Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/208368
11/7/13 A 12:51 PM Page 1 USA GETAWAYS BY GORD MONTGOMERY Great Vacations In The ALL IMAGES CREDIT JEFF SUTHERLAND EXCEPT WHERE NOTED Coachella Valley For any winter-weary Canadian, there's nothing better than stepping onto a non-stop WestJet flight to Palm Springs in the middle of the winter. No other area in the world has 125 golf courses within 40 minutes driving time of one another spread among the seven cities of Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta and Indio. IMAGE COURTESY PALM SPRINGS CVB IGT13 Thanks to a great one-week vacation package deal offered by WestJet, a frozen-solid Canuck can quickly thaw out in a golfing mecca that also offers so much more to do when you're not chasing down hooks and slices. Made famous in the 1950s as the sports and entertainment playground of Hollywood stars like Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, and Dinah Shore, the Palm Springs/Coachella Valley area has evolved into one of the top golf destinations in the world. With abundant sunshine, winter temperatures that peak in the mid-70s, dramatic views of the surrounding Santa Rosa Mountains and clear Sonoran Desert air, it is hard for golfers not to fall in love with this eastern California oasis in the Coachella Valley. Originally confined to the immediate Palm Springs vicinity, golf courses have spread and crept outward like the bermuda and bent grasses that adorn greens, tees and fairways. The list of course architects whose names are attached to these first-class layouts include legends Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye, Clive Clark, John Fought, Gary Player, Greg Norman, Tom Fazio, Michael Hurdzan, and many, many more. While Palm Springs may have been known as a haven for the rich and famous and spawned a number of excellent private layouts, the golf course building boom of the 1990s led to construction of a number of excellent public tracks including the Classic Club, Terra Lago, Desert Willow, Shadow Ridge, and many more. temperatures can be 30 to 40 degrees (F) lower than those in the valley below. Even more recently, developers were able to show off the two redesigned layouts at the city-owned Golf Resort at Indian Wells. In addition to golf, outdoor activities include tennis, swimming, horseback riding, hiking, biking, desert jeep tours, and much more. One of the top tennis events on the pro tour, the Pacific Life Open at Indian Wells, takes place in mid-March. Major annual golf events include the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in midJanuary and the Nabisco Championship (formerly the Dinah Shore) in late March / early April. When it is time to put the sticks away, there is still plenty to do. Excellent restaurants and nightspots abound. Spas are available at every turn to ease the body back into playing shape. Upscale shops are on every corner. You can even catch a show at the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, where the entertainers had to grow up in the era when the 1930s, 1940s, and early 1950s music was first played... Or how about taking a ride on the revolving tramway nearly 9,000 feet up Mt. Jacinto, where the views are stunning and the air Want to drop a name or two? President Gerald Ford was a frequent visitor and part-time Palm Springs resident. He was also an occasional golfing companion and target of comedian Bob Hope, who once said of the former president and his beloved Palm Springs: "I was playing with President Ford out in Palm Springs the other day. He always wants to play on one of the finest courses and there are so many fine courses out here to choose from. To give you an idea on how many great courses there are, when you play with THE PALM DESERT GOLF ACADEMY AT DESERT WILLOW GOLF RESORT The Palm Desert Golf Academy at Desert Willow is a world- art video computer swing analysis, golf fitness evaluations, and class golf instruction facility providing the finest in instruction, teach innovative swing drills accelerating the learning process. golf clubs, club repair and group clinics. Director of Instruction, Their Get Golf Ready Program is designed to teach you in five Paul Bucy and staff believe that using the correct equipment, short lessons everything you'll need to know to step onto a golf proper physical conditioning, and having a structured environment course and get out to play with confidence. for practice is as important as sound technique when taking your game to the next level. They offer JC video state-of-the- Visit www.desertwillow.com for more information