Golf Courses: There are two 18-hole golf courses, both designed by Ted Robinson, and an unusual 18-hole championship putting course.
The Palms: Built in 1987, these 18 holes wind around the resort’s waterways.
The Valley: This course shows such classic Ted Robinson features as effective water usage, multi-tiered greens framed by palm trees, and undulating fairways.
The Greens: Located adjacent to the lobby bar at the hotel, this 18-hole putting course stands out for its use of classic features of full-length courses, including sand bunkers, water hazards, strategically placed trees, and rolling “fairways,” all played with only a putter. Par 54, 1,435 feet.
Spa & Fitness Center: Located along the lake, a couple of hundred yards from the hotel lobby, the 38,000-square-foot Spa Desert Springs has adopted a “California casual” decor of split-face limestone and Brazilian ipe wood throughout its interior. Both the men’s and women’s areas have saunas, steam rooms, and hot and cold plunge pools, and outdoor whirlpools, the latter overlooking the resort’s Ted Robinson-designed golf course. A door from each leads to a Spa Bistro, which serves light snacks. New to both areas, however, is a Turkish hammam: a spacious steam chamber infused with essential oils and set at 105 degrees (which allows for a longer relaxation period than a traditional steam room). Digitally programmable Kohler Desert Rain showers with five heads let guests fully choreograph their shower experience. The men’s side also has a 50-inche flat-screen TV. Outside, there’s a saltwater pool with views of the golf course and homes lining the lake.
The spa treatments draw heavily on the healing ingredients and customs of the surrounding Sonoran Desert—including locally harvested citrus and dates, cactus flower, and aloe. However, it remains eclectic in also adopting European customs of using mud as a detoxifier, Ayurvedic warm oil and crushed herb treatments, Turkish sea salts, and more. There is also a new emphasis on “spa together,” in which couples and groups can enjoy treatments together. Finally, they have added a 600-square-foot Spa Sanctuary, a private suite destined to cater to VIPs and the Hollywood elite. It has a private entrance and butler.
Those wanting to workout have the Fitness Center, a complete workout center with lines of treadmills, exercycles (recumbent and upright), and elliptical and standard StairMasters plus a full suite off LifeFitness machines, free weights, and dumbbells. It’s is a partly mirrored room with windows on outside entrance. TVs hang from ceiling in front of workout machines and each of the cardio stations has its own television. There are also a variety of classes, including morning power walks (3.5 miles in about 45 minutes), spinning, yoga, and mat Pilates. There’s also a shop with spa products and workout gear, a salon and hallways leading to women’s locker in one direction, men’s in the other. These each have tile showers, sauna, steam, and menthol steam and hot and cold plunge pools. A door from each leads to the Bistro, which serves light snacks, and to an outdoor lap pool bordered by lounge chairs. There’s another small fitness center, with a handful of cardiovascular machines, at one corner of the tennis building where it has windows on the outside.
Children's programs: There is a wide variety of kid's recreation and programming available.
Dining: The main restaurant is the Rockwood Grill, open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a garden terrace just off the lake. It is supplemented by the Mikado Japanese Steakhouse, seafood at Fishermen’s Landing, sushi in the Lobby Bar, a poolside grill, and a Starbucks.
484 Reviews on “JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa - Peter Burwash International”
Daily clinics offered are excellent. Different clinics cover each part of game and run 1 to 1.5 hours: Groundstrokes, volleys, serve, mid court. The clinics are priced well at $35-40 each with 4:1 max student/pro ratio. They guarantee the clinic will run even if you are the only person to sign up. Twice in a week I was alone with a pro for the clinic at the regular price. 4.0+ drills are great and they make sure players of like ability are together. Only weakness was one session all weaker players and I didn’t get challenged much.
Beautiful desert location. Great PBI tennis instructors with great daily clinics. Loads of fun!!!!
After 6 weeks of tennis playing I rate them a 10 because of their player matching, friendliness, and court maintenance. Great weather also is an attraction.
Jim Dave Tory and all the staff are fabulous– friendly, professional, very clear and patient with lessons, a lot of fun with group activities, and most important– always up ear and accommodating. We will make this a part of our vacation plans each year! Great experience and we improved so much!!
I attended a fabulous tennis and lawn game carnival at the Desert Spring Resort. The pros are great and they really make tennis fun! Also the facility is top notch.
Top rate lessons from every single Pro! Our game has improved 80% after just one week of lessons. Thank you so much!
Great experience and very professional staff. John and Tory were quite knowledgeable and helped all of us improve our game. Look forward to a return visit in the near future.
