PGA West Jack Nicklaus Tournament
A view of a green with water coming into play at PGA West Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course.
GolfPass Icon
Rating Index Rating
Tooltip Information Icon
4.6
1181 Reviews (1181)
5 Stars
726
4 Stars
315
3 Stars
93
2 Stars
30
1 Stars
17
Conditions
4.6
Value
4.3
Layout
4.8
Friendliness
4.6
Pace
4.2
Amenities
4.6
92.1%
Recommend this course
1064 out of 1181 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.6
60 Reviews (60)
5 Stars
43
4 Stars
13
3 Stars
3
2 Stars
1
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.7
Value
4.3
Layout
4.7
Pace
4.1
Amenities
4.7
StaffFriendliness
4.7
93.3%
Recommend this course
56 out of 60 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.6
92 Reviews (92)
5 Stars
67
4 Stars
18
3 Stars
3
2 Stars
1
1 Stars
3
Conditions
4.6
Value
4.4
Layout
4.8
Pace
4.2
Amenities
4.7
StaffFriendliness
4.7
91.3%
Recommend this course
84 out of 92 reviews
Read Reviews
frame.svg
AI summaries based on real golfer reviews
circle-star.svg
Course Highlights
The Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West delivers immaculate tee boxes, true-rolling greens, and first-rate fairways that consistently impress visiting golfers. Friendly staff and outstanding course amenities make this a rewarding and memorable round at exceptional value.

About

Holes 18
Type Public/Resort
Par 72
Length 7204 yards
Slope 143
Rating 75.3

The Golden Bear tests you with tabletop fairways at PGA WEST - Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course in La Quinta.

If your shot's too wild, it's rolling up, often down into the desert. That's just one bit of the showmanship at the Jack Nicklaus Tournament course. This was designed to hold a PGA event, but it's spent its days delivering damage and fun to regular hackers.

Nicklaus particularly tests your short game with his bunkering around the greens. Confidence in your wedge shots is crucial here. Still, it's not as tough and unforgiving as Pete Dye's Stadium Course or even Greg Norman's course.

It's possible to get lost in the scenery at the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course and there's plenty of scenery to go around with the desert brush and the mountains looming in the distance.

No. 15 is probably the most well known - and notorious - hole. Nicknamed "Long Island," it's pretty much that: a daunting 572 yard par five with an island green. The fairway's split, giving you a chance to pick your path. Either way you go, getting onto the green in two is oh but a dream.

"Nicklaus also abundantly uses non-traditional design features throughout the course to give the track its own unique flavor," TravelGolf.com's Jeffrey Rendall said. "In many ways, I don't think I've seen another course quite like it."

Book a Tee Time at
PGA West - Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course
Powered by GolfNow.com

Course Details

Year Built 1987
Fairways Bermuda Grass
Greens Bermuda Grass
Golf Season Year round
Architect Jack Nicklaus (1987) Rick Jacobson Thomas Pearson (1987)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
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, MC, AMEX, Discover
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Dress code No denim, collared shirt and bermuda shorts required.

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Banquet Facilities

Available Sports

Fitness, Tennis

Accolades

  • Golf Advisor: Top Courses in California (2019 #30) (2014 #24)
  • Golf Advisor: Top 25 Off-course amenities in the U.S. (2019 #15)
The Best Way To Book Is With GolfPass+ Annual
golf ball.svg
$120 in monthly tee time promo codes
waivedfees
12 rounds of waived fees
redeemtrophy
GolfPass Member Pricing
teetime protection.svg
Tee Time Protection

Reviews

4.6
1181 Reviews (1181)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 24
Patio Dining 24
19th Hole Scenic Views 18
Course Challenges Include:
Bunkers 46
Water Hazards 36
Forced Carries 22
This course/club is great for:
Advanced Golfers 40
A Weekend Splurge 21
A Bucket list/Top 100 Pick 15
This Course's Location is:
Worth the Drive 24
At a Resort 15
Convenient to the City 11

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Reviewer Photos

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Windy weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

Great course - but recently sanded and punched greens?

Really enjoy the layout & challenge of this course. Down side was at booking (a month ago), we were not informed that the greens would be punched & sanded a week prior. Poor communication IMO, as putting was compromised yet people were paying full rack rate (fortunately we found a relative deal through GOLFNOW)

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

The course was in good shape but the greens had been punched and no-one told us.

The greens were slow and not very puttable

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 11
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 22
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Used cart

Impeccable

Beautiful course. Ten out of ten from the moment we arrived to departure. Appreciated all the bottled water as it was hot. Nice and easy 4 hr round. Stay out of the green side bunkers and you can score well.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 8
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 47
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Senior golfer

Excellent golf course. Great design.

