Touring Sensei's Porcupine Creek Golf Club, one of golf's most expensive and exclusive courses

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. - There are only a handful of tee box views that will sear themselves into your mind forever.

The 7th at Pebble Beach. The 3rd at Mauna Kea. The 12th at Manele. The 4th at Old Head. The 15th at Porcupine Creek.

Haven't heard of that last one? You have now that Porcupine Creek is open for resort guests of the Sensei Porcupine Creek, a luxurious new golf resort in the California's sunny Coachella Valley. The 6,665-yard Porcupine Creek Golf Club has actually been around since 2004, but the grand opening of the resort Nov. 1, 2022, finally created access for any golfer who stays at the wellness-themed resort.

That 15th hole is 217 yards of exhilaration and intimidation, an epic drop-shot par 3 that plummets 220 feet off the tee to a wildly sloping green. It's the climax of a memorable round that's one of the most exclusive and expensive in golf.

In this GolfPass Exclusive - we're the first major golf publication to experience playing the course - we answer your questions and share a hole-by-hole tour of one of golf's most unique playing experiences.

It's a bit of a mystery exactly how the Porcupine Creek routing came together, but past Palm Springs Life magazine and Robb Report articles have reported that Tom Weiskopf, Annika Sorenstam, Dave Stockton and others all had a hand in its design.

A round of golf costs $650 during low season and $950 in high season, plus at least a two-night stay at the resort, which is currently priced at $1,600+ per night for double occupancy on its website. That includes a $250 daily wellness credit that can be used on golf. Every golfer gets unlimited balls on an intimate driving range, a luxury Club Car cart with the Shark Experience GPS and speaker system to play music and a swag pouch of six logo balls, tees and a commemorative bag tag, ball marker and yardage guide.

The pre-round experience is one of the most unique parts of playing golf at Porcupine Creek. It takes just a couple minutes to walk from the estate house to the clubhouse. There is no pro shop. Golfers are greeted by staff outside as soon as they arrive. Their clubs will already be on the range waiting. This intimate practice facility is home to only nine hitting slots, so it's likely to be a private warm-up. The clubhouse itself is built more like a house with a large open-air living room with a couch facing a large TV and chef's kitchen for hosting small parties. Golfers can grab complementary snacks and drinks at an outdoor snack station next to the restrooms.

The course isn't overly long, but it's kept in immaculate condition. The front nine roams over flat terrain that's beautifully landscaped with trees, bushes, ponds and streams lining generous fairways. The par 5, par 3, par 5 start gives golfers a chance to score well right out of the gate.

If you're not dialed in by the 8th hole, look out. The long par 4s at nos. 8 and 9 are the no. 3 and 1 handicap holes, respectively, followed by a back nine that's as tough as it is scenic.

The tee shots at the par-4 10th and 16th holes dramatically drop off of elevated tee boxes up the mountain. Two fun and strategic short par 4s - the 280-yard 11th and 313-yard 14th - couldn't be more different. The 11th climbs skyward to a diagonal green, while the 14th boomerangs left to a C-shaped green guarded by bunkers and a rock formation. Golfers can easily make 3 or 8 on either of them. It all builds to a climax on that 15th tee.

Overall, the round will likely end up being one of your most memorable.

The exclusivity "really just elevates it from another really nice golf course to 'Wow! I feel like I have my own really nice golf course. I feel like I own this place for the day'," says Director of Golf Richard Ruddy. "It's been exciting to see that kind of reaction."

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