Played Desert Willow Firecliff on a beautiful Saturday afternoon for a GK play outing. I was also playing a GK cup match with gary00. Since it was GK plays match there was no check in because our ca... Continue »

Played Desert Willow Firecliff on a beautiful Saturday afternoon for a GK play outing. I was also playing a GK cup match with gary00. Since it was GK plays match there was no check in because our carts had our names on them. My playing partners were Stickboy,(Vince) gary00 and JNIsely (John) all great guys to play with. The facility has an all grass driving range a good size pro shop and a very nice patio setting to enjoy a nice meal. We all agreed to play the lavender tees and off we went. Tee boxes were level and very nice with any divots filled in. Fairways were great while not much rough there were trees and limbs if you strayed off the fairways. On one hole I was under a tree and I had a very little room for a backswing while my ball was sitting next to a twig, I somehow got a club on it back to the fairway and was able to par the hole. Greens were excellent and putted true for the most part. Bunkers had rakes but weren’t maintained as they should have been, but maybe the rakes were just recently placed there. We all agreed if it landed in a footprint you got relief. Which is odd because if there are rakes there shouldn’t be footprints? Anyways, the course was in excellent condition, cart girl around multiple times, great weather and playing companions and conditions made it for an enjoyable day. My match was fun and was great playing with Gary who played very steady and was the winner of our match. Highly recommended if you’re in the area.

Rode the Purple tees (6676/72.1/136) in 4.5 twilight @ the GK Plays. Thanks to John, all sponsors and DW for a well run event! Played with kviser, Solinari619 and his dad Joe. Clear, breezy and in the... Continue »

Rode the Purple tees (6676/72.1/136) in 4.5 twilight @ the GK Plays. Thanks to John, all sponsors and DW for a well run event! Played with kviser, Solinari619 and his dad Joe. Clear, breezy and in the high 80's. Tees lush and level with few divots. Fairways mostly lush, usually good to play from. Rough lush. The ball sat up, not much of a penalty and usually good to chip out of. Greenside traps had good quality sand and were well maintained. Waste bunkers were firm and not as well maintained as the greenside traps. Large greens putted medium fast speed and were firm. You had to play for rollout. Customer Service always excellent here from when you drop your clubs off out front to when you pick them up after the round. Cart gal around several times and there are ice/water stations every few holes. Nice GPS on upgraded carts that have ports for electronics. The all grass driving range is included and is excellent with a nice practice chipping area. Excellent and very fun layout to play. Recommended, IMO the best public course in the Palm Springs area.

Thankful to play firecliff for the first time at 6:50am 4/10 for $130. Amazing clubhouse, great range, service, staff, etc. The crew I was with had never been to Palm Springs and this was the perfect ... Continue »

Thankful to play firecliff for the first time at 6:50am 4/10 for $130. Amazing clubhouse, great range, service, staff, etc. The crew I was with had never been to Palm Springs and this was the perfect introduction. They run a tight ship and make sure everything is running smooth!

Everything was as great as you could imagine. It was insanely challenging and I never knew I could hit it into so many bunkers. Fantastic shape, only a couple of the tee boxes needed some repair with extensive divots.

Only issue: we never saw the beverage cart throughout the entire round which was disappointing, so it was likely just a logistics mishap. All in all, need to go back!

Day two out in the desert and Desert Willow's Firecliff got the call. Man, this is one tough course and you are simply not getting out here without hitting at least ten bunkers during your round. They... Continue »

Day two out in the desert and Desert Willow's Firecliff got the call. Man, this is one tough course and you are simply not getting out here without hitting at least ten bunkers during your round. They are everywhere, along with some long carries, tight landing areas and water and waste bunker areas to torment your every shot. But when you make the good ones, it's glorious.

Conditions are fantastic across the board right now. Fairways are very lush and green and pretty much perfect. The rough is thick, lush and amazingly nice to hit from - didn't find it too penal whatsoever. There are rakes again here but it seems like people got so used to not using them for the last year that they were routinely ignored! But not a big deal as the sand was very nice but the bunker complexes can be very challenging.

The greens were in great shape. A few slopes to them here or there and some tiers to contend with, but nothing gimmicky or over the top at all. They are pure rollers but they are not hyper fast by any means - not a huge issue to lock down the speed but you will get nice roll and accurate putts if you start off on the right line.

Carts have nice GPS systems and there was cart service coming around numerous times throughout the very hot day. POP was a little on the slow side with an elderly group in front of us that made us wait on a few holes, but nothing too crazy while you're navigating this beautiful property. The practice areas are also very nice and everything here is very well organized.

It's a tough place to score well for a high-handicapper like myself, but it sure is fun trying. Great facility and well worth your time and money.

Joined Rudyclub, Brady and a Local named Reed this morning at Desert Willow. I had seen the good reviews lately and from years past of having great conditions it was a no brainer to play out here toda... Continue »

Joined Rudyclub, Brady and a Local named Reed this morning at Desert Willow. I had seen the good reviews lately and from years past of having great conditions it was a no brainer to play out here today. Staff was super helpful and I was aware if we had a 4th I would have to cart up. There was a divider in the cart which is a little strange but not an inconvenience for wither of us. As for the conditions it was PERFECT!!! 10/10 or 100/100. The entire course was in absolute perfect shape and this is what I imagine playing Augusta is like with the exception of medium paced greens. Tee's were flat level and plenty to choose from. Fairways with 100% lush grass and the only grass out of place is where there is a divot which is not prominent. Rough is about 2-3 inches and just long enough that you have to focus to make sure you make good contact. Greens were firm and rolled medium paced and smooth as can be. Sand was good a little firmer in the fairways but still awesome shape with rakes in all bunkers. I am 100% sure this is the best conditioned course I have played and its no contest. Big shout out to the grounds crews and the staff as its such a gem especially for being a City Owned Course. Please do yourself a favor and get out here ASAP.

