Palm Springs Golf Course Reviews
Shadow Ridge Golf Club ReviewPalm Desert, CA
73.7 rating; 135 slope |
Shadow Ridge Golf Club Overview: This is a fairly strong Nick Faldo designed golf course. The front side feels fairly isolated from the surrounding resort, while the back nine certainly gets a bit closer. About half of the golf holes are excellent scoring opportunities and the other half are really tough. The most memorable golf holes are reviewed below:
Shadow Ridge Golf Club Hole 2: This dogleg left par five has a tee shot that is well framed by bunkers on both sides, but a strong drive is required due to the difficulty of the approach to the green, which is best attached with a short iron. The green is slightly elevated and narrow with a deep fronting bunker and another bunker lurking to the left. There is water to the right of the green down a hill as well putting a premium on accuracy on the approach.
Shadow Ridge Golf Club Hole 2: This dogleg left par five has a tee shot that is well framed by bunkers on both sides, but a strong drive is required due to the difficulty of the approach to the green, which is best attached with a short iron. The green is slightly elevated and narrow with a deep fronting bunker and another bunker lurking to the left. There is water to the right of the green down a hill as well putting a premium on accuracy on the approach.
Shadow Ridge Golf Club Hole 3: This short par four is almost a guaranteed "go for it" hole for those with the distance. Other than the bunkers short and left of the green, there isn't too much trouble up by the putting surface, so those pin placements center or right of center are fairly accessible.
Shadow Ridge Golf Club Hole 8: The backdrop for this hole is great, with the mountains beyond. However, the hole itself is unusual. It is short enough from most tees to drive the ball near the green but there is a massive bunker short and left that needs to be avoided. Beyond that, the green is quite odd with a big swale cut out of it front and left behind the bunker. This is a bit of weakness, since the golfer playing the hole for the first time isn't aware of that as it is hidden. For the returning player or those reading this, avoiding that is key.
Shadow Ridge Golf Club Hole 9: The closing hole to the front is the best par four on that side with a lake running the duration of the hole down the left. Unless the pin is front right or the drive is from the very right side of the fairway, the approach will spend some time over that water, and distance control is key.
Shadow Ridge Golf Club Hole 10 (left): The back nine starts with a long par four with a difficult drive between the water to the right and OB to the left.
Shadow Ridge Golf Club Hole 13 (below): This short, uphill par four can have the drive put basically anywhere in the fairway and have a short iron, but the green is tucked way left behind the hill, so the farther the drive, goes, the more visible the green is. The big higger can attempt to fly the hill to hit the green but there is no room for error short, and going long leaves a nasty chip back down a hill, with a surface that breaks strongly away as well.
Shadow Ridge Golf Club Hole 13 (below): This short, uphill par four can have the drive put basically anywhere in the fairway and have a short iron, but the green is tucked way left behind the hill, so the farther the drive, goes, the more visible the green is. The big higger can attempt to fly the hill to hit the green but there is no room for error short, and going long leaves a nasty chip back down a hill, with a surface that breaks strongly away as well.
Shadow Ridge Golf Club Hole 16: This par five has a pot bunker right-center of the fairway. Although it is to be avoided, more importantly, the drive should stay left of it as anything over or right of it that has some distance on it can roll into the lake hidden from view. That lake is very apparent on the rest of the hole with a second shot that must find its way between the water and the bunkers, and a green that is tucked right behind the lake. Pin placements that are right of center are particularly nasty.
Shadow Ridge Golf Club Hole 17: This is a short par three with water short and right and a very large green. The big miss (other than the water) is going long up the hill as chips from there are nearly impossible to most pins.
Shadow Ridge Golf Club Hole 18: The last golf hole of the day is a strong par four with a creek running down the left, that then crosses most of the fairway and ambles its way just short and right of the elevated green complex.
