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Tim Leahy

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GCA Top 5 courses in Palm Springs area
« on: March 20, 2006, 05:20:19 PM »
I am planning on staying the rest of the week after KPV and would like this group's opinions on the best 5 public and private courses in the Palm Springs area. I have played the Stadium course at PGA West, Norman course, both La Quinta resort courses, both Desert Willow courses, Desert Dunes, Cimarron, and the Dye course at Mission Hills. Besides these what would you recommend? Why?
I prefer not to drive out of the local PS area and walkability is not an issue since I have to have a cart with my bad knees.
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I love golf, the fightin irish, and beautiful women depending on the season and availability.

Rob_Waldron

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Re:GCA Top 5 courses in Palm Springs area
« Reply #1 on: March 20, 2006, 05:40:27 PM »
Marriott's Shadow Ridge was enjoyable. Make the drive to Riverside and play Oak Quarry!
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cary lichtenstein

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Re:GCA Top 5 courses in Palm Springs area
« Reply #2 on: March 20, 2006, 05:58:26 PM »
Oak Quarry in Riverside
The Quarry at Laquinta
Stone Eagle
Big Horn-Fazio
The Palms
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Live Jupiter, Fl, was  4 handicap, played top 100 US, top 75 World. Great memories, no longer play, 4 back surgeries. I don't miss a lot of things about golf, life is simpler with out it. I miss my 60 degree wedge shots, don't miss nasty weather, icing, back spasms. Last course I played was Augusta

Tim Leahy

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Re:GCA Top 5 courses in Palm Springs area
« Reply #3 on: March 20, 2006, 06:07:25 PM »
thanks Cary and Rob, I have played Oak Quarry in Riverside and Oak Valley and the PGA courses in that area, a little out of my range on this trip that's why I didn't mention them. I will play Stone Eagle, the Palms and the Plantation in KPV. I have not heard much about The Quarry at La Quinta but will look it up. I heard Big Horn and the Vintage Club were the toughest private courses to get on.
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I love golf, the fightin irish, and beautiful women depending on the season and availability.

Joe Perches

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Re:GCA Top 5 courses in Palm Springs area
« Reply #4 on: March 20, 2006, 06:22:42 PM »
Depending on your taste in waterfalls and Palmer Designs, you might try Silver Rock.  The external scenery is fabulous and naturally every course needs 6 or 7 sets of tees.  I do think Weitz is a very capable builder, and it's not golf for housing's sake.

http://www.silverrock.org/
http://www.weitzgolf.com/projects/golf-courses/silverrock.shtml
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Evan_Green

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Re:GCA Top 5 courses in Palm Springs area
« Reply #5 on: March 20, 2006, 06:37:54 PM »
Adding to those that have been mentioned already:

The Tradition (Palmer)
The Reserve (Weiskopf)
« Last Edit: March 20, 2006, 06:39:01 PM by Evan_Green »
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Tim Leahy

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Re:GCA Top 5 courses in Palm Springs area
« Reply #6 on: March 20, 2006, 07:02:40 PM »
Thanks Evan and Joe, I will look them up, I am not familiar with the last two, they must be opening up a new course out there every day. Has anyone played the Landmark Courses by Schmidt & Curley?
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I love golf, the fightin irish, and beautiful women depending on the season and availability.

Joe Perches

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Re:GCA Top 5 courses in Palm Springs area
« Reply #7 on: March 20, 2006, 07:15:56 PM »
The Landmark Club is now called TerraLago
I hear it's growing houses.
I admit to never having played it.

http://golfclub-terralago.com/
Review of TerraLago North
Review of TerraLago South
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Matt_Ward

Re:GCA Top 5 courses in Palm Springs area
« Reply #8 on: March 20, 2006, 07:49:27 PM »
Tim:

On the public side you can't beat the choices of Shadow Ridge and also the Firecliff Course at Desert Willow by Hurdzan / Fry w John Cook assisting.

