Welcome to the desert. On this episode of “Talking GolfGetaways,” hosts Mitch Laurance and Darin Bunch connect listeners with one of the great golf destinations in the world — Palm Springs, California. Home to sunshine, spectacular scenery, iconic movie stars and show-business royalty, Palm Springs — and its staggering array of championship tracks — can leave you breathless.
Mitch and Darin have both experienced the joys of golf, food and fun in the Coachella Valley, a land of more than 100 golf courses and 130 hotels and resorts highlighted by 300-plus days of sunshine each year (with only four inches of rain). Accessible easily by car from Los Angeles, San Diego (less than two hours from each) and Phoenix (a quick 4-plus hours), Palm Springs offers the traveling golfer myriad choices to play, stay and eat — many of which are rejuvenating and simply unforgettable.
Darin’s recent return to La Quinta Resort & Spa is the topic of conversation as the hosts discuss the desert life, complete with golf course recommendations (PGA West Stadium and Nicklaus Public, Indian Wells’ Celebrity and Players, Desert Willow’s Firecliff and Mountain View); newly discovered eateries (Cork & Fork wine bar and tapas, Lulu California Bistro); and essential lodging options (poolside rooms at La Quinta, plus the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa).
Meanwhile, Mitch recounts his years as a Los Angeles-based actor and the frequent golf trips he made to the desert (mostly with pal Craig T. Nelson of “Coach” TV fame) — and how flipping a golf cart into a 10-foot-deep fairway bunker on the Jack Nicklaus Private Course made him a different kind of celebrity. And Darin adds in an amazing day-trip destination suggestion of heading to nearby Joshua Tree National Park.
It’s clear that both “Talking GolfGetaways” hosts believe Palm Springs is a must-play, must-stay, must-eat, must-visit destination — and one of the truly great golf-travel escapes in the West.
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“Talking GolfGetaways with Mitch Laurance & Darin Bunch” is sponsored by MesquiteGolfPackages.com and can be found on GolfNewsNet.com and across the Golf News Net platform. “Talking GolfGetaways” is also available on audioBoom and for download on the iTunes Podcasts app. New episodes post daily, five days per week (for the most part), and listeners can use #TalkingGolfGetaways to join the golf-travel conversation on social media or just tell Mitch and Darin the funniest things you’ve ever done in a golf cart.
