
Palm Desert Course
Palm Desert Country Club


About this course
Palm Desert Country Club sits in the Coachella Valley of Southern California, designed by William F. Bell and Cary Bickler. The course opened in the mid-1970s as part of the residential development that helped establish Palm Desert as a desert golf destination distinct from neighboring Palm Springs. Bell, a prolific California architect whose work includes Torrey Pines South, brought his characteristic approach to desert terrain, while Bickler contributed to the routing and design execution. The layout occupies relatively flat desert floor with views toward the Santa Rosa Mountains. The design reflects the era's transition from traditional parkland aesthetics to more naturalized desert golf, incorporating native vegetation and sand waste areas alongside maintained fairways and greens. Water features appear on several holes, a common element in desert courses of this period that relied on Colorado River allocations. The routing provides a straightforward test without severe elevation change, emphasizing accuracy and course management over raw distance. Palm Desert Country Club operates as a private facility serving its residential membership. The club maintains a traditional country club structure with golf as the central amenity. The course has undergone periodic updates to maintain playability and accommodate modern equipment standards while preserving the original design intent. It represents a generation of Coachella Valley courses built during the region's expansion as a winter golf retreat and retirement destination.
Quick facts
- Location
- Palm Desert, CA, USA
- Access
- Public
- Year built
- 1962
- Designer(s)
- Cary Bickler, William Francis Bell
- Holes
- 18
- Par
- 71
- Length
- 6,357 yards
- Difficulty
- 74.1/129
Getting there
Most arrivals to Palm Desert Country Club begin at Palm Springs International Airport, a streamlined desert gateway just fifteen minutes north via Highway 111. The drive unfolds across the Coachella Valley floor, framed by the stark, sunlit ridges of the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa mountains, with the landscape shifting from mid-century modern Palm Springs into the manicured resort corridor of Palm Desert. Private aviation guests often favor Thermal Airport to the southeast or Jacqueline Cochran Regional, both offering discreet access to the valley's exclusive enclaves. The final turn into the club's gated entrance feels like slipping behind a veil - leaving the desert's raw beauty for the cultivated serenity of one of the valley's original private sanctuaries.

FAQ
Common questions about Palm Desert
Ratings, design, and course details pulled from Course Vaults.
Palm Desert was designed by Cary Bickler and William Francis Bell.
Yes. Palm Desert is listed as welcoming public or guest play on Course Vaults.
Par at Palm Desert is 71.
Palm Desert plays 6,357 yards from the back tees on Course Vaults.
The slope rating at Palm Desert is 129.
Palm Desert is a 18-hole course.



