After spending two weeks in Hawaii, the PGA Tour is in California this week for The American Express at PGA West in La Quinta. It’s not quite the tropics, but January temps in the high 60s and low 70s is paradise compared to the Arctic weather engulfing much of the country at the moment.
I grew up about an hour east of La Quinta and spent many happy days playing golf in the desert. It’s a popular tourist destination in the winter for obvious reasons, but that popularity has extended to the summer and shoulder seasons, too — a sneakily great time to visit. For anyone who isn’t from the area, it’s tempting to think of all the desert cities — Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, La Quinta, and so on — as one destination. And while they are close together on the map, it’s important to pay attention if you’re planning a visit, because an itinerary that is too spread out means you may have a lot of unintended travel time. Getting from downtown Palm Springs to La Quinta, for example, can mean 45 minutes in the car.
Where I played: Indian Wells Golf Resort boasts stunning vistas and an abundance of fun
With that said, I’m going to focus this golf spotlight on Palm Springs — the first desert town you hit if you’re arriving by car from the west. I spent a night in Palm Springs last weekend, and the downtown area, which has been thoroughly revitalized over the last decade or so, was packed with visitors. There are cool bars, distinctive restaurants, charming boutiques and hotels galore, making it a very fun place to hang out before and after your rounds.
If you’re arriving by plane, Palm Springs is also home to the airport, which makes it an even more convenient base for your visit. Now, on to the courses!
My 3 favorite courses in Palm Springs
There are 36 holes at Indian Canyons, and I’ve teed it up here more times than I can count. I love these courses! Set on 550 acres on the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation, the views are stunning and the golf is fairly gentle. If there’s wind in the forecast (a frequent occurrence), the North course is a great option because it’s sheltered by the San Jacinto mountains on three sides. The South course has a super-friendly forward tee of 4,878 yards. And if you’re into midcentury-modern architecture, a round on either track will give you plenty to gawk at along the fairways.
This Nicklaus Design presents a more formidable test. Set a bit farther away from the mountains, Escena offers expansive, panoramic views and lots of water features. Post-round, the ultra-cool clubhouse restaurant is a must-visit and has a fabulous ambiance both indoors and out.
Technically, Cimarron is located the neighboring town of Cathedral City — but it’s a next-door neighbor to Escena in Palm Springs, so I’m including it on this list. There are two courses here, the Boulder and the Pebble, and I always appreciated the fact that you can usually find a pretty decent green fee compared to some of prices at surrounding courses — especially during the week and in the early afternoon. Like Escena, expansive vistas abound. And if your game needs a little work, there’s a Dave Pelz Scoring Game School onsite too.
It’s generally hard to go wrong with desert golf, and luckily, these three courses are no exception.