I played here on 05/27/12 from the Championship tees at 73.3/142/6739. The course has a lot history and numerous accolades. The course hosted the PGA Tour in the mid-1980s, currently hosts Q-school rounds, is rated as one of the top 100 public courses by Golf Magazine, and previously was rated as one of the toughest courses by Golf Digest. Apparently the PGA Tour players refused to come back as the course was too tough on the rotation for the Bob Hope Classic. In short, too difficult would be my opinion, even from the right tees. Pete Dye is the course designer and I am just not a fan of his designs as I always feel like I am getting kicked in the face. I do not get to enjoy the day because I am fighting the course. This course is not a desert layout which is nice, but had all the typical Pete Dye tricks. The course has sloping greens, mounding creating blind shots, massive bunkers, lots of water, and the famous railroad ties which made it tough. The first couple holes are reasonably friendly but it starts to get difficult on #5 when water comes into play on every shot on holes #5 thru #7. Water is in play on maybe half the holes, but because of the railroad ties and the steep drop into the water a ball could land in the fairway at the wrong angle and end up in the water. Other holes featured 15+ feet deep bunkers, blind shots, and collection areas where the ball could end up in divots. The course winds through the homes, and for the most part they are not in play, just a bit of a distraction. The course was in great shape, as it should be for the $89 that I paid on a weekend afternoon and the greens were lightning fast. We made it around in a little over 3 hours and the course had great views of the mountains. My favorite hole, #17, is a 146 yard par 3 with an island green. I knew what to expect from a Pete Dye design before playing here and it was exactly what I expected: a high score and lots of lost golf balls. Enough other people like the course as evidenced by its credentials so maybe it is just me.

Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):