8 Public Golf Courses You Have to Play in Greater Palm Springs

Palm Springs

Escena Golf Club

Built in 2005, Escena embraces Palm Springs’ mid-mod aesthetic with a modernist clubhouse standing guard of the greens. Open sightlines and generous landing areas make it easy to keep your eyes on the ball. 

Desert Hot Springs

Mission Lakes Country Club

At a higher elevation than any other course in Greater Palm Springs, Mission Lakes looks out across the entire valley. Hilly terrain makes for unique play; one hole even has you teeing off the mountainside. 

Cathedral City

Cimarrón Golf Resort

Two courses — the longer Boulder and shorter (par 55) Pebble — stretch out beneath views of the San Jacinto Mountains. Wind keeps things interesting, and fair prices make it easy on your pocketbook. 

Rancho Mirage

Desert Island Country Club

Private since 1971, Desert Island officially opened to the public in 2022. The course routes around a 25-acre lake sustained by a private well, creating a self-sufficient ecosystem and several water hazards — including an island fairway on the par-4 ninth. 

Palm Desert

Desert Willow Golf Resort

The designers of Desert Willow’s Firecliff and Mountain View courses teamed with a landscape architect to create a spread that not only provides a picturesque escape from the noise but also an environmentally sensitive habitat for local wildlife. 

Indian Wells

Indian Wells Golf Resort 

Golfweek named the two courses at Indian Wells (designed by Clive Clark and John Fought, respectively) among the Top 25 “Best Municipal Courses in the United States.” Our readers agree. This season, the golf resort will undergo some upgrades, including course improvements and the opening of a new clubhouse restaurant helmed by celebrity chef Richard Blais.  

La Quinta

PGA West

Some of golf’s greatest moments have happened here — from Lee Trevino’s Alcatraz ace during the 1988 Skins Game to amateur Nick Dunlap’s domination this year at The American Express. Book a round during tournament season for a taste of the conditions pros experience. 

Indio

The Lights at Indio GC

Care for a night game? The desert’s only course illuminated for evening play, The Lights stays open late. It’s a long par 3, with holes from 110 to 240 yards. The driving range and chipping and putting areas are also lit after dark.