Desert Island Private Membership

private membership

You are cordially invited to discover a unique alternative to the conventional golf-clubs in greater Palm Springs.

Created for those who relish in the luxury of a country-club, Desert Island represents the part in us all that desires to be individual, to enjoy life, to bend the rules, and in doing so, to make it less ordinary.

For all of us that value creativity and independence, Desert Island offers an escape to the romance of 20th century glamour, indulgence and mischief.

The desert’s most exclusive Membership

Our newly minted club membership is limited to invitation only Avid golfers, foodies and charming rascals are invited to apply.

Once enrolled, each member is is welcome to invite up to two new members, whilst places remain available. Our members become ambassadors of the club, welcoming non-members and enjoying exclusive VIP privileges, such as unlimited preferred tee-times, exclusive private events, dining, tournaments, and standing reservations

our memberships are limited to a select one hundred

Between singles and couples, we have at most 140 member golfers Our goal is approx 50/50 men and women. This is a perfect number for full engagement in tournaments, games and social activities. This also ensures that every member enjoys peak preferred tee times whenever they wish and can experience a truly VIP country club experience amongst a limited number of quality non-member neighbors, visitors and travelers.

Clubhouse Amenities

Our original 1971 clubhouse was expanded in 1993, and we just finished restoring and elevating its floor plan, finishes and amenities in mid 2022. The colorful, post modern clubhouse now features three different dining experiences, rare-spirits library, panoramic ball room, artgallery, professional golf shoppe, locker rooms, member bag room, and direct access to our lake front tournament putting green, double ended driving range, short game practice area, and last but never least, our original 1971 Desmond Muirhead tournament golf course.

Our upper-level clubhouse features The Penney & Parlour terrace restaurant, spirits library, piano and game lounge all flanking our vintage ballroom.

THE PENNEY

The Penney’s dining room transforms seamlessly from indoor dining to outdoor terrace dining, with spectacular lake, golf course and sunset mountain views. Our floor to ceiling, wall to wall, rare spirits library can display up to 1,500 individual spirits Painstakingly stocked with rare, some nearly impossible to find, artisanal scotches, gins, vodkas, agave based spirits, amaros, and other unusually delicious finds. The Penney’s sunken horseshoe bar serves one ounce, or two ounce pours and curated flights.

PARLOUR

Parlour is directly across the Ballroom dance floor and features its own light bites and dessert menu along with full cocktail bar, piano lounge, fully restored 1967 Brunswick tournament billiards table, and a games library for card lovers and strategic board game players alike. Adjacent and directly accessed by Parlour are two private dining rooms, En Secret and Founders Room. Desert Island members may reserve The Penney, Palour, En Secret, Founders Room and Ballroom in advance for private use. Members also enjoy a standing reservation in the Penny & Parlour at our member communal tables and sofas.

Golf Course Today

The vintage course on Desert Island is a green oasis set against a mountain backdrop and twentyfive acre lake. With one hundred and twenty rolling, manicured acres.

The Desert Island course is scenic from any angle, challenging but not outlandish, with gentle slopes, artisan refreshment stations, shade trees, short distances between greens and tee boxes, and many personal amenities, from chilled towels to insulated water bottles. Wherever you are on the course, you’re moments from what you need. On a hot day, Desert Island is the coolest place to be.

it’s been a destination for lovers of the sport for five decades. Established in 1971, the course was designed by the legendary Desmond Muirhead (1923-2002), Muirhead, one of golf’s most famous, most iconoclastic architects, spent his whole career going against the grain of conventional course design. He laid out this championship course just before beginning an illustrious, at times controversial partnership with another golf legend, Jack Nicklaus.

For Those About to Walk… We Salute You!

Walking is healthy, social, and optimizes course conditions. Desert Island offers the most pleasant and amenitized walking golf in the Coachella Valley with: Decadent leather & chrome, easy-roll Walker Trolleys, fully equipped with chilled towels, insulated water bottles, shade umbrellas and organizers; short green to tee box distances with gentle slopes; 2,000 mature shade trees; and generous ten-minute walking tee-time spacing

We have a brand-new fleet of high performance Club Car Tempo Lithium-Ion Golf Cars, fully equipped with chilled insulated water bottles and chilled towels.

