I booked a 1:00 pm time through the course's web page for the Monday after Stagecoach for $49. I hadn't played the Dunes course for more than 25 years and wanted to see if it had changed. I hit a few balls on the nice grass range and went to talk to the Starter. He was very helpful. Apparently there was a foursome of two couples about to tee off. He suggested that I bypass number one and catch a group that was on number two. He said I could come back after my round and play #1 and 2.
The course was in great condition. The fairways were in good shape and the rough was playable though the fairways were a little soft shortening roll out on tee shots. The greens held good approaches, despite the lack of a significant ball mark. There are several interesting holes and enough elevation change to keep in interesting. The course is very manageable from the white tees for the bogey golfer from the standpoint of length. However, the greens drove me nuts. The putted faster than they looked and had some breaks, both subtle and dramatic that made putting and chipping a challenge. The greens reward precise shots, but on a few greens, slightly off line or short iron shots end up in very deep bunkers or other ugly places. This is definitely a course I'd play better after a few rounds.
The course had changed a bit, as a few railroad tie water hazard bulkheads were gone. It is still a great example of Pete Dye's 1980s heyday. Carts have a very good GPS system with a hole preview video to help guide the player. Pace of play was excellent as we completed 18 holes in just over 3 1/2 hours. Dunes is still challenging, but was in outstanding condition. The bar/grill room has a spectacular view of the course and surrounding mountains.
By the way, remember that foursome that the starter had me bypass? When we had completed playing #1 and 2, I found my way back to 18 to play my way in. They were driving around looking for the 14th tee! Props to Mr. Starter for saving me 90 minutes of frustration!
I'll give Dunes 5 stars for the combination of design, condition and service. read more