Desert Springs Golf Club – Palm Course

It is simply a matter of human logic to understand the idea that celebrities deserve celebrity treatment. And as for their personal choices, these altas in the social ladder would choose something to match their superstar ultra-famous statuses. It does not come as surprising, really, why the Desert Springs Golf Club in Palm Springs, CA is one top golf vacation choice for Hollywood people and other celebs. It is but a drive away from downtown LA, but is a whole other world away from the hustles and bustles of high-class city living. One of the reasons people come to the Desert Springs is the Palm Course.

The original of the two courses on the resort, the Palm Course is every inch a Ted Robinson creation. Every. Inch. And Ted Robinson’s name and design concept has almost always been synonymous to difficult bunkering and many, many, many, many waterscapes. And that is not exaggerating anything. That is just about as many water features as there are on this golf vacation destination. On this particular one, some large, stunning lakes play on nine of the eighteen holes, playing majorly on the last four holes to seal a very unforgettable ending to each round.

Rolling fairways, verdant and well-maintained greens, and the best views of the Palm Springs mountainscape complete the golf vacation package at the Palm Course. That is on top of the excellent services and other amenities that are part of the overall resort package. Simply said, everything about this getaway paradise is just as stellar and as celebrated as its high-class patrons themselves.

Rancho Las Palmas Golf and Country Club

Sometimes, things just are too good to be true. One cannot simply imagine the possibility and reality of something good, nice, and excellent. It’s as if the really, really good and perfect things can only exist in books and in some other people’s really wild imaginations. When magazines and brochures talk about the Rancho Las Palmas Golf and Country Club, one would easily assume that this is all the result of hyped up advertising. For those who took the risk and went on a golf trip hereabouts, enlightenment was granted in full.

The Rancho Las Palmas Golf and Country Club is beautiful and excellent beyond words. Though three are many others topping it, when this golf vacation destination says it is good and fun and memorable, it sure was not lying. The Ted Robinson design has been wowing golfers left and right with its honest to goodness Palm Springs golf experience. Its three nines, North, South and West courses all share the same features of gently rolling terrain, abundant palm trees in many varieties lining the fairways, and the sweeping and unmatched views of the snowcapped Jacinto Mountain. Surprisingly, though these short-courses have pretty much the same features, the character is totally different. There is a distinct flavor to each nine that when played with another will be a different experience altogether.

All three nines also share six lakes, and have their own helping of the notorious Ted Robinson style of bunkering. Nothing too daunting about this golf vacation favorite; just notorious, infamous. But just as everything in Palm Springs are good and wonderful, the Rancho Las Palmas Golf and Country Club is good and very wonderful. This is the best proof that something real can be something beautiful as well.

 

Heritage Palms Golf Course

Finding a diamond in the vast, sandy expanse of the desert is a miracle. The Heritage Palms Golf Course is a Palm Desert miracle. The golf vacation destination is a natural standout amongst its contemporaries in this golfers’ haven of a desert. And the reasons are crystal clear.

The Heritage Palms Golf Course is an Arthur Hills-creation that features not only the signature beautiful backdrop of the desert mountains engulfing this area. The golf vacation favorite features every single thing that makes Arthur Hills one of the biggest and most respected names in the industry to this very day. What it is, really, is the tempered, perfect and unmatched combination of sheer human genius, deep passion for the sport and Mother Nature. The result is this 6,700-yard, par-72 of golfing magnificence that features some very dramatic elevation and levels of undulation. The heavily contoured layout is made even more challenging and beautiful by the four lakes scattered through the course. And if that is not enough yet, the greens are heavily guarded to make the most out of every game.

Completing the golf trip experience here are the off-course amenities, topbilled by no less than its classic clubhouse. It is 30,000 feet in size complete with everything a golfer may need on his visit here – restaurant, pro shop, conference center. Golfers are also treated to some of the best practice facilities in the area. Truly, diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but the Heritage Palms Golf Course is for the golfer with the discriminating taste.

Escena Golf Club

People always say that the next generation is always a better and improved version of its predecessor. But what if something born of this new era is a wonderful fusion of the past, present and the future? Remarkable, yes. Impossible, almost. Almost, because this is a concept that is the theme of the newest fab golf vacation destination in the Palm Springs golf scene: the Escena Golf Club.

