Community guides
The private communities of La Quinta and the Coachella Valley.
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These are buyer’s guides to the private golf and country club communities of La Quinta, Indian Wells and Palm Desert. Each one covers what the community is actually like, how membership works, what homes and homesites cost, and the things that decide whether one property is worth more than another: orientation, view corridor, course frontage, afternoon sun and separation. They are written from 25 years inside these gates rather than from listing data, and the market figures are pulled from the MLS and dated so you can see how current they are.
Listed in order of the depth we can speak to. Guides marked in progress are being written.
The Madison Club
La QuintaDeveloped by Discovery Land Company around a Tom Fazio course. The most private estate community in the desert, and the one most often misunderstood by buyers arriving without local representation.
The Hideaway
La QuintaTwo championship courses by Pete Dye and Clive Clark across 600 acres, with 434 residences and membership capped at 450. More social and family oriented than the Valley's quieter clubs.
Tradition Golf Club
La QuintaAn Arnold Palmer course against the Santa Rosa mountains, member owned since 2008. Intimate, understated, and a membership that prefers to stay out of the spotlight.
PGA WEST
La QuintaThe widest range of price, architecture and lifestyle of any golf community in the Valley, from the Stadium Course to the Signature Club.
Rancho La Quinta Country Club
La QuintaTwo courses, elegant homes and a country club culture that stays genuinely social.
Andalusia at Coral Mountain
La QuintaResort scale amenities and mountain views, with a broader entry point than the Valley's ultra private clubs.
The Quarry at La Quinta
La QuintaDramatic terrain, elite golf and architectural homes on some of the most private land in the Valley.
BIGHORN Golf Club
Palm DesertPalm Desert luxury at its highest level, with two courses and a clubhouse program built to match.
The Reserve
Palm DesertLow density, architecturally controlled and deliberately quiet, on land that reads more canyon than fairway.
Indian Wells Country Club
Indian WellsOne of the desert's founding clubs, with a history that predates most of the Valley's private communities.
Comparing two communities
Most buyers arrive deciding between two places rather than choosing from ten. These pieces take that decision head on.
The Hideaway vs The Citrus, and why the decision is not really about golf
Common questions
Which La Quinta golf community is the most private?
The Madison Club is generally regarded as the most private, with membership highly limited and homesites of approximately 0.50 to 1.5 acres. Tradition Golf Club is quieter and more understated in character, while The Hideaway is deliberately more social.
Which community has the most golf?
The Hideaway, with 36 holes across two courses designed by Pete Dye and Clive Clark. Most other private clubs in La Quinta have a single 18 hole course. PGA WEST has the widest range of courses overall but spans a much broader mix of price points and property types.
Do you have to be a club member to buy a home in these communities?
It varies by community, and buyers should not assume membership is included with a home purchase. In Discovery Land Company communities such as The Madison Club and The Hideaway, real estate ownership and club membership are handled as separate components. Confirm current membership requirements directly with each club as part of due diligence.
Can you rent a home in these communities during Coachella?
In most cases no. The City of La Quinta has maintained a permanent ban on most new short term vacation rental permits since 20 May 2021, and the private golf communities are generally not on the City's published list of exempt areas. Individual HOA and club documents may be more restrictive still. Verify the specific property address and permit status before relying on rental income.
Deciding between communities
Two homes at the same asking price in the same community can live completely differently, and the difference is rarely in the listing photographs. If you are weighing two communities, or two properties within one, that conversation is worth having before you make an offer rather than after.
Written by Laurie McLennan, Founder, The McLennan Team at Desert Sotheby’s International Realty
California DRE #01424382 · Board of Regents, Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate