La Quinta Country Club

Lawrence Hughes, a Donald Ross protege who also designed Thunderbird Country Club, laid out La Quinta Country Club on about 130 acres, with his brother Frank handling much of the construction. The par 72 course measures about 7,060 yards and is known for 84 bunkers, five lakes and greens that tour players praise. It has co-hosted the desert's PGA Tour event, which began as the Palm Springs Golf Classic and became the Bob Hope Desert Classic and now The American Express, more than 50 times, more than any other course in the rotation. Adam Hadwin shot a course record 59 here in 2017. The layout has been refined over the decades by architects including Robert Muir Graves and Kye Goalby.

The Santa Barbara-style clubhouse overlooks the 18th green and the fountain in the lake between holes 9 and 18. Its interiors were updated and expanded in 2023, with wide views across the course, gardens and mountains. Dining runs from casual breakfasts to formal dinners and banquets, and the club hosts weddings and private events. A modern fitness facility offers trainers, group classes, yoga and Pilates. The focus is firmly on golf, with a full practice range, instruction, men's and women's days, couples events and member invitationals. The club has earned national Distinguished Club recognition in several years.

La Quinta Country Club has been member owned for decades and operates as a private equity club. Joining is by invitation, and categories include full golf, sports, social, junior executive and family memberships. Because members are admitted by invitation, buying a home beside the course does not by itself bring club privileges. A local real estate guide lists golf initiation at about $50,000 and social at about $35,000, with monthly dues near $1,595 for golf, though figures change from season to season. The club shares current fees during the membership process, which begins with an inquiry to the membership office.

About 475 homes sit in 13 distinct tracts around the course, along with condominium enclaves such as The Villas of La Quinta. Some streets are among the most architecturally significant in the desert. Modernists including John Lautner, Arthur Elrod and A. Quincy Jones worked here, and the 1960 Jones and Emmons house built for filmmaker Frank Capra is considered a landmark. In 2026 Modernism Week held its first private home tour inside the club. Other homes are Spanish, Santa Barbara and contemporary, many on fairways or lakes facing the Santa Rosa Mountains. A local real estate guide reports homes from the high $600,000s to over $3 million, with condos lower.

La Quinta Country Club has the feel of an established neighborhood club rather than a planned resort. Its membership has included Frank Capra, Clint Eastwood, Andy Williams and President Gerald Ford, and the atmosphere remains low key and golf first. Every January the tour arrives, and members watch the world's best players on their home course. Old Town La Quinta, La Quinta Resort and the shops along Highway 111 are a short drive away. It suits golfers who want one excellent traditional course, a strong sense of history and a mature setting with real architectural character.