La Quinta Resort (Mountain)

This Dye classic is known for scenic mountain views and being more playable than its famous Stadium sibling. But no one leaves La Quinta’s Mountain course feeling untested. The track is full of Dye trademarks — pot bunkers, railroad ties, devilish greens — and the most spectacular holes are carved into the base of the Santa Rosa Mountains. The 2nd is one of the toughest par-3s in the California desert, and the 16th is a mean beauty that plays downhill to a pear-shaped green surrounded by danger. If life were fair, the last five holes would come up more often in discussions of golf’s best finishing stretches. Max fee: $249 (Photo: Patrick Koenig)