PGA West golf: which of the three public courses to play, and how to book them
PGA West golf compared: the Stadium, Nicklaus Tournament and Greg Norman courses, with access, tees, rates seen, 2026 overseed and which suits your group.
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PGA West golf for visitors means three tournament-side courses in La Quinta that sell public tee times: Pete Dye's Stadium Course, the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course and the Greg Norman Course. Anyone can book them through the PGA WEST tee sheet or GolfNow, and La Quinta Resort & Club guests can book up to 365 days ahead. The other four PGA WEST courses are private.
This guide compares the three on access, difficulty, price and 2026 overseed, and says which to play. PGA WEST is 39 to 40 minutes from downtown Palm Springs, free-flow. Rates were seen in November 2026 and change by date.
Quick facts
- Public courses: Stadium (1986), Nicklaus Tournament (1987), Greg Norman (1999).
- Also sold under PGA WEST: the Pete Dye Mountain and Dunes courses at La Quinta Resort.
- Private, members only: Palmer, Nicklaus Private, Weiskopf and the Citrus Club.
- Book: pgawest.ezlinksgolf.com or GolfNow; resort guests up to 365 days ahead.
- Tour week: The American Express, January 21-24, 2027, on the Stadium and Nicklaus Tournament.
- Address: the Stadium and Nicklaus Tournament share the Tournament Clubhouse; the Norman has its own clubhouse at 81-405 Kingston Heath.
The three PGA West courses side by side
| Tee | Stadium | Nicklaus Tournament | Greg Norman |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 7,300 (75.8/148) | 7,204 (75.3/143) | 7,156 (75.1/139) |
| Blue | 6,739 (73.1/140) | 6,522 (72.2/134) | 6,671 (72.8/133) |
| White | 6,166 (70.2/133) | 6,061 (70.0/128) | 6,227 (70.6/126) |
| Gold | 5,700 (67.9/125) | 5,627 (68.1/122) | 5,751 (68.4/120) |
| Red, women | 5,092 (69.9/127) | 5,023 (70.1/120) | 5,297 (71.4/120) |
| Silver, women | 4,084 (64.2/114) | 4,014 (63.8/111) | 3,978 (63.1/108) |
Men's ratings except where marked. All three are par 72 and also have Blue/White and Gold/Red combo tees. Sources disagree on the Stadium's back tee: one gives 76.1/150.
Stadium Course
The Stadium is Pete Dye's 1986 target course, built with Alice Dye: railroad ties, pot bunkers, huge waste bunkers and water on the closing stretch. The holes everyone knows:
- 5th, "Double Trouble": carries over water.
- 16th, "San Andreas Fault": a par 5 with a greenside bunker about 19 feet deep.
- 17th, "Alcatraz": a short par 3 to an island green.
A multi-year restoration finished with a November 2024 reopening: all 18 greens and the practice putting green were rebuilt and the bunkers restored toward the 1986 look. Ernie's Bar & Grill and the PGA WEST Golf Academy (760-564-7144) are at the Tournament Clubhouse.
Play it if you want the bucket-list round and can handle a 140-slope day from the Blue tees. Skip it if half your group has never broken 100. See the Stadium course guide and our deeper PGA West Stadium Course guide.
Nicklaus Tournament Course
The Nicklaus Tournament is Jack Nicklaus's 1987 course, with Rick Jacobson and Thomas Pearson, from the same clubhouse as the Stadium. It is big-scale desert golf with water, deep bunkers and large greens: still hard from the back, fairer than the Stadium and usually cheaper. It co-hosts The American Express.
Play it if you want tour-course golf without the Stadium's price or punishment, or as the second half of a 36-hole day at one clubhouse. It was the first tournament-side course back from overseed in 2026. See the Nicklaus Tournament course guide.
Greg Norman Course
The Greg Norman is a 1999 design with Matthew Dusenberry and Tad Burnett: native desert scrub and waste areas, a links-like feel and firm lies off the fairway. It has its own clubhouse and practice facility, and a renovation has been reported complete (year not confirmed).
Play it if you want the cheapest of the three and a different look from the Dye and Nicklaus courses. Watch its late overseed: closed November 9 to December 7, 2026, so play it in early fall or from mid-December. See the Greg Norman course guide.
What PGA West golf costs
| Course | Jan-Apr estimate | Summer estimate | Other figures seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stadium | about $235 | about $95 | GolfNow prepaid $165.99, $180.99 and $232.99 for Oct 2026 dates |
| Nicklaus Tournament | about $195 | about $80 | GolfPass from $73.99; a GolfNow listing at $103.99 (date not shown) |
| Greg Norman | about $155 | about $65 | none |
The estimates come from a user-contributed tracker seen in April 2026, so treat them as a guide. Another site gave a Stadium range of about $112 to $399. Carts are included in resort rates. La Quinta Resort's own page does not publish guest green fees; GolfNow listings showed Stadium times of roughly $110 to $165 in undated off-peak snapshots. See Palm Springs golf rates.
