Played here today as part of an SCGA member outing. It was their last stop on the Bob Hope Trail this week, but Brenda was nice enough to let me sign up for just today's round at a pro-rated cost. 7:3... Continue »

Played here today as part of an SCGA member outing. It was their last stop on the Bob Hope Trail this week, but Brenda was nice enough to let me sign up for just today's round at a pro-rated cost. 7:30 shotgun to try and beat the heat. I was in a threesome group that started on hole 11 and we moved quickly on the back nine (1.5 hours), then things backed up more on the front nine (2 hours). Still, a 3.5-hour round is basically unheard of in these outings and we were the first group to finish, so that was pretty nice. The course was in nice shape overall as it's in the very beginning stages of summer transition. There are some browned-out spots scattered through some tee boxes, the fairways and rough, but the turf was cut nice and tight, so I always had ideal lies to hit from. The highlight was the greens, which were excellent. They were firm, but receptive. Silky smooth and medium/fast in speed. Couldn't ask for much better in the desert this time of year. I was in a few bunkers. They weren't super fluffy so not everyone would enjoy, but I actually like them exactly the way they were. This is an old school course and club, established in 1952 and supposedly the second-oldest private 18-hole club in the Coachella Valley. It's a pretty traditional Billy Bell course minus the elevation changes we're used to with all his old LA designs. Everything lays out in front of you and the holes are all lined with palm trees. Pretty forgiving layout overall, but not as easy as it looked. Small-ish greens and some tricky, well-placed bunkers for protection. Nothing that will blow you away in comparison with some of the more dramatic desert courses in the area, but kind of a pleasant old track with plenty of history.