Stay and Play Package

The Furnace Creek Resort in Death Valley National Park is offering the perfect way to combine the world’s lowest golf course with the historic AAA Four Diamond Inn at Furnace Creek or the family-friendly Ranch at Furnace Creek.

   The popular Stay and Play package at the desert oasis resort features accommodations, unlimited golf per day at the Furnace Creek Golf Course, 18-hole cart rental and club storage. Rates start at $102.50 per person at the Ranch and $205 at the Inn and are based on double occupancy in a standard room. The Stay & Play Package is also available for other room types at both lodging complexes. Rates do not include applicable tax.

   The Inn at Furnace Creek is open until Mother’s Day when it closes for the season. It will reopen in mid-October. The Ranch at Furnace Creek is open year round.

   This package may not be combined with other offers. Some restrictions and blackout dates apply. Reserve this package online at www.furnacecreekresort.com using the promo code “GOLF” or by calling toll-free to (800) 236-7916 or from outside the U.S. to (303) 297-2757 and refer to the promo code “GOLF.”

At 214 feet below sea level, the Furnace Creek Golf Course is the lowest golf course in the world.  It has achieved the designation “Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary” from the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System, the educational division of Audubon International. To achieve certification, a course must demonstrate it is maintaining a high degree of environmental quality in the areas of environmental planning, wildlife and habitat management, outreach and education, reduced chemical use and safety, water conservation and water quality management.

   The 18-hole Furnace Creek Golf Course measures 6,236 yards from the back tees with a course rating of 69.7 and a slope rating of 117. Although a relatively short course, the low elevation and challenging greens earned it a place on Golf Digest’s list of “America’s 50 Toughest Courses.” Because the golf ball does not fly as far as it does at sea level and higher elevation courses, players must adjust their club selections as well as their mental approaches. The course also features small greens, strategically placed palm and tamarisk trees and water hazards on nine holes. Originally opened in 1931, the course underwent a major renovation in 1997 under the direction of world-renowned golf course architect Perry Dye. — Submitted by Mona Mesereau

Farewell to Forever Marilyn

Forever Marilyn, the Palm Springs sculpture of Marilyn Monroe, is leaving the resort city after a 22-month stay. Palm Springs will say goodbye to Forever Marilyn with a free celebrationThursday, March 27, a 6 p.m. at the corner Palm Canyon Drive and Tahquitz Canyon Way. The celebration will include music from local bands, tributes from city officials and local celebrities, including Carol Channing, and a celebration of the 23rd anniversary of the Village Festival. For more information go to https://www.facebook.com/PalmSpringsForeverMarilyn.

   The 26-foot -all sculpture has become a landmark  since it arrived in May, 2012, from Chicago. Immediately, Forever  Marilyn was embraced by residents and visitors as an iconic artwork that truly belonged in  Palm Springs. Marilyn Monroe has legendary ties to the desert city: she was “discovered” at  Charlie Farrell’s Racquet Club, was rumored to have frequented a Movie Colony estate known

as “Sand Acre” with Joe DiMaggio and owned a 1950s-style home on Rose Avenue in the Las

Palmas neighborhood. (Photo By Stan Wawer)