Outstanding facility, with an excellent staff, 15 hard courts, 3 clay courts and 2 grass courts, and amazing weather. Several daily clinics on different aspects of the game, with each clinic emphasizing just two or three techniques to improve your game, which was very helpful. Dave, Tory and John gave alot of individual attention, never more than 4 players per pro. I was quite impressed. Great round robin tournament twice weekly gave me my first opportunity to play on grass. The Spa, used by my wife at the same facility, was excellent as well.
One of the best resort based tennis programs in the country. Excellent teaching pros. Very elaborate and diverse program of drill and hitting clinics. The cost of the clinics was very reasonable given the high quality of the instruction. Over the Christmas break, an obvious choice for serious tennis enthusiasts. The hotel is a little on the large size, but is well located in Palm Dessert, is very beautiful and offers an exceptional variety of other amenities, including golf, spa, various outdoor pools and nearby shopping.
This vacation is all about the Tennis. As you know Tennis is the new golf for the next generation. We could not have been more pleased with the tennis club. The clinics (doubles clinic and serve especially good) were ourstanding we took all that we could while we were there.
We loved the tennis show and Jim the director is so knowledgable and plain old fun. Dave Kensler was excellent as was the new guy Tory. We enjoyed working with them all. I think Jim should branch out and teach the pros at the clubs we go to. 🙂
The true gem of this location is Dora and team who set up the match play. This is awesome they get the games set up with the guest perfectly. They are nice and acocomodating and make this tennic resport our destination year after year. See you next year for another fabulous week of tennis.
As for improvements this year I noticed the gardneing was in need of some attention. Not many flowers or hummingbird flowers in the grass court courners anymore. Someone with out tree knowledge has been hacking the trees as well. No more hummingbird stuff in the store, maybe this logo is going away, too bad I loved it.
We had a fantastic tennis experience on our vacation at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Tennis Club in Palm Desert, CA. We attended two clinics each day and we had great fun playing in the “Grand Slam” doubles round robin matches too. The Grand Slam allows everyone to play on the hard court, grass court and clay court. At the end, the top male and female players are given prizes.
The four tennis pros (Jim, Dave, Tory and John) were all expectional tennis palyers, they were engaging and made each tennis activity fun and instructive. You have to attend their “PBI Tennis Show” they put on on Saturday monring too! Dora does a great job of setting up match play and keeping track of all the clinics and court scheduling. Overall I give the experience an A++ in all catagories.
I just returned from the most amazing week of tennis of my life!!! Jim Leupold, the head pro was able to pinpoint specific suppestions to easily improve all aspects of my game that no one else had ever done for my before in many years of tennis play. After 1 week of clinics, I left having confidence in my serve, volley and strategy. He and associate pro Tory were amazing in their insight and teaching skills.I’m sure I went from a 3.0 player to strong 3.5. I will absolutely return to their program.
We were at Desert Springs the first week of Nov 2011. I took four clinics and my wife took one. We found the teaching by Jim and Dave to be exceptional. We have previously taken clinics with a good experience each time. The club goes to great lengths in player matching. The facilities are great. We highly recommend Desert Springs.
We took lessons from Jim Leupold who is excellent. He understands the game and a players weakness, his lessons were fantastic and helped me to strengthen my game and create more consistentcy. I’m headed to the nationals and feel more confident in my overall game thanks to Jim. This is the third year we have taken lessons from Jim and my game keeps on improving. We come to this facility because their tennis and lessons are the best!
I have had many lessons in various regions of the states. I make it a habit when I travel for vacay or biz to always bring my bag. My lesson with Jim Leupold at the JW was the best one ever! It was his ability to zero in on my movement and teach me what I needed to do to get the backspin I was looking for. I felt as though I had been hitting this stroke for years after I left my lesson. Nice guy too and the staff was very delightful!
Great instruction.
Great pros. Their instruction made me pain-free after my first week here. I went from 3.0 to 4.5 over the 18 years I have been coming here. The daily clinics are always fun and informative. The pros are generous with their time. Jim and Pat have been the pros here for many years. You can play on grass, clay, and hard court. Can’t think of anything negative to say.
Great location. Great courts including magnificent grass court. Coaching was excellent. Very focused, technique based, enthusiastic and most importantly of all the coach was was very positive and not the least bit jaded which is a pitfall for coaches in most sports!
many clinic which were daily. Easy going and easy to understand. Jim, our instructor was thorough and made i9nstruction fun and easy to follow.
Experienced, very excellent experienced tennis pros (Jim Leupold, director, and Pat Dennehy) are insightful & helpful to improve one’s abilities in the game, keeping it fun & supportive. We enjoy their daily clinics. Well-maintained tennis facilities, nice desk staff. This place is a must-do tennis vacation spot for us year after year.
