Are desert courses an abomination?

« **Reply #50 on:** March 20, 2006, 03:47:49 PM »

I recently played Shadow Ridge and PGA West Stadium. Striking differences in maintenance philosophy. Shadow Ridge overseeded the fairways and rough, so it was unbelievably green. Not very natural given the surrounding desert. PGA West overseeded the fairways but the rough was dormant Bermuda. In other words, brown. Totally different look.

My guess is that Shadow Ridge is new and wants to establish itself - thus it is maintained lush in the extreme to appeal to the occasional golfer who expects golf to be green. PGA West is already established and they can get away with charging $235 without undo regard to whether some people will recoil at something that looks decidedly unlush (if there is such a word).

The weather sure is nice in the desert. Kind of a waste not to play golf there.

« **Reply #51 on:** March 20, 2006, 07:54:55 PM »

Mike (mayday):

In order to discuss your opening thesis -- I would need to know what specific desert courses you have played? If you are coming to your conclusion based on second hand info or simply a "gut" opinion -- I would really tend to downplay your thoughts simply because of the inadequacy of your playing sample -- if any at all.

The very idea that desert golf is simply not capable of producing tour de force quality architecture is rubbish and I would be more than happy to cite numerous examples. The development of such courses is much more than the penal hit drive in fairway or reload type layouts that were developed at the outset.

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Phil Benedict

Re:Are desert courses an abomination?

Matt_Ward

Re:Are desert courses an abomination?

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