Desert Willow Golf Resort: Firecliff vs Mountain View, rates and overseed

Desert Willow Golf Resort is a city-owned, 36-hole public facility in Palm Desert with two courses: Firecliff, the harder and freshly renovated one, and Mountain View, the more forgiving one. Anyone can book. Desert Willow's own estimates put prime rounds at $125 to $210 from January to mid-April and $50 to $95 in summer.

It is also one of the best deals in the valley for anyone who lives in Palm Desert or plays a full season, thanks to a $52 resident rate and a season card. This guide compares the two courses, lays out the rates, explains the cards and gives the 2026 overseed dates. Rates were read November 2, 2026 and Desert Willow labels them as estimates that vary with demand.

Quick facts

• Owner: City of Palm Desert; public, 36 holes.
• Courses: Firecliff (opened 1997) and Mountain View, both par 72, by Hurdzan-Fry-Cook (Michael Hurdzan, Dana Fry, John Cook).
• Booking: public window not published; Resident Card 3 days (opens 7 pm); Platinum Club Card 60 days.
• 2026 overseed: Mountain View closed Sep 21 to Oct 22; Firecliff closed Nov 9 to Dec 25.
• Peak prime estimate: $125 to $210 (January to mid-April).
• Phone: 760-346-7060.
• From downtown Palm Springs: about 23 minutes, 14.4 miles.

Firecliff vs Mountain View

Desert Willow Firecliff is the tougher test, with elevated greens, more than 100 bunkers and water. It has had a multi-million-dollar renovation of greens, bunkers and tees, with the greens regrassed to Mini Verde bermuda, so expect firm, fast putting surfaces. The reopening date of that renovation was not captured.

Desert Willow Mountain View has wider fairways and was designed to be the friendlier course. It is the better pick for mixed-ability groups and higher handicaps.

Women's ratings: Firecliff Lavender 75.7/140, Tan 72.5/133, Green 69.4/127; Mountain View Lavender 75.4/139, Tan 72.4/134, Green 69.6/126.

Desert Willow Golf Resort rates by season

Desert Willow Golf Resort uses dynamic pricing. Its Platinum Club Card page gives these estimated per-round bands for 2026-27:

In summer 2026, GolfNow prepaid hot deals with cart were seen at $52.99 for Firecliff on August 22 and $47.99 for Mountain View on September 5. For how these compare with the rest of the valley, see Palm Springs golf rates.

The resident rate and the Platinum Club Card

Desert Willow has two programs that make it far cheaper for regular players.

Palm Desert Resident Card. The card costs $52 a year from the Palm Desert Community Center. Holders pay a $52 resident rate on tee times booked inside the 3-day resident window, which opens at 7 pm. From June 15 to September 10, 2026 the summer resident rate was $40, with one guest also at $40. Desert Willow does not say whether seasonal renters qualify, so ask the Community Center before you count on it.

Platinum Club Card (October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027).

• $599 for non-residents, $329 with a Palm Desert Resident Card.
• 25 to 30 percent off dynamic fees at both courses.
• 60-day advance booking.
• Up to 3 guests at preferred rates.

As a rough guide, 25 percent off a $150 prime round saves about $37.50, so a non-resident would need about 16 such rounds in the card year to cover the $599. A snowbird playing Desert Willow once or twice a week from January to April gets there. A one-week visitor does not. For other season deals, read Palm Springs golf passes and Palm Springs winter golf.

Overseed: one course is always open

Desert Willow Golf Resort staggers its overseed so one course stays open.

• Mountain View: closed September 21 to October 22, 2026, with the chipping green, practice facility and Golf Academy. Reopened October 23.
• Firecliff: closed November 9 to December 25, 2026, with the resort putting green. Reopens December 26.

So for a November or December 2026 trip, Mountain View is the only Desert Willow course you can play, so expect it to be busy and priced up in that window. Firecliff is a late December through April course this season. Summer aerification in 2026 was June 29 to July 8 and August 10 to 19 on Firecliff, and July 20 to 30 and August 24 to September 2 on Mountain View. See Palm Springs golf overseed.

Desert Willow Golf Resort facilities

• Practice facility, chipping green and putting green (closed with the overseed windows above).
• Clubhouse with The Terrace Restaurant and a golf shop.
• Palm Desert Golf Academy, with lessons booked through uSchedule.
• An app on iOS and Android.

For a hot afternoon, the DSRT Surf wave-pool venue is beside Desert Willow; session booking was not checked.

Is Desert Willow worth it?

For most visitors, yes. It is one of the most complete public facilities in the valley, with a peak band that tops out below the roughly $235 a tracker gave for the PGA West Stadium, and Firecliff's renovation and new greens make it the stronger round of the two. Mountain View is the easier, cheaper-feeling day and the fallback when Firecliff is closed.

The trade-offs: peak-season prime times reach $210 by Desert Willow's own estimate, the public booking window is not published, and the Nov-Dec squeeze onto one course makes those weeks crowded. For snowbirds who can get a resident card, the $52 rate is hard to beat in Palm Desert.

Course pages: Firecliff course guide and Mountain View course guide.

Booking a tee time

• Public: dynamic rates; the public booking window is not published, so book as early as the tee sheet allows for January to April.
• Palm Desert Resident Card: 3 days out, opening at 7 pm, at the resident rate.
• Platinum Club Card: 60 days out, with up to 3 guests at preferred rates.

If you are a visitor without a card, a 60-day window for cardholders means the best peak-season morning times can be gone before you can see them. Twilight and sunset tiers are the easier gets. See Palm Springs tee times.

Where to stay near Desert Willow Golf Resort

All three of these are about 3 minutes away:

• JW Marriott Desert Springs: a big resort with its own two courses. The resort fee is $51.30 a night (third-party tracker, updated February 2026).
• Residence Inn Palm Desert: full kitchens in every suite and free breakfast, good for a longer stay.
• Courtyard Palm Desert: a plain base at Cook Street and Frank Sinatra, with a restaurant and pool.

For a week or more, Marriott's Desert Springs Villas are about 5 minutes away with full kitchens.

Pair it with Desert Springs

The JW Marriott's two courses are next door. The Palm Course is closed for overseed until about November 23, 2026, while the Valley Course had tee times on November 3. Read Desert Springs Golf Club in Palm Desert, Palm Desert golf courses and the best golf courses in Palm Springs.

Plan it on the map

Open the Palm Springs golf map to see both Desert Willow courses, their tees and the Palm Desert stays around them. The $30 plan can cover a whole winter stay, with a weekly rotation that puts Firecliff and Mountain View on the right weeks around overseed.