Page 70 - 2019 Travel Guide to California

GOLF
Swing Away!
Diverse geography offers spectacular options for teeing it up
GOLF ACROSS
THE STATE
California is one of the world’s top
golf destinations, and no matter
which region you choose, you’ll find a
course to suit your game, whether it’s
on the coast at Pasatiempo Golf Club
in Santa Cruz, above, in the desert at
TPC Stadium Course in La Quinta, or
in the mountains at Coyote Moon
Golf Course in Truckee.
Mother Nature has blessed California
with an astonishing array of mountains,
valleys, forests, coastline and desert that
has helped make the Golden State one of
the most attractive golf destinations on
the planet.
Taking advantage of these geological assets,
a who’s-who of golf course architects, from
old-school designers like Alister MacKenzie
and A.W. Tillinghast to modern-day shapers
such as Jack Nicklaus, Robert Trent Jones, Jr.
and Tom Fazio, have crafted challenges to suit
every golfer’s taste and budget.
Today, there are more than 600 public
courses scattered throughout California
ranging from iconic masterpieces like
Pebble Beach Golf Links on the Pacific coast
to hidden gems such as Greenhorn Creek in
the Gold Country. Depending upon skill
level and preferred environment, here are
some notable nuggets that will help create
a golf experience of a lifetime.
68 2019 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA
BY ROBERT KAUFMAN
DESERT COURSES
PGA West—TPC Stadium Course
Since opening in 1986, the TPC Stadium
Course in La Quinta has been rated one of
the “Top 100 Courses in the World” by GOLF
Magazine. This 7,300-yard challenge
designed by Pete Dye hosts PGA Tour “Q-
School” Finals every other year with players
having to navigate cavernous bunkers, an
island green (known as “Alcatraz”) at hole #17
as well as the menacing water-lined 18th
.
Named “Stadium” due to Dye’s ingenious
plan to sculpt spectator seating into the nat-
ural terrain, one of the most memorable
events includes Lee Trevino’s hole-in-one on
#17 earning him $175,000 from a carry-over
skin in the 1987 “Skins Game.” pgawest.com
Indian Wells Golf Resort
Only 20 minutes from Palm Springs Interna-
tional Airport, golfers have the opportunity to
play the Players Course (John Fought, 2007)
and Celebrity Course (Clive Clark, 2006) at a
property with the distinction of being the
only 36-hole public golf facility with both
courses on Golfweek’s “Best Courses You Can
Play” in California. Combined with a lighted,
ROBERT KAUFMAN. OPPOSITE: ROBERT KAUFMAN; ROBERT KAUFMAN; GANG LIU/SHUTTERSTOCK