Architect Brian Curley, principal of Curley-Wagner Golf Design, has returned to The Palms Golf Club, the private La Quinta, California, course he crafted with World Golf Hall of Famer Fred Couples in 1999, to complete a thoughtful modernization that restores the layout to its original splendor.
Curley’s and Couples’ recent work focused on reclaiming the clean, classical look that defined the course at its debut. Together they reconstructed creeks, removed trees to enhance strategic options and long-range views, and cleared vegetation to reveal features that had quietly filled in over time. Fairways were widened to improve playability and revive the dramatic doglegs that are a hallmark of the design. The result is a layout that feels more open and playable, and more visually connected to its desert surrounds — all showcased by an exceptional seasonal overseed.
“Over the past 25-plus years, the course had seen subtle changes that were mostly imposed to cater to the elite player,” Curley said. “These included tighter fairway widths and added trees that took out alternative angles of play. Fred and I feel that this recent effort brought back much of the original width, creating more playability for the average player, yet the course certainly remains one of the more challenging layouts in the desert.”
From the start, The Palms was conceived as an old-school golf club; walking-friendly, golf-first and free of distractions. Now, as then, there are no tee times, and fast play remains central to the club’s identity. Its ethos and aesthetics borrow from the game’s most revered traditional venues, including Augusta National, Riviera and Oakmont.
The Palms is also known for its “core golf” setting, with only a smattering of perimeter homes. The absence of real estate constraints allowed Curley and Couples to shape bold doglegs and lines of play that are rare on modern desert courses.
The routing itself offers variety and character. The opening holes unfold through a distinctive mesquite environment reminiscent of the Sandbelt, while later stretches are framed by towering palms that lend the course a timeless Coachella Valley feel.
The club’s membership reflects that tradition. The Palms is historically home to a collection of PGA Tour and LPGA Tour professionals, as well as many of the region’s top amateurs. Arnold Palmer was among its most beloved early members, often spending time in the clubhouse, even joining the club’s famed weekly “game,” a tradition that still thrives today and continues to attract elite players from across the valley.
Curley and Couples’ recent work focused on reclaiming the clean, classical look that defined the course at its debut. Together they reconstructed creeks, removed trees to enhance strategic options and long-range views, and cleared vegetation to reveal features that had quietly filled in over time. Fairways were widened to improve playability and revive the dramatic doglegs that are a hallmark of the design. The result is a layout that feels more open and playable, and more visually connected to its desert surrounds—all showcased by an exceptional seasonal overseed.
“Over the past 25-plus years, the course had seen subtle changes that were mostly imposed to cater to the elite player,” said Curley. “These included tighter fairway widths and added trees that took out alternative angles of play. Fred and I feel that this recent effort brought back much of the original width, creating more playability for the average player, yet the course certainly remains one of the more challenging layouts in the desert.”
From the start, The Palms was conceived as an old-school golf club; walking-friendly, golf-first and free of distractions. Now, as then, there are no tee times, and fast play remains central to the club’s identity. Its ethos and aesthetics borrow from the game’s most revered traditional venues, including Augusta National, Riviera and Oakmont.
The Palms is also known for its “core golf” setting, with only a smattering of perimeter homes. The absence of real estate constraints allowed Curley and Couples to shape bold doglegs and lines of play that are rare on modern desert courses.
The routing itself offers variety and character. The opening holes unfold through a distinctive mesquite environment reminiscent of the Sandbelt, while later stretches are framed by towering palms that lend the course a timeless Coachella Valley feel.
The club’s membership reflects that tradition. The Palms is historically home to a collection of PGA Tour and LPGA Tour professionals, as well as many of the region’s top amateurs. Arnold Palmer was among its most beloved early members, often spending time in the clubhouse, even joining the club’s famed weekly “game,” a tradition that still thrives today and continues to attract elite players from across the valley.
THE SOCIAL ASPECT
A very wet and muddy site visit to False River Golf & CC in Louisiana to check on the project this past Friday. Greens are starting to get roughed-in (as seen here on the par-5 6th hole), but the 5+ inches of rain Fri/Sat will slow us down to start this week. pic.twitter.com/rCHbMUkZai
— Nathan Crace, ASGCA, PLA (@lipouts) January 12, 2026
A THREE-HOLE SHORT COURSE DEBUTS
Jefferson Landing Club in Jefferson, North Carolina, recently debuted the Orion’s Ridge three-hole short course designed by John LaFoy.
