My Quest to Check Off Golf's Best Experiences

Then there's #16.  We all know Pete Dye loves his island greens, like with #17 at PGA West Stadium Course ("Alcatraz"), or of course #17 at TPC Sawgrass.  However, #16 at La Quinta isn't really any different from the others, except the hole is bordered by desert and rocks rather than water.  If you miss the grass, you're not completely dead, but you're pretty darned close.  Hitting the rocks can cause the ball to bounce anywhere, and if you can actually find the ball, good luck playing it.  At 157 yards from the White Tees, or 167 yards all the way back, it's not a long shot, but there's no room for error.  Plus, if the pin is in the back, which it was when I played it, it's even tighter!!

I really enjoyed the Mountain Course, and not just because I actually played it well.  It's extremely unique, and I think its place as the #77 Public Course in the USA by Golf Magazine is well deserved.  I am surprised Golf Digest didn't honor La Quinta in its Top 100.

The often-photographed 6th comes next, a mid-length par three.  This beautiful hole has a bunker in the front and the mountain in the back.  The only issue here was with conditioning on the green (not good!).  

Similar to the front nine, the start of the back nine is a smooth warm-up for what's to come.  The first few holes of the back nine actually wind through some homes, which isn't quite as common at La Quinta as at the sister clubs of PGA West.  #10 is a fairly tight driving area, but not too challenging.

The back nine gets memorable at #14, #15, and #16, three holes that are really not much more than three grass oases in the middle of a mountain.

#14 requires a very difficult approach shot to the green, which is all carry over a desert/rock formation, as well as bunkers.

#15 is a par 5 with the mountain all the way along the right side of the hole.  The green is a sharp dogleg right at the very end.  If you miss the grass on one of these holes, you may see a road runner or two.

The first three holes are no slouch, and are actually textbook Pete Dye holes (especially #1 and #2).  However, in my opinion, the course becomes unique at #4, a reasonably short par 5 with the mountain running the length of the left side and the green tucked into a little cove of mountain.

The Mountain Course at La Quinta Resort was part of my four course tour of Palm Springs area in September, 2011.  This course is unlike anything I had played to date, mainly due to its location, right at the foot of the Coachella Mountains.  While basically all courses in Palm Springs have views of the mountains, Pete Dye's Mountain Course is literally carved right at the edge, and on many holes, if you miss the fairway, it's the moutains or adjacent rock formations that will be the site of your next shot (if you can find it).  Subsequent to the Mountain Course, I played the Palmer Private Course at PGA West in 2013.  It's a similar experience with some holes right on the edge of the mountains.

Back to the Mourtain Course.  Before teeing off, if you have time to warm up, I strongly advise hitting some balls at the range.  The view is amazing.

La Quinta Resort & Spa (Mountain Course)

La Quinta, California




Checked off the Bucket List September 27, 2011



Golf Magazine:

#77, Top 100 Courses You Can Play(2012)

#9, Best Public Golf Courses in California (2012)