C hances are if you don’t like La Quinta Resort & Club, you probably don’t like golf. After all, there may not be any place quite like it in the world. Simply put, if you are a golf aficionado, it’s enough to make you drool. How about five golf courses? And not just five mundane golf course. Five golf courses that will truly make your heart race. And unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’ve probably heard of all of them: La Quinta Resort Mountain Course; La Quinta Resort Dunes Course; TPC Stadium Course at PGA West; Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West; and Greg Norman Course at PGA West. First opened in 1926 – yes, 1926 - the La Quinta Resort & Club is located in the Coachella Valley in the city of La Quinta – roughly 19 miles southeast of Palm Springs, 130 miles northeast of San Diego and 130 miles southeast of Los Angeles. And there may be no better backdrop for golf (and resorts) than the Santa Rosa Mountains that sit right behind La Quinta (in a definitive what came first the chicken or the egg, this time it is actually the city that was named after the resort!) with the 45-acre resort that provides an equally stunning view from the other direction. It’s an amazing place – how does 47 swimming pools and 53 hot spas sound? Originally built around 20 casitas, the resort has grown to 796 guestrooms and villas – all with the look and feel of the original design of architect Gordon Kaufman. And it’s long been a getaway for the rich and famous of Hollywood – the Clark Gables, the Errol Flynns … golf and travel L a Q u i n t a R e s o R t & C L u b IT’S GOOD TO BE THE KING Like golf? Then you’ll love La Quinta 24 CALIFORNIA GOLF NEWS • JUNE 2009