Desert Willow Golf Resort · Firecliff
38-995 Desert Willow Dr, Palm Desert, CA 92260, USA
Tap a hole for its details · gold dots = bunkers, blue = water · the Wind and Elevation buttons color each hole by today’s wind and by climb · OpenStreetMap
The lay of the land.
How the course above sets up: its routing, character, and what to expect.
Desert Willow Golf Resort · Firecliff is an 18-hole golf course in Palm Desert, CA, playing 5,082–7,060 yards from 7 sets of tees (slope 112–141, course rating up to 74.1).
It's a flat walk, roughly 75 feet of total climb over 18 holes.
Expect 97 bunkers; the back nine plays tougher.
The word on the course.
How golfers talk about it, summarized from public reviews. Their opinions, not our scoring.
Golfers rate Firecliff among the best public golf in the desert, praising a strategic, bunker-heavy layout that demands straight driving and precise approaches into small, well-protected greens. It is the tougher of the two Desert Willow courses but still feels like fair desert golf rather than gimmicky forced carries.
Consistently praised
- Over 100 strategic bunkers and tight, well-defined corridors reward shot-making.
- Consistently called one of the best-conditioned public courses in the valley.
Worth knowing
- Small greens and trouble both sides of many fairways punish wayward play.
Golfers recommend
- Sharpen your sand game; bunkering is the defining challenge here.
- Choose tees honestly, since accuracy off the tee matters more than length.
Tee fit & expected score.
Set your handicap for the right tees, a realistic score, and the holes where you'll get a stroke.
Play the Lavender tees, 6154 yds
How to play it
- Card-wreckers at #4, #9, #10, #11. Bogey is fine here; don't compound mistakes.
- 3 par 4s over 440 yds, a course that rewards length off the tee.
Tagged scorecard.
Per-hole tags for hazards, length, and scoring chances from your selected tee.
| Hole | Par | Yds | SI | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1• | 5 | 535 | 11 | |
| 2• | 4 | 413 | 9 | |
| 3• | 3 | 194 | 15 | |
| 4•• | 4 | 448 | 1 | Long 4Tough |
| 5• | 4 | 429 | 5 | |
| 6• | 4 | 331 | 13 | |
| 7• | 5 | 569 | 7 | |
| 8• | 3 | 155 | 17 | |
| 9•• | 4 | 455 | 3 | Long 4Tough |
| Out | 36 | 3529 | ||
| 10•• | 4 | 435 | 2 | Tough |
| 11• | 4 | 452 | 6 | Long 4 |
| 12• | 4 | 427 | 8 | |
| 13• | 5 | 550 | 12 | |
| 14• | 3 | 176 | 16 | |
| 15• | 4 | 332 | 18 | Birdie |
| 16• | 4 | 420 | 10 | |
| 17• | 3 | 203 | 4 | Long 3 |
| 18• | 5 | 536 | 14 | |
| In | 36 | 3531 | ||
All tees & ratings
| Tee | Yards | Rating | Slope | Par |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 7060 | 74.1 | 141 | 72 |
| Purple | 6668 | 72.1 | 136 | 72 |
| Purple/Lavender | 6408 | 71 | 132 | 72 |
| Lavender | 6154 | 69.9 | 128 | 72 |
| Lavender/Tan | 5877 | 68.7 | 124 | 72 |
| Tan | 5612 | 67.5 | 120 | 72 |
| Green | 5082 | 65 | 112 | 72 |
Conditions & terrain.
Today's wind by hole, the climbs and drops, and a seven-day playability outlook.
Wind today
Climbs & drops
Tee→green elevation change, estimated from terrain.
7-day outlook
Best window this week: Sat 05-30 · 90/100
Frequently asked.
- How long is Desert Willow Golf Resort · Firecliff?
- Desert Willow Golf Resort · Firecliff plays 5,082–7,060 yards across 7 sets of tees, to a par of 72 from the back tees.
- How difficult is Desert Willow Golf Resort · Firecliff?
- Its slope rating ranges 112–141, with a course rating up to 74.1. The back nine plays tougher.
- Which tees should I play at Desert Willow Golf Resort · Firecliff?
- A mid-handicap golfer (around 15) best fits the Lavender tees at 6,154 yards. Match your own driver distance or handicap with the tee selector on this page.
- Is Desert Willow Golf Resort · Firecliff walkable?
- It's a flat walk, with roughly 75 feet of total elevation change over 18 holes.
- How many bunkers does Desert Willow Golf Resort · Firecliff have?
- Desert Willow Golf Resort · Firecliff has 97 bunkers, and water comes into play on 1 hole.
Nearby & similar.
Other courses within reach, and the closest matches by difficulty and length.