SilverRock Resort

1. What SilverRock is, in plain English

SilverRock is La Quinta’s city‑owned “big boy” muni: an Arnold Palmer–designed desert course pressed right up against the Santa Rosa Mountains.

• 18 holes, par 72

• Opened in 2005

• From the tips, originally almost 7,600 yards; after redesign it's about 7,239 yards with a stout 75.0 rating and 139 slope. 

• Owned by the City of La Quinta, operated day‑to‑day by Landmark Golf Management. It’s been in the PGA Tour rotation (Bob Hope / Humana / now The American Express) and is consistently ranked as one of the better public tracks in the Palm Springs region. 

Google has it around 4.3/5 from 600+ reviews; golf‑specific sites are a little higher.

2. Before golf: ranch land and a big civic bet

The property wasn’t always fairways and bunkers.

• It was a working cattle ranch and a private desert retreat for Howard Ahmanson, the Home Savings & Loan founder.

• In 2002, La Quinta’s Redevelopment Agency bought about 525 acres at the base of the mountains near Avenue 52, paying about $42.6M using tax‑exempt bonds. 

The city’s vision was bold:

Turn this ranch into a tournament‑caliber public course plus a luxury resort and retail village that would throw off long‑term tax revenue.

That single decision is basically the seed of everything that’s happened since.

3. Building the Arnold Palmer Classic Course

After the purchase:

• Two years of master planning and construction produced the Arnold Palmer Classic Course at SilverRock Resort, the first of two planned courses. 

• Palmer’s design team (Arnold Palmer + Erik Larsen) routed the holes along desert washes and beside the mountain walls, with big bunkers and several water hazards. 

• It opened on Valentine’s Day 2005, with Palmer himself hitting the first tee shot. 

Early on, the course got national love – Golf Magazine slotted it among the “Top Ten New Courses You Can Play.”

Even today the city’s tourism arm describes it the same way: about 7,239 yards over 200 acres, wide fairways, big native bunkers, water, and that wall of mountains as a constant backdrop.

4. PGA Tour spotlight (and why the layout feels big)

From 2008–2011, SilverRock co‑hosted the PGA Tour’s desert stop (then the Bob Hope Classic / Humana Challenge, now The American Express). 

A few practical impacts:

• The original layout was a 7,578‑yard monster aimed at tour pros. 

• Later, when resort construction started, the routing was shortened and softened to make room, bringing it to the current 7,239 yards but keeping the championship bones. 

From the back tees, it’s still very much a “big boy” course; from the forward tees it’s playable for regular guests with no forced carries from the very front set.

5. What it’s like to actually play SilverRock

The feel

Across reviews and course write‑ups, the same themes repeat:

• Scenery – Mountains right on top of you, canal and arroyos cutting through, lakes flashing in the sunlight. Reviewers talk about “jaw‑dropping” moments when the routing hugs the rock wall. 

• Public course, private‑club vibe – City‑owned but with resort‑style conditioning in season and a clubhouse / grill that feel higher‑end than a typical muni. 

The golf itself

Pulling together GolfNow, WiscoGolfAddict, Greenskeeper and others: 

• Fairways – Generously wide. Off the tee, the course looks intimidating but plays more forgiving than it appears.

• Approach shots – Where it bites. Many greens are raised and pinched by deep bunkers or water; there often isn’t a simple “bail‑out” side.

• Greens – Large, firm, and contoured. If your short game isn’t sharp, you’re scrambling all day.

• Signature stretch (based on player reviews):

  • New par‑3 11th – A narrow, extremely deep green over water. Back pin can change the club by 5–6 clubs from front to back.

  • Par‑5 14th – Runs along the mountain and canal, then climbs to an elevated, well‑defended green. Classic risk‑reward.

  • Par‑3 17th – Long carry over water with a brutal up‑and‑down from the “safe” left side. Beautiful and controversial. 

Most serious golfers rate the design highly but point out that it can feel penal, especially for mid‑handicappers who miss in the wrong spots.

Conditions and service

• In peak season, plenty of reviews rave about lush fairways and fast, smooth greens. 

• In summer, you see more mixed feedback:

  • One local called it “one of my favorite layouts” but said summer conditions were “scruffy” with some bare spots and compacted bunkers – still playable, just not pristine. 

Overall story from the reviews: spectacular setting, serious test of golf, and generally good value compared to PGA West, with condition swings depending on season and maintenance cycles.

6. The resort dream: what was supposed to be built

When the city bought SilverRock, they weren’t just thinking “nice muni.” The Redevelopment Agency drew up a massive master plan around the course: 

Original vision included:

• Two hotels

  • ~140‑room luxury hotel + spa on‑course

  • ~200‑room “lifestyle” hotel nearby

• Branded residential:

  • 35 luxury single‑family homes tied to the luxury hotel

  • 60 attached “lifestyle” residences

• A new 15,000 sq ft golf clubhouse + 25 golf cabins

• A shared services / conference center (~71,000 sq ft)

• A Promenade mixed‑use village with retail, lofts, bungalows

• Several additional residential planning areas (hundreds of units total)

• Roughly 70 acres of public parks, arroyos, trails, and event space

This was the “SilverRock Resort” concept you still see reflected in older city docs and marketing.

