Best golf courses in Palm Springs

The PGA WEST Resort offers 5 fantastic public courses, with the Pete Dye-designed TPC Stadium ranked in the 100 Greatest Courses in the US by Golf Magazine, offering a stern test. The Jack Nicklaus Course is home to the PGA Tour Qualifying School and the stunning Greg Norman Course lies in a seabed 40-feet below sea level, surrounded by an immense crescent of terra-cotta mountains. The TPC Stadium and Nicklaus courses co-host the annual PGA Tour CareerBuilder Challenge tournament.

Pete Dye has created two outstanding courses at La Quinta. The Mountain Course, nestled at the base of the Santa Rosa Mountains, has been home to the World Cup, the PGA National Club Pro Championships and the California State Open. The Dunes Course is out of the traditional Scottish mold, with plenty of pot bunkers and water, and is surrounded by spectacular mountain and desert landscapes.

The Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort boasts the on-site Pete Dye Resort Course which first opened in 1987, and is set among the rolling hills with spectacular views of the desert mountains throughout.

Located next to the resort, Mission Hills North Golf Club offers the excellent Gary Player Signature Course, noted for its challenge and spectacular views across the surrounding San Jacinto mountains.

Indian Wells is another great 36-hole facility in the Coachella Valley. The Celebrity and Players courses jokingly referred to as ‘Beauty and the Beast’, are ranked in the top-30 of Golf Magazine’s ‘Best Courses to Play in California,’ and have hosted the Golf Channel’s Big Break, as well as the PGA’s Skins Game. Two very different courses that offer breath-taking mountain views and stunning water features.

Classic Club is a wonderful Arnold Palmer golf course that became famous for hosting the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic from 2006 to 2008. It is different from your typical desert layout, with rolling terrain, 30-acres of water features and plenty of pine, California pepper and olive trees. A beautiful on-course experience is complemented by the magnificent new Tuscan village inspired clubhouse and plethora of Bob Hope memorabilia inside.

Tahquitz Canyon provides the framework for incredible vistas when playing the two challenging championship courses, Resort and Legend, at Tahquitz Creek Golf Resort. The Legend was designed in the 1950s by William Bell, of Torrey Pines fame, and has that more traditional feel, whereas the Resort Course, is a modern desert layout, crafted by Ted Robinson Sr, making full use of the natural surroundings and his environmentally friendly concepts.

The Golf Club at Terra Lago has two very challenging courses - North and South – which are known for their slick greens and wonderful views of the Coachella Valley. The PGA Skins Game was played across the back nine of both courses from 1999-2002, with Fred Couples (1999), Colin Montgomerie (2000), Greg Norman (2001) and Mark O'Meara (2002) the winners. Be sure to bring your short game.

Once a private club, formerly known as Canyon Country Club, and a favorite haunt of Hollywood celebrities and former Presidents, Indian Canyons offers two championship courses. The original North Course is heavily steeped in tradition and meanders through Palm Springs’ stylish ‘Canyon’ region, while the newer South Course is shorter but more scenic. Both are well protected by the majestic San Jacinto mountains.

An Arnold Palmer Classic course set right up against the natural beauty and backdrop of the Santa Rosa Mountains, and former home to the PGA Tour’s Bob Hope Classic from 2008-2011. Opened in 2005 and once referred to as ‘the last great piece of golf property in the Coachella Valley’, SilverRock is the longest course in Palm Springs at 7,578 yards off the tips. A must-play, with postcard quality views.