The Golf Club at Terra Lago (South)

Golf Course Review Golf Club at Terra Lago (SOUTH) Indio, CA

Reviewed by: JohnnyGK, Thousand Oaks

Played with sixpez and Nickesquire Thursday morning. Was my first time playing Terra Lago after all these years. It pleasantly surprised me. I knew not to expect excellent playing conditions typical of the higher end Palm Springs golf courses which I have been accustomed to playing. Also the South golf course was fresh out of over-seeding. What surprised me was how interesting, challenging and flat out fun the layout was. As a first time player that loves shot value, this course is loaded with them. Risk/reward tee shots, intimidating bunkers, lots of doglegs, forced carries over water, tough green complexes, hazards on both sides of every hole, elevated tee shots, a fantastic signature par 3.  It was a blast.

The Review

As far as conditions, very good. Interestingly is after the round I talked with the Superintendent who informed me the greens are not over-seeded with rye but rather Poa. That they are tiff Bermuda surfaces that do well the majority times of the year but need a cool grass added for winter play. This explains why the greens rolled so well. They are basically all Bermuda with some Poa sprouting through. I was told the greens right now are as slow as they get and to expect them to gradually become faster and firmer. Makes me want to head back there for sure. With all those undulations and tricky pins, must be diabolically fun when they are running faster.

Fairways in very good shape mostly lush with some thin spots. Rough mostly lush green-side and adjacent to the fairways with occasional thin/bare areas. Bunkers, well groomed but in many cases very firm and depleted of quality sand. Fairway bunkers overall in poorer shape than the green-side bunkers. I did find a couple in decent shape and got used to the firm texture. Tee boxes in very good shape with exception to the gold tees on the 17th hole.

Service was friendly and excellent all day. After the round I grabbed a bite to eat in the restaurant. Decent burger with tasty fries and great view of the signature holes on the North Course.

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Final Thought

Overall, I’d play the South Course again and want to try the North Course. If the track was manicured better and in the kind of conditions of a PGA WEST, Desert Willow Golf Resort or Indian Wells Golf Resort the layout would be on par with most of those playing experiences. Granted the courses I mentioned do have higher levels of service and amenities but my point is this place has great bones with a ton of upside potential. It looks to be moving in a positive direction. CHECK OUT the photos I just posted. Recommended.