The original layout of what was once known as the Palm Springs Classic Golf Club was scrapped to give way to this unique course by the Nicklaus Design Group. The classic resort layout was blended with some tough hazards meant for championship play. The surrounding desert mountains add more flare and flavor to the elements. The fairways are wide, the sand hazards are plenty, and the water features are as stunning to the aesthetics as to playability. There is a touch of sophistication, a hint of wild and a tinge of risky in every aspect of it. Golf vacations at the Escena Golf Club will be eternally remembered as dynamic and nothing like anywhere else.

And since it has taken on the role of an exemplary golf trip location, the merits of the Escena Golf Club did not stop with the layout. The clubhouse and the pro-shop were built to match the demands for an outstanding vacation, suited to fit the taste of every guest. There is no doubt as to why the club has been named among the Top Ten Public Courses in California by PGATour.com and the 2010 Best Public Golf Course in the Palm Springs Life “Best of the Best” Reader’s Choice. That is one feat that obviously would be the pride of its generation and the envy of the ones to come.

Cimarron Golf Club – Boulder Course

If there is one word that would perfectly describe the Cimmaron Golf Club in Indian Wells, it would have to be ‘pleasant’. From the greens to the water features to the perfect skies, everything is exactly that: PLEASANT. It would not be hard for this golf vacation favorite to paint a smile on any golfer’s face. Even more so, when they play one of the two feature courses here, the Boulder Course, the golf experience here could not get any more pleasant.

Ironically, this is not the usual smooth, finessed type of beauty. On the contrary, the Boulder Course is a toughie, rough and rugged on the edges. It is not a pretentious course and is an honest to goodness desert course with a little bit of surprises here and there. The golf vacation destination also has several features reminiscent of Europe’s greatest courses. Among them are the sod-wall bunkers with white crushed marble bunkers inside. These, along with large mounds and a lot of jagged edges more dot the open complexes and fairways of the course.

Completing the look are the well-maintained greens. Actually, “well-maintained” is pretty much an underestimation. In fact, it does the Boulder Course no justice at all. The greens of this course are hailed the best in the entire Coachella Valley, an emerald spectacle stunningly a perfect contrast to the golden mountains of San Jacinto enveloping the course. That and the perfect blue skies that never fail to show up on this side of California. The course measures 6,782 yards from the longest tees, par 72, with three other sets of tees to play from. But the fun from golf trips here are just immeasurable. There is always someone feeling pleasant here, and that is a perfectly accurate assumption.

Cathedral Canyon Golf Club

Prayers abound in this golf vacation destination. Where other golfers pat whisper a simple prayer before each game, at the Cathedral Canyon Golf Club in Cathedral, CA, it is thrice more than anywhere else. Why, there are three excellent nines on this property that are enough to induce a simple prayer request, or a prayer of desperation at every game. And the scorecards decide whether a hearty ‘Amen’ and ‘Hallelujah’ punctuate the game, or another round of prayer petitions.

The Cathedral Canyon Golf Club is one of those exceptional golf courses outside of Palm Springs. This course, that was the joint creation of golf legend Billy Casper with renowned architect David Rainville, has three nines that can be played in different pairs. Each pair of nines gives a truly different feel and golf vacation experience every time. All three courses, the Lakeview, the Mountainview, and the Resort Course enjoy the same tree-lined fairways, large strategically-placed sand bunkers, and panoramic vistas of the majestic San Jacinto Mountains enveloping many parts of it.

If that is not enough just yet, the Cathedral Canyon Golf Club has an array of stunning lakes dotted and distributed evenly well throughout the three nines, kicking the gas pedal up to a more exciting golf game. Completing the golf vacation package are the onsite maintenance of the greens – considered by many to be the best-conditioned ones in the area, and the other resort amenities. These include some of the most excellent practice greens, a driving green, and a fully stocked pro-shop with an exquisite clubhouse to match. When merits are listed this way, there is no room for sulking after all. Every game here, no matter the scorecard situation, will leave golfers feeling blessed and singing praises.

The Westin Mission Hills Resort – Player Course

Only a true Player will know what amazes another player on the greens. This statement is made true and proven by Gary Player. Both great as a golf pro and as a golf course architect, he knows too well from both perspectives what makes a golf course an excellent one. And this is evident in his creations. One of them happens to be a signature golf trip favorite in golf nation Palm Springs California – The Player Course of the Westin Mission Hills Resort.

The Player Course is deemed the more player-friendly course on the facility, the other one in comparison being the Pete Dye signature in the resort. Gary Player’s signature is an 18-hole spectacle that stretches to over 7,000 yards from the longest tees that plays for a par of 72. This is Player’s first and only desert course creation. It is anything but ordinary. Player played well with the natural terrain and mixed it with some man-made features to make for an exciting layout. Golf vacations here are made of treading along ten water holes, palm trees and other native vegetation, and basking in the beauty of the golden desert surrounding.

