Dunes Course at PGA West, Palm Springs, California
The Dunes Course is one of three Pete Dye designs in the PGA West/La Quinta Resort golf course cluster. It's the least well known and the most easily forgotten.
That doesn't mean it's devoid of interesting holes. Dunes Course starts to gain momentum on hole No. 8 and there's run where five of the six holes have water features that come into play.
Still, Palm Springs golfers most often walk away talking (or muttering) about No. 17. It's a 433-yard par 4 with a fairway that's so skinny that it could only be beloved by a Hollywood actress on a throw-up diet. Did we mention that there's a lake against the thin fairway?
Your ball's in danger of finding water on your first two shots.
The Dunes Course has some conditioning issues that the other PGA West courses do not come close to having. But it is the cheapest of five courses and there's plenty of talk about improving a few cosmetics and providing the Dunes Course with its own identity.
May 11, 2006
Chris Baldwin, Contributor
Chris Baldwin keeps one eye on the PGA Tour and another watching golf vacation hotspots and letting travelers in on the best place to vacation.