The Hideaway Golf Courses Review Thread

PhillyV said:

I'll never forget seeing Harry hit his tee shot on #3 on the Dye Course (probably my favorite non par 3 on either course) and that tee box faces directly towards the mountains. And when he hit his ball it seemed to float and get lost in the mountains. Soooo cool to see

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Yep, at one point the ball was in the air so long against those mountains we had an entire conversation about it. Epic


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Where to start talking about a course like this. I think I'll start with the staff and members. Matt Woods and the rest of the staff there are too notch. The first night when we had dinner there Matt told us if we needed anything, just ask, we're they're guests. Range attendants, bartenders, ProShop staff, cooks at the comfort station...they are all super friendly. The guy driving around the course on a cart stopping to make sure you have enough to drink, and offering suggestions on drinks...he's pretty nice too. Suggestion, do try the Vodka infused blueberry lemonade, but not without starting off the day with a Bloody Mary. They are most amazing!

The members I golfed with both days were super friendly. I thanked them several times for golfing with us and they kept saying how much they enjoyed it and come back anytime I'm around. They were also very nice and respectful to all of the workers as well. They knew them all and addressed them all by first name. There was even one hole that if you looked behind the tee boxes one of the members had his own practice bunker and green, which were maintained by the course!

The course...I'll have more on the course later, but the pictures really don't do it justice, if you can believe that. That picture above of #18 on the Dye. That was my starting hole on day 1. We were in group B, and watched both of our teammates ahead of us plunk their shots in the water. Stepping up and hitting my drive long and in the middle stripe of the fairway was the best feeling I've had on an opening tee shot.

And the Clive course. Every hole is a signature hole. Fountain behind a sand and water surrounded par 3, yep. Get used to the fountains, there's a more than a few of them out there....


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PhillyV said:

I'll never forget seeing Harry hit his tee shot on #3 on the Dye Course (probably my favorite non par 3 on either course) and that tee box faces directly towards the mountains. And when he hit his ball it seemed to float and get lost in the mountains. Soooo cool to see

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It was like that on #1 on the Clive Course for me. We got to play that hole twice on the first day and I loved the way ball appeared as just a speck against the mountains. Gave me goosebumps then and it still does.

amsmith61 said:

It was like that on #1 on the Clive Course for me. We got to play that hole twice on the first day and I loved the way ball appeared as just a speck against the mountains. Gave me goosebumps then and it still does.

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Haha not me, I snap hooked mine ob left

#11 tee box. Clive course

PhillyV said:

#11 tee box. Clive course

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Ahh, I let you sneak up on me in that pic again..creeper!

Just absolutely stunning.

Some awesome stuff in this thread makes me want to go back asap.
Looking forward to more reviews.

PhillyV said:

Haha not me, I snap hooked mine ob left

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You're not alone dude. Twice it got me.

T2GRN18 said:

You're not alone dude. Twice it got me.

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I remember your walk up to the green on 18. I would love to hear your thoughts on the course in its entirety.

Aesthetically the Clive course is the better of the two IMO. It seems to have more character. That's not saying the Dye course is a slouch.

The dye course brings in more of the beauty that surrounds the Palm Desert

For me the thing that made the Dye course more difficult was not fully understanding how Dye courses work. The Fairways are more than wide enough and the rough wasn't so penal. But finding the perfect right line and trusting what you may not clearly see was a bit of an issue.

Both courses greens were pretty big, and full of subtle breaks. But rolled very true.

Many have spoken about the staff and it can't be overstated. They are a real pleasure to experience.

The membership body is just the nicest people you could ever imagine. When I was playing with Harry I remarked at how welcoming they were, and what a difference there is from people that are well off on the west coast in comparison to those in the east coast. Real people enjoying life. And very happy to have us at their club.

The range! I could spend weeks there, although they didn't have Callaway balls when we were there. We gave Matt a hard time about that. The first day we were in the far end of the range, at first I was like we're getting kind coed to the back of the bus, I was totally wrong there! It's nearly as nice as the members range.

Club House/pro shop/ locker room. Very well done, well stocked, and exceptionally clean. With a huge bowl of candy!

JB said:

I remember your walk up to the green on 18. I would love to hear your thoughts on the course in its entirety.

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I wish I could tell the world what I was feeling that day.

