kiki d.
Yelp
As most golfers know, at high elevations, your golf balls carry longer. But of course, when I'm at high elevations, I tend to believe my drives are long because I'm hitting the ball well :) So, I decided to take a visit to Death Valley as an opportunity to play at the *lowest* elevation golf course in America to see whether the opposite would be true.
I will save the result for the end of the review :)
The thing that struck me most about the course was how desolate it felt. I played alone and was the only one on the course. Twice, I saw coyotes(?) - and they were not shy. They'd run within probably 20 feet of me and just stare at me. If I had not been on a cart, I probably would have quit the round right then!
Considering the course is in the middle of Death Valley, it is surprisingly well-maintained. The greens and fairways aren't luxurious, but were, for the most part, green and not too dry.
The layout was relatively interesting. Flat with a few water hazards and some trees. The course was short, and I assume that's a nod to the elevation.
So...did I notice the elevation in my ball flight? Yes! The ball would start out normally...but suddenly, mid-flight, it would seem to hit a wall, and just drop. Once it landed, there was hardly any roll.
So, I consider my visit to the Death Valley Golf Course a scientific success! But, I will still attribute any exceptional drives at high elevation to my amazing golf swing instead of the elevation bump :)