PGA West Stadium Course
Pete Dye built the Stadium Course in 1986 to be the hardest show in the desert, and the desert has been arguing with it ever since. A par 72 of 7,210 yards beneath the Santa Rosa mountains in La Quinta, it is home to the Alcatraz island 17th, the Sunday stage of the PGA Tour's The American Express, and the most famous railroad ties west of Sawgrass. Here is the verdict, the facts, the holes and how to get on.
Photograph: PGA WEST Pete Dye Stadium Course, via Google.
The verdict
The Stadium Course is Pete Dye with the volume turned all the way up. Commissioned as a western sibling to his TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course and opened in 1986, it brought spectator mounding, sleeper edged lakes and bunkers deep enough to lose a playing partner to the Coachella Valley floor. The pros found it so brutal in its first tournament that they petitioned to leave; it took decades for the Tour to come back, and now the course anchors The American Express every January.
For the traveling golfer that history is the attraction. This is one of the few purpose built tournament arenas anywhere that any visitor can play, on resort quality conditioning, with the Santa Rosa mountains filling every sightline. It demands carries, asks brave questions on almost every approach and finishes with the island green 17th and a water guarded 18th straight off the television. Pick the right tees and it is hard, fair and unforgettable, the cornerstone round of any Palm Springs golf trip.
PGA West Stadium Course at a glance
- Opened
- 1986
- Designer
- Pete Dye
- Par
- 72
- Length
- 7,210 yds
- Type
- Stadium desert
- Green fee
- ~$112 to $399
Designer, opening and layout verified June 2026. The Stadium Course was designed by Pete Dye and opened in 1986 at PGA West in La Quinta, California. It plays as a par 72 of 7,210 yards for The American Express. Indicative 2025 rates were demand priced from roughly 112 dollars in late twilight to around 399 dollars for peak winter mornings, including cart and practice facilities; fees change by season and year, so always confirm directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
Dye saved his sharpest ideas for the finish, but the punishment is distributed generously. The course moves through deep pot bunkers, vast waste areas and greens propped above run offs, with the par 4s constantly asking you to flirt with water or sand to earn a short iron in. The par 3s grow nastier as the round goes on, and the bunkering includes one greenside pit so deep that the walk out is a story in itself.
Then comes Alcatraz. The 17th is an island green ringed by boulders rather than Sawgrass turf, playing around 120 to 170 yards depending on the markers, and it has been deciding tournaments since Lee Trevino aced it during the 1987 Skins Game for a 175,000 dollar skin. The 18th follows the lake all the way home down the left, a closing par 4 where The American Express has swung on Sunday more than once.
What surprises first timers is how playable the width is between the horrors. Dye gives you room off most tees; the terror is mostly in your head and entirely in the recovery shots. That is the Stadium's genius, and why one round is never enough.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | Open to the public and to La Quinta Resort and PGA West guests; tee times bookable online, with resort guests getting preferred windows |
| Green fee | Demand priced. Indicative 2025 rates ran from roughly 112 dollars in late twilight to around 177 dollars after 2 pm, 316 dollars after noon and 399 dollars for peak winter mornings, cart and practice included |
| Booking | January to April mornings sell out well ahead; book early, or play the shoulder months of November, December and May for softer rates |
| On the day | Carts with GPS, caddies and forecaddies by arrangement, full practice grounds; the course closes for overseeding windows in autumn, so check dates |
| Getting there | In La Quinta, around 40 minutes from Palm Springs airport and roughly 2 hours 15 minutes from Los Angeles |
| Best months | November to April for classic desert weather; summer is extremely hot but dawn rounds are cheap and empty |
Access and indicative green fees verified June 2026; they change without notice, so always confirm directly before booking with PGA West or your trip planner. Check tee time availability.
Where to stay nearby
The La Quinta Resort and Club, the historic hacienda style property that shares ownership with PGA West, is the natural base, with casitas, pools and priority access across the resort's courses. The wider Coachella Valley, from Palm Springs through Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells to La Quinta itself, is wall to wall with resorts at every price.
A Palm Springs golf week built around the Stadium usually adds the Nicklaus Tournament Course next door, and pairs naturally with a California swing that takes in Torrey Pines South on the coast or a pilgrimage north to Pebble Beach.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts across La Quinta, Indian Wells and Palm Springs.
Take on the Stadium
We arrange tee times on the Stadium Course and build it into a full Coachella Valley week, PGA West, Indian Wells and the desert resorts, costed to the head. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge does the rest, with no obligation.
PGA West Stadium Course questions
Who designed the Stadium Course at PGA West?
Pete Dye designed the Stadium Course, which opened in 1986 as a purpose built tournament arena in La Quinta, California. It was conceived as a sister to his TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course, with spectator mounding, railroad ties and an island green of its own.
What is the Alcatraz hole?
Alcatraz is the par 3 17th, an island green set in rock and water. Lee Trevino famously made a hole in one there during the 1987 Skins Game, winning a carry over skin worth 175,000 dollars, and the hole still decides tournaments at The American Express every January.
How much does it cost to play the Stadium Course?
Pricing is demand based. In 2025, peak winter morning times ran to around 399 dollars, with afternoon rates near 316 dollars, around 177 dollars after 2 pm and roughly 112 dollars in the late twilight window. Summer rates fall well below that. Always confirm current rates directly before booking.
Does the Stadium Course host a PGA Tour event?
Yes. The Stadium Course is the host of The American Express each January, staging one of the first three rounds for every player and the Sunday final round, alongside La Quinta Country Club and the Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West.
Is the Stadium Course too hard for a mid handicapper?
It is a stern test, that is the point of it, but five sets of tees make it manageable if you choose honestly. Play the correct markers, take your medicine out of Dye's deep bunkers, and the Stadium delivers the most memorable round in the Coachella Valley rather than the most miserable one.
Related
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designer, opening date, layout and tournament history verified June 2026; indicative green fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.