Golfers can enjoy stellar on course refreshment and cuisine every 4 1/2 Holes, Red's Oasis

Red’s Oasis is our mid-course watering hole featuring chef-created, bite sized delights, hand shaken cocktails, craft coffee, chilled towels and more. At the southern center of the course, Red’s is conveniently located adjacent to bathrooms adjacent to holes 4 and 13 and open

9 ½ Bar & Kitchen is located adjacent to our Golf Shoppe and between holes 9 and 10. This Shady refreshment station and critters’ watering hole featuring sustainable locally sourced, chef-driven snacks & elevated entrees, ice cold beer, hand shaken cocktails, fresh squeezed juices, craft coffee and more. Open every day, sunrise to happy hour and occasionally for dinner.

Golf Course of Tomorrow

We are currently designing a $5M+, total golf course restoration and upgrade. Our goal is to begin this work in late April 2024 and complete just in time for our November 2024 season opening

We’ve hired Amy Alcott, legendary LPGA and Golf Hall of Fame member, to rethink each and every green and bunker on our course. Amy’s designs will be ready for approval by March 2023. We already know that she is planning on creating love letters to some of her most cherished golf course features from around the globe including: a double green, drivable par 4s, postage stamp par 3, church pew bunkers, carefully edited sand and grass bunker program, and a variety of reshaped greens including redan, stepped, convex and stepped.

The result should create a cinematic golf experience like no other with the highest quality turf and bunker conditions. Amy, along with the assistance of Mack Todd with Urban Golf Performance, is also designing an all-new professional training facility and golf warm up park on Desert Island located adjacent to tee box 1. The park will include state of the art driving bays with simulators and biometric feedback where golfers can receive a variety of both hands on and hands-off training. In addition, the park may include a 100 yd tournament putting green and short game practice areas that mimic obstacles and features of the restored course, integrated bag drop and check in, and elevated in-park refreshment and cuisine.

course

All new, state of the art pump and irrigation system allowing for precise and optimal turf watering.

Total replacement and reshaping of green and green surrounds with Mini Verde. Mini Verde provides an unparalleled, year-round, putting surface with consistent, fast and smooth ball roll that is optimal for desert putting greens, tees and surrounds. Mini Verde was recently installed with great success at the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands Golf Course, El Dorado CC, Thunderbird CC, Ironwood CC and soon to be installed at Morningside CC.

Hole 1 may be shortened slightly but also become more challenging from the back tees as a “puppy leg” 300yd par 4.

Hole 5 may be lengthened slightly to a 225yd par 3 sharing a charming lake front double green with hole 8.

Hole 7 may be divided into a new drivable, 290 yd par 4 hole, plus a new 175 yd par 3 hole 8 sharing the charming lakefront double green with hole 5.

Hole 9 may be combined with the current hole 8 as a double water, dog leg, signature 400 yd par 4, finishing on a totally new, elevated great surround by a beach on what will will immediately be recognized as a desert island.

Hole 15 may get a total makeover and slight lengthening to become an immersive “moonscape”, surrounded by hard pack native sand where wild agave will be cultivated for an on course agave based spirit distillery.

Hole 18’s green complex may get transformed into yet another recognizable desert island.

Each and every new and original bunker may be rebuilt using the high performance Z-Line soft, synthetic bunker lining system.

Each and every tee box may get laser leveled and reshaped with more of a pod design versus the current landing strip configuration.

At least 8 acres of currently irrigated turf may be converted to ultra low water usage “moonscaped” wild agave farms making Desert Island one of the most sustainable and lowest water usage golf courses in the desert.

The overall course may become a 6,500 yd par 71 and be one of the greatest, most playable and enjoyable golf experiences in Southern California.

The

restoration may also include the following:

Desert Island Resort

A new luxury, Desert Island boutique hotel is currently in the approval process with the City of Rancho Mirage.

The high concept, sustainable design will be architecturally significant, consist of self-sufficient studios, 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom casita style keys, each with their own chef kitchens, living room areas and private terraces. Unique artisan made furnishings, décor, ceramics, lighting and textiles will be used and also sold on site.

City approvals should be secured by Spring 2023 and construction should begin in parallel with the course restoration in April 2024 The first phase of the hotel including 14 keys, Olympic length, wave free, salt water, destination swimming pool, private pool cabanas, fitness pavilion, uniquely sunken garden tennis court, and lake side pool bar should open during January 2025

The second phase including 28 additional keys plus 11 privately owned, Hotel residences should open by January 2027 Desert Island private members may receive special hotel privileges including preferred reservations plus limited access to pool area, fitness pavilion, tennis and poolside dining