Golf Course Review PGA WEST Stadium Course La Quinta California
Reviewed by: UNCLEDDBOY23, Peoria, Arizona
Golf Playing Conditions 9.12 IMMACULATE
Overview: Finally played the Stadium Course at PGA West on Sat 1/26/19. It’s hard to believe that PGA West has been open since 1985 and that the first course opened for play the following year. I think we all remember the hole in one that Lee Trevino had during the Skins Game back in 1987. I just remember sitting at home in Buffalo, New York and thinking “this is a golf course and community that looks absolutely amazing.” There was the sharp contrast of the green over-seeded rye grass versus the dormant Bermuda grass and the Santa Rosa Mountains providing a scenic back drop. The sun was shining in La Quinta and I was wondering if I would ever to have a chance to play a course like this. For all intent and purposes this was the beginning of desert golf in the Southwest part of the United States.
PGA West has now grown to 6 courses … with three of them being private and the other three being daily fee resort, but the Stadium Course was the one we all wanted to play because it was the course that we saw so many times on television and all we heard was how difficult it was.
The Clubhouse:
The Stadium Course shares a clubhouse with the Nicklaus Tournament Course and has a large pro shop and a nice place to eat (Ernie’s). Service was good at the bag drop and in the pro shop, but outside services at the end of the round was not good. A member of my group left a chap stick and his suntan lotion in the golf cart, and he went back for it 5 minutes after we had our bags removed. The player assistant said he did not remember seeing anything and that he would not remember if anything was left in the cart because they had cleaned 166 carts today … disappointing to hear this type of customer service.
The Course Review:
The Stadium Course was in great shape. The Desert Classic had just being completed on the previous Sunday, so it was still in PGA Tour shape. The greens were firm and quick, the fairways were lush and the sand in the bunkers was very good. I now understand fully about the Indio effect and how you need to bring that into the equation while reading putts. I can now say that the Stadium Course is a position golf course. You need to miss in the right place. It was a stern test of golf and I especially enjoyed 16, 17 and 18. I think 16 is an underrated hole and is very difficult because if you miss it down the left side you are in very challenging bunkers.
Final Thoughts: Pete Dye created a very good course that has held up over time and is a course that should be played if you visit the Coachella Valley.
Golf Course Review PGA West Stadium Course La Quinta California
Reviewed by: 24hourgolf, Monterey Park
Golf Playing Conditions 9.06 IMMACULATE
Played today in great weather. Warmest I have played in weeks. Played in a great POP of 4 hours.
All I can say from my last time here, is WOW. I have played courses the week after a PGA Tournament before. This was the best conditioned of any one that I had played before. So clean. So manicured (looked like they used scissors).
Never had a bad tee box. Never had a bad lie.
Never got this much roll in a fairway.
Never had so many 3 and 4 footers that I was nervous over (yes, the greens were that good and that fast).
This was one of the most enjoyable rounds of golf I have ever played (and I have played many). Customer service was terrific at all levels. Food and beverage after were just great. When in P S a must play, IMO.
Golf Course Review PGA WEST Greg Norman Course La Quinta, CA
FORELINX: The Country Club Alternative. Click HERE for more.
Reviewed by: Nickesquire, Rancho Mirage, CA
Rode the Blues (6671/72.8/133) with Dave in 3H, 45M using Forelinx. The weather was clear, fairly calm and around 85.
Golf Playing Conditions 6.87 GOOD
The difficulty factor is deceptive and I like the visuals that the layout presents. Almost every hole has a forced carry over desert-scape, but the fairways are very generous in size. Unique layout that plays like a quasi links style course encouraging bump/runs or putting from well off the green.
The tee boxes are lush, level and very nicely maintained.
The fairways were lush & well maintained. Few unfixed divots.
Not much rough as the fairways go immediately to desert-scape on this course. The only grass maintained higher than the fairways is a strip around the sand traps.
The sand traps are plentiful and decently maintained with good quality sand. Numerous holes have 6-8 fairway bunkers that are more severe that the average golfer is used to navigating through. Green side bunkers are deep and large.
The large, firm greens putted medium slow.
