Key moments in the history of golf in the desert, from the first golf courses to the first tournaments

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — Over the past 100 years, golf and the Coachella Valley have become virtually synonymous. From celebrities to professional golfers to part-time residents and visitors, golf has been and remains a big part of life in the desert.

Here are the great firsts in the history of this sport in the southern California desert:

First Holes of Golf: Mashie Course, Desert Inn, Palm Springs

First major golf tournament: 1935, O’Donnell Classic (Walter Hagen and Horton Smith participated in the event)

First 18-hole golf course: 1951, Thunderbird Country Club

First PGA Tour event: 1952 Thunderbird Invitational (unofficial until 1954)

First LPGA event: 1953, Tamarisk Country Club

First president of golf: 1954, Dwight Eisenhower

First Ryder Cup played: 1955, Thunderbird Country Club (the 1959 Ryder Cup was played at Eldorado Country Club)

First The American Express: 1960 (originally called Palm Springs Golf Classic)

First LPGA Major Championship: Colgate Dinah Shore Winner’s Circle

First winner of a major LPGA championship: 1972, Jane Blalock won the first Colgate Dinah Shore Winners Circle LPGA at Mission Hills Country Club.

First champion jump: 1988, Amy Alcott won the Nabisco Dinah Shore and jumped into the lake on the 18th hole at Mission Hills Country Club, which was later named Poppie’s Pond.

This article was originally published on Golfweek: Key moments in the history of golf in the desert, from the first golf courses to the first tournaments