I played here this morning at 8:30. When I called ahead to inquire about civilian play, the golf course folks made it sound pretty simple to get out any day of the week. Book a tee time and then they ... Continue »

I played here this morning at 8:30. When I called ahead to inquire about civilian play, the golf course folks made it sound pretty simple to get out any day of the week. Book a tee time and then they would vouch for you upon check in at the gate. With the visitor pass center closed on a Saturday, I went to the main gate and they made it not seem so easy as a regular civilian to get on base. However, the guy ultimately gave me a "just this one time I'll let it slide" kind of deal and I was on my way. At the course, they didn't blink and eye and easily checked me in at the civilian rate of $42, which includes cart. In fact, the lady in the pro shop was great and made me feel welcome. It was not busy at all here. I played through one group on the front nine and then played behind a twosome for the latter half of the back nine, finishing in around 2:45. It's a military course in the middle of nowhere, so you can't expect too much. Long and straightforward as one would expect. Very forgiving from tee to green. The conditions were pretty mediocre fresh out of their fall overseed. Today was supposed to be the first day with all regular greens open, but holes 1 and 2 were still playing to temporaries. The regular greens were very spongy and brutally slow, but the fresh grass came in pretty well. Once it matures and they are able to cut it back down, the surfaces should be decent for awhile. The fairways were pretty dry and crusty but mostly okay for playability, though there were some pretty shaggy spots and plenty of thin sections throughout, too. Rough was anything from bare dirt/sand to patches of really deep/dry bermuda, however around the greens it was very green and lush. That was easily the best part of the course. The bunkers here are horrendous and thankfully I never found myself in one. It looks like they haven't been filled with any new sand in a long, long time and may never again. Almost looks like they are just letting them go and grass/weeds will ultimately just fill them in. That would be a shame for the layout because a few do offer a little character like the mountain lion paw print set of bunkers guarding one of the greens. I can imagine it's tough to keep good sand with how windy it gets out here. Desert Winds is an appropriate name. It was very windy throughout the round and only calmed down a little toward the end. I bet it can really get howling here in the afternoons. Not a course worth going so far out of the way for unless you are a nut like me trying to play everything, but it serves its purpose as a decent recreational course for the Marines on base and as a full 18-holer it offers more appeal than the public 9-hole option (Roadrunner Dunes) just down the street, which I also played today.