PGA West Stadium Course: #17
PGA West Stadium Course #17: Welcome to “Alcatraz.” Home to Lee Trevino’s “Hole in One” – one of the most famous shots in golf history – which gave him the “Skins Game” victory over Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Raymond Floyd.
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4.5
1169 Reviews (1169)
5 Stars
738
4 Stars
270
3 Stars
95
2 Stars
40
1 Stars
26
Conditions
4.5
Value
4.2
Layout
4.8
Friendliness
4.6
Pace
4.0
Amenities
4.5
90.3%
Recommend this course
1031 out of 1169 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.5
29 Reviews (29)
5 Stars
20
4 Stars
7
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
1
1 Stars
1
Conditions
4.4
Value
4.4
Layout
4.8
Pace
4.1
Amenities
4.6
StaffFriendliness
4.5
89.7%
Recommend this course
26 out of 29 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.5
104 Reviews (104)
5 Stars
67
4 Stars
25
3 Stars
7
2 Stars
4
1 Stars
1
Conditions
4.5
Value
4.2
Layout
4.8
Pace
4.1
Amenities
4.6
StaffFriendliness
4.6
89.4%
Recommend this course
93 out of 104 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Public/Resort
Par 72
Length 7300 yards
Slope 148
Rating 75.8

This is the monster of all monsters, the one that carries so many folktales of golfer terror with it that it should qualify as its own myth. The developers asked Pete Dye to make this "the toughest golf course in the world" and many argue he succeeded. Too well.

The Stadium Course at PGA WEST in La Quinta is one of those tracks that any self-respecting golf nut has to play once. Just to experience it. Just to say you did. Just to have stories of golf cruelty to tell at the office water cooler. There's a 19-foot deep bunker on the 16th hole. That's right. A 19-foot deep bunker. Your ball won't get out. Heck, you might not get out. From the back tees it measures 7,300 yards with an incredible 148-slope rating.

Every hole is a story waiting to be told. Either in success to be bragged about or failure to be even more bragged about. The PGA players moaned about this course so loud that it's no longer a regular stop on tour. Yet for average hackers, it's often a joy of punishment. Go in with the right attitude and it's liable to be one of your most unforgettable days of golf.

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PGA WEST - Pete Dye Stadium Course
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Course Details

Year Built 1987
Fairways Bermuda Grass
Greens Bermuda Grass
Golf Season Year round
Architect Pete Dye (1987) Alice Dye (1986)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes - included in green fees
GPS No
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Golf School/Academy Yes - "PGA WEST Golf Academy"
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes
Practice Hole Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex, Discover Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Dress code No denim, collared shirt and bermuda shorts required

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Banquet Facilities

Available Sports

Fitness, Tennis

Accolades

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Reviews

4.5
1169 Reviews (1169)

Reviewer Photos

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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
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Played On
Reviews 170
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Top 100 Contributor
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Stadium’

A beautiful course in great shape for September, people & course were great ! A

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/12/2022

Thank you for your review, lee3639809. We will pass along your positive experience to our team at The Stadium Course at PGA West. We look forward to seeing you again soon.

Played On
Reviews 5
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Steve and the rest of the crew really took care of us. It was extremely hot and he was out there checking in on us making sure we had cold towels and water. Nice work.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/06/2022

Thank you for your review, u000005207535. We will pass along your positive experience to our team at The Stadium Course at PGA West. We look forward to seeing you again soon.

Played On
Reviews 15
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
1.0
Previously Played

Horrible Condition. Played two courses?!

Played here a hundred times and it’s only getting worse since they got this new ownership. Brown spots everywhere, greens inconsistent, made me play the back nine at stadium and the front nine of nick (Both horrible condition). It gets better. They cut down all of the trees on the stadium course for viewing purposes for the overrated tournament! It looks horrible. If you are booking out of town, do not come play

This course this time of year.

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Fair
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Fair
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/25/2022

Thank you for reviewing the course. Let us first start by apologizing for the poor experience you had during your visit. The current condition is by no means the standard we strive to achieve and are working diligently to improve the course. Thank you for playing and we hope to see you again soon.

Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart

two 1/2 courses, expected one

Found out when we checked in that we would not be playing the back nine of Stadium course. They had us play the front nine of the Nicklaus Tourn. course after the front nine of the Stadium course. A little upsetting since I had not played the Stadium course before.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/25/2022

Hi, rodlglover. We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us. Thank you for the 4 stars! We aim for a 5-star experience, so we always welcome feedback for improvement. Thank you for playing The Stadium Course at PGA West.

Played On
Reviews 3
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/14/2022

Hello, u000005702129. We appreciate the review. You rated us 3-stars which means there is room to improve on your recent experience at The Stadium Course at PGA West. Let us know, in the comments, how and where you would like to see changes from the course. Thanks for the feedback!

Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Poor Conditions.

J Nicklaus public was in horrible shape yet they still wanted top dollar. Totally overrated. Plus they punch the greens and they did not communicate that to our group when we made the reservations. Very disappointed for a highly ranked facility.

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Poor
Friendliness Average
Pace Fair
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/12/2022

Thank you for reviewing the course. Let us first start by apologizing for the poor experience you had during your visit. The current condition is by no means the standard we strive to achieve and are working diligently to improve the course. Thank you for playing and we hope to see you again soon.

Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

My day at PGA WEST

The course was in great condition. Only complaint would be the greens, they had just been punched recently. Will definitly be back again

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/22/2022

Hi, BigDog49ers. Thank you so much for the great review. We are glad you had an incredible time, and we hope to see you again soon! Thanks for choosing The Stadium Course at PGA West.

Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

Poor condition and communication

When I booked this for $90, there was no mentioned that we could not play the back nine of the Stadium course due to construction, so they had us play the front nine of the Jack N course which we thought would be OK, until we found out ti was air rated and so many bare spots and the greens were like putting on shag carpet. The condition was horrible and there was no mention or communication of this when we booked the reservation 2 weeks ago. Pretty sad for such an elaborate and famous golf course.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/01/2022

Hi, jmmepeters. We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us. We understand your frustration with the construction projects underway. Please bear with us as we work diligently to make improvements. We hope you'll give us another try in the future.

Played On
Reviews 9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Wrong information online

We supposed to play back nine 10 to 18. Two times but when checking in. It was different. 2 w 9. Front nine. 1 to 9

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 06/24/2022

Hello, dominiquegarnier. Thanks so much for your review. We're so glad you enjoyed your round at The Stadium Course at PGA West. That's what we like to hear! We hope to see you again soon!

Played On
Reviews 7
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Father’s Day Golf

A great experience, more water stations would help. Fantastic layout, a must play. Greens were running a little inconsistent on the day we played.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 06/23/2022

Hello, firefite2. Thank you for visiting us at The Stadium Course at PGA West. We appreciate your 4-star rating and review. We hope you join us for another round soon.

Played On
Reviews 218
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 1000 Contributor
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 06/22/2022

Hello and thank you for your 5-star rating, jkighawk! We're delighted you enjoyed your round. Please book another round with us soon, and thanks for choosing The Stadium Course at PGA West!

Played On
Reviews 24
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

tough as always

course in great shape. Played the tips while my son played the blue tees and had a great time. Play this course every year on my annual trip to the palm springs area every june for the last 15 years. Temps in 100s for afternoon round but pace of play great (3.5 hrs) as no one crazy enough to be on the course with me. Brought a lot of Gatorade and water with me without any pushback from the course. greens look bumpy but role fine and true.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 06/21/2022

Thank you for taking the time to review us, tkiernan. Your feedback is valuable, and we look forward to delivering you excellent service again soon. The Stadium Course at PGA West thanks you!

Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
2.0
Previously Played

Sadly, Better Options in the Valley

We come out to PGA west every summer for a weekend trip. We usually play the tournament courses and also a non pga west course when we are out there. The service we receive at non pga west courses are far superior and has made us likely to play only non pga west courses on next years trip.