Fall 2026 overseed at PGA West
| Course | Closed | Reopens | Cart path only |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pete Dye Dunes | Sep 28 | Oct 26 | Oct 26 to Nov 15 |
| Nicklaus Tournament | Oct 5 | Nov 2 | Nov 2 to Nov 22 |
| Stadium | Oct 12 | Nov 9 | Nov 9 to Nov 29 |
| Pete Dye Mountain | Oct 19 | Nov 16 | Nov 16 to Dec 6 |
| Greg Norman | Nov 9 | Dec 7 | Dec 7 to Dec 27 |
The staggered schedule means at least one PGA WEST resort course is open through the fall. The Tournament practice facility was closed October 12 to November 5. See Palm Springs golf overseed.
How to book PGA West
- Public: the PGA WEST tee sheet at pgawest.ezlinksgolf.com, or GolfNow. The public window is not published.
- La Quinta Resort & Club guests: a separate resort-guest link, up to 365 days ahead, plus complimentary bag storage. This is the clearest edge for a group set on a specific January or March date.
- Stay & Play: packages through La Quinta Resort; prices not shown on its golf page.
More in Palm Springs tee times.
The private PGA West courses
The Palmer, Nicklaus Private, Weiskopf and Pete Dye Citrus Club courses are members only, booked through the PGA WEST member site. They are not bookable by the public or by La Quinta Resort hotel guests; you play them as a member's guest.
Where to stay for PGA West golf
- La Quinta Resort & Club: the 365-day booking window; the PGA WEST courses are about 10 minutes' drive south, and the Pete Dye Mountain and Dunes courses start at the resort. A third-party tracker put the resort fee at $45.60 per room per night (updated February 2026).
- PGA WEST rentals: homes and condos a minute from the Stadium and Nicklaus Tournament. Golf is not automatically included, and La Quinta requires a city permit for rentals of 30 days or fewer.
- Embassy Suites La Quinta: off Highway 111, 4 minutes from the Mountain and Dunes.
See La Quinta Resort golf, La Quinta golf courses and Palm Springs golf vacation rentals.
Which PGA West course to play
- One round only: the Stadium, from the White or Gold tees.
- Two rounds: Stadium and Nicklaus Tournament, a 36-hole day from one clubhouse.
- Mixed group or budget: the Norman or the Nicklaus Tournament from the Gold tees.
- November 2026 trip: Nicklaus Tournament from November 2, Stadium from November 9; the Norman is closed November 9 to December 7.
- January: check American Express week (January 21-24, 2027) and plan for cold dawns, with a 39.0F normal January low at nearby Thermal.
For how PGA WEST stacks up against the rest of the valley, see the best golf courses in Palm Springs. Planning a desert winter elsewhere too? See our Tucson golf resorts guide.
Plan it on the map
Open the Palm Springs golf map to see PGA West golf with every tee, the private courses beside the public ones and the stays a minute from the first tee. The $30 plan puts each PGA West round on a day it is open, around overseed and American Express week.
Courses in this guide
Questions golfers ask
Can the public play PGA West?
Yes, on the resort courses. The Stadium, Nicklaus Tournament and Greg Norman courses sell public tee times through the PGA WEST tee sheet (pgawest.ezlinksgolf.com) and GolfNow, as do the Pete Dye Mountain and Dunes courses at La Quinta Resort. The four private PGA WEST courses are members only.
How much does it cost to play PGA West?
Pricing is dynamic. A user-contributed tracker estimated January-April rates of about $235 for the Stadium, $195 for the Nicklaus Tournament and $155 for the Norman, and summer rates of about $95, $80 and $65. GolfNow prepaid hot deals for the Stadium were $165.99 to $232.99 for October 2026 dates (seen November 2026); rates change.
Which PGA West course is the hardest?
The Stadium Course, at 75.8/148 from the 7,300-yard Black tees, with a 16th greenside bunker about 19 feet deep and water on 16 to 18. The Nicklaus Tournament is 75.3/143 and the Greg Norman 75.1/139 from their back tees.
How far ahead can I book PGA West tee times?
La Quinta Resort & Club guests can book the five resort courses up to 365 days ahead through a separate resort-guest link. The public booking window is not published.
When is PGA West closed for overseed in 2026?
Per the PGA WEST 2026 fall schedule, the Nicklaus Tournament closed October 5 and reopened November 2, the Stadium closed October 12 and reopens November 9, and the Greg Norman closes November 9 and reopens December 7. Each is cart path only for about three weeks after reopening.
Is PGA West closed for The American Express?
The Stadium and Nicklaus Tournament host The American Express with La Quinta Country Club, on January 21-24, 2027 per the PGA Tour. Expect both to close to public play for tournament week and setup, with La Quinta hotels and rentals full.
Which PGA West course should a mixed-ability group play?
The Nicklaus Tournament or the Greg Norman rather than the Stadium. Both have Gold tees around 5,600-5,750 yards (68.1/122 and 68.4/120), and the Norman is usually the cheapest of the three. The Pete Dye Dunes at La Quinta Resort is moderate in length and often the lowest PGA WEST price on GolfNow.
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