The customer service is always good here. Nice grass range with complimentary balls, nice sand/chipping and practice putting areas that closely resembled the on course conditions. Good GPS on carts. Complementary bottled water in the ice chest, and the cart gal was out making the rounds. Recommended.
Golf Course Review PGA WEST Stadium Course La Quinta, CA
ALERT: Aeration & Overseeding
Greens were aerated 7/23 – 8/2. Course will be closed for overseeding 10/8 – 10/31, reopening 11/1 and cart path only until 11/29.
* Although Greenskeeper.org researches all alerts before posting, we ask that you please contact the golf course for confirmation.
Reviewed by: zeppelin51423, manhattan beach
Golf Playing Conditions 7.93 GREAT
Played Stadium on Saturday & conditions were excellent. During the summer, I always rate courses in desert relative to other desert courses, not to how they are in the winter or peak season. The conditions from tee to green were great. The greens were firm and rolled true. The grain in the Bermuda largely impacts the smoothness and speed. Down grain putts rolled excellent and fairly fast. The fairways were perfect. The only complaint would be the rock hard bunkers. I’d probably avoid many of the desert courses over the next month or so as they close for over-seeding. I’ll be back in November!
All in all, the stadium course is a solid test of golf and I largely enjoy teeing it up there.
Golf Course Review PGA WEST Greg Norman Coruse in La Quinta, CA
Reviewed by: Nickesquire, Rancho Mirage, CA
Golf Playing Conditions 6.86 GOOD
Rode the Blues (6671/72.8/133) in slightly over 3H using Forelinx. The weather was clear, breezy and around 100.
Under rated, unique layout. If you are around a green, it is mowed as fairway and plays like a links style course encouraging bump/runs or putting from well off the green. You need to manage the course and AVOID the bunkers here more so than on most courses. Numerous holes have 6-8 fairway bunkers that are more severe that the average golfer is used to navigating through. Green side bunkers are deep and large. The difficulty factor is deceptive and I like the visuals that the holes present. Almost every hole has a forced carry over desert scape, but the fairways are very generous in size.
The tee boxes are huge, level and very nicely maintained.
The fairways were lush & well maintained. Few unfixed divots, but they are currently mowed high, so not alot of roll.
Really no rough to speak of because the fairways go straight from fairway to desert scape. The only grass maintained higher than the fairways is a strip around the sand traps.
The sand traps are plentiful and decently maintained with good quality sand.
The Country Club Alternative. Click HERE
The firm greens had good coverage but were woefully slow.
The customer service throughout the staff was exceptional. Nice grass range with complimentary balls, nice sand/chipping and practice putting areas that closely resembled the on course conditions. Good GPS on carts. Complementary bottled water in the ice chest, and the cart gal was out making the rounds. Definitely recommended.
Played my favorite track in the desert for maybe the 5-6th time in the last 12 months Sunday, 4/15. We were the 5th group out and played in 3.5 hours (2some) and the course was in fantastic conditioning.
The dormant rough is starting to green up a bit so the contrast from the fairways to rough was nothing like back in December-February, but I want to say the course was in about as good of shape as I’ve ever seen it. The fairways were excellent and great to hit from. Tee boxes were great. Sand was a mixed bag but most green side bunkers were solid. The greens were superb. Firm & med/fast. You had to be careful when above the hole as they were rolling out fairly quick. I though the greens were in perfect condition considering you could see that summer Bermuda starting to creep in.
All in all, I expected maybe a slight drop off from when I played on the heels of the career builders event but not in any way was there a drop off in conditions.
Congratulations to PGA WEST – Greg Norman Course in La Quinta, California 2016 Winner Worth the Green Fee for the Palm Springs Region.
Congratulations to all the great golf courses out there that won Worth the Green Fee for their Region. Haven’t thought of playing there? Consider this a wake up call and give their golf course a try.
PGA WEST – Greg Norman Course 2016 Winner Worth the Green Fee for the Palm Springs Region
Greenskeeper.Org “Know Before You Go®”
This year we expanded our awards to 11 regions! @GreenskeeperOrg Winner #2016 @PGAWESTGOLF @LaQuintaResort #Golf #WorththeGreenFee #PalmSprings #Breaking
We’ve waited all year for the results, and the results are finally in. Greenskeeper.org proudly presents it’s 2016 Worth the Green Fee Awards for Palm Springs Area.
