STAMP: PALM SPRINGS GOLF

16th Shadow Ridge

For the last decade or so, Palm Springs has been my destination of choice for my annual golf frenzy. My girlfriend, who is also my golf partner, and I head down for a week in November and play nearly every day. Mid-week, we shop.

Here in 2002 I found a brilliant golf pro, Mike Ellis who is a senior instructor with the Faldo Golf Institute at Marriott's Shadow Ridge. He transformed our games in an hour, and since then we have been taking a private lesson from him every year as a tune-up. Mike has never failed to improve our games. We also play the Faldo-designed championship course here, which is challenging for us :). It's a cross between a links and a US green-velvet course - wide fairways, lots of bunkers around often-elevated greens, and water. The views distract me!

14th Desert Springs

My friend and I usually stay at the Marriott Desert Springs Villas II, a timeshare exchange, in a luxury two-bedroomed suite with a full kitchen and a view (L) of one of their two delightful golf courses. We play here too and prefer the Valley course. Not as big a course as Shadow Ridge, but ups and downs, and water.

We also thoroughly enjoy the Pete Dye course at Westin Mission Hills, which we try to play at least once during our stay. It's a typical Dye course that we find fun and a contrast to the other two. They all provide excellent service.

Over the years, we discovered two executive courses that we like to play to warm up before we tackle the bigger courses: the Oasis Golf and Country Club (18 holes) for $35 after noon and the Suncrest Golf Club (9 holes x2; no website) for about $35, and both include carts. The green fees are less than half the cost of the big, resort courses so we can play twice as much!

Bye! I won't be blogging on this pilgrimage!

Related post:
First Snow in the Desert - http://stampsinmypassport.blogspot.com/2011/11/palm-desert-ca-november-2011-i-woke-at.html