Palm Desert golf courses: every one you can book, and how they compare

Palm Desert golf courses open to visitors number 14 on our map, the most of any Coachella Valley town: the city-owned Desert Willow pair, the two JW Marriott Desert Springs courses, Classic Club, Marriott's Shadow Ridge and a string of community courses. Most sit 20 to 28 minutes from downtown Palm Springs, in the middle of the valley.

This guide compares the Palm Desert golf courses by price, difficulty and fall 2026 overseed, then lists Palm Desert's 13 private clubs. Fees were seen between June and early November 2026 and change by date.

Quick facts

• Bookable: 14 courses. Private: 13 clubs.
• Flagship: Desert Willow, owned by the City of Palm Desert, 36 holes.
• Hardest: Classic Club, 75.4/142 from 7,322 yards; Firecliff 74.1/141.
• Resident deal: Palm Desert Resident Card, $52 a year, $52 resident rate.
• Season card: Desert Willow Platinum Club Card, $599 non-resident for 2026-27.
• Drive: 20 to 28 minutes from downtown Palm Springs, free-flow.

Palm Desert golf courses compared

Greenskeeper alerts without a year are treated as 2026 here; confirm with the shop. Most Palm Desert golf courses price dynamically, so these are snapshots.

Desert Willow: the city's 36

Desert Willow is the valley's best-known city-owned resort facility. Both courses are Hurdzan-Fry-Cook designs from the same clubhouse, with The Terrace Restaurant and the Palm Desert Golf Academy.

• Firecliff is the harder course, with elevated greens, more than 100 bunkers and water, renovated with Mini Verde bermuda greens. See the Firecliff course guide.
• Mountain View has wider fairways and suits mixed groups. It is the only Desert Willow course open in November and December 2026. See the Mountain View course guide.

Desert Willow's page gives estimated rate bands that vary with demand:

For snowbirds, the Platinum Club Card ($599 non-resident, $329 with a Palm Desert Resident Card) takes 25-30% off dynamic fees and opens a 60-day booking window. More in our Desert Willow Golf Resort guide and Palm Springs golf passes.

Desert Springs: two resort courses at the JW Marriott

The Palm and Valley courses wrap around the lakes and palms of JW Marriott Desert Springs. Both are Ted Robinson Sr. designs from the mid-1980s, updated by Ted Robinson Jr. in 2011, and both are parkland resort golf rather than desert target golf. They are sold to the public on GolfNow; no rate card was found. The Valley is the one to book in early November, while the Palm is overseeding. Marriott's Desert Springs Villas sit beside the courses. See Desert Springs Golf Club in Palm Desert.

Classic Club

Classic Club is Arnold Palmer's 2006 design north of I-10, Troon-managed, with a 2019 bunker renovation. It is the longest course in Palm Desert from the tips. Rules worth knowing: carts are mandatory, two per foursome, with no walking or single riders; expected pace is 4:20; cancel 72 or more hours out; outside alcohol can get a group removed without a refund. Callaway rental clubs are $90. The land is being marketed for development. See the Classic Club course guide and Classic Club Palm Desert.

Shadow Ridge and Desert Falls

Marriott's Shadow Ridge is Nick Faldo's first US design, with Brian Curley, opened in 2002 and given its first bunker renovation, on six holes, in summer 2025. The public can book online or through the shop, and booking 30 days out gets the best available rate. It is attached to the Marriott's Shadow Ridge timeshare, and the Golfzon Leadbetter Academy is on site. In 2025 it closed for overseed from October 6 to 31.

Desert Falls is a long championship course off Country Club Drive. Listings disagree on whether it is public, semi-private or private, but public tee times are sold on GolfNow and TeeOff.

The community courses

The cheapest Palm Desert golf courses are inside communities that sell public times:

• Woodhaven: a short par 70 owned by its homeowners since January 2011. Public rates from November 6 are $115 from 7 AM, $75 from 12:30 PM and $50 from 2:30 PM. HOA-registered renters pay $98 in the morning.
• Mountain Vista: two Billy Casper courses at Sun City Palm Desert, pay as you play with no membership fee. One usually stays open while the other overseeds, so call in October and November.
• Palm Desert Resort Country Club: an unpretentious community course with cheap GolfNow rates.
• Shadow Mountain, Oasis and Suncrest: a neighbourhood course in old Palm Desert, a par-60 executive course where walkers are welcome, and a 9-hole course in a manufactured-home community.

Private clubs in Palm Desert

Thirteen Palm Desert clubs are private, members and guests only unless noted: BIGHORN Canyons and Mountains, Stone Eagle (a Tom Doak design, accompanied guests only), Ironwood North, Indian Ridge, Palm Valley, Monterey, The Lakes, Chaparral, Marrakesh and Portola. Avondale sells memberships, though some listings show public play with a 7-day window, so call the shop. Palm Desert Greens is a private executive course where some outside play may be possible. Ironwood's South Course is being renovated with no reopening date found, so its status is unclear; call first.

Where to stay for Palm Desert golf

• Residence Inn Palm Desert and Courtyard Palm Desert: 3 minutes from Desert Willow and 4 from the Desert Springs courses.
• Hampton Inn & Suites Palm Desert: 4 minutes from Shadow Ridge, 5 from Desert Willow.
• Hotel Paseo: a block off El Paseo, 3 minutes from Shadow Mountain.
• Winter stays: Palm Desert Resort CC rentals listed unfurnished 2-bed condos at about $2,200 to $2,300 a month, with golf playable for an additional fee. Sun City Palm Desert rentals showed a 4-month seasonal minimum on one listing. Emerald Desert RV Resort offers a discounted rate for stays of 120 nights or more.

See Palm Springs snowbird rentals for longer stays. Palm Desert sits between Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells, so read Rancho Mirage golf and Indian Wells golf for the courses next door, and Palm Springs golf overseed before a fall trip.

Plan it on the map

Open the Palm Springs golf map to see all the Palm Desert golf courses, the hotels and rentals around them and the drive to the rest of the valley. The $30 plan can rotate a whole winter through Desert Willow and the Palm Desert courses week by week.