Played this course for the first time ever (3/16 - 1 P.M. tee time) on a quick weekend getaway to Palm Springs with fellow GK member molebio (Nat). I won't go into the logic of choosing the particular... Continue »

Played this course for the first time ever (3/16 - 1 P.M. tee time) on a quick weekend getaway to Palm Springs with fellow GK member molebio (Nat). I won't go into the logic of choosing the particular courses played on this trip, but I had moderately high expectations for Desert Willow between Keith's blog, Nick's numerous PS area reviews, and their appearance on the Top 30 Public Golf Courses list. I have to say, not only did this place meet my expectations, it blew them away in just about every aspect. The ETC section will go more into general notes, but as far as conditions go, know the ratings are really no joke, especially when every other course I have played this year has been in the 6-7 range.

Tee boxes: Nearly perfect. I couldn't have been happier to see a generous amount of tee set options so no particular tee box was chewed up, even on a 1PM tee time. The grass was finely manicured and level. The ground was firm enough for great footing, but soft enough to drive tees nicely into the turf.

Fairways: Perfection. They were forest green carpet with a fair amount of roll, excellent lies all day, and visually stunning. No real other way to describe how amazing it was to see the green pop in contrast to the desert setting.

Rough: Penal but somehow because the conditions were so amazing, it felt like it wasn't as bad (if that even makes sense). It wasn't Torrey-long, but between the waste bunkers, desert terrain, the rough was almost a welcome relief on bad shots.

Bunkers: Was only in one green-side bunker, but as you would expect, beach-like sand in generous amounts that allowed for sand-save opportunities. Was also in one waste bunker and even there, the sand was better than most mediocre courses have in their green-side bunkers.

Greens: Just like everything else, they were perfect. A delightful combination of undulated and tricky slopes with glass-like roll at times. They weren't insanely fast, but they putted so smooth and had I been able to aim correctly that day, would have enjoyed them even more.

ETC: Everything about this property is first-rate. The attendants were on it as soon as we pulled up (even if we did miss the free valet parking). The carts had good color GPS and ice in the cooler. The clubhouse was wonderful and staff was very friendly. I was impressed with the grass driving range and practice green. The pace today was about 4.5 hours, but it seems that they do a very good job of sending people off on the dot. Course layout was fun with the right amount of challenge and the weather today cooperated perfectly with almost no wind. Highly recommend.