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Travel Guide to California

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»CA.GOLF Swing Away in the Desert by robert kaufman COACHELLA VALLEY Desert Willow Golf Resort, above, has two of the top courses in this desert valley renowned for its superb golf. The region includes the popular golf communities of La Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Indian Wells and Rancho Mirage. For more on California's deserts, see pages 181-184. Of all the diverse landscapes throughout California, the 25,000 square miles of desert terrain offer, perhaps, the sharpest contrast yet delicate balance between harsh environments and the existence of life. The desert is mysterious, perplexing, cruel and engaging. Well, guess what? So is golf! Yet, golfers and this vast, dry wilderness manage to coexist in graceful, although sometimes unforgiving, harmony. Framed by the San Jacinto, San Gorgonio and Santa Rosa mountain ranges in Southern California, the acclaimed Coachella Valley, less than two hours east of Los Angeles, is synonymous with desert golf. From a bird's-eye perspective, it's a masterpiece puzzle of more than 2,000 green shapes and sizes linked by a magnificent desert oasis. HOW LOW CAN YOU GO? 214 feet below sea level at Furnace Creek Resort, left, the world's lowest elevation golf course. Even lower if you hit into a bunker! 44 2 013 travel guide to c al ifo r n i a It Started in Rancho Mirage What began in 1951, with the Thunderbird Country Club in Rancho Mirage as one of the first desert golf properties, has now blossomed into a region with one of the highest concentrations of golf courses on the planet. There are more than 125 courses here—a number very close to what the thermometer might register during peak summer—spread throughout neighboring golf havens in Palm Springs, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells. For more than a half century, it has been one of California's unique vacation retreats and a popular getaway or residence for celebrities, including icons such as Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope and Dinah Shore, all of whom proved to be instrumental in pushing the sport forward with the creation of three major golf tournaments: Frank Sinatra Celebrity Golf Tournament; PGA TOUR Bob Hope Chrysler Classic (now the Humana Challenge); and the LPGA Kraft Nabisco Championship. The rugged and dramatic landforms PHOTOS BY ROBERT KAUFMAN Dramatic landscapes and top course designers create a unique golf experience

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