Lake Tamarisk Golf Course

Lake Tamarisk Golf Course sits in the remote desert community of Desert Center, California, roughly midway between Indio and Blythe along Interstate 10. Designed by T. A. Preston, the course occupies a stark desert landscape characteristic of the Colorado Desert region, where summer temperatures routinely exceed 110 degrees and the surrounding terrain consists of creosote flats and distant mountain ranges. The layout serves a small residential community built around an artificial lake that gives the course and development its name. The design works with the flat desert topography, incorporating the lake as both a visual feature and strategic element on several holes. Water comes into play more prominently than on most desert courses in this region, a function of the development's central lake feature. The routing is straightforward, with fairways defined against the natural desert scrub and sand. Mature tamarisk trees and other desert-adapted vegetation provide occasional definition and shade. Lake Tamarisk functions primarily as a community amenity for local residents and travelers passing through this sparsely populated stretch of Riverside County. The course offers a rare opportunity for golf in an area with few such facilities, serving a small year-round population and seasonal visitors. Desert Center itself remains a modest roadside community, and the golf course reflects that unpretentious character—a functional desert layout in one of California's most isolated regions.