A meticulous multi-million-dollar restoration at PGA West brings Pete Dye’s legendary Stadium, Mountain, and Dunes courses back to their original, jaw-dropping glory.
Golf courses, much like vintage Bordeaux or your favorite pair of leather shoes, only get better with time—if they’re taken care of properly. And for decades, PGA West’s trio of Pete Dye-designed courses in La Quinta, California, had seen plenty of play but not quite enough love.
Now, thanks to a meticulous multi-million-dollar restoration, the legendary Stadium, Mountain, and Dunes courses have been brought back to their original, jaw-droppingly devious glory.
This was no light refresh—no simple reseeding, no slapdash bunker touch-ups. This was a forensic-level reconstruction of golf course history at a place known as “the western home of golf in America.”
The restoration team, led by longtime Dye disciple Tim Liddy, literally dug up the past, hand-excavating original contours, stripping and reshaping greens, and bringing back Dye’s signature elements—from punishing bunkers with steep grass faces to greens that tease and torment in equal measure.
PGA West Updates: Faster Greens, Crueler Hazards
For those who love PGA West’s reputation for challenging even the best in the game, the changes are a return to form. The greens are bigger (and faster), the hazards are sharper (and crueler), and the visual intimidation factor is back in full force. Think Alcatraz, the iconic 17th with its island green, where jagged rock edges once buried under years of topdressing now jut out menacingly like the teeth of an apex predator. Or the cliff-like bunkers on 16, San Andreas, that have swallowed so many unfortunate souls (as seen in this vintage video of a former U.S. Speaker of the House). That hole should probably come with freeze-dried Army rations and a survival guide.
But beyond the fight-or-flight thrills of the course, the restoration is also a legacy statement—one that PGA West’s current owners, Hankuk Industry and Century Golf Partners, have made loud and clear: This isn’t some fast-turn “fairway flip” for a quick buck. It’s a serious long-term investment in one of golf’s greatest modern shrines.
The Vision Behind The Changes
So, what does that mean for the players, the members, and the future of PGA West? To break it all down, I spoke with Ben Dobbs, Executive Director of PGA West, about the restoration process, the vision behind the changes, and what golfers can expect when they tee it up on these newly revitalized Dye masterpieces.
David Hochman: Let’s start with the big picture—PGA West has undergone some serious transformations recently. What’s new, and what’s most exciting?
Ben Dobbs: A lot, honestly. Since 2020, when we separated from La Quinta Resort and were acquired by Hankuk Industry and Century Golf Partners, we’ve been on a mission to restore and elevate our golf courses. Over the years, previous ownership didn’t always reinvest the way we needed, but now we’re in the hands of true golf enthusiasts. That’s changed everything.
We’ve already redone six sets of greens, expanded playing surfaces to match the original designs, and, most importantly, worked to restore Pete Dye’s vision across three of our signature courses—Mountain, Dunes, and Stadium.
David Hochman: You mentioned that this was more than just cosmetic updates. What exactly went into restoring these courses?
Ben Dobbs: Oh, this was serious work. We started by expanding the greens back to the size Pete Dye originally designed, because over time, greens naturally shrink as mowing patterns change. When we did that, golfers immediately noticed how much more contour and movement came into play. We also replaced the old grass with a new hybrid Bermuda, which makes for faster, smoother, and more durable greens—especially in the summer heat.
Then there were the bunkers. Over the decades, they had softened and evolved into something different from what Dye intended. So we completely demoed every bunker and rebuilt them to his specifications: flat sand bottoms, steep grass faces, and the kind of visual intimidation that gets in a player’s head before they even take the shot.
David Hochman: And then there’s the Stadium Course, the crown jewel of the restoration. I’ve played it before, and it’s a doozy. Walk me through that process.
Ben Dobbs: That was our biggest project. We closed it down on May 1 last year and reopened on September 7—just four months, but we did everything. First, we found and dug up Pete Dye’s original steel-lined greens from 1985, which let us expand them right back to his specs. We brought in a greens shaper who worked on the course with Dye in the ’80s, and we worked alongside Tim Liddy to ensure that this wasn’t a redesign but a true restoration.
We rebuilt every bunker, stripped down and reshaped the greens, and installed new irrigation systems to make the course more sustainable. On Alcatraz, our signature 17th hole—we shaved five inches off the green, which re-exposed those gnarly rock formations around the island, making it just as terrifying as it was when Lee Trevino aced it in the ’90s.
David Hochman: What kind of feedback have you gotten from players?
Ben Dobbs: This may sound like hype, but the word we hear most is “amazing.” The course is visually striking again, and it plays the way it was meant to—with bold angles, brutal bunkers, and enough mind games to make even the pros sweat. The changes also make a huge difference in competition—the new greens allow for tighter pin placements, so you’ll see tougher setups, for instance, at The American Express tournament.
David Hochman: Beyond the golf itself, PGA West has seen a lot of new investments, including in dining and entertainment. What’s changed there?
Ben Dobbs: We’ve completely renovated The Pete Dye Clubhouse, making it a modern, high-energy gathering space. We’ve added The Bunker Bar, which now has two TrackMan golf simulators—so even when it’s dark, players can keep competing. There’s also a brand-new teaching studio, which will be the most high-tech golf learning center on the West Coast.
We’ve upgraded the menus, brought in creative new cocktails like Three Little Pigs — a smoky mezcal-based drink — and even introduced Pete Dye’s Breakfast Pizza, which, trust me, is the best way to start a day of golf.
David Hochman: Last question—what’s your one piece of advice for someone playing the Stadium Course for the first time?
Ben Dobbs: Pick the right set of tees. A lot of people get too ambitious, head to the back tees, and end up absolutely wrecked by the course. Play from where you can actually hit greens in regulation, and you’ll have a much better time.
Oh, and one more thing—stop and look around. Pete Dye designed the mounding and shaping at PGA West to mirror the actual mountains surrounding the course. If you take a moment on 16, you’ll see how the course blends into the landscape in a way that’s almost subconscious. It’s a detail that Tim Liddy pointed out to me, and once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
This story was originally published on forbes.com.
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