Oak Valley Golf Club

This course used to be considered a hidden gem. Now, Oak Valley Golf Course in Beaumont is an off-the-beaten-path known reasonable joy. Stopping on the way from Los Angeles to Palm Springs for a golf detour is no fool's play. Not with the fast greens, dramatic elevation changes and swerving fairways available at Oak Valley in Beaumont.

A Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley design, Oak Valley is probably best known for greens that are anything but desert typical. Speed is the name of the game here, with a tap sometimes too much on a downhill putt.

Recognition does not travel that quickly. It took a decade for Oak Valley to get a four star rating from Golf Digest. Once it did, Beaumont suddenly became a golf stopping spot on the Palm Springs express. Now, you're considered a smart golfer if you linger on the way to Palm Springs.

"It's a nice getaway from the crowds in the desert, as well as some of the other, more populated golf areas," head pro Scott Arnold said. "It's almost like being in the country. No houses line the fairways. Each hole is different. And because of the way it's laid out, you often can't even see another hole from the one you're playing."