I made it a point to walk up to the 18th green as I knew it would most likely be the last hole I ever got to play there. To say it was emotional was an understatement. Some things about this place I'll never forget

8th hole of the Clive. From the tee it feels like you can hit it 100 miles! The elevated tee seems to force me to favor the right side of the fairway. Te approach to the green is delicate. Anything long and left is down over a very steep bank and nearly dead. The right side of the green is a steep drop into the green. Such a beautiful hole

9th hole from the tee longer hitter need to be careful here. Slight dog leg right with a bunker guarding the far corner of the dogleg. The cart path crossed the fairway here. The left side of the fairway is Flamked by the range. Visually it looks like a hole you can be cautiously aggressive. I elected
to hit 3 deep from the tee which was plenty. The approach is straight forward with water to the right of the green.

T2GRN18 said:

For me the thing that made the Dye course more difficult was not fully understanding how Dye courses work. The Fairways are more than wide enough and the rough wasn't so penal. But finding the perfect right line and trusting what you may not clearly see was a bit of an issue.

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That's Pete Dye for you. Visually, he likes to mess with you and make you think you have no room in landing areas. In reality, you usually have plenty of room to drive it.

How can you verbally describe the closest thing to golf course perfection that you've even got the opportunity to enjoy for yourself? When you're eyes can't seem to take in all the beauty. When you play the front nine on the Clive, then you play is again and realize you missed something the first time around, how does that happen?
The people from the staff to the members who are SO gracious, like you've known them for years! I'm not sure there are enough adjectives in the thesaurus to describe The Hideaway in the manor it should be.

So...here are some pictures....



Byron


Ethan



Pete


#9 fairway on The Dye


You never know WHO you'll meet at The Hideaway!
Here I am with MLB Hall of Fame member and Play by Play broadcaster for my favorite team, the Atlanta Braves'....
Don Sutton!!!




I love The Hideaway! Can't wait to get back there again!

The Hideaway is an amazing place. Not just the course, but the entire club, and its staff, and its membership. As many people said during the Grandaddy, I'll somehow figure out a way to spend my days at the Hideaway. Whether it's winning the lottery, starting the next big tech craze, or finding a relatively-young and lonely widow with an equity membership, I'll figure out a way to get back there.


Let's start with the courses. You really won't find two courses in better condition anywhere outside of the gates of ANGC. The photos really don't do justice to the course -- they look even better in person. Beyond that, the course takes great pride in keeping the courses in pristine condition. Perfect example: the carts have small trash cans in the back for course debris. If you make a divot, they ask you to put the divot in the cart's trash can so the course looks just as perfect for the next group.

Don't believe me? Check out every on-course photo of the Grandaddy. You won't find any remnants of divots or debris anywhere. Now, pay attention the next time you watch a PGA tournament (even the majors). You'll see debris on the courses. It's such a small thing, but I found it amazing. The club does such an amazing job of keeping the courses absolutely perfect for play.

The views are also outstanding. Every hole looks like a painting from the tee. I could hit a bucket of balls from the first tee on the Clive course and be happy. The fairways and rough are in perfect condition, and the greens are smooth, fast, and... Perfect.


The courses are great -- some of the best you'll ever play. But, the club is really what makes the Hideaway special. The club takes service to an almost unrealistic level. Whatever you want, you'll have it. You don't need to really ask, just think about it. I can still remember standing at a comfort station during a morning round when I thought about having a cup of coffee. When I asked the host member of the comfort station had coffee (it didn't -- it had tea and cocoa), the member was on a radio asking to have a cup of coffee brought to the fourth tee. I didn't ask for it -- I didn't even think to ask for it -- but one of the assistants was on a golf cart within minutes bringing me a cup of coffee. One of many things that I'll never forget about the club.


I hope there's a day that I'm around San Diego and can sufficiently bribe Matt Wood enough to let me onto those courses again.

Thanks for the reviews and photos. It's refreshing to hear about how friendly and willing the members are to share their course for a few days to a group of regular golfers. It still blows my mind Callaway makes all of this possible (and so much more) with no cost to those who are lucky enough to get their number called to be part of #TheGrandaddy.

The pictures of this place is just astonishing... it almost looks fake.

This place looks breathtaking - I hope to heck I get to play here some day!

Thank you for everyones reviews as well - really helps to paint a better picture!

Should the Hideaway host 2016 Grandaddy again, I hope I am fortunate enough to our experience all the amazing things for myself. The words and pictures paint an amazing picture, and to think they don't do the place justice is carzy

I love this thread. Anyone have more pictures of inside the clubhouse? I remember a few pics of lockers from past years. I noticed the Poinsettia christmas tree in Agent jay's pic with Don Sutton, almost forgot that each of the editions of The Grandaddy have been during the Holiday season. What other decorations did they have out? Keep it coming guys!

Man, this place, there truly are no words...but I'll try.

