Coachella Valley real estate is synonymous with luxury desert living, music festivals, and of course, world-class golf. Here's a guide to some of the finest golf course communities in the Desert Empire.
Table of Content
- The Coachella Valley’s Love Affair With Golf
- Golf Season In The Coachella Valley
- Signature Golf Events
- A History Of Golf In The Coachella Valley
- Top Featured Golf Communities In The Coachella Valley
- Characteristics Of An Ideal Golf Course Community
- Find Your New Home In A Golf Community In The Coachella Valley
THE COACHELLA VALLEY’S LOVE AFFAIR WITH GOLF
The Coachella Valley is a golf mecca with about 125 golf courses in the Palm Springs area alone. It also offers a unique golfing experience: Although it's common for desert golf courses to be almost entirely devoid of grass, the Coachella Valley's golf courses often have emerald greens and stunning water features. Its golf courses maintain a vibrant quality in the desert heat with a combination of water sources, including groundwater and recycled water.
Many golf courses in the Coachella Valley also offer sweeping views of the surrounding mountains and natural desert landscape. It’s because of this that some of the most sought-after properties in the Coachella Valley real estate market are located within golf communities. Many of these homes offer views of fairways and quick access to first-rate golf amenities.
The intrinsic beauty of the Valley plus the abundance of championship golf courses here draw many golf pros to live in the area either seasonally or year-round. Some also have country club memberships in the area despite having permanent residence elsewhere. Arnold Palmer famously spent his winters in La Quinta, where top golf instructor Bryan Lebedevitch is currently based.
GOLF SEASON IN THE COACHELLA VALLEY
Some of the best months to play golf are October through April due to sunny but cool weather. However, many golfers make the pilgrimage to the Coachella Valley in the winter.
The first two weeks of November usually signal the start of the new golf season with immaculate greens and fairways.
Peak season typically lasts from January through March, when golfers can expect to see a slight increase in greens fees. The low season lasts from May through September, when temperatures can hit the high 90s in the summer. However, golfers can still enjoy a game in the early morning or evening when temps become more comfortable.
SIGNATURE GOLF EVENTS
The Coachella Valley hosts high-profile golf events such as:
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The Galleri® Classic, a 52-hole event with golf champions and Hall of Famers competing for a prize of $2.2 million. The event benefits organizations dedicated to cancer awareness.
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The American Express, a 72-hole event on the PGA Tour. It attracts more than a hundred professional golf players from around the world each year. The event has generated more than $60 million for charity to date.
There are also smaller golf tournaments, outings, and festivals held throughout the Coachella Valley each year.
A HISTORY OF GOLF IN THE COACHELLA VALLEY
The Coachella Valley's love affair with golf began in the late 1920s. Although some sources claim that the El Mirador Hotel was home to the first golf course in the Coachella Valley, many consider the O’Donnell Golf Club to be the site of the oldest golf course in the area. The nine-hole O'Donnell Golf Course remains open today and is an important landmark in the Coachella Valley golf scene.
Another historic golf development, the Thunderbird Country Club, opened the first 18-hole golf course in the Coachella Valley in 1951. This ignited a construction boom in Coachella Valley real estate with developers building country clubs and vacation homes in the California Desert. These developments would also attract a wave of Hollywood actors, musicians, corporate executives, and snowbirds from the American Northeast and Canada who want to play golf in the Coachella Valley.
Golf course development in the Coachella Valley reached new heights in the 1980s with a new course opening every 100 days on average. The decade also heralded the arrival of famed golf course architects like Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye, and Tom Fazio, all of whom designed multiple courses in the area. The Skins Game was also notably held at the PGA West Stadium Course from 1986 to 1991.
The Coachella Valley continued to play an important role in national and international golf well into the 2000s, hosting the Bob Hope Desert Classic (now known as the American Express) at SilverRock Resort from 2008 to 2011.
When California reopened during the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, the Coachella Valley's golf courses were considered among the safest recreational spaces. That said, many country clubs were able to get back to business with safety protocols in place.
There was also increased interest in golf as a sport – the number of rounds played in the U.S. saw a 6.2% increase from 2019 figures, according to Golf Datatech. The industry also welcomed 500,000 on-course golfers, an increase of about 24.8 million and the industry's largest net gain within 17 years.
Over the decades, golf in the Coachella Valley has grown more sophisticated with golf courses sculpted into the natural desert dunes and nearby mountains due to refined building technologies. Additional water sources such as the Colorado River have helped make desert courses healthier and greener than ever.
TOP FEATURED GOLF COMMUNITIES IN THE COACHELLA VALLEY
With so many fantastic golf communities in the Coachella Valley, choosing is truly the hard part. These are just a few of the finest golf communities offering resort-style amenities and prime Coachella Valley real estate.
PGA West
55955 PGA Boulevard
La Quinta
Known as a premier golf destination, PGA West provides access to nine public and members-only championship golf courses, including:
The Pete Dye Stadium Course, an 18-hole course considered to be one of the most challenging layouts in golf.
