25th November Golf at Desert Springs , Palm Desert - Marriott Resort and Spa

It was another perfect morning here in the desert.  We showered, enjoyed breakfast then drove to Walmart Super Store here in the desert, where Jeanette looked for clothes for the boys, and Ken  looked at the electricals on a this special Black Friday morning.  The crowds were frenetic , we still don't know if the special deals are real, but all really interesting. 

This is an especially important time for all Americans as they celebrate family and their nation via Thanksgiving.  We had enjoyed yesterday with Lani Sexton and Jim Bennett, at Hilton Palm Springs for a superb Buffett luncheon.  We were a little surprised as there were no speeches or entertainment, but rather a strong family get together.

So this morning, Ken is scheduled to play golf across Country Club Drive at the beautiful Marriott Desert Sands resort and the stunning Palms resort.  He is scheduled for tee time of 11.37pm, but on arrival the starter advises that there is about a 20 minute hold up on the Palms and 40 minutes on the Mountain course. It appears that this is due to frost which has frozen some of the carts.

We do spend time having a coffee and introducing ourselves. Ken is in a four with a family from California, the father was a partner in E and Y, the daughter is a programme manager on the Today show.  We enjoy a delightful round, but it us slow because after hitting off at 11.57am it takes 2  hours 40 minutes to play 9 holes and it us frustratingly slow, but the magical scenery compensates.  It us a beautiful course with stunning scenery. Not as difficult as Desert Willow, but still testing and very enjoyable and the water features particularly on the last 4 holes are out of this world.  Ken plays really well with a 46 on the first 9 including a double bogey on one of the par 4, where he lost a ball, then found a bunker.  The second 9 was looking very good until the 16th, where he again went into the water, took a drop then missed his putt so a double bogey was very disappointing, but finished solidly on the par 5 with a very good 6 resulting in 47 for the 9 and a gross 93 being a net 71 ( my 18.4 becomes 22 with slope of 127).  Tat was an excellent result.  We had enjoyed a superb afternoon in near perfect conditions on an excellent track.

That evening, we dined at Shogun a highly recommended Japanese restaurant with Jim and Lani ad enjoyed an excellent meal in superbly decorated restaurant with a Japanese chef cooking on a hot plate at the table.  Good company and excellent food made it a high class meal in wonderful surroundings.

Hoe to Embarc at 8.45pm ten watched College football.  Another first class and enjoyable day.