Courses
The best courses you can play in Palm Springs
As golfers, when we get within a couple weeks of a long-awaited golf trip, we tend to anxiously reload the long-range forecast to make sure rain and cold won’t dampen the fun. Except if that trip is to Palm Springs. Averaging over 350 days of sunshine each year, the California desert’s predictable warm, dry and sunny conditions make it a popular destination for golfers. The only worry is just how hot it will be.
More than just near-perfect weather, Palm Springs offers tremendous views of the San Jacinto Mountains, which climb to over 10,000 feet and provide a picturesque backdrop for the quality desert golf. Unlike Arizona’s desert golf, where cacti-ridden sand captures nearly every shot that misses the fairway, Palm Springs’ take on the style is slightly more generous. Though the desert is present, the landing areas are often wider, with rough and bunkers grabbing wayward shots.
To help you plan your next golf getaway to the desert, we’ve selected the best courses you can play in Palm Springs. This collection of must-plays includes past and present PGA Tour hosts, a unique under-the-lights muny and multi-course resorts that offer stay-and-play packages.
Scroll on to learn more about each course and read reviews from our course-ranking panelists. We hope you enjoy our searchable course database, Places to Play, our new hub for course reviews, experts' opinions and star ratings.
Conveniently situated next to the Palm Springs airport, Escena Golf Club is a Jack Nicklaus design with tremendous views of the San Jacinto Mountains. There are a variety of holes moving in each direction with generally wide fairways and large, gently sloping greens. The strikingly modern clubhouse is the perfect place for a post-round drink and meal overlooking the mountain backdrop.
SilverRock, formerly in the rotation for the Bob Hope tour event from 2008-2011, is set hard against the Santa Rosa Mountains in La Quinta. Water comes into play on more than half the holes on this desert layout, requiring quality ball striking. The close proximity of the mountains and the picturesque water hazards make SilverRock a uniquely scenic course.