7. Why the development kept stalling

This is the part locals shake their heads about. High level timeline from the city’s own Talus/SilverRock history and local reporting: 

1. 2002–2007: Big plans, then the Great Recession

   • City buys the land (2002).

   • First Palmer course opens 2005.

   • City signs with Lowe Destination Development (2007), but the recession hits and plans are shelved.

2. 2012: Redevelopment agencies killed

   • California dissolves RDAs statewide. La Quinta loses ~$41M up front, plus ongoing property tax revenue that was supposed to help fund SilverRock infrastructure.

   • The city can’t afford to build out the resort itself anymore and needs a private developer.

3. 2014: First big development deal

   • City approves a Property Sale and Development Agreement (PSDA) with Meriwether and The Robert Green Company (together, SDC).

   • Meriwether can’t get its financing and exits; the deal is amended with Robert Green as lead.

4. 2017–2019: Montage/Pendry era and visible construction

   • Montage International is announced as operator for two hotels: Montage La Quinta and Pendry La Quinta, plus branded residences. 

   • Groundbreaking follows; the golf course is partially realigned to make room for the hotels.

   • In 2018 the developer secures a $212M construction loan; mass grading, infrastructure, and framing for hotels and the new clubhouse begin. 

   • The project rebrands as Talus La Quinta.

   From the course, this shows up as half‑built hotel and condo shells along parts of the back nine, which some golfers mention as a visual distraction. 

5. 2020–2023: COVID and a slow grind

   • March 2020: Construction halts due to COVID, higher costs, and labor issues. 

   • 2021: City issues a letter of default but keeps working with the developer; completion dates are pushed.

   • 2023: Another amendment sets new hotel opening targets (Montage 2025, Pendry 2026), but progress remains inconsistent. 

6. 2024: Total breakdown and bankruptcy

   • The city signs an MOU spelling out consequences if recapitalization loans don’t close. They don’t.

   • July 2024: City issues a Notice of Default and starts legal action.

   • August 5, 2024: SilverRock Development Company (Robert Green’s entity) files Chapter 11 in Delaware, freezing foreclosures and the city’s ability to swap in a new developer. 

   • The city steps in with up to $11–13M of debtor‑in‑possession financing to secure and clean up the Talus site — including those abandoned structures — and to manage the search for a replacement developer. 

Local commentary nails the vibe: one Golf Digest reader complained that there’s “been development going on around this course since it opened and it never seems to get finished,” and a long‑time La Quinta agent calls the location “spectacular” but “one thing after another.”

8. The reboot: new owner, new plan, tearing down the old

This is the part you were tipped off about — and yes, your intel is basically right.

Who bought it

• In 2025, after a court‑supervised auction, Turnbridge Equities (via affiliate TBE RE Acquisition Co. II LLC) wins the rights to take over Phase 1 of the resort. 

• A bankruptcy judge approves the $65M sale in October 2025. 

What’s changing

The Turnbridge plan shrinks and resets the first phase of the project:

• One 154‑room luxury hotel instead of two hotels. 

• A realigned public golf course and a new 17,000 sq ft clubhouse relocated near Avenue 52, closer to the road and community. 

• About 445 homes in total:

  • 29 branded residences

  • 70 condos

  • ~293 additional homes that can participate in a hotel‑managed short‑term rental program, feeding transient occupancy tax (TOT). 

• 40,000 sq ft of commercial space and a 20,000 sq ft residential amenities building. 

Crucially for your note:

The new plan calls for demolishing the oversized, partially built Talus structures and replacing them with a right‑sized layout, while keeping the course but shifting pieces of it and moving the clubhouse. 

City projections: thousands of construction jobs, hundreds of permanent jobs, and something like $300M in cumulative revenue over 30 years once the hotel and rentals are up and running. 

So the story now is: same mountains, same municipal Arnold Palmer course at the core, but a reset resort plan and a fresh developer who’s literally starting over with the buildings.

9. SilverRock’s story in one clean arc

If you want a narrative you can say on camera or to a client, here’s the simple version:

1. Ranch to civic bet

   • Former cattle ranch and private retreat, bought by La Quinta in 2002 to create a revenue‑generating public golf resort. 

2. Arnold Palmer puts it on the map

   • Palmer designs the Arnold Palmer Classic Course, opens 2005, gets national rankings, and hosts the PGA Tour from 2008–2011. The course becomes one of the valley’s go‑to public tracks. 

3. The resort dream that wouldn’t land

   • The city’s grand master plan runs head‑on into the Great Recession, the end of redevelopment agencies, COVID, rising construction costs, and finally a developer bankruptcy. For years, golfers play a great course framed by half‑finished hotel shells. 

4. The reboot

   • In 2025, Turnbridge Equities steps in. The city and court sign off on a smaller, more realistic Phase 1: one hotel, fewer units, a new clubhouse near the entrance, and demolition of the old Talus structures — while keeping SilverRock as the public centerpiece. 

5. What it means on the ground

   • For golfers: expect the same mountain‑hugging Palmer layout (with some routing tweaks over time) and a better arrival experience once the new clubhouse is in.

   • For residents and buyers: this is still one of La Quinta’s most dramatic pieces of ground, finally with a developer whose plan is scaled to reality instead of hype.