Palm Springs Golf Course Reviews
PGA West Norman Golf Course ReviewLa Quinta, CA
75.1 rating; 139 slope |
PGA West Norman Scorecard from the longest tees, as of the date of last review
Other Golf Course Reviews:
PGA West Nicklaus | La Quinta Mountain Review | PGA West Palmer
PGA West Stadium Course | Rancho Mirage Golf Review | La Quinta Dunes | Silverrock Resort
PGA West Nicklaus | La Quinta Mountain Review | PGA West Palmer
PGA West Stadium Course | Rancho Mirage Golf Review | La Quinta Dunes | Silverrock Resort
PGA West Norman Golf Course Overview: This track represents true desert golf. The golfer that misses fairway finds water or desert: period. At over 7,100 yards from the tips, this golf course is also very brutal if solid contact is not being made as a lot of the greens are well guarded by bunkers or slopes that will reject shots that are slightly less than perfectly struck. The fun part of the experience is mostly visual as the water is bright blue, the sand is white and the landscaping is chalked full of bright flowers. The best golf holes are reviewed below:
PGA West Norman Golf Course Hole 1: The opening golf hole is framed nicely by the mountains in the distance and plays as a relatively docile, slightly uphill par four with and angled and sloped green. As will be key throughout the golf course, avoiding the many sand traps and desert along the way is the main priority.
PGA West Norman Golf Course Hole 1: The opening golf hole is framed nicely by the mountains in the distance and plays as a relatively docile, slightly uphill par four with and angled and sloped green. As will be key throughout the golf course, avoiding the many sand traps and desert along the way is the main priority.
PGA West Norman Golf Course Hole 2: This fairly short par five can be reached in two if the golfer can find the fairway off the tee shot as the ball will tend to run forever, but, if offline, it will run right into the desert. The green, however, is set over a desert wash about 30-50 yards short that should be avoided.
PGA West Norman Golf Course Hole 3: There are a few very long par fours on this golf course, and #3 is possibly the most brutish. There is OB left and the desert waiting right as well as a fairly difficult green complex. Any good score on the Norman course is going to require not blowing up on this or a handful of the other really tough par fours.
PGA West Norman Course Hole 4: A short par three with a large green, this is one of the easier holes on the course, and should be taken advantage of. Of course, missing the green will leave fairly delicate chips to a lot of pin placements, which can easily be tucked in this angled and quirky green complex.
PGA West Norman Course Hole 5 (left): This relatively short par four is not difficult, but features a picturesque drive over a lake that is not in play unless the horrible drive is hit. The real danger on the hole is the massive bunker to the left of the green.
PGA West Norman Course Hole 8 (below): This long par five is plain difficult, with water coming into play on the 2nd and 3rd shots. The player must strike the ball well three times to avoid a score greater than par.
PGA West Norman Course Hole 8 (below): This long par five is plain difficult, with water coming into play on the 2nd and 3rd shots. The player must strike the ball well three times to avoid a score greater than par.
PGA West Norman Golf Course Hole 9: The final hole on the front nine has a great drive, but the green complex, when the wind is behind the player is actually borderline unfair. The hole is short, but the green is incredibly shallowed and raised. Thus, unless the player can spin the ball or there is wind holding up a shot, when the greens are remotely hard (which is about 9 months a year) holding the putting surface is extraordinarily difficult, even for good golf shots.
PGA West Norman Course Hole 13 (right): The best single-shotter on the course, this par three has oodles of trouble. If the water can be avoided short, right and long (which isn’t easy on a 216 yard shot), the player must still avoid 8 bunkers surrounding the green to have a good shot at par.
PGA West Norman Course Hole 15 (below): On a course with a lot of pretty, white bunkers, this hole takes the cake. On the tee shot, desert and white sand dominates the view, as there are 8 bunkers left of the fairway, 2 to the right and 3 in the middle. From the angle of the tee, it appears there is nowhere to run to, but there is as the fairway is wide and forgiving. The approach is relatively wide open save one deep bunker front and center of the green.
PGA West Norman Course Hole 15 (below): On a course with a lot of pretty, white bunkers, this hole takes the cake. On the tee shot, desert and white sand dominates the view, as there are 8 bunkers left of the fairway, 2 to the right and 3 in the middle. From the angle of the tee, it appears there is nowhere to run to, but there is as the fairway is wide and forgiving. The approach is relatively wide open save one deep bunker front and center of the green.
PGA West Norman Golf Course Hole 16: A good par 5 with water coming into play on all three shots. It’s short enough to get home in two with an aggressive drive, but the green is very shallow and is sandwiched between the lake short and seven bunkers deep. The safer route is out to the left where there is limited trouble and only a badly pushed or pulled approach will find a hazard.
PGA West Norman Golf Course Hole 17: The last par three of the day is not terribly long, but does require a solid shot to negotiate the water short and to the left, and the two bunkers around the green complex.