The tennis pros were knowledgable and interested in improving my tennis game. Grass courts were superbly maintained. Hard and clay courts were available.Staff works hard to find matches for players. I have met many satisfied repeat customers in their clinics. Clinic drills were well planned. An excellent value.
Great clinics and instruction. Also will match you up with players. Courts of all three surfaces, including grass. Fun grand slam round robin twice a week.
We had a a fantastic instructor. He was able to teach all four of us at one time with ages, 7,10, 14 and 51! We all walked away from the lesson(s) learning something and enthusiastic for more tennis.
lots of tennis … great pros (Peter Burwash trained), awesome grass courts ….
I love taking lessons at Desert Springs Tennic Center. The pros are excellent and I learn so much. I used to take the daily clinics (which are also excellent) but now I have moved to taking private lessons whenever I vacation at Desert Springs (at the villas — once a year usually) EXCELLENT TEACHERS EXCELLENT FACILITY
A great place to work on your game and make new friends. My wife and I have been coming to this resort 2x year for 8 years and learn or improve something in our game each year. Jim Leupold and his team are the best. The clinics and privates fun, fresh and always rewarding. They never miss on game arranging which makes the new friends effort much easier. High season is always busy but they are very creative with adding more time slots to accomidate the increased demand. My favorite tennis resort and staff.
We recently had the pleasure of lessons from Katie Dellich who worked with our 10 year old son. He was so positively encouraged and gained tennis skills so quickly with her method of teaching that it created in him a genuine excitement for the game and confidence in himself.
The facility and weather was beautiful. The courts were kept very tidy, the staff was very professional and accommodating to our needs and we look forward to boosting his tennis skills with our annual spring family trip to this resort.
Setting was beautiful. Instructors, 4, were most kind and supportive. Well spent 90 minutes.
Jim & Pat were great instructors: practical, fit-to your game instruction. I attended three clinics while in Palm Springs area for the ATP/WTA tournament. Fun, informative & reasonably priced.
The Palm Springs Tennis Resort is by far the best tennis experience I have ever had. I have been a playing member of the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills New York for 24 years, taken lessons several times a week at times, and learned more in 4-5 days than most of those 24 years. I cannot even begin to describe how outstanding your teaching methods are, and how enjoyable our stay at Palm Springs Tennis Club was.
It was our first time visiting JW Marriot Desert Springs. We selected this resort because we were looking to play as much tennis as possible. And that we did. We took daily clinics and private lessons all week long and I was beyond pleased with the teaching methods of all the pros.
In particular, I took lessons with Katie and multiple clinics with Quinn. Both had the same teaching philosophy and teaching techniques which I found extremely helpful with my game. In fact, I can truly say, I came home, a better player because of them.I liked how they demonstrated the techniques and even showed me pictures of other pros so I could actually “see” what we were learning. That was a huge help. I will absolutely be back.
I was fortuante to be able to make the trip to the JW Marriott with my husband on his business trip. I thoroughly enjoyed and learned so much in the two daily clinics I attended. The round robin tournament was a lot of fun too. It was my first experience on the grass courts and loved it! The entire teaching staff was terrific but I have to say Katy and Quinn were awesome! Patient, fun, and so encouraging. Hope to visit soon again on a family vacation.
Took three lessons while staying at the Marriott. The staff is terrific. We had Quinn Saine for two of the lessons and he is wonderful and quickly helped us improved our game, serve. I highly recommend for any age group, young and old. As beginners, he is not intimidating in the least and of course, I know he can spin the racket around us quicker than we can say Boo. Great attitude. Thanks Quinn. Look forward to seeing you next year! Pro Shop is being renovated so I can’t comment on that.
I love this place. Just got back from my third visit. I had lessons with Jim and tennis clinics 4 days in a row. I just can’t praise Jim highly enough. I’m a 4.0 hoping to make the next half-point jump, and this is just the kind of coaching I was in need of. The courts are excellent and the pro staff is super friendly (Jim, Pat, and Quinn). I’ll be heading back ASAP.
My preference when vacationing and playing tennis is to work with one or two pros on a one to one basis, and that is what I did at Palm Desert. The staff was amazingly accomodating and I was able to set up lessons early every morning with Jim Leupold. I also had a serve lesson and a hitting lesson with Pat Dennehy, and a clinic with Dave. Each one of them was clear and concise in their instructions, and I feel like my game has raised up several levels since spending the week there. It was by far the most positive experience I’ve had in my tennis travels. Unfortunately it was a quiet week at the resort, so getting matches set up was difficult.
Extremely engaging and friendly pros; really work to meet individual needs! Fun tennis show and great location for family w different interests (golf, spa, mountians).Best of all I was there off season and they NEVER cancel a clinic which is rare as we all know.
