Review: Desert Spring - Palms Course
As you start on the back 9, you get a good downhill par 5 to start and then meander up and down and around for a few holes. A solid mixture of a couple short par 4s, a long par 3 and a par 5. Once you reach the 15th hole, it is massive water features on every hole until you finish. The 15th and 16th run next to each other with a lake and waterfalls dividing the two holes. By far the 17th hole is the most impressive water feature I think I’ve seen on a course. Falls, rocks, flowers, tiers and an island green. It is a really tough yet beautiful hole. From the back tee it was playing about 175 because of the breeze in our face. While I was able to hold the back side of the green our group had 2 short, 1 run through the green and 1 on. The finishing hole is a long sweeping par 4 dogleg left around a giant lake that is the one right out the back doors of the resort.
If you want to experience a true desert oasis, this is the course for you. There are so many water features on this course you feel like you are playing in FL rather than the CA desert. The grass throughout the course was well maintained and the greens were smooth with significant undulation. They didn’t have them blazing fast which made them very playable as a resort course. It does weave through condos, houses and lodging, but most were far enough off the fairways and had a row of trees in front of them that it didn’t feel too closed in. If you like water features and an oasis like look, this is the course for you.
For more information: www.desertspringsresort.com
Quick Hits:
+Oasis look
+Lots of water features
+Lush conditions
+Challenging layout
+Good length for all skill levels
–Condos/Houses on almost every hole