GOLF TRAVEL
By Matt McKay
VDREAMS ALLEY OF
PLAYING GOLF IN GREATER PALM SPRINGS AREA CONJURES UP LOTS OF THINGS, BUT HERE IS YOUR VIP INSIDER’S GUIDE TO ‘THE BEST OF THE BEST’
S
o you want to do the Palm Springs California golf thing, but you want to do it like a “VIP Insider.” Here is how you do it, my friend. (Be forewarned: If you follow these
guidelines and suggestions, by your fourth night in the Coachella Valley, you may be tempted to purchase a fedora, start drinking martinis, and have a sudden, strange need to procure a stereophonic record player upon which to spin the finest Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Count Basie. And in this Valley of Dreams, you might be able to pull it all off.) For those who want to hit all the good
spots in a short amount of time, start by playing golf at PGA West in La Quinta. You know, you’ve heard of it – “the Western Home of Golf in America.” You can still
38 | AZ GOLF Insider | ANNUAL 2016
hear former CBS/ABC broadcaster Jack Whitaker saying it, can’t you? That’s where that Stadium Course is, the Pete Dye Course that chased off the crying PGA Tour pros in the mid-80s. It’s a little softer and a little kinder than it was in those days, but it still packs a mean punch for any recreational player who thinks they might be achieving some sort of mastery of the game. Oh, yes, and the tournament has returned to the Stadium, it’s just not called the Bob Hope Classic anymore. Now it’s the CareerBuilder Challenge. The Nicklaus Tournament Course also
is right there at PGA West, and it’s got all the Nicklaus traits and all the desert’s wonders compressed into one satisfying golf tract. If the Stadium and Nicklaus courses give you more golf than you’d like,
The Stadium Course at PGA West is a diabolical Pete Dye design. It is one of the courses used in the rotation for the CareerBuilder Challenge on the PGA Tour.
ease on back to the Greg Norman Course. It’s a little more forgiving and a little more receptive. But mind you, just a little. You still have to golf your ball to score. So you liked PGA West? Well, golf
brothers and sisters, your next VIP Insider stop is the Indian Wells Golf Resort, where Clive Clark (Celebrity) and John Fought (Players) have built two courses that are not only fun, they are beautiful. Each hole of the Celebrity Course feels like a private garden, and the Players Course, while not as immaculately landscaped, makes up for any lack of bougainvillea with challenging shot values and breathtaking corridors. You know what, after that you should
check out Classic Club, an Arnold Palmer design created in 2005 for the desert’s PGA Tour event. Again, when a devilish
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COURTESY PGA WEST
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