David McLay Kidd is a busy man. When I saw him earlier this year, he was unveiling the near-completed design of Bone Valley, the latest addition to the incredible offerings at Streamsong in Central Florida. What makes that concept so fascinating, as people will learn later this fall, is that it is a course that feels like it exists anywhere except within the Sunshine State. It turns out that’s a remarkable talent of his.

Next up for one of the hardest working humans in golf course design is an 18-hole oasis at Coral Mountain Desert Club in La Quinta, California. Location alone will have Kidd’s fans and golfers in general salivating, but the whole picture here will make this one of the most sought after settings for just about anyone with a focus on nature, wellness, and Left Coast serenity. And while we only have a sketch to hold us over for now, that’s never a bad start.

“My passion for golf is about creating special experiences in compelling landscapes. I’ve spent a lifetime doing just that at Bandon Dunes in Oregon and the Castle Course in St. Andrews, Scotland, where I was born and raised. At Coral Mountain Desert Club, I have the opportunity to create my first original work in Southern California,” Kidd explained of his first desert-style links effort. “On my very first visit I reveled in the light cast across the valley, shadows in the mountains and the colors in the rocks. I knew I had found another compelling landscape to do my best work, and where my team and I could craft a course unlike anything nearby. A course that enthralls with intrigue, adventure, whimsy and playfulness, while exciting and perplexing golfers over and over again. We can’t wait to start creating something fresh and new, yet so steeped in the roots of the Scottish game I grew up around.”

So, what will make Coral Mountain Desert Club so special? For starters, it’s a bit reductive to say this is just about wellness. Fitness buffs are going to want to live here, as the recovery facilities alone will make this an ideal choice for kicking back after any intense activities. But there’s also no need to stray too far since a lot of those activities will take place on site. For example, there will be an expansive network of trails for runners and explorers to admire the region’s stunning nature, while surfers can hone their craft within a 48-chamber surf lagoon, what will be the “largest pneumatic mammade wave basin” anywhere in the U.S.

The fun hardly stops there. Other amenities will include eight pickleball courts — as well as four for padel and three for tennis — a recreational lake, multiple resort-style pools, pump track, and much more, with the cherry on top being a clubhouse designed by Hart Howerton, because when you want the best, you bring in the best. 

The first phase of Coral Mountain Desert Club construction is underway, with the 18-hole championship course set to debut in 2028.