Stone Eagle Golf Club
Palm Desert, CA • Private
Courtesy of Evan Schiller
Courtesy of Evan Schiller
Courtesy of Evan Schiller
Courtesy of Evan Schiller
Courtesy of Evan Schiller
Overview
Stone Eagle is the most remarkable course in the golf-heavy Palm Springs market. It sits atop a rocky plateau, a thousand 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.
2023-'24 ranking: 122nd.
Previous ranking: 125th.
Highest ranking: No. 111, 2019-'20.
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.
2023-'24 ranking: 16th.
Previous ranking: 17th.
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
“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
Review
“Incredible elevation changes and dramatic forced carries are not for the high handicapper. But for a good or great golfer, it's surprisingly navigable. Conditioning is among the best in the valley."
Read More2023
Review
“Not an easy course to get access to and it's a difficult layout with firm, fast greens. Very nice condition and it's all about the golf at this club!"
Read More2023
Review
“Shot options: Shot options off the tee were limited, only a few holes was I forced to think about something other than driver. Shots required on approaches were much better, and greens had lots of pin positions that could vary widely.; Challenge: Not much of a challenge off the tee, approach shots required attention, and if not on proper shelf, putting wasn't easy. Chipping around the greens was not hard. ; Layout variety: Variety was great in that while the holes look mostly straight, there is a lot of subtle turns. My one big criticism is that nearly all of the par 4's played between 380-420; uphill 360 yards played almost the same as downhill at 480. ; Conditioning: Played it in Jan, so not sure how close to ideal this is, but course was reasonably firm (but not as firm as the Quarry I played the next day at the same altitude), and greens were fairly fast, but not lightning fast. ; Character: There is a lot of ingenuity and uniqueness, it stands out from nearly all other courses I have played, even ones in the hills within a desert. However, I question whether they are profound or not - I don't come down on the side of outstanding. Again, if I am misinterpreting this, please let me know. ; Fun: I found it fairly fun, although there is little way one could walk this course, so takes away some of the fun. My wife, a mid-handicapper, didn't enjoy it all that much, and I think she is a good proxy for the average golfer."
Read More2022
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