Courtesy of Evan Schiller
Courtesy of Evan Schiller
Courtesy of Evan Schiller
Courtesy of Evan Schiller
Courtesy of Evan Schiller
Stone Eagle Golf Club
Palm Desert, CA • Private
Stone Eagle Golf Club
72500 Stone Eagle Dr
Palm Desert, CA 92260-6280
United States
Overview
Stone Eagle is one of the most remarkable courses in the golf-heavy Palm Springs market. It sits atop a rocky plateau, 1,000 feet above the Coachella Valley but still thousands of feet below the peaks of the adjacent Santa Rosa Mountains. When Tom Doak first walked the site, he said, “I thought this must be what the surface of Mars looks like: rocky, rugged and red.” Given the luxury of routing an 18 without any homesites, Doak did his lay-of-the-land best to create a faux links high above the desert floor by tucking fairways into creases of the land and positioning shots to play over low ridges into bold greens that mimic the rugged topography. At Stone Eagle, Doak used hillsides of rocks and boulders the way Old Country architects used sand dunes. The only difference: sand is soft, rock is not.
About
Awards
Ranking history:
Second 100 Greatest: Ranked from 2013-'16 and 2019-'22.
Highest ranking: No. 111, 2019-'20.
Previous ranking: 122nd.
2025-'26 ranking: 117nd.
Best in State: Ranked 14th, 2017-'18. Ranked 16th, 2019-'24. Ranked 17th, 2021-'22. Ranked 20th, 2015-'16. Ranked 23rd, 2011-'14. Ranked inside the top 25, 2007-'10.
2025-'26 ranking (and previous): 16th.
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“Perched on a bench overlooking the town, with no homes, the course presents a unique setting. The course mixes desert with areas of semi connected fairways. Wide fairways and dynamic greens create shot options unlike most desert courses. All of this adds up to a beautiful, fun, playable course."
Read More2025
Review
“Very private. Amazing course. Very scenic. Firm and fast and in great condition. Like nothing you have ever seen."
Read More2025
Review
“Stone Eagle felt like golf on another planet — in the best way. Playing it, I was constantly adjusting to dramatic elevation changes, firm desert turf, and green sites tucked into rocky outcrops. It’s minimalist but never boring — wide off the tee but positioning of each shot was required to be very strategic. Definitely one of the most memorable rounds I’ve had."
Read More2025
Review
“One of the most special course in the desert! Superb conditions with amazing views. Most of the holes put you right in the mountain going up or down!"
Read More2024
Review
“It is a truly unique track. The vision to put a golf course on that land is beyond impressive. The vistas are dramatic and intimidating from the opening tee shot but its incredibly playable and a ton of fun. If a hard-to-get invitation comes your way... RUN don't WALK!"
Read More2024
Review
“Beautiful and dramatic. Wonderfully conditioned. Nice mix of uphill and downhill golf holes."
Read More2024
Review
“Very visually appealing layout. Greens are very difficult to putt. Requires every shot in the bag to score well. If you can get on..... a must play in the Palm Desert area."
Read More2024
Review
“Incredible views and conditioning. Very fun and strategic fairway humps. Great use of the mountains and having the green breaks always taking that into factor. Great set of par 3s. Memorable and breathtaking overall."
Read More2024
Review
“Fun undulating greens make 2 putts on these greens challenging. Elevation movement throughout."
Read More2023
Review
“Tom Doak design that weaves in and out of rock formations. Big wide fairways and tough, diabolical greens are the order of the day throughout a round here. Be on the proper portion of these greens or risk three putting. Play here if offered the opportunity."
Read More2023
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