It is 105 degrees outside and there is absolutely no water on the course for the players to drink. That is ABSURD. We played Mission Hills and there was coolers every 3rd hole. It’s literally dangerous to the guests to not provide a cold water option. The 2 water bottles provided lasted 3 holes. Every other course in the Coachella valley would have water in the summer for their guests. I asked the starter and an ambassador if they had any water, both looked around and was able to find a single bottle to provide us. Then the one time we saw the cart girl (because she told us that she was going home for the day when we were hitting our approach shots on the FIRST HOLE) wanted to sell us the same water for 3 dollars each. It made the experience of the course so bad to just be dying for a sip of cold water the entire day and truly hurt the mood of the entire group.

Also, we had 2 groups back to back of 4 people, so 8 total golfers. The night before we drove up one person in our group said he tested positive for Covid and obviously did not come on the trip. It was under 48 hours when we learned of this. When telling the person who checked us in, he told us it was likely we would get charged a fee because of the missing person. When we explained the situation he told me that PGA west no longer recognizes Covid as a reason to cancel a tee time because “too many people were doing it”. Well… it’s a PANDEMIC so that would make sense. So it appears that PGA west would prefer you to come to their facility and play golf with an active Covid infection rather than stay home and away from people and have the tee time be missed. There was no waitlist and wide open tee times, no reason for the threat of being charged for a person who is sick not showing up.

We love PGA west and enjoy this trip every year but it is clear that the hospitality, accommodations, and overall logic of the facility has gone down hill immensely, and with so many other options for golf in the valley it is hard to find a reason why PGA west should be where we go now.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Fair
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/12/2022

Hello, kdiosdado30. Thanks for taking the time to leave us a review. We see you rated the course 2-stars and are interested in learning what we can do to improve for your next visit.

We take customer feedback very seriously at our course. Please reach out to our team in the golf shop and tell us what's on your mind.

Played On
Reviews 10
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 06/21/2022

plpaden2938, thank you for the awesome rating! We hope to see you again at the course very soon for another great experience, and thanks for choosing The Stadium Course at PGA West.

Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 06/17/2022

We're glad you enjoyed your 5-star experience with us, Puntoagui. Please comment or reach out to our team in the golf shop to let us know more about your round at The Stadium Course at PGA West!

Played On
Reviews 218
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 1000 Contributor
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 06/16/2022

Hi, jkighawk. We are so pleased that you enjoyed your time at The Stadium Course at PGA West. We look forward to seeing you on the course soon for another 5-star experience!

Played On
Reviews 2
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Similar to Westin Pete dye

I only paid $50, so for that price it’s excellent. However, due to its famous reputation, I was expecting something like a PGA course. PGA players would destroy this course. Maybe I got easy pin placements, but I played too much break on most of my putts and they were pretty flat. The only tough part was going into a headwind when any par 4 over 410 yards played like a par 5. But with a tailwind I reached the double trouble par 5 with a driver and 7 iron, and it made the 600+ yarder play like a 500 so evens out. It’s super hilly and presents some odd lies, but if you keep ball in play it’s easier than it’s reputation. It was 113 degrees so I understand, but there were more bald, brown patches than I expected. Not sure it’s worth the extra 30 minute drive from the Westin course. Some of the holes were identical and the greens had same grass with same speed.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 06/15/2022

Hi, u314159414849! Thank you so much for leaving us with your feedback. We value our customer experience, so your review is important to us. Please know the current conditions are by no means the standard we strive to achieve. We will continue to work towards a 5-star experience and we hope to see you back!

Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart
Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 06/09/2022

We're glad you enjoyed your 5-star experience with us, dauminator34. Please comment or reach out to our team in the golf shop to let us know more about your round at The Stadium Course at PGA West!

Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

PGA west in june

Everything about the course was good especially for the afternoon price… just needed water on the course or a beverage cart. In the dead june heat of the desert, it was dangerous to not have water available when we needed it. Nevertheless, we loved the course and the people.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Poor
Default User Avatar
Commented on 06/09/2022

Hi, ashak3. We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us. Thank you for the 4 stars! We aim for a 5-star experience, so we always welcome feedback for improvement. Thank you for playing The Stadium Course at PGA West.

Played On
Reviews 2
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 06/07/2022

We're glad you enjoyed your 5-star experience with us, u563365706. Please comment or reach out to our team in the golf shop to let us know more about your round at The Stadium Course at PGA West!

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