Located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, 65 miles northeast of Asheville and 50 miles northwest of Winston-Salem, Jefferson Landing is home to an 18-hole championship layout designed by three-time major champion Larry Nelson. That course, originally conceived by club developers Mark and Eddie Vannoy, has been tweaked several times since, most recently by Kris Spence in 2017, when he remodeled the layout and added a four-hole par-3 course. With the new work, LaFoy also created a Himalayas-style putting green.
"Those par-3 holes are located on land adjacent to the clubhouse playing over, around and down into a relatively steep depression, which has been softened by construction,” LaFoy told GolfCourseArchitecture.net. "The holes fit in nicely and are a great place for short-game practice, however, the steep terrain made it difficult for some golfers to enjoy the venue. After visiting other resorts and seeing trends in the industry, Mark Vannoy thought that a Himalayas-style green would integrate nicely into their existing golf facility. Luckily the property had some available adjacent land on site that could be utilized for this vision."
Early in 2024, Jason Black, project manager at Vannoy Construction, reached out to LaFoy to explore the prospects of building the additional holes and the putting green. "After an onsite visit and some topographical study, it was determined that an acre-sized green and three par-3 holes could fit on the land," LaFoy said. "The terrain was such that two of the holes would play downhill and the third would play slightly uphill."
Construction began in spring 2024, on the three par-3 holes, each with three sets of tees. The holes measured from 50 to 100 yards. To LaFoy, creating the new holes and the massive putting green served two purposes.
“It turned a haul disposal area where construction and golf course waste was stored to get it out of the way, which although maybe not an eyesore, it certainly was not particularly neat to look at, into something that is now quite attractive aesthetically as well as functional," LaFoy said. "Secondly, it now offers a great venue for golfers, many of whom are overnight guests of the resort, a chance to continue their golf after finishing a round on the main course. It can be played well into the evening hours and there are plans to light the par-3 holes."
Two of the new par-3 greens are sectionalized to place a premium on shot placement. Greens and approaches are carpeted in 007 Creeping bentgrass, with bluegrass and fine fescue cloaking the other areas.
"The Himalayas green is the crown jewel of this project," LaFoy said. "The size of the green is almost an acre, at 40,000 square feet, with about a 3,000-square-foot landscaped center island, which was installed for several reasons, including making watering easier. It would have been difficult or impossible to water this green with strictly perimeter sprinkler heads, so the island has six part-circle sprinkler heads. Also, I did not want to surface drain the entire green on the edges, like a giant turtleback. Therefore, there are two catch basins in the island on the high side of the three-level green. The island also breaks up the massive size of the green. Because the green was built on a significantly sloping piece of terrain, it contains three different levels with a significant transition slope between levels. This also facilitates being able to place nine flagsticks on each level for a 27-hole putting green.
“It was quite a challenge designing such a large green and it helped tremendously to break it down into basically three greens and then join them together. I suspect that in future years, these types of greens will become quite popular, as well they should.”
VIETNAM READIES FOR LATEST GREG NORMAN DESIGN
Greg Norman Golf Course Design (GNGCD) anticipates that its latest Asian design, Van Lang Empire T&T Golf Club, will open in northern Vietnam’s Phu Tho province early in 2026. Flagstick Golf Course Construction Management built the 18-hole course, which is being developed by Hanoi-based T&T Group, a multi-lobed syndicate that was one of the earliest private enterprises in Vietnam, dating to 1993.
Norman draped the course atop wildly rolling ground, with exciting elevation changes. Eventually the course will be joined by a second 18, plus residential development, a hotel and an event venue.
“The course layout was the result of an intensive on-site routing study to maximize compatibility of each hole with the existing terrain and landscape,” Norman told GolfCourseArchitecture.net. “The location and sizing of lakes played a particularly important role in balancing the cut-fill, water management, strategy and aesthetics.”
Choices off the tee and into the green have been seamlessly integrated into the design. “Players have several options to approach each hole and placement off the tee is critical,” said Chris Campbell, president of GNGCD. “Hole 5 is good example: a downhill par 4 with a well-guarded green tucked behind a lake that runs the length of the fairway. Players can choose how much of the hazard they want to bite off for a risk-reward trade-off on the approach shot.”
Norman and Campbell have crafted the design to appeal to all abilities and backgrounds. “The target audience includes both domestic and international guests,” said Campbell. “There’s convenient access from Hanoi International Airport—the global gateway to Vietnam—and the course design prioritizes enjoyability for golfers of all skill levels and re-playability value for members and repeat guests. The extensive practice facilities will provide a training ground for new golfers with a particular focus on growing the game among Vietnamese youth.”
