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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Rating Index Rating
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4.5
1215 Reviews (1215)
5 Stars
772
4 Stars
278
3 Stars
97
2 Stars
41
1 Stars
27
Conditions
4.5
Value
4.2
Layout
4.8
Friendliness
4.6
Pace
4.1
Amenities
4.6
91.0%
Recommend this course
1075 out of 1215 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.6
54 Reviews (54)
5 Stars
39
4 Stars
11
3 Stars
2
2 Stars
1
1 Stars
1
Conditions
4.6
Value
4.1
Layout
4.9
Pace
4.1
Amenities
4.7
StaffFriendliness
4.7
94.4%
Recommend this course
51 out of 54 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.5
91 Reviews (91)
5 Stars
62
4 Stars
20
3 Stars
5
2 Stars
2
1 Stars
2
Conditions
4.5
Value
4.2
Layout
4.8
Pace
4.1
Amenities
4.6
StaffFriendliness
4.6
91.2%
Recommend this course
83 out of 91 reviews
Read Reviews
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AI summaries based on real golfer reviews
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Course Highlights
This iconic stadium course delivers a bucket-list layout with stunning mountain views, challenging water hazards, and conditions that consistently impress recent golfers. Welcoming staff from bag drop to pro shop make every visitor feel genuinely excited to play.

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

The Best Way To Book Is With GolfPass+ Annual
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12 rounds of waived fees
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Reviews

4.5
1215 Reviews (1215)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 42
Patio Dining 28
19th Hole Scenic Views 26
Course Challenges Include:
Bunkers 70
Water Hazards 67
Forced Carries 49
This course/club is great for:
Advanced Golfers 61
A Bucket list/Top 100 Pick 52
A Weekend Splurge 31
This Course's Location is:
Worth the Drive 42
At a Resort 34
Convenient to the City 18

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Reviewer Photos

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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Didn't live up to the hype

Challenging and fun course layout to play, but conditions were subpar at best. Range was also closed ahead of our tee time without communication - unfortunate. Greens and fairways were dried out. Tee boxes are in need of repair. Roughs were in OK condition. Compared to other courses nearby with same cost, caliber and course rating, I would play the others.

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 04/29/2022

Hi, u314161487788! Thank you so much for leaving us with your feedback. We value our customer experience, so your review is important to us. We will make note and we hope to see you back at The Stadium Course at PGA West!

Played On
Reviews 4
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 04/29/2022

Hello and thank you for your 5-star rating, barrybishop! 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 85
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Top 500 Contributor
Previously Played

Always good

Greens a little crusty hopefully the Bermuda comes through. This is a must play in the desert !

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 05/24/2022

Thank you for your review, Halo62. 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 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Conditions didn’t meet expectations or cost

The course conditions were not as expected, given the cost of play and reputation. After just three months from hosting a major PGA tournament it seems like they hadn’t done much to keep the course in good condition. The fairways were the only well maintained part of the course. There was no water on the course and we only saw the beverage cart twice. The snack hut after the ninth hole had just closed as we made the turn.

Conditions Average
Value Poor
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Amenities Fair
Default User Avatar
Commented on 04/28/2022

Hi, Krgillam! 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 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Tricked up

Way too many mounds which add nothing to the experience except walk around on way to the green. I would not play this course again unless buddies insisted.

Conditions Fair
Value Poor
Layout Fair
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 04/26/2022

Hi, u314162639894. Thank you for taking the time to review the course. We take single star feedback very seriously at our course. You are welcome to comment further or reach out to our team in the golf shop. We always appreciate the feedback.

Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 05/24/2022

Hello and thank you for your 5-star rating, Gerardo2500112! 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 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 05/24/2022

Hello and thank you for your 5-star rating, Rag898! 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 203
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Top 100 Contributor
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart

Bring your Sand Game!

Course is in terrific shape, staff outstanding. Many tough holes and plenty of sand. Just wasn't expecting 100 degrees in April! Numerous bunkers, some 15 feet deep!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 04/25/2022

sinkster, thanks for the amazing review and for choosing The Stadium Course at PGA West. We hope to see you again soon!

Played On
Reviews 5
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Windy weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 04/20/2022

We would love to hear more about your positive experience on our course. Please contact us to share your favorite part of your experience and what we can do to earn that last star! Thanks for golfing at The Stadium Course at PGA West!

Played On
Reviews 18
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Course conditions

I always look forward to playing The Stadium course as it's very challenging.

There was a shortage of carts from a tournament and the cart attendants could have been more attentive getting us a cart.

The sand traps were not up to their usual standard- While some bunkers I was in were just fine the front greenside bunker on hole 1 was very disappointing, I was in the middle of the trap and it was mostly clay.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 04/20/2022

Hello, poulter444. 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 1
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing

Great greens!

Need i say more? This is my first time playing a course in the Indio/Palm Springs area, the greens were so true! Best ive ever played, i am 7.5 HDCP and was challenged bye the tee shots… There are plenty of gettable holes but plenty of holes to take your confidence down a notch! Only thing i could be upset about is the Maintenance around the bunkers…

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 04/22/2022

Hello, CNasty2. 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 104
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 500 Contributor
Previously Played

Nice course but rough was a little dry out

Fairway was good but some spots were dry out . Green was a little slow compared to two week ago. Some of the green was dry out too ( brown spots). The best condition on February and March. On April many golf courses are dry out not just PGA. You can’t expect winter condition on April.

Overall I will recommend this course to play if you visit the desert.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 04/18/2022

Hello, MichelleH. 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!

Default User Avatar
Commented on 04/18/2022

Hello, MichelleH. 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 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Perfect

Just coincidence, but I had the last time of the day after a shotgun tournament, so the starter sent me off on 10. There was no one in front of me and I ripped around in under 3 hours. Probably won’t happen again, but this was perfect!!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 04/18/2022

Thank you for your review, u749095358. 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 10
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Great course

Loved this course !! Interesting, challenging and great views .. will definitely be back

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 04/13/2022

Thank you for your review, gardinerhn. 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 25
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Challenging yet pricey

We have been coming to Palm Springs for a spring fling for almost 7 years. Stadium course is by far the crown jewel of PGA west. Very challenging course.

Sand traps were a little thin, but most of the areas were green, but ground was hard and could use some more water.

This course will likely be worked into our regular rotation.

Love the club house and restaurant. Staff was very friendly.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 04/08/2022

Hello, Bill5760414. 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 11
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 04/08/2022

Hi, Damonolsen. 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 4
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Great course

A beautiful and challenging course that will test your control and ability to hit many different shots.

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 04/07/2022

Wow! We are so happy you enjoyed your round, u000006682298! We look forward to seeing you again soon at The Stadium Course at PGA West.

Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Great day

Felt like a private country club feel even though it was a public course

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 04/07/2022

Wow! We are so happy you enjoyed your round, u314159747745! We look forward to seeing you again soon at The Stadium Course at PGA West.

Played On
Reviews 12
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 04/07/2022

Hi, ronmacmillan. We would love to hear more about your positive experience on our course. Please contact us to share with us your favorite part of your experience. Thanks for golfing at The Stadium Course at PGA West!

Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 04/22/2022

Hi, tejasking. We would love to hear more about your positive experience on our course. Please contact us to share with us your favorite part of your experience. Thanks for golfing at The Stadium Course at PGA West!

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The Palm Mountain Resort & Spa Stay & Play Package

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