Bob Hope - Desert Golf Classics
First stop: Desert Willow, in Palm Desert. One community over from La Quinta, Palm Desert contains several high-end resorts, like the Marriott Desert Springs. There are 2 ok courses there, designed by Ted Robinson, but I would suggest going right across the street to Desert Willow. There are 36 holes here, and strangely for the area, not connected to a resort. It's actually owned by the city, which makes it a municipal course, but you'd never notice it as such by the level of service, and the the level of golf. The Firecliff course is probably my choice, but both are fun to play, and the main thing you'll notice is the beauty of the courses. Desert golf can be a bit stark sometimes, but here it's like playing in a desert garden of some kind. All of the cactus is flowering, and colors abound in the waste areas, giving a gorgeous backdrop to the perfect green fairways and greens. This is one of the better deals in Palm Springs, with fees usually around $150, and twilight for under $100. That's not exactly cheap, but for average costs down there this is way more golf for your buck.
Right up Monterey ave from Desert Willow is Shadow Ridge, a very nice course designed by Nick Faldo. It's not the usual desert design you see in the area, there's a lot more grass, and a few less forced carries... if you watch these courses on TV and aren't sure about constantly having to hit shots over desert areas, Shadow Ridge might be for you. Not to say it's a pushover, it has plenty of length, and tons of very challenging bunkers. It's supposed to be inspired by Australian courses... I've never played down under, but apparently they like their sand traps bigger, taller, and more numerous. It's also a good value at around $100-$125 per round, and less if you stay at the resort there, which I highly recommend... very nice timeshare resort, and if you take their tour you can get vouchers for some free rounds! Another benefit there is one of the nicest practice areas you'll see anywhere.
A bit outside of town, towards Indio, is The Golf Club at Terra Lago, which used to be called Landmark Golf CLub, host of the Skins Game a few years ago. It has 2 courses on site, both classic desert designs, with quite a bit of water in play, and bighorn sheep roaming around on some of the higher elevation holes. They also have a timeshare being built there, so check for the same deals for free golf!
There are too many options in the Palm Springs rotation to mention, but a good way to save some cash on tee times is to call a tee-time service... probably Stand-By Golf (standbygolf.com). They scoop up unused tee times from almost all the courses in the valley, including all of the ones I've mentioned, and if you don't really care where you play the next day, you can grab off-peak times for at least 50% off. I played Terra Lago 1st time out - by myself, for $65, and I got put with a threesome at Desert Willow for under $50. If you have a group of 4 guys, this might not work, but for 2somes and singles, I would give it a shot. Either way, you'll be warm and playing golf, and I'll be freezing in Spokane writing blogs at least 2 people find almost interesting.