Very challenging to play but fair.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times 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
Played On
Reviews 2
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 9
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 33
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 4
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Played On
Reviews 50
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

PGA WEST Nicholas Tournament Course was fabulous.

We decided to grab a last minute tee time at the PGA WEST Nicholas Tournament Course. We are so happy that we did. We played at the 4pm discounted tee time on a Friday. The course, pace, value, conditions, layout, etc were all great.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Fun course

The moment you arrive your experience starts. Greeted by the hard working and friendly backshop staff, they take your bags and let you know they will have your bags in a cart waiting for you and direct you to where the proshop is so you can check-in.

The driving range is an experience you won't see at many other public courses. The entire range is a radar field with numerous trackmans. You just need to download the trackmans app and login. Then you can follow your shots while warming up if that appeals to you. The range is in use for both the Stadium and Nicklaus courses so it is busy and you may have to wait for a stall to open up.

The course itself was fantastic. If you're hitting it well then it should be fun... Not so well... You will be penalized.. But in a fun way you won't get to experience at most courses you will play. Deep bunkers and drop-offs on most holes that you will want to avoid. Greens were not severely sloped so putting was not too difficult. Greens were ok, speed was about a 10/11. It is open public so there were quite a few divots on the greens left unattended to. Too bad people don't show a little more etiquette when playing. Hole 15 and 17 are both tough holes... Make sure you take an extra club to take the hazards out of play. Would I pay the full price for a primetime tee time? Probably not... But we got a good price for an afternoon teetime and we're just barely able to get 18 finished in the dark on the last hole. Started at 2:51 and finished about 7:15... So pace was decent for a difficult course. -29 for the American Express champion on these courses goes to show how good the pros really are.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Terrible value for money. No availabillity on the range and course in bad condition - greens bumpy and sand traps completely unacceptable with deep footprints everywhere… 6 hour round and spectacularly bad value for a round of $469. Never coming back and will tell everyone I kno me not to spend their money there…..

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 7
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Hit the greens.

Excellent fairways. Greens were nice but very firm. Very difficult greens to hit. Almost all surrounded by deep bunkers and steep slopes. Backs of greens are a bail out but leaves tough downhill chips.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
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
Request A Vacation Quote From La Quinta Resort
Please provide your information below and a staff member at La Quinta Resort will be in contact to help you start planning your travel.
Nearby Courses
La Quinta, California
Private
4.0
4
La Quinta, California
Private
5.0
3
La Quinta, California
Public/Resort
4.6134179585
1447
La Quinta, California
Public/Resort
4.5223335654
1220
La Quinta, California
Private
5.0
1
La Quinta, California
Private
0.0
0
La Quinta, California
Private
0.0
0
La Quinta, California
Private
4.0
4
La Quinta, California
Private
5.0
2
La Quinta, California
Private
2.7142857143
7
La Quinta, California
Semi-Private
4.6903594771
164
Golf Packages

The Palm Mountain Resort & Spa Stay & Play Package

CLICK BELOW
PALM SPRINGS, CA | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at Palm Mountain Resort & Spa and up to 4 rounds of golf at your choice of Indian Canyons – South Course, Indian Canyons – North Course, The Classic Club, Tahquitz Creek – Resort Course, and Tahquitz Creek – Legend Course.

The Hilton Garden Inn Palm Springs/Rancho Mirage Stay & Play Package

CLICK BELOW
PALM SPRINGS, CA | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at the Hilton Garden Inn Palm Springs/Rancho Mirage and up to 4 rounds of golf at your choice of Indian Canyons – South Course, The Classic Club, Tahquitz Creek – Resort Course, and Tahquitz Creek – Legend Course.

The Lodge At Torrey Pines Stay & Play Package

CLICK BELOW
LA JOLLA, CA | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at The Lodge at Torrey Pines and up to 4 rounds of golf at your choice of Torrey Pines – South Course and Torrey Pines – North Course.

The OMNI La Costa Resort & Spa Stay & Play Package

CLICK BELOW
CARLSBAD, CA | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at The OMNI La Costa Resort & Spa and up to 4 rounds of golf at your choice of Aviara Golf Course, OMNI La Costa – South Course, and OMNI La Costa – North Course.

Luxor Resort & Casino Stay & Play Package

FROM $137 (USD)
LAS VEGAS, NV | Enjoy up to 3 nights’ accommodations at the Luxor Resort & Casino and up to 3 rounds of golf at your choice of Legacy Golf Course, Las Vegas National Golf Course, and Desert Pines Golf Course.
Now Reading
  • Home

  • Memberships

  • Library

  • Account