Desert Springs (Indiana) - Southern Spain - Spain

I have played this course three times over the years and was back for the third game recently. I enjoy this course. I think that it is a good test of golf. It is well maintained and if you play off the correct tees is challenging but not ridiculously hard. The desert style is unusual and obviously themed that way but it plays like many desert courses that I have played in Arizona. You are near some properties at the start and end of the round but most of the time you are away from it all and facing the good selection of par 3s, 4s, and 5s that make this a well balanced course.

If we are in this area we will always come here for a game.

The food that we were served in the clubhouse was the nicest by far in our two week holiday.

For me an extremely over-rated course. It feels a bit like a them park with lots of propping with things like wooden wagons, cactus etc all designed to make it feel like you are in the wild west. Certain parts of the course wind in and out of villas and other parts of the course are wide open, it just feels confused to me. On a reasonable amount of holes the driving areas for a decent hitter just kind of disappear into scrubland, i.e. you hit what you think is a decent drive and when you get up there you have either totally run out of room and find yourself in a ravine, or blocked out as the dog leg is a little short. It could be I played it from the wrong tees and should have gone one longer, but all in I felt it one one of the courses that I really wanted to like but just didn't.

The clubhouse and driving facilities were great, but it is a little out in the middle on nowhere so I certainly wouldn't rush back to it.

Following our recent visit to Desert Springs, I would like to thank you and everyone involved in making our stay such an enjoyable experience. The range, chipping area and putting green are in excellent condition and along with the use of the GASP studio and a lot of hard work the lads have honed their games for the season ahead. The course is in fantastic condition with excellent greens, which was a bit of a shock to the system after a long English winter. The food was first class both at the Golf Club and the Crocodile Club and everyone at Desert Springs looked after us with a smile on their face. A final thank you to everyone and hopefully we will see you again next year. Mike Ready, Herts Golf Union.

Words from Sir Ian Botham; "Throughout my playing career and after, I have been privileged to have been invited to participate in numerous golf events at some of the most luxurious locations all around the world. Hosting your own event, in your own name, for the charity of which you are President can be a daunting task. Certain criteria have to be met by the host venue both for the celebrity guests and the amateurs. Desert Springs as a venue offers my guests a relaxing ambience, a unique experience and an underlying overall charm. It has lots of quality facilities to enjoy besides world class golf. Its staff afford a warm welcome and unrivalled professional service That is why my decision to host the Ian Botham Charity Golf Classic in aid of Leukaemia Research at Desert Springs in October 2007 was an easy one and due to its phenomenal success, why I have selected Desert Springs to host the final of my 2008 Charity Golf Series.”