Lives
Calgary, Alberta
Handicap
10-14
Age
55-64
Gender
Male
Skill
Intermediate
Plays
A few times a week

Review Statistics

Average Rating

4.3
4.3
Total 36 Reviews

Rating Breakdown

36 Reviews
5 Stars
15
4 Stars
18
3 Stars
2
2 Stars
1
1 Stars
0
Recommended Courses
32
Not Recommended Courses
4
Helpful Votes Count
1
Not Helpful Votes Count
0
First Review
11/25/2013
Last Review
09/24/2018

Reviews Map

Reviews

4.3
Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Course Difficulty
First time playing this course
Recommended
Review has
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart

A little too country clubish for us

To start with, the course is beautiful and well conditioned. Probably the best conditioned course we played on our recent visit. It is located in a gated community and caters to seniors especially. (By the way, for the record my wife and I are seniors as well) The pace of play however was very slow for us - Over 4 hours. It appears this is a very popular course that is well supported by members. Most of the groups we saw had their own private golf carts. There were 2 incidents that stood out to us. We were waiting on every shot from the 2nd hole on. There was a club scramble tournament taking place in front of us. When we were on the 4th tee box, the group ahead of us had just teed off when one of the members mentioned they had lost a cooler bag back on the 2nd hole. They asked us if we could drive back to retrieve it for them since we were waiting anyway. Since we had someone on our tail as well my wife suggested they call the pro shop to see if a Marshall could pick it up for them. We though it a bit nervy for them to ask. It would have made more sense for them to drive back and allow us to play through. The second incident involved the course Marshal. He asked us how our round was going and we mentioned the pace of play was quite slow. He basically lit into us explaining that you needed to have 4 hour and 15 minute rounds in order for a course to survive. Although this did not make sense to us, he lightened up a bit after we told him the course was in excellent shape and very beautiful. We would not recommend this course - Not because of the conditions but because of the overall attitude we felt while on the course.

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Fair
Difficulty Moderate

Shadow Hills Golf Club

Played On 09/18/2018
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

Excellent course and excellent value

This course has really changed since Troon took over management. We played it 2 years ago and the layout was nice but a little rough around the edges. Now the entire course is immaculate and was in super condition the day we played. We were able to play in under 3 hours so the pace was great. The greens were smooth and fast and the ball held nicely. Would highly recommend this one.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging

Escena Golf Club

Played On 09/17/2018
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

A typical Nicklaus course

The fairways were wide and the greens were elevated and undulating. It is a long course from the middle tees so quite challenging - especially the par 3's. I needed to use driver on one of them and a 3 wood on another. The greens were fast and smooth and the fairways were just beginning to be prepped for the fall over seed so we were able to get more run than normal. We always enjoy this course so asked for a replay and only had to pay $15.00. The staff were excellent. The only issue on this occasion was that the water containers were empty on many of the holes. Since we had brought our own water on the course it was fine for us but a single we joined was getting a bit over heated.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging

Palm Desert Country Club

Played On 09/16/2018
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

An enjoyable course

We like to play this course because of the wide fairways and fun layout. They were preparing for the fall over seed so the fairways were brown and the ball ran out quite a bit. Good for the ego. The greens were excellent and moderately fast so very nice to play. We did not have to wait too much and were able to complete the round in under 3 hours which was nice.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Response from on 09/26/2018:
We appreciate your 4-star rating and review. It is great to see you had an enjoyable time on the course and we hope you join us for another round soon here at Palm Desert Country Club in California.
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

One of our favorites

We make sure to play this course every time we come to Palm Springs. It is a popular course so we can expect a relatively slow round but there are enough trees to find shade when you are waiting. The course was in great shape and the greens were smooth and moderately fast. We started as a two-some and joined another two-some a few holes in. That made the waits between holes not seem so long. The course is relatively short from the middle and forward tees so that helps a bit with the pace of play. We will play it again for sure.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Difficulty Moderate

Desert Falls Country Club

Played On 09/11/2018
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Fun Course at a good price

