Golf in Coachella Valley (Palm Springs), California

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With over 125 golf courses, the Palm Springs area boasts one of the largest concentrations of playgrounds for golfers found anywhere in the world. When you combine this huge inventory of courses with 360 days of sunshine every year and the sub-tropical desert climate you come to realize why the Coachella Valley has become a Mecca for visiting golfers from all over the planet. While Palm Springs lies at the east end of the Coachella Valley, the city is but one in a chain of municipalities in the valley with names that are highly recognized among golf enthusiasts including Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, Palm Desert, La Quinta, Desert Hot Springs and Indio. The plethora of opportunities for great golf experiences are scattered throughout the valley. The Palm Springs area is the site of a number of important golf tournaments throughout the year, many of which are staged on courses available for play by visitors. The PGA tour holds the long running Humana Challenge tournament (formerly the Bob Hope Classic) at a rotating mix of courses in La Quinta; The LPGA tour stages its first major of each year, The Kraft Nabisco Championship, in Rancho Mirage at the Mission Hills Dinah Shore Tournament Course; The Canadian PGA stages tournaments at a Robert Trent Jones course in Desert Hot Springs, Desert Dunes. Other courses in the valley have hosted various PGA Tour Qualifying tournaments, Champions Tour tournaments, SCPGA competitions for club professionals, major college golf tournaments as well as championships that attract the best junior golfers in the world. The iconic Skins Game (typically held over Thanksgiving weekend) has been contested on at least 4 different Coachella Valley courses including the infamous Stadium Course at PGA West. Among the many courses that are available for play by visitors to the Palm Springs area is included the 36 holes of championship golf at Indian Wells Golf Resort. Indian Wells Golf Resort has hosted the Skins Game and was the site of the Golf Channel “Big Break” reality show. The Classic Club, once a part of the Bob Hope Desert Classic, is a daily fee course in Palm Desert that is reminiscent of a parklands course laid out in the mountains, completely disguising its desert location. Palm Desert is also home to 2 top-shelf courses at Desert Willow Golf Resort. PGA West in La Quinta and the historic La Quinta Hotel are the sites of 9 courses, 7 of which are available to the general public or guests of the resort. Among the highly recognized courses that comprise this eye-popping collection are The TPC Stadium Course and the Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West, The Pete Dye designed Mountain Course and Dunes Course at La Quinta Hotel as well as the host course for the Humana Challenge, The Arnold Palmer Private Course (you’ll need to be sponsored to play this one!). SilverRock Golf Resort is just down the street in La Quinta, also a regular participant in the Humana Challenge. 36 holes at The Golf Club at Terra Lago, where Greg Norman won $1 Million on a single hole in the 2001 Skins Game, claims some of the best views of the landscape surrounding the valley from its perch in Indio. Marriott maintains 3 worthy tracks at properties it operates in the Valley. Shadowridge Golf Club in Palm Desert, a Nick Faldo design and two 18 hole courses at the JW Marriott Desert Springs await visitors hoping to exercise their golfing skill. Not to be outdone in the links department, Westin maintains 2 championship courses at the Westin Mission Hills facility: The first class Pete Dye and Gary Player designed courses are located on the hotel property adjacent to famous Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage. In Palm Springs, Escena Golf Resort is a friendly, resort-style course that is fun to play while boasting a spectacular mid-century design clubhouse and restaurant. Indian Canyons Golf Resort in the very south end of Palm Springs offers two distinct layouts, one of which, the “South” course has been honored as one of the top layouts for women in the USA while boasting breathtaking mountain vistas and 850 palm trees. Tahquitz Creek Golf Resort, a municipal facility owned by the City of Palm Springs, presents 2 very popular 18 hole layouts: The Legends Course has been continuously played for over 50 years by locals and visitors seeking a quality experience at a bargain price while the next door Resort Course, A Ted Robinson layout, offers waterscapes and undulating greens in a links style design. Every option for lesson programs, club rentals, equipment purchases, golf schools and dining is available at courses in the Palm Springs area. Tee times are necessary, especially in the winter when the area attracts a significant population of “snow birds” to its incomparable weather. Even the highest caliber of courses offer reduced rates during the shoulder and summer seasons allowing visitors to play top ranked courses for bargain prices. If your passions include golf, include the dream to Golf in Palm Springs on your list to experience one of the largest concentrations of quality golf courses in the world. Your visit to this outdoor recreation paradise that has attracted Presidents, Hollywood Stars and the Rich and Famous for over a century wouldn’t be complete without your clubs.

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