
Mountain View Course
Desert Willow Golf Resort

About this course
Mountain View is one of two courses at Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm Desert, designed by the team of Michael Hurdzan, Dana Fry, and PGA Tour player John Cook. The course opened in the late 1990s as part of a municipal facility that brought championship-caliber desert golf to the Coachella Valley. The design team worked with natural desert terrain and created a layout that incorporates native vegetation, strategic bunkering, and water features within the characteristic Palm Desert landscape of the Santa Rosa Mountains backdrop. The routing takes advantage of elevation changes across the property, with holes playing through arroyos and around desert washes. The course features wide fairways bordered by native desert scrub, with generous landing areas that accommodate players of varying skill levels while still presenting strategic options for better players. Water comes into play on several holes, and the bunkering style reflects the naturalistic approach common to desert courses of this era. As a public facility, Desert Willow serves both resort guests and local players, offering accessible championship golf in a region known for its concentration of notable courses. The Mountain View layout complements the resort's other eighteen holes and provides a different character and challenge within the same property. The course benefits from the desert climate's year-round playability, though summer months bring extreme heat typical of the low desert.
Rankings
Ranked by CV ratings from golfers who've played this course. Positions are shown worldwide, by country, and by state; the Public column compares courses anyone can play.
Best in World
Best in USA
Best in CA
Quick facts
- Location
- Palm Desert, CA, USA
- Access
- Public
- Year built
- 1998
- Holes
- 18
- Designer(s)
- Dana Fry, Dr. Michael Hurdzan, John Cook
- Par
- 72
- Length
- 6,913 yards
- Difficulty
- 73.4/130
- Course Vaults score
- 7.7
Getting there
The gateway to Desert Willow Golf Resort is Palm Springs International Airport, a compact and efficient hub just twenty minutes northwest along Highway 111 as it cuts through the Coachella Valley floor. Private arrivals favor Thermal Airport or the jet center at Palm Springs itself, both offering discreet access to the desert's resort corridor. The drive east traces the dramatic northern wall of the Santa Rosa Mountains, their sun-scorched ridges rising abruptly from the valley, before turning into Palm Desert's manicured grid where Desert Willow's twin layouts emerge like an oasis against the raw desert backdrop.

FAQ
Common questions about Mountain View at Desert Willow Golf Resort
Ratings, design, and course details pulled from Course Vaults.
Mountain View at Desert Willow Golf Resort has a Course Vaults score of 7.7 out of 10 based on 33 logged golfers.
Mountain View was designed by Dana Fry, Dr. Michael Hurdzan, and John Cook.
Yes. Mountain View at Desert Willow Golf Resort is listed as welcoming public or guest play on Course Vaults.
Par at Mountain View is 72.
Mountain View plays 6,913 yards from the back tees on Course Vaults.
The slope rating at Mountain View is 130.