But as it is, the Player Course is never just about the looks. It has enough grit for a kick in the gut, especially that the nines are both closed by water holes that require forced carries. But of course, Gary Player knew what he wanted to achieve in that, every round here will be just as satisfying for everyone – good game or bad. That’s the difference a true Player makes on a golf vacation destination.

The Westin Mission Hills Resort – Dye Course

“To Dye for”. “Dyeabolical”. Avid golfers and critics and even brand managers will never fail to come up with a wordplay name for a Pete Dye course. But a Pete Dye course, by any other name, will never fail to be counted as among the best in the industry. Whether for being challenging or for being plain fun, or both, Dye’s creations are always marked excellent. The Dye Course in the Westin Mission Hills Resort in Palm Springs is no exception. The golf vacation favorite has everything in stock – playability, challenge, beauty – in just the right amounts in all the right places.

The Dye Course shares the resort with the Gary Player signature course, and is deemed the more playable one between the two. Pete Dye’s Palm Springs baby was made to bear the very same features that are the trademark of all his works from all over the world. From the longest tees, this golf vacation destination measures 6,753 yards, par 72. It has Dye’s signature features of railroad ties, pot bunkers, elevated tees and tricky pin placement. Oh, and not to be forgotten, the water hazards. They are plenty and force carries over many of the holes. The greens are rolling and the fairways are tight. And as with every golf course that carries Pete Dye makes, the naturally beautiful surroundings are well captured, and the conditioning is nowhere near average. It is always pristine.

Thus, it is safe to say, a Dye course by any other name is always excellent. As for the Case of Westin’s Dye Course, there is that coming together of scenic, playable, fun, and golf trip-worthy in equal parts. However way it is called, it will always be among the best.

The Golf Club at La Quinta

Sometimes the good things are just fixed on a bad time. And all it takes to correct it is a second chance timing. This has been the case of The Golf Club at La Quinta. It has been there for some time, then known as the Trilogy, but it was not until 2003 a year after it opened, that golf addicts really paid close attention to it. And soon thereafter, noticed what they have been missing all along: an unforgettable golf vacation destination.

The Golf Club at La Quinta gained momentum in the fame game when it hosted the LG Skins Game for the first time in 2003. This brought the biggest names in the game including Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Fred Couples and Annika Sorenstam. Although its stint at the LG Skins ended in 2006, the golf course was never the same again. It gained a large following of fans, taking their golf outings and golf vacations here more. The fans have finally seen the good features of the course that have been there all along. This is all 18-holes on more than 7,200 yards of goodness winding through and around some of the most picturesque water hazards in the area. The sand bunkers are as dramatic, and they make the perfect intro and contrast to the fairways and the rolling greens.

And the most obvious feature? The series of par-3s that only a Gary Panks could create. They make for the perfect tournament type feel even more so when played from the Skins tee. But should that be too daunting, there are several other tees to share the fun with more people. Now, how about the perfect timing for golf trips for everyone? At The Golf Club at La Quinta, anytime is a perfect time!

Silver Rock Resort – Arnold Palmer Classic Course

In a desert full of rocks and pebbles that are nothing more than ordinary, it would not be surprising if a shining, glimmering silver rock stands out. Thus the name is most perfect for the Silver Rock Resort – Arnold Palmer Classic Course in Pal Springs, CA. And it stands out for more reasons than one. And its merits begin with the most apparent one – this golf vacation destination carries the name of Arnold Palmer as its creator.

The Silver Rock Resort – Arnold Palmer Classic Course is the home of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic that sits on more than 500 acres of desert terrain on the Coachella Valley, right at the foot of the Santa Rosa and Coral Mountains. This fact gives the course that one of a kind, breathtaking scenery, that while every course in the area enjoys the same kind of desert views, this golf vacation favorite has it so much better being close to the mountains. And on here, it does not come short. At more than 7,500 yards from the longest tees, this Arnold Palmer handiwork is one of the longest courses on the PGA Tour.

 All the winning features of the Silver Rock Resort – Arnold Palmer Classic Course would have gone to waste if not for its even more winning conditioning. No wonder this is a standout not only among golf trip-goers, but is a definite win in America’s Best lists as well. Why, this course is already named among America’s top 10 new courses (Golf Magazine)! And everything else about it – the outdoor grill and patio, the stone clubhouse, the pleasant staff – they all make this champion course the standout that it is.