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4.6
960 Reviews (960)
5 Stars
606
4 Stars
270
3 Stars
61
2 Stars
12
1 Stars
11
Conditions
4.5
Value
4.2
Layout
4.7
Friendliness
4.7
Pace
4.3
Amenities
4.3
89.7%
Recommend this course
886 out of 960 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.4
13 Reviews (13)
5 Stars
7
4 Stars
4
3 Stars
2
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
3.8
Value
3.7
Layout
4.4
Pace
4.2
Amenities
3.8
StaffFriendliness
4.3
76.9%
Recommend this course
10 out of 13 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.6
37 Reviews (37)
5 Stars
25
4 Stars
8
3 Stars
4
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.3
Value
4.1
Layout
4.7
Pace
4.3
Amenities
4.3
StaffFriendliness
4.7
83.8%
Recommend this course
31 out of 37 reviews
Read Reviews
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AI summaries based on real golfer reviews
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Course Highlights
Strategically placed bunkers and heavily undulated greens create a rewarding challenge that consistently earns top marks for course layout and conditions. Exceptionally friendly staff and strong overall value make this desert resort course a repeat favorite for visiting golfers.

About

Holes 18
Type Public/Resort
Par 71
Length 7006 yards
Slope 135
Rating 73.7

Nick Faldo brings his exacting, often critical eye to West Coast golf for the first time at this Shadow Ridge Golf Course in Palm Desert. Faldo wanted a design that forced a ton of strategic choices and the architect team of Brian Curley and Lee Schmidt delivered for him.

Options? You want options!

Ten of Shadow Ridge's 18 holes are doglegs. The towering Santa Rosa Mountains serve as backdrop. The tall native tawny grasses contrasts sharply with the white sand bunkering. But it's the golf choices that are likely to seize your attention at this 7,006-yard, par-71 course.

The finish alone is enough to rattle an average golfer to the bone. No. 17 is a 157-yard par 3 that puts the wind in your face and nothing but trouble straight ahead. There's a lake to carry, deep bunkers and a green that slants left to right like a wayward chalkboard. No. 18, a 446-yard par-4, places both a stream and big fairway bunkers right in the straightest path to the green.

"The fairways are generous and the bunkering style is bold," Faldo said. "And the greens have plenty of subtle undulations that reward and encourage a variety of approach shots."

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Shadow Ridge Golf Club
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Course Details

Year Built 2000
Golf Season Year round
Architect Nick Faldo (2000) Lee E. Schmidt (2000) Brian Curley (2000)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
GPS Yes
Clubs No

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Bunker Yes
Golf School/Academy Yes - "Golfzon Leadbetter Academy"
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Metal Spikes Allowed No
Walking Allowed No
Dress code Proper golf attire required.

Food & Beverage

Bar, Grill

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Banquet Facilities, Sauna, Locker Rooms

Available Activities

Swimming, Billiards

Available Sports

Fitness

Accolades

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Reviews

4.6
960 Reviews (960)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 44
Patio Dining 32
Brunch 20
Course Challenges Include:
Bunkers 79
Undulating Greens 70
Water Hazards 57
This course/club is great for:
Advanced Golfers 52
A Weekend Splurge 42
Locals 37
This Course's Location is:
At a Resort 66
Convenient to the City 44
Worth the Drive 26

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Punched

Pretty annoying that we aren’t notified when a course is punched. It makes the whole experience pretty pour

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Birthday round

We drove 1.5 hours to Palm Springs to play the course and found out all greens were aerated. If we knew this in advance, I would cancel my tee time and play else where. We paid $76 through Golfnow.com. I would never play this course again.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Fair
Friendliness Average
Pace Poor
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Birthday round

We paid $76 to play the course today. We drove all the way from OC to celebrate my birthday. However, we were not informed that the all greens were aerated by Golfnow.com. We did not enjoy the round at all. Overall course condition was below average or similar to a muni course or worse. The whole experience was a huge disappointment.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Scary to start, but end with a smile

Paided the extra $20 to play at 7:21 instead of 10:00, looking back 10 would have been better, not to the fault of the golf course, but maybe due to tee times. It was extremely windy, Mother Nature is strange but it simmered down after the first hole, what didn’t simmer was the multiple parties of 4 stacked in front of us and the party behind us. Whom tees off 3 minutes after our 7:21 to create the perfect golf sandwhich on a day that was not busy to begin with. Still had fun but would recommend the later booking and was uniformed they just punched the fairways and greens. Served for a bumpy rode

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

Summer Golf

Great course, great staff, great value especially if staying at the resort. One of our groups favorite desert courses.

