TERRA LAGO GOLF CLUB - North Course
(760-775-2000)
Palm Springs Golf Course Review 6/17/05
General info
Terra Lago Golf Club (formerly Landmark Golf Club) features 36 holes of championship golf on tracks that are considered to be among the best in the Palm Springs area - with both earning 4 ½ stars from Golf Digest Places to Play. Situated in the foothills of Indio Hills, this facility offers two challenging and picturesque layouts that utilize the natural high desert terrain through a variety of landforms that includes steep slopes, three lakes, rolling sand dunes and indigenous vegetation. Views of the Coachella Valley and of the San Gorgonio and Chocolate Mountains are stunning. We found our experience on these courses to be exhilarating - true desert golf that combines challenge with playability, while providing upscale amenities and conditioning in a spectacular setting.
The clubhouse at Terra Lago provides a beautiful pro shop with an adjacent restaurant/lounge that can seat up to 172 people in a well appointed, comfortable setting, with picture windows affording gorgeous golf course and mountain vistas. Extensive breakfast and lunch menus are offered. The pavilion next door can facilitate outings, meetings and special events of up to 350 people, and locker rooms with showers are also available for men and women.
Ball and club washers and Pro Shot GPS are standard on all carts, and water coolers as well. Technology meets tradition at Terra Lago, as the new TeePod system is in place, with kiosks stationed near the tee areas. This advanced technology allows golfers to keep score electronically, track handicaps and even keep track of how others are doing during outings or tournaments. This system is especially valuable during tournaments as leader boards provide golfers with vital information. Players can also order beverages and sandwiches from the course! In addition to the electronic systems, pin placement sheets are mounted on the carts, and sprinkler heads on the manicured fairways are measured to the center of the green.
Terra Lago served as host for the SKINS GAME from 1999 through 2002, with players such as Fred Couples, Sergio Garcia, Tiger Woods, Colin Montgomery, Jesper Parnivik and others gracing its playing grounds. In the year 2000, Greg Norman won all the skins, earning him 1 million dollars in prize money. A combination of nines from each course was often used to form the layout for this tournament.
North Course
The North Course at Terra Lago is spectacular, as it features a number of holes with elevated tees and greens. The views are quite stunning, particularly near dawn and dusk when the various colorful hues set against mountain backdrops are in a constant state of change. The short par four 3rd and par three 7th both play from high ridges to the valley below and are masterfully designed.
The round begins simply enough with a tee shot playing to a fairway that climbs upwards with significant bunkering infringing upon the landing areas. From here the holes climb and descend, providing players with opportunities to use every club in their bag. Well bunkered fairways are the norm here, but the landing zones are often spacious, with desert areas forming the frame. This is high desert golf along a rolling terrain, with undulating green complexes that afford golfers opportunities to use a variety of approaches. The par threes are gorgeous golf holes, with proper club selection often complicated by elevation changes or wind, which can be formidable here. Water first comes into play on the ninth hole, with Southern California's All-American Canal situated immediately to the right of the putting surface. Fourteen and eighteen also have water in play, but the 15 takes honors as the most gorgeous water hole. This par three plays to an island green, with wind often a significant factor. A photo is featured at the top of this review.
If you love desert golf and spectacular mountain scenery, Terra Lago North will fill you bowl. This is one of the most scenic courses we encountered in the Palm Springs area, and is a must play for visiting golfers! Four sets of tees play to distances and slopes measuring 7060 yards/137 slope, 6511 yards/132 slope, 5870 yards/125 slope for men and 134 for women, and 5067 yards with a slope of 124. For more info, visit our page for the North Course at Terra Lago, with direct link to their website by clicking here.
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