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Rating Index Rating
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4.7
800 Reviews (800)
5 Stars
585
4 Stars
161
3 Stars
32
2 Stars
12
1 Stars
10
Conditions
4.6
Value
4.4
Layout
4.9
Friendliness
4.8
Pace
4.1
Amenities
4.6
95.3%
Recommend this course
755 out of 800 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.8
16 Reviews (16)
5 Stars
14
4 Stars
1
3 Stars
1
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
5.0
Value
4.5
Layout
4.9
Pace
4.3
Amenities
5.0
StaffFriendliness
4.7
93.8%
Recommend this course
15 out of 16 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.8
45 Reviews (45)
5 Stars
37
4 Stars
6
3 Stars
2
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.8
Value
4.6
Layout
4.9
Pace
4.0
Amenities
4.7
StaffFriendliness
4.8
95.6%
Recommend this course
43 out of 45 reviews
Read Reviews
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AI summaries based on real golfer reviews
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Course Highlights
Firecliff's layout earns top marks, with true-rolling greens, well-kept fairways, and a design that opens and closes on memorable par 5s. Staff consistently go above and beyond, delivering a professionally run experience from bag drop through the final hole.

About

Holes 18
Type Resort
Par 72
Length 7056 yards
Slope 141
Rating 74.1

A lot of courses say they're all about nature. Desert Willow Firecliff Resort in Cathedral City actually lives it. Natural desert plants are the star of the show here. So much so that the course was featured on the front cover of Smithsonian magazine.

Bobcats, coyotes and desert rabbits have free run of the place, adding another dimension to any round. When you see a bobcat out in the distance of the desert brush, you're not chasing after that golf ball. No matter how much cash you plunked down for the latest in long-distance technology.

Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry designed Desert Willow and it offers a good example of how you become a rising name in the golf architect game. The sand sculpting demands attention from the first hole.

The course looks intimidating to play. With a 138 slope rating, it plays that way too.

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Desert Willow Golf Resort - Firecliff
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Course Details

Year Built 1997
Fairways Bermuda Grass
Greens Bermuda Grass
Golf Season Year round
Architect Dr. Michael Hurdzan (1997) John Cook Dana Fry (1997)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes - included in green fees
GPS Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Golf School/Academy Yes - "Palm Desert Golf Academy"
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex, Discover Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No

Food & Beverage

Restaurant

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Meeting Facilities, Banquet Facilities

Accolades

The Best Way To Book Is With GolfPass+ Annual
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12 rounds of waived fees
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Reviews

4.7
800 Reviews (800)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 11
Patio Dining 8
19th Hole Scenic Views 7
Course Challenges Include:
Bunkers 16
Water Hazards 13
Undulating Greens 10
This course/club is great for:
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 12
A Weekend Splurge 11
Advanced Golfers 11
This Course's Location is:
At a Resort 11
Worth the Drive 11
Convenient to the City 10

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Reviewer Photos

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 42
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Always enjoy playing here

The staff are extremely friendly and ready to assist players. I even had a guy from the pro shop come to the range to check out my swings to see if I needed club fitting. He didn't try to sell the service and, in fact, just gave me good tips to hit the ball straight. Some very good tips. Thanks to his advice, I played +3 in the front 9. This coirse is a must for Palm Desert. I'm a resident, and I enjoy aging here at least once or twice a month.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 18
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart

Great Track

The course was in great shape, and the greens were nice and true, could be a little faster but considering the time of year and being so Hot they were the best greens I have played on all week,, I will play this course every time I come out to Palm Springs !!!

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Desert Willow Fire Cliff

A Great course with excellent greens and a great layout. Good for all skill levels.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Played On
Reviews 15
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart

One of the Best..

One of the best courses I have played as far as course conditions. Fairways and tee boxes were absolutely pristine and the greens rolled true.

Didnt have much options at the turn for food wise but the bar inside is very nice with great views out to the course.

Playing the tips makes this course difficult as some of the tees are way back on some holes and make the Par 3's a real challenge.

The scented ice cold towels on the course are also a great touch.

Ben (from Mississippi) in the pro shop was also a great help and very friendly.

Firecliff gets my vote for best course in Palm Desert area! Definitely will be back!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 6
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Excellent Course

POP was 4.25 hours, beautiful day with nice winds.. just what I expected coming from the I.E.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

Hot Condition at Desert Willow Firecliff

Course was in excellent condition. Staff was very friendly and attentive. Was hot around 103. Several holes are really good to look at from the tee box. Greens speed was moderate.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 10
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Beautiful tough but fair layout

One of our fav courses in the desert. Great practice facility, start times always on time, and friendly staff. Fairways are awesome and greens somewhat fast. Love Firecliff...

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

This course is in great condition.

Really enjoyed this course. Beautifully maintained.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 13
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Brilliant for everything

First time back in 6 yrs. Things have only got better. Superb experience from start to finish. Would go as far as saying this is one of the best courses I have played - and travelling the world I have played a lot! Well done to all. Firecliff will be visited again.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 10
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Windy weather
Used cart

Nice Course, Challenging

Would love to play again now that we have some course knowledge. From the tee box can't see the rolling undulations, which are fine but felt at times would like to have known the course better to score better.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Not as intimidating as I remember.

Super day at Desert Willow. This was just a wonderful experience. We arrived at the pro shop to a very friendly welcome. The staff could not have been more helpful. Firecliff can be a bear with all the fairway bunkers and traps. I only found 5 of the hundred plus sandy areas. Unfortunately, some of the earlier players do not share in proper golf etiquette. We found numerous bunkers with lots of footprints, divots, unraked ares to the point we had to rake bunkers both before and after our shots. Other than that, the course was in great condition. The fairways are wider than the visual you get from the tees. The greens are tough with lot of undulations but the putt true with a proper read and pace. The course has just enough water to give beautiful views without demanding too much from the golfers.

I live here in Palm Desert and have played many courses in the Coachella Valley, Desert Willow will give you a wonderful day of golf.

I'm playing here again in two weeks and look forward to it without fear of all those bunkers. No more fear!

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 37
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

Tough Greens

We unfortunately played on the hottest day of the week. However, the course was in great shape. The greens had just been aerated so a bit more difficult. Even if they had not been aerated the greens are very sloped and are tough for putting. The fairways were great as well as the pace of play. Would play again.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Windy weather
Used cart

best course we played in the Valley

Played five courses this week, including other comparably rated courses. This was the best of the bunch.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 209
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
California Advisor
Top 50 Contributor
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart

Great Track!

Next to PGA West, think this is the best overall track in the desert. Service was excellent, and course was in great shape. I played the Firecliff on this day and had a great time. Pace of play was also good. Only waited on a couple par 3's on the back 9. Not sure I would recommend at the normal rates, but is a great track and would absolutely play again for $89.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
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Golf Packages

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The Palm Mountain Resort & Spa Stay & Play Package

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PALM SPRINGS, CA | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at Palm Mountain Resort & Spa and up to 4 rounds of golf at your choice of Indian Canyons – South Course, Indian Canyons – North Course, The Classic Club, Tahquitz Creek – Resort Course, and Tahquitz Creek – Legend Course.

The Hilton Garden Inn Palm Springs/Rancho Mirage Stay & Play Package

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PALM SPRINGS, CA | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at the Hilton Garden Inn Palm Springs/Rancho Mirage and up to 4 rounds of golf at your choice of Indian Canyons – South Course, The Classic Club, Tahquitz Creek – Resort Course, and Tahquitz Creek – Legend Course.

Aviara Stay & Play Package

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