The Presidents’ Golf Playground
President Obama was arriving in Palm Springs the day I was leaving the recent North American Golf Tourism Convention (NAC) organized by IAGTO. He was not coming to huddle with advisers to discuss Putin’s probes into the Ukraine but to share a round or two with his golfing buddies. Most U.S. Presidents have ventured to this Californian oasis and so have the Hollywood hotshots so they can escape the stresses of their respective professionals all in pursuit of the little round ball. I can see why they like this region.
It was scorching hot; 110 plus degrees during two of our rounds and thank gosh, there lacks that humidity you find in places like Ontario. It may have been the warmest place in all of the U.S last week. Golfers better have gallons of water to consume nearby or you could become fodder for desert creatures on the many fine golf courses that surround the area. The mountain goat we saw nibbling lazily on the grass on Silverrock would concur.
Although I did not play Pete Dye’s famous PGA West Course on this trip I did have the pleasure of playing this course several years ago with my good friends in a Chewy Open. The huge bunker with Dye’s famous railway tracks that sits along the left side of the 16th hole is a thing of beauty but only if you don’t find yourself a visitor. I think my Titleist still resides on the bottom of the water surrounding the island green, aptly named Alcatraz on the 17th. Many dreams have been dashed at this place for those attempting to qualify for the PGA Tour. Imagine the famous 17th green at Sawgrass and think a smaller landing area. Hands are quivering.
La Quinta’s PGA West, Desert Willow, Omni and Silverrock were some of the great golfing hosts for the group. I especially liked the latter course. Some of the holes crept closely to the mountain and the back nine was especially memorable with two extremely long par 4’s.
San Diego, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles are not too far away so you could combine regions for amazing golf, winery tours and incredible sightseeing. This area coupled with Pebble in Monterey, Half Moon Bay and San Francisco in Northern California make this state hard to beat in its calibre of golfing experiences.
In driving back to the airport there were still remnants of a fire covering the sky over two days. It helped suppress the high temperatures but the sight was eerie It was reminiscent of the fire that crept very close to our home last year in West Kelowna, British Columbia. The desert like climate of our Okanagan Valley is similar to Palm Springs and many locals venture down to Palm Springs during the winter season. Also, we passed by an 18 hole course that has been turned into a 9-holer due to the havoc created by a flash flood. Mother Nature plays in Palm Springs too.
So if you want to rub shoulders with narcissistic Hollywood moguls, game Presidents who may have suspect handicaps and play a fantastic choice of 112+ 18 holes then come to Greater Palm Springs. Just avoid the large sand traps on the course and the flash floods and fires. It is worth the visit!