atwilson

Wife and I played the Gary Player course today, she from the forward tees, myself from the silvers. She commented several times on how lady-golfer friendly this layout is. I will add it is also old-guy (65+) friendly from the silvers! Our playing partners were a pair of friendly Canadians, younger, better golfers, who played from the combo gold/silver tees and had a good time as well. My takeaway is choose your tees realistically based on your ability to maximize your enjoyment here.

The course is beautifully maintained and the staff is friendly.

I played on the hottest day so far in 2017 -- air temperature 102 degrees. Humid, too. I saw the cart lady on the fifth hole but didn't see her the rest of the round. No water on the course, either. I seriously considered bailing on the back nine because it was so hot and I was getting dizzy. Fortunately, I carry a "Frogg Towel" chilling wrap, which kept me cool enough to finish. When I asked at the pro shop where the cart lady went, they said oh yeah, she went home about 1:30. What? on the hottest afternoon of the year?

Kvetching about the lack of services aside, the course could use some TLC. There a tree branches down on the course, some of the greens look as if they have grown fur coats, bald patches on the fairway, etc. This is a nicely designed, old school track, but maintenance is lacking.

I coulldn't recommend this course. It is reasonably priced, but there are so many nicer courses open to the public in the greater Portland area.

Wife and I played here using the stay-and-play package with the resort. The course is in great shape and the staff is helpful. From the whites, I would call the course tough but fair. It's a mountain course, with the requisite sloped fairways and mature trees, but does not feel claustrophobic. Several holes have excellent views. Signature hole is definitely nine, where the green is down, down, down. Staff at the resort could not have been more friendly and accommodating. Overall very impressive, and I certainly hope to play it again.

We had never been to Palm Desert in the fall before and did not know about "overseeding," but we learned on this trip. In case this is new to you, too, this is the practice of seeding over the heat-resistant summer grass with a different type of grass better suited to the (relative) cool of fall and winter. Courses close completely for one to two weeks when they are overseeded. We played Desert Falls a few days after the course reopened. The 2nd-cut rough had not yet been mowed and was extremely thick. Both the summer and winter grasses were growing on the greens making them something like putting on a shag carpet, only slower. Conditions, in a word, were not so great.
This is a very pretty, spacious, open-feeling course with friendly people. I would definitely play it again ... but I would check course conditions first, especially in the fall.