Frankly, the bulk of what is good in the greater Palm Springs area is private and likely gated. The two aforementioned layouts I have just mentioned are quite unique given their roots as a public golf option.

One other thing -- if you do venture to Desert Willow do not under any circumstances play the sister course (Mountain View) -- it is golf LITE in capital letters.
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redanman

Re:GCA Top 5 courses in Palm Springs area
« Reply #9 on: March 20, 2006, 08:06:48 PM »
LaQuinta Mountain is a good gca test.  It is a test to see if you can separate the wheat from the chaff.  It is the course to see if you know what you are talking about or if you are just blowing smoke.

error corrected, sorry.
« Last Edit: March 21, 2006, 01:51:03 PM by redanman® aka BillV »
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Evan_Green

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Re:GCA Top 5 courses in Palm Springs area
« Reply #10 on: March 20, 2006, 08:12:13 PM »
Quote from: redanman® aka BillV on March 20, 2006, 08:06:48 PM
LaQuinta Quarry is a good gca test.  It is a test to see if you can separate the wheat from the chaff.  It is the course to see if you know what you are talking about or if you are just blowing smoke.


Can you elaborate Bill?
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cary lichtenstein

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Re:GCA Top 5 courses in Palm Springs area
« Reply #11 on: March 20, 2006, 08:59:35 PM »
Bill:

Come on boy, blow some smoke up our a.....!!!!!!!!!!!
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Live Jupiter, Fl, was  4 handicap, played top 100 US, top 75 World. Great memories, no longer play, 4 back surgeries. I don't miss a lot of things about golf, life is simpler with out it. I miss my 60 degree wedge shots, don't miss nasty weather, icing, back spasms. Last course I played was Augusta

rjsimper

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Re:GCA Top 5 courses in Palm Springs area
« Reply #12 on: March 20, 2006, 09:06:26 PM »
I wasn't overly impressed by the golf at SilverRock, but it seems that you've played most of the notable designs out there, so the two things it has going for it (well, three) that other equally average layouts can't claim is A - NO HOUSES, B - Beautiful scenery against the mountains, and C - Other than some drainage issues, the conditions are generally pretty good.
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Will E

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Re:GCA Top 5 courses in Palm Springs area
« Reply #13 on: March 20, 2006, 10:16:43 PM »
I was blown away by Stone Eagle, my favorite in the area.
Besides the one you mention I really like the Palms and the Citrus. Ron Fream's Desert Falls course is also worth seeing.
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Jonathan Cummings

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Re:GCA Top 5 courses in Palm Springs area
« Reply #14 on: March 20, 2006, 10:25:16 PM »
Bill - Quarry at LaQuinta is off limits to everybody!  Raters, writers, Gods.... it doesn't matter.  It's a 'friends of Bill (Morrow)' course only.  I'm lucky enough to have a member friend who took me around.  It is drop dead spectacular.  Morrow claims that he will give a free membership to anyone who finds one weed on the course.  the problem is people who might find that weed don't need the membership!

JC
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David Kelly

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Re:GCA Top 5 courses in Palm Springs area
« Reply #15 on: March 21, 2006, 05:01:36 AM »
Quote from: Tim Leahy on March 20, 2006, 06:07:25 PM
I heard Big Horn and the Vintage Club were the toughest private courses to get on.

I would say that Porcupine Creek is the hardest to get on hands down.  I don't know anyone who has played there.
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"Whatever in creation exists without my knowledge exists without my consent." - Judge Holden, Blood Meridian.

Rob_Waldron

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Re:GCA Top 5 courses in Palm Springs area
« Reply #16 on: March 21, 2006, 07:59:15 AM »
Landmark used to host the "Skins Game" Wisely they used 9 holes from each course so anyone who played could experience "The Skins Course". I was not very impressed with Landmark. The service and conditions were very good however the courses are routed at the foothills of the mountain with very little elevation change. The courses were overpriced in my opinion.

