FEATURE STORY

Tough Palm Springs' golf will have you begging for mercy

By S. Adam Cardais,
Staff Writer

Picture Palm Springs and images of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin drinking martinis out by the pool at the Indian Wells Resort Hotel are often the first thing to come to mind.

But Palm Springs isn't all poolside drinks and golf courses fit for a Sunday afternoon stroll. This playground to the royalty of Hollywood's golden age has welcomed a few tracks with some serious bite over the last few decades.

"This isn't old Hollywood's Palm Springs anymore," Chris Baldwin wrote in a story for GolfCalifornia.com. "Sure, you can still find those nice and gentle courses with Palm trees galore, wide fairways and mountains at a safe distance. But in the 21st century, the Palm Springs valley has enough score crunching beasts to lay claim as one of the most He-Man (and Wonder Woman) golf destinations anywhere."

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The PGA West TPC Stadium Course is without a doubt the toughest, but it's got company. Here's a quick guide to the most difficult courses in Palm Springs:

PGA West TPC Stadium Course: The hardest course in Palm Springs? Try the hardest course, period! When designing the Stadium Course, Pete Dye was told to craft the most difficult course in the entire world. Many people think he did.

The 7,261-yard track has a slope rating of 150. But the course is more than just a bruiser. It's also a Palm Springs classic, hosting myriad international events and finding a place among Golf Magazine's "Top 100 Courses You Can Play" in the U.S.

"A dozen golfers could play it and come up with a dozen different holes that destroyed their scorecard while making them smile," Baldwin wrote in a story for GolfCalifornia.com. "Dye is at his best here in remembering that theater should not be sacrificed just for sheer difficulty."

PGA West Norman Course: Not to be upstaged by Dye, Norman took his own shot at making the universe's most torturous golf course here. Its sliver thin fairways, portfolio of forced carries and never ending supply of water will beat you to a pulp, which is one reason many people hate this track: Some say it's simply too hard.

Norman's course does, however, have its moments. The 216-yard, par-3 No. 13 is a truly memorable hole with a fairway that bends toward a man-made lake. The surrounding bunkers make accuracy key.

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Desert Dunes Golf Course: This nearly 7,000-yard track, designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., has a slope rating of 142. The course brings a different style to Palm Springs golf. It's full of thick, bountiful vegetation just waiting to eat up golf balls, making focus essential.

"This Robert Trent Jones, Jr. design has enough desert vegetation to make you think they injected steroids into these bushes," Baldwin wrote in another review. "They're thick, thorny, twisty, rocky monsters that seem to feed on golf balls."

It's true you might get hurt playing Desert Dunes. But at least you won't feel any pain when the bill arrives. Greens fees go for around $50 here during holiday season, a pretty much unimaginably low price in Palm Springs.

SilverRock: Designed by Arnold Palmer, this course weighs in at a whopping 7,553 yards. Though it was only opened in 2005, and had its share of initial conditioning problems, SilverRock is already gaining a reputation as one of Palm Springs' best, and toughest, tracks. It's got more sand than Miami Beach, so make sure to bring your wedge.

February 12, 2007

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.