Palm Springs events for golfers: the 2026-27 dates that move prices

Palm Springs events move golf trip prices more than most golfers expect. The American Express in January, the BNP Paribas Open tennis in late February and March, and the Coachella and Stagecoach festivals in April push valley hotel rates to their highest of the year. Modernism Week, the film festival and Pride fill Palm Springs itself. Golf courses mostly stay open; rooms and traffic are the problem.

This guide lists the Palm Springs events that matter for the 2026-27 season, with dates, what each does to rooms, roads and tee times, and how to plan a trip around them. Dates were checked November 2, 2026; where sources disagree we say so.

Quick facts

• The American Express: January 21-24, 2027, PGA West and La Quinta Country Club.
• BNP Paribas Open: February 28-March 14, 2027, Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
• Coachella: April 9-11 and 16-18, 2027; Stagecoach: April 23-25, 2027, Empire Polo Club, Indio.
• Record room prices: $636 average daily rate on Coachella 2025 weekend 1 (CoStar).
• Palm Springs town events: Film Festival (January 7-18, 2027), Modernism Week (February 11-21, 2027), Pride (November 6-8, 2026).
• No LPGA or PGA Tour Champions event was found in the valley for 2026-27.

Palm Springs events calendar, 2026-27

The American Express: the valley's PGA Tour week

The American Express is played on the PGA West Stadium, the PGA West Nicklaus Tournament course and La Quinta Country Club, a private club. The PGA Tour lists January 21-24, 2027. NBC Palm Springs and one other outlet reported January 18-24, which likely includes the pro-am and practice days. The event's future dates were in question during 2026 talk of PGA Tour schedule changes, but January 2027 is confirmed.

What it means for you:

• The two PGA West tournament courses close to public play for tournament week and setup. If the Stadium is the point of your trip, go before or after.
• La Quinta and PGA West-area hotels and rentals fill.
• Traffic is heavy on Hwy 111, Washington St and PGA Blvd.

The tournament's earlier names include the Bob Hope Desert Classic and the Humana Challenge (naming history not re-verified). See the PGA West Stadium course guide and our PGA West golf guide.

BNP Paribas Open: the core of the March crush

Two weeks of tennis at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden land in the middle of peak golf season. Visit Greater Palm Springs gives February 28 to March 14, 2027; some listings say March 1-14, and the ATP calendar lists main-draw week from March 3. During the event, Indian Wells, Palm Desert and La Quinta hotels run their highest rates, and Washington St, Hwy 111 and Miles Ave around the Tennis Garden are congested.

That puts pressure on the hotels next to Indian Wells Golf Resort. The Grand Hyatt Indian Wells resort fee includes preferred tee times and discounted green fees there, and rises from $45 to $50 a night for bookings made on or after January 1, 2027. With spring break and Easter (March 28, 2027) on top, March is the hardest month for tee times and rooms. See the Players course guide and Indian Wells golf.

Coachella and Stagecoach: the room-price peak

Coachella runs April 9-11 and 16-18, 2027, and Stagecoach April 23-25, 2027, both at the Empire Polo Club in Indio. These are the biggest hotel events of the year:

Stagecoach pushes rates up less than Coachella; a 2026 industry podcast said Coachella hotel rates surged while Stagecoach pricing declined, without figures. Traffic is the other cost: multi-hour delays on I-10, Hwy 111, Jefferson St and Monroe St around Indio, plus shuttles from Palm Springs.

The golf itself is fine. Courses stay open and are often quiet, and midweek golf between the festival weekends can be good value. The Embassy Suites La Quinta and Hampton Inn Indio are good value most of the year but should be avoided on festival weekends unless you are going. Stay at the west end instead: Indian Canyons North and Escena are 7 and 10 minutes from downtown Palm Springs. See the Indian Canyons North course guide and Indio golf courses.

Palm Springs town events

These Palm Springs events fill hotels in town but barely touch mid- and east-valley golf:

• Palm Springs International Film Festival, January 7-18, 2027. The awards gala is Thursday, January 7 at the Convention Center, beside the Renaissance Palm Springs. One listing gives January 17 as the end date; the festival's release says January 18.
• Modernism Week, February 11-21, 2027 (third-party listings). Home tours and parties across Palm Springs; boutique hotels and rentals run high rates.
• Greater Palm Springs Pride, November 6-8, 2026. One of the largest weekends in Palm Springs; the parade runs on Palm Canyon Dr at 10 AM Sunday, November 8.
• The Dinah, September 30 to October 4, 2026, at the Hilton Palm Springs and Hotel Zoso, after moving from spring to fall.

If you are in Palm Springs for golf on these dates, book early or stay in Rancho Mirage or Palm Desert.

Pro golf the valley no longer has

The Galleri Classic, a PGA Tour Champions event, was played at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage in late March from 2023 to 2025. Visit Greater Palm Springs reported it would not return in 2026, and no 2027 desert date was found. The LPGA major founded by Dinah Shore was played at Mission Hills from 1972 to 2022 before moving to Texas (not re-verified). Mission Hills is a private club either way.

One women's event remains: Indian Wells Golf Resort's Players course was scheduled to host the Epson Tour Championship in 2026.

How to plan a golf trip around Palm Springs events

1. Want PGA West? Avoid American Express week in late January.
2. Want Indian Wells or Palm Desert in March? Book rooms months ahead, or stay in Rancho Mirage or Palm Springs.
3. Coming in April? Play Monday to Thursday and avoid the three festival weekends for rooms.
4. Want quiet and value? November and early December, before the holidays. See Palm Springs golf in October and November.

For the weather side, read the best time to golf in Palm Springs, Palm Springs golf in spring and where to stay for golf in Palm Springs.

Plan it on the map

Open the Palm Springs golf map to see the courses and hotels around each event venue. The $30 plan checks your dates against The American Express, the tennis and the festivals, and puts your rounds and your base where the crowds are not.