La Quinta – Ultimate Golfing Destination

The Robb Report, which oozes luxury and the good life, has named La Quinta as "America’s ultimate golfing destination" and, in passing, also had kind words for the rest of the Coachella Valley.

The magazine, in its Best Places to Live issue, said it picked La Quinta from an extensive list because of "the seemingly endless options for passionate golfers."

To be picked as the best in the country, especially in a valley with 113 golf courses, is especially noteworthy.

Mayor Donald Adolph, who upon learning of the magazine’s selection, said "We do have an endless number of courses.  I live on one (the Palmer Course at PGA West) and just love it," said the mayor.  "And when we get the SilverRock Ranch, we will have a destination second to none."

SilverRock is a 36-hole golf resort project on 525 acres that the city of La Quinta only last month approved for development.

La Quinta, which calls itself the "Gem of the Desert," has 21 public and private golf courses, with another coming on line in November, serving a population of 30,000, the mayor said.

In its July issue, due on newsstands June 26, the magazine says the valley "is hopping again, offering warm desert sun and the three C’s: California cuisine, celebrity and class."

Larry Bean, editor of The Robb Report, said in a telephone interview from his home in Acton, Mass., that "it is a nice honor for the town itself, and for our readers who are golfers and are seeking to relocate or look for a second or third home, it brings La Quinta into their consideration."

Bean said it was the first time any of the nine cities in the valley had been picked for the best-place-to-live feature.

He said a future article on the efforts to preserve the architecture of Palm Springs was in the works.

The article about La Quinta was written for The Robb Report by Jim Bartlett, a longtime golf journalist who "has been covering golf the last couple of decades and has played every significant course on every continent."

La Quinta comes by its golf reputation by having spectacular courses and by having hosted many high-profile events, such as the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and the Skins Game.

The Triology Golf Club at La Quinta will be the new host of the Skins Game on Nov. 29 and 30.

Golf Digest magazine said the course at The Quarry at La Quinta is one of the Top 100 courses in the United States.

The city’s PGA West is internationally recognized as one of the world’s foremost resort communities and has often been the site of top-flight amateur and professional events.

PGA West is also the largest golf complex in the desert with six courses, including the Palmer course that has hosted the Hope Classic.

Adolph said SilverRock Ranch will have a five-star resort hotel and its tournament course is set to be designed by golfing legend Arnold Palmer and his golf course design company.

The Robb Report bills itself as "the international authority on the luxury lifestyle."  Editor Bean said the magazine writes "about the finest, not necessarily the most popular or most expensive."

In its Best Places to Live issue, the magazine selected two other California cities as the "best."

Beverly Hills was said to have the best shopping, while the best place to be a vintner was said to be St. Helena.

Taking top honors as the Best Place to Live was tony and venerable Palm Beach, Fla.

Other winners included: best place to be outdoors, Jackson Hole Wyo.; best place to play polo, Wellington, Fla.; best place to sail, Newport, R.I.; best dining, Chicago; best entertainment, New York; best architecture, Savannah, Ga.; and, best place for aviators to fly planes, Spruce Creek, Fla.

The magazine said that each month is "reports on issues and trends affecting the affluent market."

About the Robb Report

Circulation:  106,000 monthly

Cover Price:  $7.99

Previous top golf spot:  Scottsdale, Ariz (2002)

Readers’ average household income:  $1,056,000

Average age: 18-34: 19%; 35-49: 44%; 50 and older: 32%

Readers’ average value at primary residence: $1,182,000

Average household assets:  $4,903,000

Male/female:  69% male; 31% female

Marital status: 83% married

July 2003