“Worth the Green Fee” is awarded to golf courses open to the public listed on Greenskeeper.org that stand out above the rest with our site users at providing a consistent, quality golf experience at an outstanding price.
Let’s face it, golf can be expensive. But it doesn’t have to be. All you have to know is where to play to get your best value and that’s something Greenskeeper.org excels. In addition to helping golfers decide where to play their next round of golf based on reviews, ratings, and maintenance alerts, we’ve recently introduced our GK Coupons service to extend their deals directly to our avid golfers. Our GK Coupons program has been received very well by both Golf Course Operator and Golfer.
Nickesquire Posted: 09/18/16 1:04a Member Since: Aug 11, 2007 From: Simi Valley, CA
Played the Blues (6671/72.8/133) in 3 hours, 20 minutes. Pace of Play (POP) was great because it was around 100 and clear with little breeze. I like this course more with each visit. Do not score well here, but still one of my favorites.
This course is in excellent shape bordering on immaculate. The layout is certainty different visually from other courses with huge, wide fairways surrounded by crushed granite. Almost every hole has a forced carry over desert-scape, but the fairways are generous in size. The Bermuda tee boxes are large and very well maintained. Even the par 3’s rarely needed divot attention. The Bermuda fairways were lush & well maintained. Few unfixed divots. The only grass that qualifies as traditional rough here are the strips around the sand traps, because if you are around a green, it is mowed as fairway. Outside the fairway is the crushed granite and the desert-scape. There are a tremendous amount of sand traps on this course. I counted 14 on 1 hole alone. Very well maintained with high quality sand. The green side bunkers are deep and large and the fairway traps often have larger lips than most people are used to playing from. The Bermuda greens putted medium fast and were smooth. Firm and tough to hold a shot where it landed.
The customer service from all encountered was great. Drink cart came by probably a 1/2 dozen times. Nice grass range with complimentary balls, nice sand/chipping and practice putting areas that closely resembled the on course conditions. Nice restaurant onsite with outdoor patio dining. Definitely recommended.
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PGA WEST Greg Norman Course La Quinta California. Hole 18
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PGA WEST Greg Norman Course La Quinta California. Hole 17 View from Tee Box
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PGA WEST Greg Norman Course La Quinta California. Hole 1
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Worth the Green Fee 2016 for Palm Springs Area – PGA WEST Greg Norman
sammy3 Posted: 12/08/16 12:03p Member Since: Jun 10, 2012 From: Corona
1 of 3 courses played and this one turned out to be my favorite. Although it was cart path only, it only took us a little over 4 hours to play as you could get close to your ball by driving through the desert area.
Course is just a beautiful green and the bunkers had nice fluffy sand. Greens were a little on the slow side but they all rolled the same.
Why Did We Expand the Regions?
It’s simple. Greenskeeper.org has been growing. We expanded the number of regions because golfers like you have reported about golf course conditions in more places you play. In short golfers come to us if they want informative, relevant golf course reviews and it’s all due to your, our GK Community’s, diligence. You let us know your experiences and well if we hear about it everyone else does too.
Why so Many Regions?
Golf is an experience and every experience is unique. Different golf courses offer different experiences. What we look for in golf course reviews offers a little insight into every golf course we play. Not just one point of view but many, and by providing many different points of view you get a clearer picture of what each golf course has to offer. To that end we felt it necessary to provide regions with their own highlighted golf course. Local players can enjoy the fact there is a great facility they can play just around their corner. Golfers looking to experience new golf courses can play these and experience first-hand these unique golf experiences. Put simply, we allow not just your high-end. daily fee courses to shine but the local municipal as well. They all deserve a fair shot and they all deserve to shine.
Look for additional Golf Course highlights from our Worth the Green Fee for 2016.
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#GKPlays #IndianWellsGolfResort Another GK Event in the Books! Thanks @GreenskeeperOrg!
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#GKPlays #RamsHillGolf It was a great day of #Golf!
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ALERT: Aeration & Overseeding
