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GK Gurus Visit The Golf Club at Terra Lago Indio California

Terra Lago Golf Club Indio California NORTH Course Hole 13

The Golf Club at Terra Lago (North)

Golf Course Review Golf Club at Terra Lago NORTH Indio California

Reviewed by: blakej824, Seal Beach, CA

Big thanks to Johnny and Terra Lago for setting this up. Made the 2 hour or so trek from Seal Beach to play with Johnny, Gary and Matt for the first time. Having never played here, it made quite the first impression. The clubhouse is nice and all the customer service was anywhere ranging from good to excellent with no complaints.

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Terra Lago Golf Club Indio California NORTH Course Hole 14
Terra Lago Golf Club Indio California NORTH Course Hole 14

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Terra Lago Golf Club Indio California NORTH Course Hole 18
Terra Lago Golf Club Indio California NORTH Course Hole 18

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The Review

Golf Playing Conditions 8.22 GREAT

Tees: 7/10. with some of the par 3’s needing divot work but it was still very easy to find a nice level surface.

Fairways: 8/10. Really good, medium green. Nice cushion under the ball. The were a little on the soft side for the desert.  I would prefer that to hard-pan thin on a course like this to keep the ball in play.

Rough: 6.5/10. Probably the thing that could use the most work. A bit patchy and clearly dormant. That being said I bet in the spring and summer months this rates out closer to an 7/8.

Bunkers: 7/10. They had adequate depth from the two fairway bunkers I found allowing for good contact. The green-side bunker I found was a little thin but still playable.

Greens: 9/10. Medium to medium fast coming off the ridges and downhill. Big undulations on a lot of these greens makes for interesting putting dynamics or as Johnny called it “rainbow” breaks. Many of the holes still had the checkerboard marks on the green from mowing and rolled perfect. Very little divots anywhere to be seen.

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Terra Lago Golf Club Indio California NORTH Course Hole 7
Terra Lago Golf Club Indio California NORTH Course Hole 7

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Terra Lago Golf Club Indio California NORTH Course JohnnyGK tees off
Terra Lago Golf Club Indio California NORTH Course JohnnyGK tees off

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Final Thought

Overall I was thoroughly impressed with the course. I would highly recommend it and can’t wait to come back. Reminded me at certain times of some of the Paiute courses and at others of Desert Willow. Great playing with those gentlemen as well so if you ever get a chance don’t hesitate to join.

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GK Gurus Visit The Golf Club at Terra Lago NORTH Course Indio California

Terra Lago Golf Club Indio California NORTH Course Hole 5

The Golf Club at Terra Lago (North)

Golf Course Review Golf Club at Terra Lago NORTH Indio California

Reviewed by: HmtGolfGuy, Hemet, CA

Played the 20th with the small group, paired up with Ron, Larry and Nick. Good company as always!

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Terra Lago Golf Club Indio California NORTH Course Hole 8
Terra Lago Golf Club Indio California NORTH Course Hole 8

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Terra Lago Golf Club Indio California NORTH Course with GK Gurus
Terra Lago Golf Club Indio California NORTH Course with GK Gurus

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The Review

Golf Playing Conditions 8.22 GREAT
Golf Playing Conditions 8.22 GREAT

Conditions overall were excellent. Fairways were a little tight at times but always had a good lie. Rough was short, at times the only way to be sure you weren’t in the fairway was the difference in color. Go past the rough and it’s natural desert in most places – avoid if at all possible.

Tees were good, par 3’s showed some divot wear but the tees are being moved regularly so not a problem finding a good spot.

Greens were great – hard to hold on touch shots but full struck short irons stopped quickly. Rolled beautifully at medium/fast speed. They’re good-sized with lots of undulations/levels so bring your “A” game for chipping/pitching/lag putting.

Bunkers – given how much time I spend in them, I should have taken a lounge chair, shovel and bucket and planned on building sand castles. Coverage was good but I never got a feel for the heavy sand and they gave me fits all day. I’d grade them about a “B+” overall but my bunker game was an “D-” which may be affecting my ratings.

Course employees were all very pleasant, weather was fantastic for mid-December.

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Terra Lago Golf Club Indio California NORTH Course Hole 15
Terra Lago Golf Club Indio California NORTH Course Hole 15

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Terra Lago Golf Club Indio California NORTH Course Hole 15 & 18

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Final Thought

While this course is often overlooked amongst the bevy of quality desert courses, it should get a LOT more love based on the conditions and layout. Very nice mix of shorter/longer holes, enough elevation change to make you think and adjust, challenging greens & great conditions – what more can you ask for? Add in a price point that’s better than a lot in the area and this becomes a “hidden gem”. HIGHLY recommended!

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GK Guru Visit Golf Club at Terra Lago (SOUTH) Indio California

Golf Club at Terra Lago SOUTH Indio California Hole 12

The Golf Club at Terra Lago (South)

Golf Course Review Golf Club at Terra Lago (SOUTH) Indio California

Reviewed by: sixpez, Rancho Mirage, CA
Golf Playing Conditions 6.48 GOOD
Golf Playing Conditions 6.48 GOOD

Played here this morning with JohnnyGK and Nickesquire. We started around 7:20 and enjoyed a nice relaxed pace after letting a couple twosomes through. At the moment, both courses are open, though North is shutting down for its over-seed after this weekend. South just came out of the over-seed and that’s why we opted to play it.

The Review

As Nick noted, the course was in pretty good overall condition and definitely better than when I was here last summer. It’s still a bit rough around the edges and it may never be completely pristine like some courses out here, but the fun/challenging layout and unique desert setting help balance that out. The tee boxes were mostly quite good with just a few a little thin on the over-seed coming through. Same with the fairways. There were a few small sandy/dead spots here and here, but mostly nice lies throughout. The rough mostly okay. There was some obvious storm/flood damage on the front nine where some mud and water washed through lower-lying parts of the course, but nothing too bad. The greens were good with the Bermuda still holding strong as the rye starts to come in. A little slow, but should smooth out as the season progresses. I was only in one fairway bunker and it was fine. All bunkers seemed a bit hit or miss from what I observed, though.

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Golf Club at Terra Lago SOUTH Indio California Hole 10
Golf Club at Terra Lago SOUTH Indio California Hole 10

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Golf Club at Terra Lago SOUTH Indio California Hole 9
Golf Club at Terra Lago SOUTH Indio California Hole 9

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Final Thoughts

Though this place is a little rougher around the edges than some courses in the valley, I would still recommend either TL course. I’ve always said that these are two of the more underrated designs. I also contend that South is way underrated compared to North, which typically gets more acclaim. Both offer a unique and mostly secluded setting with the rugged desert all around, and the layouts are very interesting, challenging and fun. Definitely far from your cookie-cutter “Palm Springs resort/community” courses, and I like that. Seems the management has this place headed back in the right direction and I’m excited to see it. Thanks to the staff for having us out today!

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GK Guru Visit Golf Club at Terra Lago (SOUTH) Indio California

The Golf Club at Terra Lago (South)

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

Reviewed by: JohnnyGK, Thousand Oaks

Golf Playing Conditions 6.48 GOOD
Golf Playing Conditions 6.48 GOOD

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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Golf Club at Terra Lago SOUTH Indio California Hole 14
Golf Club at Terra Lago SOUTH Indio California Hole 14

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Golf Club at Terra Lago SOUTH Indio California Hole 16
Golf Club at Terra Lago SOUTH Indio California Hole 16

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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.