Palm Springs Golf Course Reviews
La Quinta Mountain Golf Course Review
La Quinta, CA
Tournament tees: 74.4 rating; 139 slope |
La Quinta Mountain Scorecard from the longest tees, as of the date of last review
Other Golf Course Reviews:
Desert Springs Golf Course | Terra Lago North Golf | Triology at La Quinta
Terra Lago South Golf | La Quinta Dunes | Silverrock Resort
Desert Springs Golf Course | Terra Lago North Golf | Triology at La Quinta
Terra Lago South Golf | La Quinta Dunes | Silverrock Resort
La Quinta Mountain Course Overview: The gem of the La Quinta resort golf
course trio, the Mountain Golf Course, when flirting with either water or mountains is
very exciting. The few “resort” holes
tame its brilliance slightly, but the wonder caused by the natural feel and
vibrant colors and views on the rest of the golf course is memorable indeed. The course as not very long, and not as tough
on paper as it plays, due to the nerves of the player getting in the way of
better scores. Very enjoyable,
especially the holes reviewed below:
La Quinta Mountain Course Hole 2 (right): A great par 3 with magnificent views of the mountains, both above and reflected in the lake that must be crossed to get to the green. Anything not hit far enough or pulled is gone. There are also a series of bunkers ready to catch the cowardly shot, leaving a chip towards the waiting water.
La Quinta Mountain Course Hole 4 (below): Double dogleg left par five around two mountains. The courageous can take their drive and or second over these rocks for a chance to reach the green in two. However, there is a 100 yard long waste bunker that hugs the mountain and the front left of the green. Anything pulled in there also leaves an angle to the green that is very shallow. The conservative player can find the wide fairways and usually negotiate a par, but environmental hazard lurks too far right.
La Quinta Mountain Course Hole 4 (below): Double dogleg left par five around two mountains. The courageous can take their drive and or second over these rocks for a chance to reach the green in two. However, there is a 100 yard long waste bunker that hugs the mountain and the front left of the green. Anything pulled in there also leaves an angle to the green that is very shallow. The conservative player can find the wide fairways and usually negotiate a par, but environmental hazard lurks too far right.
La Quinta Mountain Course Hole 5: A difficult par 3 with very little room for error. The natural tendency is to not pull the ball or hit it long into the obvious hazard (the mountain). If over-corrected, however, there is a very deep bunker or a steep hill waiting to make par a near impossibility as well. The green is slender and multi-tiered and par is a very good score here.
La Quinta Mountain Course Hole 14: If the golfer is quiet for a moment on this hole, the overwhelming sound of nothingness can be oppressing. This uphill par 4 ventures back into the roots of the Palm Desert mountains and is a stunning blend of great golf and great desert beauty. The greens of the grass stand out in stark contrast to the brown mountains and blue sky unlike anywhere else. However, the golfer mustn’t get too distracted or their approach will find the ravine that cuts in front of the green and circles around right and behind the green as well.
La Quinta Mountain Course Hole 15: Following in the footsteps of numbers 4 and 14, this double dogleg right par 5 uses the mountains as its greatest defense against the golfer. Downhill all the way, if a good drive is hit, the adventurous can try to take the shortcut over the mountain jutting out in front of the green. However, this is very risky because if the mountain is missed, there is still a long, deep bunker fronting the entire right side of the green. From this angle, it must be carried and the green is very shallow. It can be played much easier as a three shot hole, but either way the views are great.
La Quinta Mountain Course Hole 16: The signature hole is an island green, but not surrounded by water. Instead, this 167-yard one-shotter is surrounded completely by rocky desert wasteland. The only bailout area is left down a steep hill into a bunker from which up and down is a less than likely proposition. The cool, and cruel, thing about this hole is that it is downhill so the golfer gets a beautiful view of the hole and Palm Desert. However, all the danger is painfully evident and the player can watch in seemingly slow motion the doom or success of his shot.