The only wish is that the pros would feed more balls in the MIXED level clinics; I am fine w the more advnaced clinics handling complex drills w partners. Overll a teriffic place w tons of off season tennis options and pros that truly care and individualize for you. I picked up some great tips despite many years of play.
The professionals are so friendly and willing to make your stay more enjoyable with their vast amount of clinics and drill sessions.
I spent four very enjoyable days playing tennis with Quinn, Jim and Pat on all three surfaces (the grass at the Marriot was to die for). It wasn’t very busy (first week in Dec/10) but they had lots to keep me busy and successfully indoctrinated me with the simple but effective Peter Burwash ideology (left hand on the racquet, loose grip, etc). I’ve been to a number of other TRO places but until now haven’t felt compelled to file a report, so the fact that I have now done so says it all. Thanks guys (especially Quinn, who is a singularly class act).
Tennis facility was very well staffed and everyone was extremely helpful and friendly. Facilities were very nice. Try to do a better job of player matching but it was still good.
I made an impromptu lesson, late in the afternoon, with a local pro and we stepped onto a grass court for an hour session. It was exhilarating! It had been at least two decades since I last played on grass and it was such a great experience to relive. The young pro, Quinn, had a friendly disposition and a positive attitude (after what was probably his 5th or 6th lesson of the day). In addition to teaching me a few service tips, I learned about his life’s tennis path with many entertaining stories peppered in-between. By the time the sun had set on my lesson, I felt extremely fortunate to be swinging the racket again on such a beautiful day! Strengths: court types, facility, tennis pros, availability, instruction. Weaknesses: none.
Great pros , great friendly staff, and lovely environment. They will definitely improve your game and will add at least ten miles to your serve.
strengths types of courts – grass, clay and hard everyone associated with the tennis courts were quite friendly and helpful Quinn Saine our pro that we worked with was enjoy to play with we wished after playing with him that we would have did that earlier in our three days that we were there as it was a blast. weaknesses locals or persons we were able to be matched up with were elderly and normally not of our calibre timing your stay is important but there was more “tennis people” around then I have ever experienced before
Beautiful resort. Tennis and golf were awesome.
Our 3.0 WTT tennis team competed in the 2010 National Tournament and some of us attended Jim’s morning clinics as a tuneup before our matches. The facility is beautiful the staff to be personable and knowledgeable. The student/teacher ratio was no more than 5 to 1 and they were able to work with a wide variety of skill-levels, giving each of us individual attention. I was able to transfer the aggressive attitude that Jim and his staff taught to my play at the tournament and my teammates noticed an improvement in my play. Thanks Jim! We won!!!
Golf is offered, but the reason I keep going back is because of the tennis. No matter what time of year, I have a great tennis experience. I love that matches are set up for me; If they can’t set up a match, I get free hitting time with their top quality pros. Jim Leupold is the best ever!
I stayed at J. W. Marriott a couple nights and took advantage of Jim’s instructions there. I found his instruction to be efficient and straight to the point. I felt like I got results in a short amount of time. The courts are beautiful. The only downside I can think of is that I could not find a match partner, but that is probably more due to the time of year I was there (low season) rather than any lack of effort on their part. I’m looking forward to going back.
I’ve had scads of lessons over the years, and I am telling you, the best drills/clinics I have been to were at the JW Marriott Palm Desert. Very small classes, lots of props, and one-on-one fine tuning of your game. I went home and used the ball machine and BINGO! I had really absorbed what was taught! I am very excited and want to thank the pros at Desert Palm for their great attitude and helpfulness!
I enjoyed 3 valuable days of coaching from Jim Leupold at Desert Springs. I seek out tennis pros for lessons all over the country and at some of the highest ranked tennis camps and I found Jim’s lessons to be superior to most and with out doubt one of the best. Why? He was able to identify where I needed improvement and, with a style that obviously worked for me, was able to focus on and correct the issue. By the end of three days, I was very improved on a number of fronts; control, placement, and strategy. I highly recommend him and though I did not have an opportunity to work with the other pros, with Jim at the Helm at Desert Springs, I would would have confidence in its quality and standards.
Superb tennis facility, excellent lessons and programs, friendly staff, amazingly funny tennis show with great raffle prizes, … We love this place and have been going there for the past 10 years.
Outstanding daily clinics covering key areas (ground strokes, serve, volley, doubles strategy, etc). Excellent and practical instruction by Jim and Pat — I learn something new each time that I can apply to my game. Lots of courts, and they have all 3 surfaces: hard court, clay, and grass. If you’ve never played on grass, it’s a unique experience. Only negative: extremely hot in July, August, September.