Played 2/7/21 8 am POP 4 hrs
Wow..just wow. The course was absolutely in fantastic shape. Fairways full and lush. A absolute joy to hit from. Rough full and lush but only caused minor issues. Found ... Continue »

Played 2/7/21 8 am POP 4 hrs
Wow..just wow. The course was absolutely in fantastic shape. Fairways full and lush. A absolute joy to hit from. Rough full and lush but only caused minor issues. Found two traps, both were perfect.
Greens were in great shape. Did not hold shots very well, but still played consistent. Speed was around medium which made easy to be aggressive. Really have to nit pick to find anything wrong anywhere.
highly Recommend. There are some deals to be found.

joined the legendary greenskeeper review team for a great outing in the desert on 1/14. it was a perfect day for golf, sunny with minimal wind. desert willow is known for it's immaculate conditions ... Continue »

joined the legendary greenskeeper review team for a great outing in the desert on 1/14. it was a perfect day for golf, sunny with minimal wind. desert willow is known for it's immaculate conditions and beautiful bunkers, and it did not disappoint. bag was loaded up quickly onto the cart which had a convenient divider which is a great addition for those playing with partners from different households. interestingly though in contrast to other golf clubs, the clubhouse is open for check in and shopping, putting green is open with regular cups, and there are rakes in the bunkers. all the staff from the bag check to golf course check-in to the starter were pleasant and friendly.

course itself was in fantastic condition, with the fairways and rough a lush emerald green. great carpet-like lies from everywhere in the fairway and rough was grown just enough so that your ball sat up but it would grab your club if you mi sh-t the ball a bit. tee boxes from the combos were nice and flat, well labeled. some diffuse divot damage on some par 3s were probably the only nit pick. fairway and greenside bunkers had a nice amount of sand in them, but there were a couple of greenside bunkers that were just a tiny bit thin. my own fault for ending up in them. greens were the biggest challenge of the course, running medium fast to fast, but rolling true with great coverage and minimal ball mark damage. two putts were often challenging and getting up and down required some well placed chips.

given the thread about layouts in the forums, though it's a challenging course that is kept immaculately, most of the par 4s seemed to blend together for me and even though it was a great day and great round, not a lot of holes stood out in my mind except the par 3s and maybe 9 and 18 (mostly for how poorly i scored on them). it wouldn't keep me from playing it again right away though, probably just means i need to play it more to figure out the subtleties on how to score.

thanks to john, kevin, and brian for a great round, hopefully i find more time to make it out to these events.

1/14 Guru outing with Greg Steve and Perry very enjoyable group on a picture perfect day and a course fit for golf in the kingdom. Very visually appealing with deep green fairways and rough with dese... Continue »

1/14 Guru outing with Greg Steve and Perry very enjoyable group on a picture perfect day and a course fit for golf in the kingdom. Very visually appealing with deep green fairways and rough with desert scape, abundant water fowl in the lakes and white sand in the bunkers. I will start my review with the afore said bunkers as I became the resident expert in our group having found 3 fairway bunkers, 3 waste areas and at least 6 greenside Found conditions almost ideal as the waste areas were firm, fairway ones might have been a little firmer for my liking and the greenside had nicely compacted fine sand--oh and the course had rakes. My play out of the traps improved what with all the practice.
Fairways were fantastic with lush healthy growth and very few unfilled divots. Rough is also lush not overly penal but required focus and attention. Tees level and in good condition with some wear on the par 3s.
The greens are very healthy with tight full growth smoothly mowed. Very little evidence of ball marks as the combination of grasses and the highly technical use of water provides a turf condition that resists damage. I do not hit a high shot with spin so I can not judge how well good shots would hold. Chips and pitches tended to run out and our group seemed to adjust accordingly. Speed on putts was medium fast. Greens had some slope and sometimes subtle break or lack of as there were so many putts that came oh so close.
Great customer service from arrival to departure. Grass range with quality balls good pitching area and a huge putting green that provided a good preview of what to expect.

Out with GK Gurus yesterday on a picture perfect day at a picture perfect conditioned golf course. They have 36 holes at Desert Willow Golf Resort. We played the Firecliff Course. Driving in I saw a c... Continue »

Out with GK Gurus yesterday on a picture perfect day at a picture perfect conditioned golf course. They have 36 holes at Desert Willow Golf Resort. We played the Firecliff Course. Driving in I saw a couple holes of their other course Mountain View, look immaculate as well.

Desert Willow Golf Resort is a Top-10 golf experience for me. It never disappoints. Before the round I had great conversation with their Superintendent Chris filling me in about how they overseed. Chris came over from PGA WEST where he was responsible for the private courses there. Unlike other courses in Palm Springs region, Desert Willow Golf Resort does not cut down their bermunda before wall-to-wall overseeding. With the greens they are overseeded with a combo of rye/poa. So unlike some courses in the area that overseed the greens with only rye grass producing a slower putting service, Desert Willow Golf Resorts greens are running medium/fast right out of overseeding. I loved them. A Perfect 10 in my book yesterday.

As incredible the golf courses are, the entire facilities/services are too. Gorgeous clubhouse and massive patio dining. Delicious food. Fantastic practice range, practice chipping and putting. It’s a must play. Highly Recommended. Check out the photos I just posted!