Championship Golf at Historical Coachella Valley Resort

The historic Indian Palms Country Club and Resort has a total of 27 holes of championship golf, each presenting its own unique challenges amid the stunning Coachella Valley scenery. Three 9-hole courses—the Mountain, Royal, and Indian—present golfers with challenging water and bunker hazards. All along the Mountain course, golfers play amid gorgeous views of the Santa Rosa Mountains and towering palm trees. The peaceful scenery and bountiful sunlight makes the resort a welcoming retreat for those escaping the city.

Indian Palms was originally the property of world-famous aviatrix Jackie Cochran, the first woman to break the sound barrier. She lived on this sprawling 640-acre ranch with her movie-studio-owning husband, Floyd Odlum. Many notable guests have passed through, including presidents and movie stars, but perhaps the most famous guest was Amelia Earhart, who was Jackie’s good friend. Earhart spent the last months of her life on the property, riding horses and swimming in the pool before her fateful last flight.

Since transforming into a resort, Indian Palms has upgraded its property to include a second pool, tennis courts, and La Palma Restaurant, which features an outdoor terrace where you can get views of the mountains.

Coachella Valley, California: Shopping, Desert Wildlife, and Palm Springs’ Hollywood Glamor

Indian Palms Country Club and Resort is located in Indio, just 24 miles from Palm Springs. Indio is nestled in the Coachella Valley of the Sonoran Desert—it’s the home of the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. It’s a quiet, secluded area that typically gets more than 350 days of sunshine per year, with plenty of cultural oases, such as nearby Palm Desert's El Paseo, known as the Rodeo Drive of the desert for its art galleries, high-end boutiques, and brand-name retailers.

Indio is also a gateway town to the more than 750,000-acre Joshua Tree National Park, located less than 40 miles away. In addition to being the birthplace of Bono, the desert park is famous for its unusual geologic formations and mountains of twisted rock, ideal for rock climbing. Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife including desert bighorn sheep, golden eagles, and coyotes.

For a guaranteed glimpse of wildlife, check out The Living Desert, a zoo, botanical garden, and animal hospital in Palm Desert. As you stroll throughout the various geographical regions—including North America and Africa's Village WaTuTu—you will see flora and fauna indigenous to that area, which can include Mexican gray wolves, giraffes, or jaguars. The Living Desert also boasts a G-scale model train that winds its way through replicas of historical scenes, including a California mining and logging town and the Grand Canyon.

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