PGA West

PGA West began with Pete Dye's Stadium Course in 1986, a links-inspired layout built with spectator mounds that famously proved so hard that tour players asked to remove it from the rotation; it returned in 2016 and now co-hosts The American Express with the Nicklaus Tournament course every January. Lee Trevino made an ace on its island par three 17th, Alcatraz, during the Skins Game. The private courses are the Arnold Palmer Private, the Nicklaus Private and the Tom Weiskopf Private, plus the Pete Dye Citrus course at The Citrus Club. David Duval's record 59 came on the Palmer Private course in 1999. The Greg Norman course opened in 1999, the last of the nine.

There are two private clubs. The Club at PGA West, based at the Private Clubhouse on PGA Boulevard, centers on the Palmer, Nicklaus and Weiskopf private courses, with members also enjoying privileges on several resort courses. The Citrus Club, set among citrus groves near the La Quinta Resort, plays the Pete Dye Citrus course and has a more intimate feel. A combined Distinguished Desert membership covers all nine courses with advance tee times. Membership categories also include sport and social levels for tennis, pickleball and fitness. The club says members face no assessments and no food and beverage minimums, which is unusual in the desert and appeals to buyers wary of surprise capital calls.

PGA West has five clubhouses: the Private Clubhouse, the Tournament Clubhouse with the golf academy, the Greg Norman Clubhouse, the Pete Dye Clubhouse and The Citrus Club. Members dine privately at Kennedy's and Peak's and also use the resort restaurants, including Ernie's, Wallaby's and The Bunker Bar. The sports club has Har-Tru clay and hard tennis courts, pickleball and a new sports court, with a full-time tennis professional. The fitness club has two studios and classes seven days a week, from yoga and Pilates to spin and water aerobics. Members also receive preferred pricing at the La Quinta Resort, including Spa La Quinta and its restaurants.

Unlike most clubs on this site, PGA West does not require membership to buy a home, and many residents never join. Owners can choose full golf membership, a sport or social membership, or simply pay to play the resort courses. Membership is by invitation, and the club does not publish current fees on its website. A local brokerage guide has quoted golf membership in the range of about $85,000 to $100,000, with lower sport and social tiers, but these figures change and older ones are badly out of date. Ask the membership office for current terms, and ask which courses each category covers, because access differs between The Club at PGA West, The Citrus Club and the combined membership.

PGA West is a collection of neighborhoods rather than a single enclave, which makes it the most varied real estate on this site. Each golf neighborhood has its own guard gate and homeowners association, with dues that differ from one to the next. Housing runs from condominiums and attached villas around the resort courses to single-family homes and larger estates on the private courses, plus newer villas at Signature at PGA West. Many homes date from the late 1980s through the 2000s, so updated and original homes trade side by side. Price points span from entry-level condos to multi-million-dollar estates, and buyers should compare HOA dues and gate access carefully between neighborhoods.

Life here has a resort energy. January brings The American Express, and the community regularly hosts PGA Tour qualifying events, so tour golf is part of the calendar. Residents include full-time locals and seasonal owners, along with some vacation rentals in certain neighborhoods, so the atmosphere is busier than at the smaller private clubs. The upside is choice: plenty of restaurants, the La Quinta Resort's spa and pools, and Old Town La Quinta are close by. For buyers who want to try desert golf before committing to an equity club, PGA West is a practical first step.