Played here this morning as part of the SCGA's annual Bob Hope Trail of private club outings in the desert. 8:00 shotgun start and my group consisted of GK'ers rgm2525 and ppark81, along with our budd... Continue »

Played here this morning as part of the SCGA's annual Bob Hope Trail of private club outings in the desert. 8:00 shotgun start and my group consisted of GK'ers rgm2525 and ppark81, along with our buddy Al. We started on the intimidating par-3 12th hole and pushed the groups ahead all day with nobody at all behind us. Good overall pace of about 4:20. The course was in decent shape, but definitely getting ready for the summer transition. Tee boxes mostly great. Fairways were very soft/wet in the morning (zero roll-out on drives, making the course play very long), but they dried out a lot by the time we finished. Numerous thin/brown spots scattered throughout, as well. Most fairways had been recently aerated, too. Rough kind of semi-dormant in some areas and lush in others. However, it was nicely kept and lies were probably more consistent than those in the fairways. Bunkers had good sand that was kind of compacted down, which I preferred over something too soft. Greens on the firm side and rolling at medium speeds. Showed signs of a small punch, but nothing that affected putts. Things rolled pretty well on the surfaces, just a little slower than they looked. They did completely redo the green surfaces this time last year, so they probably still have some maturing to do. The SCGA was supposed to play here last year, but the venue was changed last-minute when Andalusia decided to renovate the greens over the summer months. This is an enjoyable course that's worth checking out if you have the chance, though I walked a way a little disappointed overall. The thought of Rees Jones + La Quinta desert had me dreaming of dramatic Rio Secco or Cascata, but this is not that style. There really are no significant changes in elevation. The fairways are generally forgiving. However, there are a lot of big, crazy bunkers, plenty of water hazards and tricky greens that are large and undulated. Really good course, but not great by Coachella Valley standards.