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
1195 Reviews (1195)
5 Stars
759
4 Stars
273
3 Stars
96
2 Stars
41
1 Stars
26
Conditions
4.5
Value
4.2
Layout
4.8
Friendliness
4.6
Pace
4.1
Amenities
4.6
91.2%
Recommend this course
1056 out of 1195 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.7
39 Reviews (39)
5 Stars
31
4 Stars
6
3 Stars
1
2 Stars
1
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.8
Value
4.3
Layout
4.8
Pace
4.1
Amenities
4.6
StaffFriendliness
4.9
94.9%
Recommend this course
37 out of 39 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.5
89 Reviews (89)
5 Stars
60
4 Stars
19
3 Stars
6
2 Stars
3
1 Stars
1
Conditions
4.5
Value
4.3
Layout
4.7
Pace
4.1
Amenities
4.6
StaffFriendliness
4.7
89.9%
Recommend this course
80 out of 89 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
1195 Reviews (1195)

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 2
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 95
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 1000 Contributor
First Time Playing

Must play in palm springs

Beautiful course, about 6 to 8 strokes harder than most courses. Well worth the money.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 12/17/2020

Hi, james275. 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 25
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 12/09/2020

Hello and thank you for your 5-star rating, Captainmustang! 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 49
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 12/10/2020

Hello and thank you for your 5-star rating! 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 2
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 33
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Treat yourself ro TPC

Great course. Greens and fairways were perfect. Bunkers a bit hard. TPC is always a great choice in the desert. 16th and 17th are worthy the price of admissions. Pace was great. Right at four hours with no one pushing you or vice verse. Definitely will play here again

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 12/04/2020

Thank you for your review, victor3360028. 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 11
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

fun to play on pro course

Course has a lot of spots not to hit a ball! The tips in the cart machine will warn you though. It is very cool playing on a well maintained course where PGA use to visit.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
2.0
First Time Playing

Disappointed

Staff was awesome and the course layout and features were everything I expected! I was a little disappointed on how the fairways to rough looked and played. If you’ve seen pictures of this beautiful course you’d understand. The greens were a bit slower than I imagined and for god sakes people fix your ball marks!!! Evidently a PGA event is coming this January??? I can’t wait to see the transformation they will have their work cut out for them. As for golf now.... always a good deal!

Conditions Poor
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 3
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 12/01/2020

Hello and thank you for your 5-star rating. 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 6
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

It’s so so

The course has same theme of design over and over, it is tough to play, but not enough variation from hole to hole.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 8
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Diabolical Pete Dye

As the title suggests get ready for Dye challenges. You’d have to play this course couple times to manage the course as it’s anything but straightforward. Hardly a flat spot on the course and same for greens. While course in good condition maybe playing with a caddie or a member would be helpful. as extremely important to learn exactly where to land your ball. Would not play this course again.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Fair
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 11/23/2020

Hi, kotiza! 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 3
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 53
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once every three months
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

Beautiful course but hard bunkers

Had a wonderful time at PGA West Stadium course. Great layout but bunkers are brutal and water everywhere. Pace of play was great. Finished in 4 and 1/2 hours. Nice practice facility. Staff is really nice. Need to come back and try out all the other PGA West courses!!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 11/17/2020

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 1
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Didn't Disclose Overseeding

Very disappointed they didn't disclose that they were overseeding and it was cart path only when we booked. That obviously makes things play more slowly. Then the rangers drove and said 'we really need you to speed it up' on about the 4th hole. We had waited for the group in front of us on that and about 5 of the next 6 holes; it really felt oblivious and rude.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Poor
Pace Fair
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Extremely Disappointed

I had a very unsatisfactory experience at PGA West Stadium Course. First, for no readily apparent reason and despite bone-dry desert conditions, the entire course was “cart path only.” This was not disclosed at the time of booking, and was a big problem, as one person in our 3-some was 80 years old and had difficulty with all the walking. If that were not enough, the pace of play was pathetic. We had two foursomes in front of us who looked as though they had never been on a golf course. One guy was barefoot and doing handstands on the green. (Yes, they were drunk) There were zero rangers out and nothing was done to quicken the pace of play. We wound up quitting after 13 holes, at which point we were already 3:40 into our round. At $219 per head this was undoubtedly the single worst value golf experience I’ve ever had. I will not be back.

Conditions Fair
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Fair
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 11/02/2020

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
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart

Memorable! but slow

Our first trip to Palm Springs and this was the first of 4 courses we played. Given the history here I was most excited to play this one. It was a hot afternoon - 103 - but not unbearable, so we were just really excited to play golf. The course is amazing, beautiful views and lots of contours. My wife liked all the flowers and the birds in the water! The only downside is that we should have finished the round but due to slow play ahead of us we had play 17 in the dark (but got a birdie!) and skipped 18 (nice par we said). I can't wait until our next trip to the desert and for sure I will return to the Stadium Course.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 12/09/2020

This is awesome! Thanks!

Default User Avatar
Commented on 10/05/2020

Hi! 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. We're sorry if the pace of play was a little long for you. Thank you for playing The Stadium Course at PGA West.

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