If you think the desert is always dry, you’d better think again; this resort is anything but dry. The cool of the desert at the Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort & Spa in Palm Desert, California provides us with a unique experience. Yes, it can get warm at time – something of an understatement, I suppose – but never so hot that it becomes unbearable.
As Golf resorts go, the Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort & Spa is one of my favorites, especially in the early morning when the air is crisp and clear and the sun has not yet had any real effect on the two golf courses.
Another unique feature of Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort & Spa is how close you are to the courses. Rarely do you find a resort where you can be in your hotel room, or restaurant, one minute, and the next find yourself warming up on the driving range. The pro’s shop is actually a part of the hotel and from there it’s just a short cart ride to the range. This is all the more convenient when you return from the course to a room and shower that’s never more than two minutes away.
The resort itself is a dazzling world of fine dining, sizzling night-life, resort spa, expansive pools and, something I’ve never encountered before, an indoor lake complete with gondolas that will ferry you around the resort making stops along the way to drop people of at one of the restaurants or night clubs – incredible. The Lobby Bar is a small (well, not really so small), unique world within a world – a fast-paced microcosm of international visitors, some on business, some there just to play.
Set against the backdrop of the majestic Santa Rosa mountains and spectacular desert landscape that fronts them, the temptation is always there to step outside and embark upon one of the many eco-adventures Palm Desrt has to offer: maybe you’d like to take a jeep ride out to the desert, visit the inside of the San Adreas fault. Or maybe you’d like to visit the top of those magnificent mountains. If so, your choice of adventure it’s only a phone call away. But those same Santa Rosa mountains that beckon so invitingly also provide the backdrop to a half-dozen of the world’s most picturesque golf courses, not the least of which are the two JW Marriott’s own resort courses.
JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort offers two exceptional 18-hole championship courses, both set against the towering backdrop of the Santa Rosa Mountains. Both the Palm and Valley courses were designed by acclaimed architect Ted Robinson, "King of Waterscapes."
On both 18-hole courses, you can take a high tech ride in one of the brand new golf carts each of which is fitted with state-of-the-art navigational and computing systems. Right from your cart, you can use your onboard computer to view graphic layouts of each hole, compute exact yardage to the pin and monitor pace-of-play. You can even ask for tips from the course's pro on how to play a particular hole – and that’s something entirely new, even for me. The result is faster playtime, lower scores, and a more enjoyable game. In addition, you can order lunch or snack as you tee off from the 18th hole and find it waiting for you at the Sand Trap & Wedge, again, right from your cart. No, all that will not guarantee a perfect round but it will guarantee a perfect end to the day, whatever you might have encountered out on the course.
To get a better idea, you can make a virtual visit to the Palm Course, a gallery of photographs taken around the course.
And don’t forget: there are many other opportunities for great golf all over the world. Favorite locations include Scotland, Florida, the American Southwest, Bermuda, the Bahamas and many more. For up-to-date golf travel news and information, be sure to Subscribe to my weekly Newsletter.
