Firecliff at Desert Willow Golf Resort

Good open fairways. Not sure about the concept of hidden rakes. Bunkers very inconsistent and poorly maintained.

While the Desert Willow courses are reasonably challenging and well maintained with a good practice facility and great clubhouse for lunch and drinks afterward.....the pace of play was terrible the day I played. We were just short of 5 hrs. There was no marshall on the course (that I saw). The two groups in front of me were playing tees that they clearly didn't have the skill set to play and our foursome waited on every shot after the first hole. If the course is going to tolerate 5 hr. rounds then advertise this fact so that every customer is aware of the deal they are getting.

Firecliff is my favorite course in the valley...lush, pristine fairways, rolling but true greens. Beautiful desert landscapes and mountain vistas. LOTS of well maintained bunkers and an interesting and challenging layout for players of all skill levels.

Desert willows is my idea of a golf facility! It feels like you belong to a private club. The course is fantastic, the conditions excellent, it has everything!

This course is in the middle of Palm Desert but you hardly see a building or a road. Great design and challenge. Marvelous condition. Would play it again anytime. One of the best in the area.

This course is in great shape, with 2 exceptions. 1, there is a good sized coot (mud hen) problem. The course is trying to cope with the problem using non lethal methods...good luck with that. 2. Sand in sand traps seems to be simply desert dirt and in many traps it is quite compacted.

The course itself and the staff are great. The problem we had was playing with a couple where the husband clearly does not know how to golf, whiffed at the ball multiple times on several holes and most of the time, diidn't have the good sense to pick up his ball. Isn't there a better way for courses to determine who should be on a course? Or, are we just doomed to the luck of the draw?

The course is very pretty, kept in great condition, but the back nine has been slow both times I played there. My wife enjoyed her round very much.

Had a wonderful morning of golf with very friendly golfers who I had not met before. Pace of play was good. The course is challenging, but not over the top. Beautiful conditions and scenic backdrops with the snow capped mountains.

Desert Willow still remains at the top of the list of public golf courses. Course is in great shape and very playable if you pick the Tee Box for your current ability. I played with a 12 year old who played from the Whites, broke 90 and loved it. The downside is that popular courses attract lots of people and the pace on this day was slow. They also close the driving range mid day for maintenance so if you need a warmup call ahead.

The views can't be beat, especially from the clubhouse terrace where meals are relatively reasonable for the desert and nicely served. Course reqires accuracy to avoid the plentiful sand and occasional water hazards. Can be slow because of the number and quality of players, but any waiting is made less difficult by the picturesque surroundings on all but a few holes. Recent vandalism on two holes is acknowledged by the course and repairs are in progress. Good practice facility, golf carts and GPS.

We had a 1PM tee time and fully expected to get 18 holes in before dark.....we didn't. We waited on every hole, sometimes up to 7-8 minutes...No only were the starters late getting the tee times off, there were too many golfers on the course for pace of play to be 4-4 1/2 hours tops. Mix in a corporate tournament and you have the makings of a slow and painful round. Unless the golf staff does a better job planning and managing pace of play on the course, the value is simply not there.

Play with noce folks..Slow pace of play . No apparent attention by staff. Starter not all that friendly slef absorbed. Great course but played super bowl sunday and very noisy on the back nine .

I played both courses over the last two weeks. Both were very well maintained and in almost perfect conditions for the amount of play they get in the first month of the year.
Great practice area and staff is very friendly.
Drawbacks....everybody I played with hated the bunker rake system , which are submerged into the ground. It slows down the already slow play from overloading the course, and in the round everybody gives up on the system. Most are hard to work and some dont work.
A great golf experience which could excellent if they didnt overload the course and did away with the rake syste,.

Played on day after rain. Fairways were in great shape, greens were a bit slow. The staff were very efficient and helpfull , my friend stopped at the turn and could not continue, when she felt better a staff member offered to drive her out to where we were on the course. Carts have GPS , nor restrictions to stay on paths, rakes are hidden in a well near traps. Was an enjoyable golf experience. The rack rate was too high for 2 of us, but we were able to get a good deal on Golf Now for our 12:50 tee time. Wish I was in area long enough to play again with a golf now deal.

The course is beautiful and challenging, but too many greens have coots and coot excrement on them. Very filthy in places - skipped several greens to avoid excrement on ball, club and shoes.

I like the coarse but not the price or pace, given the frost delay meant we wouldn't finish

Management kept feeding groups in, despite a 2 hr. frost delay.
One member of our foursome packed it in after 9 due to the slow play.
Under normal circumstances we would not have played the last two holes, almost total darkness by the time we finnished. Too bad; the 18 th is probably one of the finest finishing holes I've played. Hard to appreciate when you're first priority is guessing where your ball might have landed.

Excellent course, able to compete with any course in the Palm Springs area

Wonderfully professional staff was warm and welcoming.
Terrific course and in good condition this early in the year (12/12).
Beautiful views and stunning setting.