We had a late morning tee time and arrived more than an hour early. They still allowed us to tee off right away. We like to play fast and were able to play through 3 groups and finished in about 2 hours and 45 minutes. The course was in good shape but we found the greens quite slow and bumpy on this occasion. Overall it was a good experience and we would play the course again. The staff was very friendly.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate

PGA WEST Pete Dye Dunes Course

Played On 06/15/2017
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Hot weather
Used cart

Beautiful Course

We loved this course. It was a good thing we arrived early since our GPS got us a bit lost on the way. Once we got there we were able to tee off right away. The course had generous fairways and fast smooth greens. The holes offered a lot of variety and it was fun playing it. We would definitely look for the opportunity to play it again in the future. The pace of play on the front nine was excellent with nobody in front of us. Once we reached the 10th hole however we caught up to a tournament already in progress - It was part of the Southern California Golf Tour so we were right behind the 3 professionals that started the final round in the lead. It was fun watching them tee off - One of the gentlemen posted a 10 under for the tournament I believe - so they were very good golfers. We enjoyed the day thoroughly.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging

Desert Falls Country Club

Played On 06/14/2017
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart

Convenient Location

We always stay in Palm Springs across the street at the Residence Inn but had never played Desert Falls before. A Hot Deal came up so we played it for the first time. The course was in excellent shape and not too busy when we teed off. It was a fun course and we would play it again in the future. There was one particularly tricky hole on the back nine that we were not quite sure how to play. It was a par four with a water hazard in front of the green. The fairway was sloped from right to left and not much room to the right of the hazard. Also as you approached the water the fairway sloped toward the hazard as well.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

Slow Pace of Play

We have played this course many times in the past and it is one of our favorites in the Palm Springs area. This particular time though the pace of play was well over 4 hours for 18 holes. I know for most that would be a typical pace of play but for my wife and I, it is slow. The course was in excellent shape and because we had to wait on each hole, ended up asking a single to join us who was very enjoyable to play with. That helped make the slow pace of play easier to take. I must make note of the fact that I made a booking error and accidentally booked for the Pete Dye course. The gentleman in the Pro Shop however, simply moved the reservation to the Gary Player Course for us. We thanked him for that gesture.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging

Shadow Hills Golf Club

Played On 06/07/2017
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

Only Nine holes were open

When pre-booking the tee-time I did not read that the course was only using 9 holes. The course is doing extensive renovations currently. The nine holes we played were in great condition though and we basically had the course to ourselves. We enjoyed ourselves nonetheless but would likely not have played had we paid attention to the fact that only nine holes were available. Since Troon has taken over management you can notice the improvement in playing conditions. When the renovations are complete I am sure the course will be great.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate

Shadow Ridge Golf Club

Played On 09/23/2015
3.0
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Extremely Slow Play

While the course was in excellent shape, the pace of play was extremely slow - Close to 5 hours to play the round. On more than 1 occasion there were 3 groups waiting on a tee box. We were behind 2 threesomes who were waiting for a slow foursome. The course marshal said we were within the pace of play guidelines. He made no effort to improve things. After looking at the scorecard, it said the standard was 4.5 hours per round. Unfortunately in my opinion that is a very low standard. There is no reason you cannot complete a round of golf in under 4 hours, especially with carts. My wife and I often complete a round in under 3 hours so anything over 3.5 hours seems slow to us. The course itself is beautiful and I would play it again given the right conditions but when you wait on every shot, it is difficult to get any consistent timing. I would say that the course staff that we had interaction with was cordial but not friendly. It felt like a bit of a stuffy atmosphere to us. We played 9 times on our vacation (8 of those rounds were in under 3.5 hours). If we were to rank the 9 times we played on pace of play and friendliness of staff, this course would be the worst of the 9 while probably having the best playing conditions.

