Floodwaters cutting across 17th fairway of the Legend Course at Tahquitz Creek Golf Resort (photo by Larry Bohannan/The Desert Sun). A record Valentine Day’s rainfall of 3.69 inches in Palm Springs left a trail of debris and eroded landscapes, as washes and channels designed to handle the Coachella Valley’s infrequent downpours were overrun. Brandon Alexander…
Solar Carport Installed at Sunrise CC
The Rancho Mirage, Calif., property worked with Solar Gain West and K2 Clean Energy Capital to build a $1.4 million solar photovoltaic carport that will offset over 70% of the club’s power usage. The carport will also provide shade from the desert sun. Sunrise Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif., has installed a $1.4 million…
Residents Object to Bird Killings at The Springs CC
A group of residents have put together a petition opposing the shooting of coots at the Rancho Mirage, Calif., property. The club has a Migratory Bird Depredation Permit issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is authorized by the city for coot depredation. Coachella Valley residents are speaking out against the “inhumane” killings of…
Rancho Mirage (Calif.) CC Reaches Agreement with Developer
The agreement will allow golf course owner Oasis Ranch LLC to pursue development of a boutique hotel on the property while deeding about 80 acres of property back to the homeowners association, with plans to build a new golf course in about two years. The homeowners at Rancho Mirage (Calif.) Country Club are hoping their former…
ClubCorp Stockholders Approve Acquisition
The transaction for the management firm’s acquisition by an affiliate of certain investment funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, LLC, was expected to close on or about September 18th after its approval at a special stockholders meeting a day earlier. Upon the closing, stockholders will be entitled to receive $17.12 per share in cash.
Thunderbird CC Rumored to Offer Obama Honorary Membership
The Rancho Mirage, Calif., club has reportedly extended an honorary membership to former President Barack Obama, though The Desert Sun was unable to confirm the report and club officials would not comment. Officials at Thunderbird Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif., said they could not confirm or deny reports that the oldest 18-hole club in…
Just Keep Swimming
Pool programming that suits members’ changing needs is the best way to ensure that the most family-friendly amenity lives up to expectations.
ClubCorp Bought by Apollo Global Management for $1.1 Billion
Through the all-stock deal with the private-equity firm, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year, shareholders will receive $17.12 per share in cash, a premium of about 30.7% over the management firm’s closing stock price on July 7. “With the support of the Apollo funds, we are confident that ClubCorp will be able to continue building on its success,” said Chairman John Beckert.
Desert Island G&CC Rebrands Under New Ownership
The Rancho Mirage, Calif., property is now known as The Sinatra Resort & Country Club, named after the street on which it is located. New owner Tim Martin is changing the property from an equity private club to a resort with plans for a hotel.
New York Times Features Marrakesh CC As “Chic Again”
A Fashion & Style-section article highlighted how the Palm Desert, Calif., property, once known primarily for its 18-hole executive golf course, has become “a mecca for worshipers of high design”—and in particular architect John Elgin Woolf, who created Marrakesh’s pink-and-white villas and pool houses in his signature “Hollywood Regency” style that is now enjoying a resurgence in popularity. “The desert used to be driven by golf,” one Marrakesh resident told the Times. “Now the big engine of the economy [here] is style.”
Turf-Removal Rebates Continue Despite Official End of California’s Drought
As with previous offers, clubs and courses in the Palm Springs, Calif. region are being offered a new round of $15,000 rebates for each acre of irrigated turf that is removed, with a cap of seven acres. “It is not about being in an emergency or reacting to the emergency,” said a water-district official in explaining the program’s continuation.
Locked and Loaded
Men’s and women’s locker rooms are solidifying their status as an essential component of a club’s overall design.
Bighorn GC, Mission Hills CC Focus on “Lifestyle Amenities”
The updated clubhouse of ClubCorp’s Mission Hills CC in Rancho Mirage, Calif. and the new $70 million clubhouse at Bighorn GC in Palm Desert, Calif. speak to how even clubs in golf-centric areas like the Palm Springs/Coachella Valley region have to “provide more and more off the course,” golf writer Larry Bohannan noted.
MembersFirst Earns Interactive Media Awards
This is the sixth consecutive year the club digital solutions firm has won awards presented by the Interactive Media Awards Council, and the first time the company has been awarded four Best in Class designations for website design.
Mission Hills CC Launches Reinvention Project
The multimillion project at the ClubCorp property in Rancho Mirage, Calif. is scheduled to be completed this fall. The renovation will update the clubhouse foyer and entrance, add a new “Touchdown Room” with a private work zone, improve the Dinah Shore Boardroom, create a new “Anytime Lounge” with a media area, add two dining rooms including the upscale Oak Room, create new climate-controlled wine lockers, and completely renovate the men’s locker room.