Few golf towns in America carry the mystique of Palm Springs, where the desert light turns golden at dusk and the San Jacinto Mountains rise dramatically behind every tee shot. Escena Golf Club sits in the heart of that landscape, a public-access course that has worked to redefine what everyday desert golf looks and feels like — less the manicured artificiality of some resort layouts, more a design that leans into the natural contours and open character of the Coachella Valley floor.
The course was redesigned by Nick Faldo and his design team, reworking an older layout into something with genuine strategic interest. Wide corridors give way to greens that reward accurate iron play, and the omnipresent mountain backdrop means virtually every hole is framed by one of Southern California's most striking panoramas. It's a course that plays differently as the day heats up and the desert wind shifts.
The clubhouse and bar have earned a local following well beyond the golf, making Escena a genuine gathering place rather than just a place to tee it up.
