![]() ![]() Hughes studied under legendary architect Donald Ross. The traditional golf course was designed by Lawrence Hughes, whose father Henry T. Phil Harris and Alice Faye, Hoagy Carmichael, Gordon MacRae, Ruby Keeler, Dean Martin, Billie Dove, Esther Williams, Randolph Scott and Mary Pickford all had homes here. It was the beginning of the California Golf Rush. Lucy and Desi followed as did former President Ford years later. When he sold the ranch to Milt Hicks and Dawson, heralded even by Bobby Jones as one of America's best amateur golfers, things started to boom for Thunderbird.Ĭrosby and Hope were the first to buy homes in 1951 and within a year all the lots were sold. Houses weren't selling, but golfers kept telling him golf might work in the Palm Springs area. Thunderbird C.C.'s acreage actually got its start as a dude ranch on 750 acres in 1945, an idea envisioned by developer Frank Bogert. ![]() Nelson spent 10 days working with Venturi and in 1958 he won the Thunderbird Invitational. A friend, Eddie Lowery, asked Byron Nelson to come to Thunderbird and resurrect Venturi's game. Army until 1955, returned home to California thinking his golf game was a bit rusty. Ken Venturi, after serving his country in the U.S. Claude Harmon, father of master instructor Butch Harmon, became head pro that same year. Arnold Palmer won the first tournament in 1959. Thunderbird was also the birthplace of what would eventually become the Bob Hope Desert Classic. Phil Harris, Desi Arnaz, Hoagy Carmichael, Dean Martin, Gordon MacRae and Perry Como made up the group. In 1955 the Thunderbird Invitational Tournament claimed the most prestigious entertainment committee in the USA. The Club was only four years old and the location was considered "remote". In an almost unprecedented move, the 1955 Ryder Cup Matches were held at Thunderbird, despite the immaturity of the golf course. Ford's chairman Ernest Breech was a member and John and Velma Dawson received shipment of the very first Thunderbird convertible. The Ford Motor Company liked the Thunderbird logo so much it decided to adopt the name and logo for its new sports car in 1954. The electric golf cart was invented for members of Thunderbird Country Club. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford all graced its fairways. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, at the pinnacle of their I Love Lucy popularity, lived in a house facing the ninth and 18th fairways. Hollywood celebrities flocked here to become part of this golf community. ![]() Here are just a few of the astounding facts Windeler chronicles about Thunderbird: If you love the history of golf, this is a book you must have. 9, 1951, it made instantaneous unforgettable tracks in what would become one of the world's premier golf locations.Īuthor Robert Windeler chronicles it all his 2001 book Thunderbird Country Club, 50th Anniversary History. Thunderbird Country Club, an instant celebrity haven, was the first 18-hole golf course in the Coachella Valley and it has a history that is mind-boggling. Today there are more than 100 golf courses in the Palm Springs area. Ben Hogan once said golf in the California desert would never work. ![]()
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