South/North at Lakes Country Club

Lakes Country Club's South/North combination in Palm Desert pairs two of Ted Robinson Sr.'s nines from this 27-hole facility, opened in 1969 during the Coachella Valley's emergence as a desert golf destination. Robinson, known throughout California for incorporating extensive water features into his designs, created a layout that lives up to the club's name with lakes and ponds threading through the property. The course occupies relatively flat desert terrain typical of the Palm Desert area, with the Santa Rosa Mountains providing a dramatic backdrop to the east.

The routing reflects Robinson's signature style from this era: strategic water hazards that demand both placement and nerve, particularly on approach shots, combined with mature landscaping that has softened the desert edges over five decades. Palm trees, oleander, and other desert plantings frame fairways that play firm and fast in the dry climate. The South and North nines offer a blend of short, precise holes where water pinches landing areas and longer tests where distance must be balanced against hazard positioning.

Lakes Country Club operates as a private equity club serving the Palm Desert community. The facility's three-nine configuration allows for varied routing combinations and pace-of-play flexibility. While not a tournament venue, the course represents the Robinson approach to desert golf that helped define the region's character in the late 1960s and 1970s—playable for members while demanding thoughtful course management around water.