PGA WEST · STADIUM COURSE
PGA West, Stadium Course
Pete Dye, 1986Pete Dye's brutal, beautiful test in La Quinta, home to the island green 17th known as Alcatraz and a former host of the American Express. The most demanding card in the valley.
Golf holidays · the winter desert
Palm Springs Golf Holidays
More than a hundred courses spread across the Coachella Valley under near constant winter sun, from Pete Dye's fearsome Stadium at PGA West to the resort polish of La Quinta and Indian Wells. Two hours from Los Angeles, this is American desert golf at its most concentrated.
January to AprilBest season
4 to 6 nightsTrip length
80 to 400 US dollarsGreen fees
Direct flights to PSPFrom
Who this trip suits
Palm Springs suits the buddies trip that wants volume and variety, four or five rounds in a week without long drives between them, and a warm base when the rest of the country is cold. It is also a fine couples and society destination, with a deep bench of resort courses to suit every handicap and a town full of midcentury hotels, pools and restaurants for the off course hours.
The valley is built for golf, so logistics are easy. Most of the marquee courses welcome public play, the airport sits minutes from the resorts, and a hire car opens up the whole Coachella Valley from Palm Springs through Rancho Mirage to La Quinta. The hardest decision is how many rounds to fit in.
The rounds to build around
Courses at the heart of the trip
LA QUINTA · MOUNTAIN COURSE
La Quinta Resort, Mountain Course
Pete Dye, 1980A Pete Dye design pressed into the cliffs of the Santa Rosa Mountains, regularly listed among the best courses you can play in America. Resort guest tee times, scenic and strategic.
PGA WEST · NICKLAUS TOURNAMENT
PGA West, Nicklaus Tournament
Jack Nicklaus, 1987The public face of PGA West, a Jack Nicklaus layout of water, waste areas and risk reward par 5s. A fairer companion round to the Stadium and a former tour host.
SILVERROCK · ARNOLD PALMER
SilverRock Resort
Arnold Palmer, 2005An Arnold Palmer Classic design stretching to 7,578 yards beneath the mountains in La Quinta, host of the Bob Hope Classic from 2008 to 2011. Strong value and big scenery.
INDIAN WELLS · 36 HOLES
Indian Wells Golf Resort
Clive Clark and John FoughtThirty six holes of polished resort golf, the Celebrity Course by Clive Clark and the Players Course by John Fought, both ranked among California's best you can play. Welcoming and well kept.
DESERT WILLOW · FIRECLIFF
Desert Willow, Firecliff
Hurdzan, Fry and Cook, 1997A Palm Desert municipal that plays like a resort course, all native desert framing and clever bunkering from Michael Hurdzan, Dana Fry and John Cook. A perennial value pick.
A sample five night trip
Nights 1 to 2 · Base in the valley. Settle into a resort around La Quinta or Palm Desert, the heart of the golf, with every course inside a half hour drive. Warm up and dine in old Palm Springs.
Day 1 · PGA West, Nicklaus Tournament. Open on the fairer of the PGA West pair, a Nicklaus design that lets you find your feet before the Stadium tests your nerve.
Day 2 · PGA West, Stadium Course. The marquee round and the sternest test in the desert, with the island 17th waiting near the end. Take a caddie or a forecaddie if you can.
Day 3 · La Quinta Mountain or SilverRock. Trade the difficulty for scenery on the Mountain Course, or play SilverRock for value and space, then an afternoon by the pool.
Nights 4 to 5 · Indian Wells and the tram. Add a relaxed round at Indian Wells, then ride the aerial tram up San Jacinto for cool mountain air and valley views before flying home from PSP.
Indicative cost
Third party packages run from roughly 1,800 to 4,500 US dollars per person for a four to five night winter trip in 2026, depending on resort tier and which marquee tee times are included. Indicative green fees run from around 80 US dollars at the value layouts to 250 to 400 US dollars at PGA West Stadium and the headline resort courses. Always confirm directly before booking.
Best time to book
The January to April peak is busy and the best resorts and tee times go early, so plan three to five months ahead. For value with warm weather, target late October through December or May. Book the Stadium Course tee time first and build the week around it.
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Plan your Palm Springs golf holiday
Send the brief and a concierge replies within one working day with a costed, all in itinerary, to the head, with no obligation.
Palm Springs golf questions
When is the best time to play golf in Palm Springs?
January to April is the peak season, with warm, dry, sunny days and the courses in their best condition. October to December and May offer better value with pleasant temperatures. Summer is very hot, often above 40 degrees Celsius, so play early and expect the lowest rates.
January to April is the peak season, with warm, dry, sunny days and the courses in their best condition. October to December and May offer better value with pleasant temperatures. Summer is very hot, often above 40 degrees Celsius, so play early and expect the lowest rates.
Which courses can visitors play?
The Coachella Valley is rich in public access golf. PGA West Stadium and Nicklaus Tournament courses, La Quinta Resort, SilverRock Resort, Indian Wells Golf Resort and Desert Willow all welcome outside play, most through resort or daily fee tee times.
The Coachella Valley is rich in public access golf. PGA West Stadium and Nicklaus Tournament courses, La Quinta Resort, SilverRock Resort, Indian Wells Golf Resort and Desert Willow all welcome outside play, most through resort or daily fee tee times.
How much are green fees?
Indicative 2026 winter peak green fees run from around 80 US dollars at value layouts such as SilverRock up to roughly 250 to 400 US dollars at the marquee resort courses like PGA West Stadium. Summer rates fall sharply. Always confirm directly before booking.
Indicative 2026 winter peak green fees run from around 80 US dollars at value layouts such as SilverRock up to roughly 250 to 400 US dollars at the marquee resort courses like PGA West Stadium. Summer rates fall sharply. Always confirm directly before booking.
How many courses can I play in a week?
The valley packs more than one hundred courses into a short drive, so a four to five night trip comfortably takes in four or five rounds with time for the pool, the restaurants of Palm Springs and a tram ride up the San Jacinto mountains.
The valley packs more than one hundred courses into a short drive, so a four to five night trip comfortably takes in four or five rounds with time for the pool, the restaurants of Palm Springs and a tram ride up the San Jacinto mountains.
What does a Palm Springs golf holiday cost?
Indicative third party packages run from roughly 1,800 to 4,500 US dollars per person for a four to five night winter trip in 2026, depending on resort tier and which marquee tee times are included. Always confirm directly before booking.
Indicative third party packages run from roughly 1,800 to 4,500 US dollars per person for a four to five night winter trip in 2026, depending on resort tier and which marquee tee times are included. Always confirm directly before booking.
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built around you.
Tell us the dates, the group and the courses you want and we'll cost the tee times, resort and transfers as one all in number, to the head, with no obligation.
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