Escena Golf Club

Palm Springs, California

Escena Golf Club, located in Palm Springs, has only been open since November 2005. But in less than 2 years, it has earned high praise from golfers and critics alike.

GOLF Magazine hailed Escena Golf Club as the "No. 1 Best Value in Palm Springs" for 2007. Golfweek ranked it in the "Top 50 Best New Courses" in 2006. And the Zagat Survey recently named it as a "Noteworthy Newcomer" along with the Classic Club Golf Course, also located in Palm Springs.

What makes Escena Golf Club such a great value?

For one, the price can hardly be beat for the Palm Springs area. A round of 18 holes costs only $40 - $115, depending on the time of year and day of the week you play. It's a super deal if you can play on a temperate day in July through early October.

For two, Escena Golf Club is a green oasis in the desert. It features criss-crossed Mexican fan palms along the sloping green fairways. The Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountains provide a scenic background of rugged valley hills and snow-capped peaks. There are stretches of barren desert basins to be sure, but they're fairly inviting and well-kept so that you can easily find your ball without having to fight off thistly thumbleweeds or overgrown desert shrubs. Chances are you won't end up in the rough areas too much though, since the fairways are wide and often run parallel to each other.

The real challenge of Escena Golf Club, as designed by the Nicklaus Design group, comes from the well-protected greens. Bunkers, mounds, and several streams add a challenging finish to many holes. Strategically-placed fairway bunkers also add a fun wrinkle to the golfer's game. Grabbing a yardage book from the pro shop (or even from your cart) will provide you with targeted diagrams of the ideal landing spots for your tee shots.

Escena Golf Club starts and ends with 2 challenging risk-reward holes.

The 1st Hole, a 611-yard par-5, requires 3 solid shots to reach the green for a chance at par. An ocean of bunkers line the left-side of the fairway, and a tricky cluster of smaller bunkers are placed right around the 280-yard mark from the tee. Two small bunkers protect a wide and narrow green, where the pin is often placed right in the middle between the two bunkers. Distance and accuracy are equally rewarded on this hole.

The 18th Hole, a 536-yard par-5, combines a patchwork of fairway bunkers along with a creek running diagonally in front of the guarded green. By placing your tee shot and approach shot in just the right targeted zones (avoiding the sand and the water), you'll be able to cross a bright red wooden bridge onto the final green with a chance at birdie or par. Miss on either of these first 2 shots and you'll certainly be looking at a bogey or worse on the final hole, but an enjoyable parting hole nonetheless.

Escena Golf Club is playable by recreational golfers and seasoned veterans alike. For the strategic layout and scenic desert-mountain views you get at such an affordable rate, Escena Golf Club truly is Palm Spring's #1 golfing value.

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