The Pete Dye Mountain Course, a par 72 course with bunkers, elevated tee boxes, and stunning rock formations.
The Pete Dye Dunes Course, a Scottish-inspired, par 72 course with beautiful greens and reddish desert rock at the foothills of the Santa Rosa Mountains.
The Pete Dye Private Citrus Course, known for its signature citrus tree line, as well as sand bunkers and water hazards with the Santa Rosa Mountains in the background.
The Greg Norman Course, a par 72 course maxing out at 7,200 yards and the only Greg Norman-designed golf course in the Coachella Valley.
The Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course, a par 72 course known for hosting the final round of Q School at the PGA Tour.
The Tom Weiskopf Private Course, a Scottish links-style course designed after the Old Course at St. Andrews, the oldest known golf course in the world.
The Arnold Palmer Private Course, which features gorgeous waterways and scenic finishing holes with sweeping views of the Santa Rosa Mountains.
The Jack Nicklaus Private Course which consistently ranks in Golf Magazine's “Top 100 Courses in the World”.
PGA West offers golfers of all skill levels the full experience with a renowned golf academy, golf events, five elegantly-appointed clubhouses, and several on-site restaurants. Aside from golf, PGA West also features recreational facilities for tennis, pickleball, swimming, and cardio and strength training.
When it comes to Coachella Valley real estate, PGA West features three communities with new construction homes to serve as permanent residences, vacation homes, and resale homes. Buyers can choose between full-ownership and shared-ownership homes depending on their needs and lifestyle.
Gated communities in PGA West include:
Coral Mountain by Alta Verde which offers detached homes with five floor plans featuring Modern, Mid-century Modern, Mediterranean, and Asian-inspired designs. These homes also feature upscale finishes, high-end appliances, solar panels, and architectural swimming pools.
Signature, which offers single and two-story homes with two to three bedrooms and homesites spanning up to 6,750 square feet.
Thermal Beach Club, a 240-acre luxury development with a six-acre white sand beach and a 22-acre wave pool and surf lagoon. It features 326 residential units surrounding the lagoon, as well as 34,400 square feet of clubhouse space with an on-site bar and restaurant.
Residents enjoy ready access to PGA West facilities, as well as nearby shopping, dining, and entertainment options in Old Town La Quinta.
The Hideaway
80440 Hideaway Club Drive
La Quinta
Located about six miles from the Jacqueline Cochran Private Regional Airport and 18 miles from the Palm Springs International Airport, The Hideaway is a renowned vacation spot and private golf community with just 450 members. It provides access to first-rate golf amenities:
The Pete Dye Course is a links-inspired course with rolling fairways, elevated tees, and gleaming streams and ponds. Built in 2011, it was the first golf course to be completed at The Hideaway.
The Clive Clark Course is an 18-hole course with broad greens, desert wildflowers, and cascading falls. Its design was purportedly inspired by the landscape of the British Isles and Southern California.
Hideaway Golf Performance Center offers private lessons with a state-of-the-art monitor and radar system to help golfers improve their technique.
Aside from these golf facilities, The Hideaway also features a 51,000-square-foot clubhouse, modern fitness center, luxury spa, swimming pool, and sports courts. When it comes to Coachella Valley real estate, this community offers exclusivity with just 434 homes and four property types:
Bungalows – The Hideaway offers luxury bungalows with picturesque courtyards and panoramic views of the Santa Rosa Mountains in a private village setting next to the clubhouse.
Custom residences – The community offers an array of custom-built homes constructed by leading builders. These homes feature upscale finishes and expansive layouts.
Villas – The Hideaway offers a collection of Mediterranean and Spanish Revival-style homes with spacious floor plans and mountain views on the lush fairways of the Clive Clark Golf Course.
The Quarry at La Quinta
1 Quarry Lane
La Quinta
The Quarry at La Quinta offers a vacation lifestyle with Tom Fazio-designed golf courses and desirable properties amid the scenic beauty of the desert. This invitation-only community is among the most exclusive in the Coachella Valley with just 250 members. It also features spectacular golf amenities:
The Championship Course is an 18-hole golf course that consistently ranks in Golf Digest's “America’s 100 Greatest". It is known for high golf course conditioning standards, pristine greens, and stunning water features.
The Short Course is a 10-hole course that ranks among the Top 25 Par 3 golf courses in the whole world.
The Putting Course features an 18-hole layout that is rerouted on a daily basis and with similarly high conditioning standards.
As a community, The Quarry at La Quinta offers an assortment of custom-built homes and vacant land with unobstructed down valley and city skyline views. Buyers can choose from a wealth of architectural styles, including Mediterranean, Spanish Revival, Ranch, Modern, and Mid-century Modern.
