News

The Golf Center at Palm Desert and The First Tee

Published

18 years ago

Jul 27, 2008

Do you need a place to work on your short game? Have you ever wondered where you could donate clubs you weren’t using? Did you ever feel like you wanted to volunteer your time by getting young people involved in golf? The Golf Center at Palm Desert is the place for all of this and more.

The Course

The track at The Golf Center is a nine hole par 3 that you can get through in about an hour. It’s the perfect spot to practice your short game before a full 18 at one of the bigger courses in the desert. We had the place to ourselves and really enjoyed it. The greens were actually quite challenging as the bright sun and the lay of the grass made you believe they were much faster than they actually played. We navigated the entire course with our 9 irons, pitching wedges, and putters. The 4^th hole had the longest distance of the course at 137 yards from the back of the tee box (Okay, I actually pulled out my 8 iron for this one). The shortest hole is the 9^th at 90 yards from the back of the tee box.

In addition to short game practice, this is an excellent course for beginners and children that are new to the game. The longest distance on the course using the front of the tee box is that 4^th hole at 108 yards. There are short holes at 53 and 68 yards as well.

The green fees are $10 for nine holes or $15 for 18 holes year-round. Seniors are $9 for 9 or $14 for 18 and juniors are $5 and $10. They also have year-round Mens Day every Tuesday and Ladies Day every Thursday where fees are $8 and $12. The facility also offers lessons, a driving range, and a snack bar. Fresh water and shade are strategically located throughout the course as well. You can get all details on their website <a href="http://www.cvrpd.org/programs/golf.htm">here</a>.

The First Tee

The First Tee has been around for ten years and uses the game of golf to teach children and teens life skills. What better sport than golf to learn perseverance, honesty, and integrity? The chapter in the desert just came into existence in January of 2008 with a gala opening that included the likes of entertainer George Lopez. The First Tee Coachella Valley is now well into their program rhythm and is headed by Mr. Jan Hagen, a former San Diego high school principal.

The First Tee focuses on nine core values that participants learn in addition to the game of golf; honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy, and judgment. They also keep up with how the participants translate these skills from the course to home and school. The program in Palm Desert is open to all children and teens from ages 8-17. This chapter also has a special curriculum for even younger kids that gets them ready for the full program when they are old enough. At most, the cost per child is $100 for one year. In some cases the fees are reduced and Hagen stressed that money will never prevent a child from participation. Each participant has a set of clubs to use at the facility that suits their individual need. In order to accommodate the expenses the chapter has dedicated fundraisers and takes donations of clubs or cash. By giving your old clubs and equipment to the organization they use them in one of three ways. An older child will use the clubs as they are, a clubmaker will cut them down, or they will be liquidated to cash.

There are chapters nationwide and around the world. You can find more information on the Coachella Valley group on their website here. Find a chapter in your area on the main site here.

The back of the tee box for the first hole.

Nice shot close enough to the hole.

Each hole is marked by a bench and several have fresh water and ball cleaners.

The view between the 3rd and 4th holes

One of the water features of the course.

The First Tee donated equipment closet.

Jan Hagan, Executive Director – The First Tee Coachella Valley

News

GolfWRX’s Father’s Day Gift Guide (2026)

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

A reminder from your friends at GolfWRX: Father’s Day is June 21. And as we do every year, we’re rounding up the best gifts for dad.

As we say every year, there’s no better golf-related Father’s Day gift than a round of golf with pops. Be it a country club or your favorite muni, take the time to get together to play 18 if you can.

Let’s get to the gifts.

Ghost Golf Qualifier Diamond Polo

We like the new polos that Ghost is offering, as the fabric and fit are so good. These new Qualifier Collection polos breathe well, are lightweight, stretch with your swing, and of course look great. You can wear them on the course, in the office, or just out at a casual event and they will fit right in.

Buy here.

STR8-Strip Grip Tape Remover

If your dad is an equipment aficionado and tinkers with his clubs, this tool works wonders. Removing grip tape has never been easier, just put a little head on the tape and the STR8-Strip peals it right off the shaft without any damage.

Buy here.

Why Golf: Putting Thing

When it comes to practice, it is good to have a purpose. This “Putting Thing” sure does it. We know from personal experience how challenging it can be and how rewarding it is on the practice green. This also provides some competition for your kiddo to see who will unload the dishwasher or do the next chore around the house.

Buy here.

OluKai Lae‘ahi Men’s Breathable Slip-On Shoes

Riding to and from the course in style and comfort is always a good thing. If you’re in a hurry, it’s a nice feature to slide into your shoes and get to the tee time. For the post-game shoe, at your locker or while putting your clubs away in the car. Nice to slide into a shoe that looks good anywhere. Pair that with meeting the family for dinner, no need to change!

Buy here.

Therabody Theragun Relief

A little wellness goes a long way. Keeping loose is a good way to go when it comes to the weekend game or treatment during the week. If there is a little ache or pain, the Theragun is there to help out. Help loosen up the back for a pre-game warm-up or cool-down.

Buy here.

World Cup golf apparel

Something for the soccer dads. Embrace the World Cup fever this summer on the course with custom gear to support the nation of your choice.

Buy here.

FootJoy Pro SL spikeless golf shoes

Give the old man a break and save his feet with the Footjoy Pro SL Men’s Spikeless Golf Shoes for some added comfort on the course.

Buy here.

Bushnell Wingman 2 GPS speaker

Combine all the hits as well as some game improvement with the Wingman 2 Golf GPS Speaker by getting audible distance readings from 38,000+ courses worldwide through the Wingman 2 remote or speaker.

Buy here.

Personalized Titleist Pro V1 golf balls

The No. 1 ball in golf is a safe bet, and the Pro V1 fits the largest chunk of the bell curve if you don’t know what ball pops plays. Add personalization for a, well, personal touch!

Buy here.

GolfWRX may earn a commission for purchases made through links on this page, at no extra cost to you.

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 OccuNet Classic

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

With the PGA Tour across the border in Canada this week, GolfWRX Tour Photographer Greg Moore stayed stateside and headed to the OccuNet Classic presented by Amarillo National Bank in Amarillo, Texas.

It’s always interesting to see what the guys are playing on the KFT, and this week certainly hasn’t disappointed so far, with some incredible wedge stamping on display.

Check out links to all our albums below.

General Albums

2026 OccuNet Classic (KFT) – Monday #1

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

Luke Potter’s custom Cameron putter – 2026 OccuNet Classic (KFT)

News

From the GolfWRX Classifieds: Scotty Cameron GOLO 6 with BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

Will Schube

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @HuskerFlyer is sharing a Scotty Cameron GOLO with a BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition shaft. While the putter is certainly enviable, the Augusta-inspired shaft is equally noteworthy.

From the listing:

Scotty Cameron Golo 6 with BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition Scotty Headcover 34″ $375

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules.