Thunderbird Country Club

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The Thunderbird Country Club is an 18-hole golf course designed by in Rancho Mirage in California's Coachella Valley. It has hosted the Ryder Cup and the Palm Springs Golf Classic (now known as the CareerBuilder Challenge). 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][6] Ford Thunderbird is named for the club.[7][8]

Lawrence Hughes also designed the Tomahawk Lake Country Club in South Dakota, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1957, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz bought a nearby home and hoped to join the elite Thunderbird Country Club. but because it prohibited minorities and Jewish people from admission, Arnaz was denied admission to the Thunderbird Country Club because he was Cuban. In response to this prejudice, Arnaz bought property in nearby Indian Wells, California and opened Indian Wells Resort Hotel, which did not discriminate against minorities and Jewish people.[9][10]

References[]

  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. ^ 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. ^ Mallette, Leo A. (2011). Rancho Mirage. Arcadia Publishing. Page 9. ISBN 9780738575018.
  7. ^ Mallette, Leo A. (2011). Rancho Mirage. Arcadia Publishing. Page 9. ISBN 9780738575018.
  8. ^ Riche, Melissa and Jim (2018). Mod Mirage: The Midcentury Architecture of Rancho Mirage. Gibbs Smith. Page 12. ISBN 9781423648765.
  9. ^ Love, Lucy, written by Lucille Ball;1996 Putnam Adult; ISBN 1568652291
  10. ^ http://www.indianwellsresort.com/index2.html

Coordinates: 33°45′15″N 116°25′34″W / 33.7542°N 116.4261°W / 33.7542; -116.4261


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