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Poor
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging

Escena Golf Club

Played On 09/22/2015
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Enjoyable Course

We played 6 days before the over seeding course closure so the conditions were dry (As we expected). However, it is still a very enjoyable course to play and one we try to play every time we are in Palm Springs. We like the layout and the width of the fairways is not intimidating

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging

Indian Springs Golf Club

Played On 09/20/2015
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

First time playing this course

The conditions were excellent and the course was very enjoyable. We took advantage of the good replay rate and played the course twice the same day. The pace of play was great and we finished 36 holes in less than 6 hours. The greens were not as fast as we anticipated but that was not a big deal. It is a fun course to play and is quite traditional in nature. It compares in layout to Palm Desert CC or Indian Canyon North.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging

Strathmore Golf Club

Played On 08/01/2015
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Tricky Greens

This is an excellent country course and good value for the money. It is in excellent shape and the staff is great. The greens are quite challenging with many double breakers depending where you leave your ball. Number 5 has an island green and needs a good tee shot followed by a precise approach.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Average weather
Walked

Our favorite Alberta Course

We always enjoy playing Coyote Creek and make a point of travelling there a couple of times each year. We normally stay overnight and play on the day of arrival and play 36 the following day. However, on this occasion there was a tournament the following day so we could only play 18 on this day. The conditions were excellent as usual and because there had been a severe storm the day before, there were many cancellations due to no carts allowed. We had booked a pre-paid Golf Now rate that included the cart so were not able to take advantage of that. It is an easy walking course though so we did not have a problem walking. We experienced rain on a couple of holes but the pace of play was fantastic and we finished in about 3 hours 20 minutes. We caught up to couple of groups and they let us play through. We were held up on the last 3 holes but still made good time. The course conditions were soft from the rain but still very playable.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging

The Phoenician Golf Club

Played On 05/22/2015
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Beautiful Scenery

This course has many scenic holes and we enjoyed the day. The course conditions were great and we were paired with a single who was fun to play with. There were a couple of quirky routes to some of the holes with long and somewhat confusing cart rides to the tee boxes. Fortunately the person we played with knew the course. It is a tough course, especially when it is windy. We played the first 12 or 13 holes in calm conditions and then the wind started blowing hard. It was well worth playing though and we would play it again.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging

Papago Golf Course

Played On 05/21/2015
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Average Course

This happened to be our least favorite of the courses we played during our golf vacation. There was nothing spectacular to note. Although the price was right we would not be inclined to play it again. Some of the holes were adjacent to each other which could at times be a bit dangerous. The condition of the course did not compare to others we played. Once again I would say average. They have a temporary clubhouse which surprised me considering the course has been around for more than 50 years. I had heard good things about it was was underwhelmed.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate

The Legacy Golf Club

Played On 05/20/2015
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Our Favorite

We came to Phoenix for a golf holiday and played a total of 16 times. This course was our personal favorite among many beautiful courses. The conditions were excellent, the staff friendly, and the price was right. We played 36 holes and took advantage of a good replay rate. The course is challenging but friendly to intermediate golfers with wide fairways. We loved it.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging

ASU Karsten Golf Course

Played On 05/19/2015
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Not long but difficult

We wanted to play the course that Phil Mickelson played in University and this particular day they had a good price in Golf Now so we played it. It has narrow fairways, lots of undulations, bunkers, and tricky greens. It is very central and hard to believe that a course like this good basically be in the middle of Tempe. It is a Pete Dye design and you need to be good to score well in my opinion. It is definitely a course that requires local knowledge. I can see why ASU has a strong golf team after playing this course.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Great course

Another Troon gem. There are 2 courses, this one and Cattail. We played both the same day and like them both equally. The pace of play was slower on this course due to a slow foursome in front of us. My wife and I were paired with a third and the foursome was late to the tee. Unfortunately the person paired with us went to the driving range, otherwise we could have teed off ahead of them. As a result it was a 4 hour plus round. All the holes are different and quite challenging but at the same time the wide fairways help with getting the ball in play. There are enough bunkers and waste area to keep you on your toes. This course would be a challenge for the advanced player as well.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
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