Southern California Golf Guide: La Quinta

Ian Cross at the PGA West Stadium Course with Mhairi McKay - an LPGA Women's Tour regular.

The hotel

Food:
There are three restaurants - Azur offers French cuisine with a modern twist while the Adobe Grill serves up Mexican cuisine in the open air. Avoid Morgans - it's over priced and lacks imagination.

Rooms:
The original twenty 'casitas' of the Hollywood Golden Age have now become 800 luxury rooms, suites and villas. Many of them have their own private patios and most of the rooms (which average 500 square feet) have king size beds, working fire places, and large bathrooms with separate bath and shower.

Interior and exterior:
The hotel and its accommodations are Spanish hacienda in style, surrounded by genuinely beautiful grounds and a beautiful array of flowers, including delicately fragranced orange blossom. The lobby is elegantly styled with a display of photographs charting the rise of La Quinta as Palm Springs' pre-eminent resort.

Facilities:
The hacienda-style spa is a substantial part of the resort. Golf and spa packages are offered; specialities include the 'Just for Guys Facial', the 'Sports Pack Body Wrap' (where warm mud is wrapped all over the upper body), the 'Golf Massage' and the 'Open Air Celestial Shower'. It has 41 pools and 53 whirlpool spas dotted across the resort and its 23 tennis courts have won accolades from Tennis Magazine.

Background to the PGA West Stadium Course

Architect:
Pete Dye (1980) whose other courses include Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass, Florida and the Punta Cana Golf Club in the Dominican Republic.

Type:
Parkland

Landscape:
The course is surrounded on two sides by the forbidding and rugged Santa Rosa Mountains. As with all the courses in Palm Springs, the greens are certainly that (despite the heat) and the course is dotted with palm trees. Watch out for the fish in the water hazard at the 17th hole - if your ball goes in there, you'll never get it back!

Course facts:
- Major tours played here include the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, the Skins Game and the PGA Tour Final Qualifying School.
- There are deep bunkers surrounding many of the greens which you need steps to get down. The bunker guarding the left of the 16th is the biggest at 18 feet. The former Speaker of the House, Thomas P "Tip" O'Neal, once took 10 shots to get out of it.
- Alcatraz, the signature hole, is built on an island green on top of rock, is very reminiscent of its namesake. Lee Trevino made Skins Game history here in 1987 with an ace. He hit a 6 iron 166 yards, turned and hugged his caddy - a plaque beside the tee box commemorates his achievement.

Playing the course

In the middle of summer the merciless heat can soar to temperatures of 120 Fahrenheit and golfers will need to cover up. All the buggies are equipped with an iced water container, which is fortunate as there is not a lot of shade in the desert. The course was designed by Pete Dye to be one of the toughest tests in all golf, and it certainly succeeds. The first four holes are tight but not too threatening, and as you walk on to the 5th tee you feel a premonition of things to come - large lakes and vast bunkers filled with fine sand punish any wayward shots. A round played to anywhere near your handicap really is a moral victory.

Course Views (click for enlargement)

Score card

Address:
La Quinta Resort, 49-499 Eisenhower Drive, La Quinta, California 92253, USA
PGA West TPC Stadium Course at 56 - 150 PGA Boulevard, La Quinta, California, 92253, USA

Website:
www.laquintaresort.com

Phone number:
La Quinta Resort and Club: (+1) 760 564 4111
PGA West: (+1) 760 564 5729

Course lengths:
Five 18 hole courses: La Quinta Resort Mountain Course (5405 yards), La Quinta Resort Dunes (5748 yards), PGA West Stadium (5748 yards), PGA West Greg Norman (5748 yards), and PGA West Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course (6037 yards).

Dress code:
Appropriate golf attire with no denim or metal spiked shoes

Tee times:
Start around half an hour after sunrise and end two hours before sunset, with 7 tee times per hour on 8-9 minute intervals.

Handicap:
No certificate required, but the starter will inquire as to the player's skill level and suggest the proper set of tees to play from.

Green fees:
Rates range from $75 to $235, depending on the season. Resort guests receive substantial discounts as well as advanced booking privileges. Tee times are accepted three days prior to play. With an additional pre-book fee outside players may book up to 30 days in advance.

Packages:
Change regularly, the most popular package is "Best of the West" which includes breakfast and unlimited golf for 1 or 2 players on any of the 5 courses at La Quinta or PGA WEST.

Other costs:
The a la carte green fees and packages include shared cart and unlimited use of the practice facilities on day of play. A player can hit balls for 3 hours prior to play and another 3 hours afterwards at no additional charge. Rental club choices are Callaway Hawkeye VFT or Callaway X-14 at $65 per set including a sleeve of Callaway golf balls.

Facilities:
The large clubhouse serves meals and drinks from 6am. A World class pro shop - with many items featuring the PGA West logo - will ship purchases to your address for a fee.

Location:
La Quinta is 19 miles southeast of Palm Springs, and 120 miles east of Los Angeles. Palm Springs Regional Airport is a 30 minute drive and Ontario Airport a 90 minute drive along the Interstate 10.

More information

Adventure Golf: Southern California