Tradition Golf Club

Arnold Palmer and his longtime design partner Ed Seay laid out the championship course, which opened in 1997 and plays to about 6,915 yards and par 72 from the back tees. It winds out from the old ranch grounds toward the Santa Rosa Mountains, which rise directly behind the property. Beside the practice range is a nine-hole par three course, a favorite for quick evening rounds and for families; Palmer was known to watch play on its second hole from his back patio. Practice areas include a full range, chipping and pitching areas and putting greens, with PGA professionals on staff.

The land carries more history than almost any club in the desert. In 1902 John Marshall homesteaded 160 acres from the Southern Pacific Railroad here, and the cottage he built survives as the Eisenhower Cottage. A Spanish hacienda style main ranch house followed in 1920, designed by architect Helen French. The Rosecrans family bought the ranch in 1938 and gave the main house its nickname, Hacienda del Gato. In 1996 the property passed to John Hankinson and Sienna Corporation, who partnered with Arnold Palmer to create the course and community. Palmer built his own house on the course in 1999 and wintered there until he died in 2016; a statue of him was unveiled at the club in 2018.

The historic hacienda serves as the heart of the clubhouse, and a renovation reported at about $7 million refreshed the clubhouse and patios and added the Tavern, a casual grill for drinks and dinner. A fitness center and spa opened in 2012. The club moved from developer ownership to a member-owned equity club in 2008, and golf membership is capped at 210, which keeps the course uncrowded. Membership is by invitation and subject to vetting and approval, and living in the community is not required to join. The club does not publish fees; local brokerage guides have recently quoted golf initiation between about $180,000 and $225,000, with social memberships also available.

Tradition has about 280 homes on roughly 746 acres, so lots are generous and the community feels open. Home types include custom estates on the fairways, the California Village homes, smaller bungalows of around 2,500 square feet and a few remaining custom homesites. Custom homes range from about 3,000 to more than 11,000 square feet, and most were built from 1998 onward. Land is fee simple. Local brokerage guides put recent home values roughly in the $3 million to $10 million range. Palmer's own house on Dunlevie Court, which he nicknamed Rancho Relaxo, came to market in 2025 at about $5 million.

Tradition is a small, settled club with a strong golf culture and a friendly social side. Members gather for men's and ladies' days, couples events, invitationals and the par three course at sunset, and the Tavern has made casual dinners at the club an everyday habit. Social programs range from wine tastings and mahjong to bocce and a dog park. The community sits at the base of the Santa Rosa Mountains next to the La Quinta Cove, a few minutes from Old Town La Quinta and the La Quinta Resort, so restaurants, hiking trails and shopping are close without leaving the gates for long.