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

Beautiful layout, especially the front 9

We really enjoyed this course from the moment we arrived. The front 9 has no houses and fabulous views. We were a group of varied skill levels, 13-32 handicap and we played from different tees and all had a great time.

The layout is fair but also challenging. Great beer in the 19th hole too. Very friendly staff.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1000
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Top 1 Contributor
California Advisor
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

Shadow Ridge

Rode the Greens (6621/71.5/130) in 4.5H twilight using Forelinx. Paired with Ed and Heather, we waited on most holes. The weather was in the low 90's, clear and fairly calm.

Fun Nick Faldo design. The landing areas on most par 4 & par 5 tee shots are generous in width. The par 3's offer a good variation in length and look. Two par 4's over 460 from the next to back set of tees. Several risk/reward par 4's that could produce birdies or doubles.

The course has mostly transitioned back to Bermuda for the summer. The tees were mostly lush, with only a couple needing divot attention.

The fairways were semi lush and firm. Well maintained, mowed low, nice to play from.

The rough was mostly lush and just tall enough that the ball sat down enough to usually be punitive. Nice to chip out of.

The green side sand traps were well maintained with good quality white sand. Some fairway traps are waste bunkers & less maintained. Numerous traps on this course are large, deep, and need to be avoided by most amateurs.

The Bermuda greens putted medium fast speed and rolled well. They were firm but held approach shots with some run out. Usually no significant ball marks because of their firmness.

The customer service was good from everyone encountered. Drink cart out and around numerous times. Water stations on the course every couple of holes. Good GPS on the carts. Practice facility is all grass and includes balls with your fee. Recommended.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Links in the desert

Easy course to maneuver off the tee. It's the greens where the challenge sets in. Severe undulations, plus traps deep enough that you may need a ladder to get in them. Visuals are solid. The only apprehension was the pace of play. We were near the five-hour mark on the 16th hole, so we left directly.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 18
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
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 3
Handicap 0-4
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Another spectacular day at Shadow Ridge

Shadow Ridge is one of my favorite courses anywhere!

There is a great mix of scoreable holes (short par 4's , reachable par 5s) with some very challenging ones where par is a great score. The course is always in fantastic shape and plays firm and fast. The practice area is excellent. It has the feel of a private club in every way.

The course is generous off the tee. The challenge begins with your 2nd shot. I would say it is definitely a second shot golf course. There are many deep penalizing bunkers that surround most greens. (Stay out of these if you want to score well.) The greens are large but have a lot of undulation and can be penalizing if you don't put your ball in the correct spots as the greens are typically firm and fast.

I would highly recommend recommend shadow ridge to to any and all golfers, regardless of handicap. I am a 3 handicap and I played with my dad who is a 35 and we both enjoyed the course and had a great time. One last thing to consider. Make sure you pick the right tees. You don't want to be hitting long irons or fairway woods all day into the challenging greens.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 7
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Difficult but manageable

This Marriott resort course has a good setup. Practice putting green has undulation that is similar to the course. Practice range is iinclide with enough balls to warm you up. The course itself is in good condition with few dead spots. I found the fairways were fairly tight for a resort course. The other difficulty is the greens which undulate quite a bit. Bring your A game. Staff was very friendly.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 7
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing

Target shots

The fairways are fairly wide but bunkers are located in strategic spots that will probably catch the average players shot. Greens are large but have enough undulation that if your ball lands in the back and the pin is in the middle or front you have a long putt over at least one hill so chip shots onto the green is important to keep your score low. Tee boxes are in average condition while fairways and greens are in better condition. The practice putting green is a good example of overall green character. 18th hole is picture worthy.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 20
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Windy weather
Used cart

Great game

Rarely do my husband and I have a great game at the same time - today we did! Love this course - wish it wasn’t so pricey!

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Excellent experience!

I have played Shadow Ridge for years. This course simply does not get old. Plenty of risk-reward holes to keep things interesting and the conditions are perfect. The staff is always friendly and the off the course amenities are first class. A must play...

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Twice a year
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

A gem.

Pretty course, immaculately kept, nice risk and reward balance on each hole keeps you thinking and makes it suitable for intermediates to experts.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
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Golf Packages

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Best of Indian Wells Package

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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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Aviara Stay & Play Package

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