Thomas A. O’Donnell
Who They Were
Thomas Arthur O’Donnell (June 26, 1870 – February 21, 1945) was a self-made oil tycoon from Long Beach, California, originally from Pennsylvania. After striking it rich in oil fields across Los Angeles, Ventura, and Mexico, he arrived in Palm Springs in the early 1920s, seeking health benefits amid the desert air.
Why They Matter
In 1925, O’Donnell leased and then purchased two parcels of land adjacent to Nellie Coffman’s Desert Inn to build what became the Coachella Valley’s first golf course. With the help of Capt. J. F. Lucey and chauffeur-turned-course-superintendent John Kline, he laid out a private nine-hole course by 1926–27, shaping fairways attuned to how far he and his friends could hit. Beyond golf, O’Donnell invested in bringing fresh water by co-founding the Whitewater Mutual Water Company in 1927, extending a pipeline 14 miles into Palm Springs.
Despite suffering heart trouble in the mid‑1930s, he chose not to close the course, instead gifting it to the city in 1944 with a covenant ensuring its public benefit and a 99-year lease.
Legacy Today
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The O’Donnell Golf Club endures as Palm Springs' oldest course and remains a beloved nine-hole, two‑tee layout that can be played without reservations.
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His former club residence, “Ojo del Desierto” (Eye of the Desert), designed by William Charles Tanner in 1925, now serves as the charming clubhouse.
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In 2019–20 the course earned Class 1 Historic Resource status and was added to both the California and National Registers of Historic Places.
O’Donnell’s contributions to Palm Springs history—from desert pioneer to community benefactor—are still visible every time golfers stroll the shaded fairways he built. The O’Donnell Golf Club remains not only a Coachella Valley legend but also a lasting green legacy crafted from oil wealth and desert dreams.