Toscana Country Club
76009 Via Club Villa
Indian Wells
Toscana Country Club offers luxury desert living in a Tuscan-inspired setting. Its exceptional golf, fitness, spa, and dining options set it apart from other golf communities in the Coachella Valley. Its Jack Nicklaus-designed golf courses max out at about 7,000 yards with separate tees for a challenging game. The country club also has extensive practice facilities, including a large putting green, a double-ended driving range, and a short game practice area with chipping green.
The South Course features undulating greens and dramatic elevation changes with incredible views of Eisenhower Mountain.
The North Course is known for its natural desert layout with stunning rock formations and arroyos, as well as breathtaking views of Eisenhower Mountain and Club Villa.
Tee it Forward is a 4,550-yard, par 72 course for shorter gameplay.
The Bill Harmon Performance Center (BHPC) provides golf instruction with advanced performance assessment and tracking technologies. Instructor Bill Harmon consistently ranks among Golf's "Top 100 Teachers in America".
Toscana Country Club is an exclusive community with 24-hour guarded entry and exit points. It offers just 631 estate-style properties and vacant land. The homes in the community feature Mediterranean-style architecture with open and spacious layouts for seamless indoor and outdoor living.
Andalusia at Coral Mountain
59195 Marbella
La Quinta
The Andalusia Country Club is a resort-style community encompassing 525 acres at the base of the Coral and Santa Rosa mountains. Its esteemed golf amenities include an 18-hole, Rees Jones-designed championship golf course with bentgrass-covered fairways surrounded by cascading waterfalls, glistening lakes, and exquisite olive and palm trees.
The Grand Golf Clubhouse is a two-story gathering space that commands views of the golf course and nearby mountains. It features a pro shop, a covered arcade, pavilions, men's and women's lounges, and a courtyard for dining and socials. On top of these, members also have access to an outdoor pool, fitness center, tennis courts, an on-site restaurant and lounge, and golf and sports clubs.
The Andalusia Country Club offers single-family homes, golf course villas, and homesites. The homes in the community feature spacious living spaces and gourmet kitchens with high-end appliances. Architectural styles include Mediterranean, Modern, and Contemporary.
Tradition Golf Club at La Quinta
78505 52nd Ave
La Quinta, CA
Standing on the former estate of John Marshall, the Tradition Golf Club offers prime real estate and exceptional golf in a private setting. In addition to on-site dining and a fitness center and spa offering yoga, pilates, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) classes, the community also features the following golf amenities:
The Championship Course is an 18-hole golf course with dramatic elevation changes, lightning-fast greens, sand bunkers, water features, and mountain views.
The Short Course is an Arnold Palmer-designed par 27 course spanning just 796 yards with small but well-bunkered greens and water features.
The Practice Facilities include a double-ended driving range, a short game area with two practice bunkers, large practice putting greens, and seven target greens as well as sophisticated training technologies.
When it comes to real estate, the Tradition Golf Club offers a variety of custom-built homes and homesites. Many of the properties in the community feature Mediterranean, Spanish Revival, and Contemporary-style architecture, along with fireplaces, patios, and pools.
CHARACTERISTICS OF AN IDEAL GOLF COURSE COMMUNITY
Amenities
The best golf communities offer a wide range of resort-style amenities for the whole family to enjoy. Aside from beautifully landscaped golf courses, pro shops, and practice facilities, the ideal golf community also offers non-golf amenities such as tennis courts, basketball courts, fitness centers, pools, playgrounds, and dining areas to give residents a chance to try different activities during their stay.
Location
While buyers prefer golf communities for privacy and enhanced security, it's also important to choose a location that provides easy access to shopping centers, downtown areas, and outdoor attractions. This allows for a quick change of scenery when buyers feel like going out and exploring the surrounding area.
Real estate
Golf communities offer luxury properties in a variety of layouts and architectural styles. The ideal golf community has strong visual cohesion, quality craftsmanship, and well-maintained shared areas to help preserve property values.
Amenities
The best golf communities offer a wide range of resort-style amenities for the whole family to enjoy. Aside from beautifully landscaped golf courses, pro shops, and practice facilities, the ideal golf community also offers non-golf amenities such as tennis courts, basketball courts, fitness centers, pools, playgrounds, and dining areas to give residents a chance to try different activities during their stay.
Membership
The perfect golf community offers privileged access to golf amenities and recreational facilities. Private communities that place a cap on the number of members can help maintain an air of exclusivity and ensure a high quality of life for its residents.
FIND YOUR NEW HOME IN A GOLF COMMUNITY IN THE COACHELLA VALLEY
Explore Coachella Valley real estate with local experts. The Brady Sandahl Real Estate Group is your premier source for golf communities in the area. Their team of highly-skilled professionals is ready to assist you. Contact them at 760-656-679, send them an email, or fill out their contact form to get started.
With years of experience, their agents are on standby to cater to your real estate needs in the Greater Palm Springs area, including Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, and La Quinta. You can be guaranteed fast results with direct communication.