The Trilogy which has hosted recent "Skins Games" is also a rather boring course with little elevation change. It is not much of a "desert course". It just happens to be located in a desert ebvironment.

The Mountain Course at La Quinta is very good. I am not sure about the two other courses there.
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John Foley

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Re:GCA Top 5 courses in Palm Springs area
« Reply #17 on: March 21, 2006, 08:33:32 AM »
I enjoyed Landmark very much. I thought the architecture along the periphery where they used the elevation ahnges on the hills was much better than the interior where there was not much elevation change.

Others to play which I thought we're very good.

Desset Willow
Missions Hills North (Player) this was pre housing though was very very good.  
The Mountain Course at La Quinta


Don't play the courses at the Mariott Desert Springs or Desert Dunes. Nothing memorable at all.
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Integrity in the moment of choice

Steve_ Shaffer

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Re:GCA Top 5 courses in Palm Springs area
« Reply #18 on: March 21, 2006, 09:52:29 AM »
If you're adventurous, there are 2 new courses in the area:

1. The Classic Club by Palmer, recently seen on tv at the Bob Hope Classic- www.classicclubgolf.com

2. A new Nicklaus Design that has been getting good reviews- Escena GC- www.escenapalmsprings.com
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Tim Leahy

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Re:GCA Top 5 courses in Palm Springs area
« Reply #19 on: March 21, 2006, 11:57:15 AM »
Thanks for the responses. Escena looks interesting, has anyone played it? The greens fees look reasonable for PS and Troon usually takes good care of their courses.
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I love golf, the fightin irish, and beautiful women depending on the season and availability.

mikes1160

Re:GCA Top 5 courses in Palm Springs area
« Reply #20 on: March 21, 2006, 03:31:56 PM »
At LaQuinta, Mountain, Stadium and Norman, yes; Dunes and Nicklaus, no. Where the Westin Mission Hills is concerned, the Player course is far superior to the Dye.
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David Kelly

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Re:GCA Top 5 courses in Palm Springs area
« Reply #21 on: March 21, 2006, 04:43:49 PM »
Quote from: Mike Scaletta on March 21, 2006, 03:31:56 PM
At LaQuinta, Mountain, Stadium and Norman, yes; Dunes and Nicklaus, no.

I really disagree with your recommendation of the Norman course at PGA West. I think its one of the worst in the Coachella Valley although I have heard  that like many Norman courses they have gone back and tried to make changes to it.
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"Whatever in creation exists without my knowledge exists without my consent." - Judge Holden, Blood Meridian.

cary lichtenstein

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Re:GCA Top 5 courses in Palm Springs area
« Reply #22 on: March 21, 2006, 05:03:42 PM »
Steve:

Unusual website for the new Nicklaus course. I always question why they show archiectural drawing instead of actual pictures of the holes.


Cary
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Live Jupiter, Fl, was  4 handicap, played top 100 US, top 75 World. Great memories, no longer play, 4 back surgeries. I don't miss a lot of things about golf, life is simpler with out it. I miss my 60 degree wedge shots, don't miss nasty weather, icing, back spasms. Last course I played was Augusta

David Wigler

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Re:GCA Top 5 courses in Palm Springs area
« Reply #23 on: March 21, 2006, 05:09:47 PM »
The Palms is terrific (And hard).  I would say it is a must play.
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And I took full blame then, and retain such now.  My utter ignorance in not trumpeting a course I have never seen remains inexcusable.
Tom Huckaby 2/24/04

Phil Benedict

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Re:GCA Top 5 courses in Palm Springs area
« Reply #24 on: March 21, 2006, 05:42:22 PM »
I would take PGA West Stadium over La Quinta Mountain in a heartbeat.  Reaction to the Mountain Course was that it wasn't worth the upcharge.  Reaction to PGA West Stadium was that I can't wait to get back their.  Both of these courses cost $50-100 more than other public access courses in the valley.
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