What can I say? I'm a sucker for waterfalls and flowers and on the fourth hole of the Ivey Ranch Golf Course in Thousand Palms, California there is a waterfall surrounded by flowers in the middle of the fairway. Yay!
Denny and I played on Sunday afternoon when the rates to play 18 holes was $25 per person with a cart. Ivey Ranch is a nine-hole golf course set in the middle of a secured and gated 55+ community. The fairways are narrow due to the homes lining both sides, but the fairways are lush, the greens are well-manicured bent grass and the course itself is well maintained. You are not allowed to walk the course due to the amount of play in the winter, but it's a pleasant and nicely challenging course with a couple of ponds to hit over and quite a few sand traps sprinkled around the greens (I know because I found several of them.) People who play here will allow you to play through, although we played 18 holes in 4 hours despite waiting on every hole, so the golfers here aren't slouchers.
For those who track such things, the slope rating is 102, the course rating is 33.2, the course itself is 2,656 yards long from the blue (farthest) tees. There is a pro shop with the friendliest staff I've ever dealt with, a restaurant and bar, a putting green, chipping area and driving range.
And a waterfall! If I had the money and the willingness to settle down, I think I could live here.
