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Sports In Palm Springs, A Tennis And Golf Paradise

When it comes to sports in Palm Springs, the city has a long history of being golf and tennis heaven — this actually goes back to the days of the Desert Inn, a massive property where the O’Donnell residence now sits, high above the Palm Springs Art Museum. The hotel and the town’s matriarch, Nellie Coffman, brought both activities and the town’s first swimming pool to her hotel in the mid-1920s. 

Since then, we’ve made some additions to our sports rosters, with pickleball the newest craze. But since golf and tennis remain king, let’s start with those two big bad boys, because it is a really big month for both.

Swinging around town

Patrick Warburton Celebrity Golf Tournament, March 6-9. A weekend event raising money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The Galleri Classic, March 24-30. Format: 54 holes of stroke play for a $2.2M purse. Expect 78 tour champions to play, including World Golf Hall of Fame members. Beneficiaries include The Desert Cancer Foundation and Shay’s Warriors.

Want to hit the links at your leisure? Here’s how.

Tennis in the desert

BNP Paribas Open, March 2-16. The Mac Daddy of all tennis tournaments sells out every year.

Taste of Tennis, March 3. Taste of Tennis celebrates the return of tennis to the desert. Guests will mingle with players and legends, enjoy live entertainment, and savor cuisine prepared by the Coachella Valley’s top chefs.

Desert Smash, March 4. Desert Smash brings together Hollywood’s biggest celebrities and the world’s best professional tennis players for a one-day extravaganza. The event is intentionally held prior to the BNP Paribas Open in neighboring Indian Wells.

Easter Bowl Tennis, March 22-30. The Easter Bowl is a USTA National Championship that showcases top American junior tennis players.

Yee haw!

Unleash the Beast Bull Riding at Acrisure Arena.

Pickleball in paradise

There are a few pickleball tournaments in the Coachella Valley, but they’ve come and gone. I don’t know how long they’ve been around, so don’t ask me. We’re both finding out now. 

We’ve got the Coachella Valley Pickleball Grand Prix and the Desert Pickleball Classic (seniors). If you want more info, I’m going to let you Google it on your own because they are both over for 2025, and as of yet there is nothing I can find about 2026. You’ll just have to grab a court and play yourself! But know that Vince Vaughn bought a team in the Coachella Valley, if you’re into him.

Team sports in Palm Springs

Hockey at Acrisure Arena

Power Baseball returns to the desert, Memorial Day through August. Night games of course. Check back for their 2025 schedule, it isn’t yet posted. Were a small town, it’s months away, someone will eventually get to it.

Things with wheels

Tour de Palm Springs is in February, so we just missed it. But that means you can start training now for next year!

Thermal Club IndyCar Grand Prix

Roller Derby, March 31. Yes, we have an all-girl roller derby team called the Coachella Valley Derby Girls — ooooooh scary name — facing off against the SoCal Tentakills. They play at the Palm Springs Air Museum. Bring your own chair if you want to take a load off your feet.

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Palm Springs Is Always Swinging

Trying to figure out how many golf courses there are in the Coachella Valley is not as easy a task as one would think. Some e-publications say over 120, others claim there’s more than 125, and one suggested there are at least 130. No matter which one you believe, that’s a lot of golf courses!

Links Magazine called Pam Springs a “Golf Mecca” while a Google request for “best cities to play golf in America” turned up 100 and not a peep about our 120/125/130+ courses. Meanwhile, Pete Dye’s scratching his head about that Google return because he was busy out here. He designed two beauts at La Quinta Resort; the TPC Stadium at PGA West, ranked one of the top 100 designed courses by GOLF Magazine; and one at the Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort. Throw in some courses designed by Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman, and Jack Nicklaus and you’re in golfer’s paradise.

Full disclosure: I cannot even hit a golf ball on an Xbox, so my level of skill is zero. But I thrifted some golf clothes and I absolutely look like I know what I’m talking about. Unless those little cute little skorts are for tennis. Either way, swing batter batter…no wait, I think that’s baseball.

Many of our clubs are members only, but there are some terrific public courses here as well:

Indian Canyons Golf Resort: This golf club dates back to 1961, and it’s where Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, and Dwight D. Eisenhower used to play. There are also two courses: the North Course and — any guesses? — yes! The South Course!

These courses are on Murray Canyon Drive and were formerly part of The Canyon Country Club, which was situated on the corners of South Palm Canyon and Murray Canyon. That club is long gone, but if you wander the corner, look down and squint, you might see it in your mind’s eye. There is still landscaping visible and a long bougainvillea’d upper path you can walk down to the golf shop and bar and grill with a spectacular view of the South Course’s greens and the mountains. But you came here for the golf, so let’s talk about that.

Indian Canyons’ South Course. Photo courtesy of Visit Palm Springs

Indian Canyons’ 6,582-yard South Course was remodeled in 2004 by architect Casey O’Callahan with consultation from LPGA legend Amy Alcott. There are four ponds, 850 palms, and 500 Washingtonia filifera, a native palm that is important to the Agua Caliente tribe. The North Course was designed by William F. Bell, son of famed golf course architect William P. Bell. The longer of the two courses, the par-72 North Course plays 6,943 yards. The course is surrounded by mid-century modern homes, including many that were once owned by Walt Disney. There are six water hazards, including a lake with a fountain that shoots spray more than 100 feet into the air. 

Book the North Course or South Course here.

Escena Golf Club: A Nicklaus Design golf course, Escena is ranked among the top public courses in California, with unobstructed sightlines and carefully placed bunkers and water hazards. “With back tees stretching to nearly 7,200 yards, Escena offers a formidable test for the skilled player, but with four sets of tees, two additional combo tee options, and room to roam, how you satisfy your personal appetite for challenge is entirely up to you,” the club says. Book tee times here. The Grill has good food and spectacular views.

The Escena Golf Club. Photo courtesy of Visit Palm Springs

Tahquitz Creek Golf Resort: This was just rated “One of the Best Places to Play” by Golf Digest, and it has two courses to choose from.

The Resort Course at Tahquitz Creek — Designed by Ted Robinson, this “friendly, yet demanding” desert links-style gold course has beautiful mountain views and scenic waterscapes. Click the link for diagrams and statistics on each hole. Tee times for Resort Course.

The Legend Course at Tahquitz Creek — This William F. Bell-designed country club style golf course has incredible mountain views. Tee times for Legend Course. If you work up an appetite, visit Traditions Cafe for aprés golf.

Gorgeous views seen from the Tahquitz Creek Golf Resort. Photo courtesy of Visit Palm Springs

If you’re downtown, you might notice a golf course behind the Hyatt. That’s the O’Donnell Course and sadly, it’s private. It is, however, the oldest golf course in Palm Springs. Stop by and stare at it for a minute.

With 120/125/130+ golf courses there are clearly many I haven’t mentioned, but the last three are public and are in Palm Springs, close to your preferred small hotel, so you can get in an early game then enjoy some time poolside before you hit the town.

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