Facility/Amenities:

The whole facility itself is incredible, from the moment you pull in you go from "huh?" because its so inconspicuous, to "wow!" when you see the guardpost (with a FIREPLACE OUTSIDE!), and then to sheer shock and smiles when you pull into the circle drive. Someone earlier described it as castle-like, and I'd agree honestly. The whole clubhouse is a thing of beauty, it fits not only the mystique but the area/geography as well. Multiple levels, multiple amenities, nonstop awesome.




Two different driving ranges and short game areas, all manicured and as pristine as the courses themselves. I kid you not I was afraid to take a divot on the range until Dean let loose a pelt next to me and put me at ease, sounds corny, but man I didn't want to be the first to mess things up.


The carts are even amazing as they're legitimately upholstered and not normal seats. While on the course anything you want, is retrieved for you by the staff who is the most courteous and kind I have EVER seen at any course anywhere. Drinks, food, cigars, whatever, you name it, you got it. Comfort stations are already things of legend, and frankly they're being undersold. Literally anything you could ever want, from fruit, to granola, to candy, to ice-cream, to soda, to CANNED GATORADE! Not to mention the chicken salad is INCREDIBLE. At the turn you can hit the Snack Station and we had the best hot-dogs I've ever tasted one day and insanely good tacos the next....fresh...with the cook standing there...serving you....as much as you want. Insanity, in a perfect sort of way.


The members were 1000% more down to earth than I expected, as genuine as the come, and more than willing to bend over backwards to help out. It was fun getting to watch them see us in awe and getting to show off this beautiful place a bit. The Caddies were also amazing, the two gentlemen I got to play with smiled just as much as we did and you could tell were having just as much fun watching us. Also, they are INCREDIBLE putt readers, hoooooooly cow. Was incredible to be given not only numbers but insights into shots and as the round went on they got really spot on at knowing what club-range you should be pulling for that particular shot.


Courses:

Picturesque is the only way I can describe them. The Dye course is what you expect with a Dye course, it can get Dye-abolical at times on the green complexes (particularly when pins are on ridges, oof) and is a beautiful rolling track where your eye is really toyed with by the water that seems to come into play a lot. The Clive though, I adore the Clive, it is a course I could play the rest of my life and it still not be enough, its a course I enjoyed trying to hit golf shots on and not just firing away the whole time. Perfect fairways, perfect tee-boxes, lighting fast green complexes, playable rough, beautiful and devilish native areas, all rolled into to two beautiful 18 hole courses.








Just look at the grass!!!


I have never in my life, nor will I again, played two courses like this. Literally this place took my breath away multiple times, I like many reading this thread had read on and on about the courses, but you just don't KNOW until you are there. I cannot in my wildest dreams imagine playing courses like these two daily, in fact, I told the members I played with both days that exact thing about 1000 times a day/round. The best part is though, as amazed as I was by the courses, the scenery, the MOUNTAINS, I was never intimidated by the courses at all, to me that is a really amazing balance for a design to pull off, beauty/demand with playability.

Its literally heaven to me. I mean that, this is what I would equate to golf heaven.

What can be said that hasn't already been said? Over a year later and The Hideaway and The Grandaddy enter my thoughts daily. The staff and the members are truly top-notch, and so incredibly down to earth! I can't tell you how many times I've looked at property there and decided that if my career works out in positive manner, The Hideaway will be where I retire (massive dream that)!

As for the courses, I am a little different in that I vastly preferred the Dye Course to the Clive Course. Part of that may be that I played the Dye Course much better, but truthfully I prefer courses that are more natural looking and seem to fit into the surroundings in a more effortless way. The Clive is incredible and has some extremely impressive features that are truly the pinnacle of the resort course look. As for the Dye, I felt that it relied more on design features to change eye levels and perspective. It reminded me of an Alister MacKenzie course, where what meets the eye is not the full story, and I really like that. Combine that with some of the most picturesque holes (looking at you #16-18) I've ever seen and the Dye just blew me away!

Obviously both were in perfect condition and to this day I just shake my head in disbelief that I got to play there. I recall hitting my shot on #14 at the Dye and as Aaron, Chad & DNev hit their shots, I took a knee in the fairway and pet the grass like a favorite pet. Its ridiculous how pristine they make those golf courses! One last thing that is very impressive is how well the designers hid the fact that many of the holes are lined with houses. Never does it have the feel of a crowded country club, it feels like a desert course that happens to have a couple houses nearby.

This looks like pure golf perfection. There doesn't seem to be a flaw in any part of the course. I would give up a whole lot to be able to play these courses and in this event.