typical in the valley, it's still one that's fun to challenge every so often just to put myself to the test. Believe it or not, the course has been "softened" a lot over the years with bunkers taken out and a number of big desert waste areas replaced with standard rough. Still, it's one of the toughest challenges around and worth checking out at least once. One last note is that it's unfortunate they took out the GPS here. At a resort that's so expensive and on a course that is so complex, they shouldn't have to make you shell out extra for a yardage book. I understand they have an app now, but to make that worthwhile they would need USB chargers in the carts and perhaps wi-fi, too.