Thunderbird Country Club

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The Thunderbird Country Club is a country club in Rancho Mirage in California's Coachella Valley. Its signature 18-hole golf course has hosted the Ryder Cup and the Palm Springs Golf Classic (now known as the American Express). Opened in 1951, the country club has been a favorite of many celebrities, including Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, [1] as well as US Presidents Gerald Ford and Barack Obama. [2] First known as the Thunderbird Ranch, it was purchased by Johnny Dawson, who established Coachella Valley's first 18-hole golf course here in 1951. [3] [4]

The golf cart is rumored to have been invented at Thunderbird Country Club. [5] [3] By its own account, the Ford Thunderbird is named for the club. [3] [6]

Its golf course was designed by Lawrence Hughes, also responsible for the 9-hole course at the Tomahawk Lake Country Club in South Dakota.

References

Thunderbird Ranch

  1. ↑ Our History Thunderbird Country Club website, accessed March 28, 2015
  2. ↑ Obama's visit put spotlight back on Thunderbird by Dominique Fong The Desert Sun, June 21, 2014
  3. 1 2 3 Mallette, Leo A. (2011). Rancho Mirage. Arcadia Publishing. Page 9. ISBN 9780738575018.
  4. ↑ Niemann, Greg (2005). Palm Springs Legends: Creation of a Desert Oasis. Sunbelt Publications. Page 191. ISBN 9780932653741.
  5. ↑ Mahler, Richard (2005). Hidden Picture-Perfect Escapes Palm Springs. Ulysses Press. Page 125. ISBN 9781569754313.
  6. ↑ Riche, Melissa and Jim (2018). Mod Mirage: The Midcentury Architecture of Rancho Mirage. Gibbs Smith. Page 12. ISBN 9781423648765.

33°45′15″N116°25′34″W / 33.7542°N 116.4261°W / 33.7542; -116.4261


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