Junior Golf Programs at Palm Desert Golf Academy
Desert Willow Golf Resort, 38-995 Desert Willow Drive, Palm Desert, CA 92260
About
Junior Golf Programs at Palm Desert Golf Academy include skills development, on-course play, personalized coaching, and lessons that cover full swing fundamentals, short game skills, and putting practice. Juniors take part in skills classes, rules and etiquette class, on-course playing lessons, and fun competitions, including PGA Jr. League team play and scramble format play. The program also offers confidence-building drills, instruction on grip, stance, swing, etiquette, course strategy, teamwork, course management, and strategy development, along with junior golf summer camps that feature daily on-course play.
• Ages: 7–15 years old
• Schedule: Seasonal skills series and junior golf summer camps, with multi-week programs and 4-day camp sessions
• Price: Fairway Kids Skills Series Beginner: $349 per child; Bobcats Players Series Intermediate/Advanced: $429 per person; Junior Golf Summer Camps 2026: $379 per child per session
The Fairway Kids Skills Series Beginner is an 8-week program that meets on Tuesdays from 3:30–5:00 PM, and the Bobcats Players Series Intermediate/Advanced is a 10-week program that meets on Wednesdays from 3:30–5:00 PM. Junior Golf Summer Camps 2026 run Monday–Thursday, June 8–11 and June 15–18, from 8:30–11:30 AM, with instruction and skill development from 8:30–10:30 AM and on-course play from 10:30–11:30 AM, plus early drop-off at 8:00 AM and late pick-up until 12:00 PM. Junior Summer Golf Camps are offered in small groups with a maximum of 12 juniors and include snacks and access to practice facilities, and golf equipment is available upon request.
Programs are led by PGA Professionals, including junior golf programs led by Paul Bucy, PGA, a three-time DCPGA Junior Golf Teacher of the Year and Director of Instruction. The leadership team also includes Bill Spicknall, who leads the junior programs, along with Ryan Szydlowski, PGA; Jason Wilkinson, PGA; Jeff Grant, PGA; Josh Garber, PGA; and Matt Holm, PGA. The academy uses the U.S. Kids Golf Level-Based System, offers small student-to-teacher ratios of 4:1 or 6:1, and provides equipment if needed for junior programs and the Bobcats Players Series.
Junior golf programs at the Palm Desert Golf Academy have been offered since 1998. Families across Coachella Valley, including Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, and La Quinta, as well as visitors from across California, the United States, Canada, and around the world, choose Desert Willow Golf Resort. Desert Willow Golf Resort has two award-winning public golf courses, Firecliff and Mountain View, is recognized among the Top Public Golf Courses in California, and was featured on the cover of Smithsonian Magazine in April 1997 for its design that blends championship golf with sustainable desert landscaping using native plants and minimal turf.
Coach Bill Spicknall states, “Our goal as coaches is to develop junior golfers for top performance, make a positive impact on them as young athletes, and to do this with respect and integrity. I look forward to an amazing season and to watching the growth and development of all our junior golfers.” A GolfPass reviewer describes the Firecliff course as beautiful and challenging, noting the views, staff friendliness, and course conditions.
Last updated June 16, 2026.
• Ages: 7–15 years old
• Schedule: Seasonal skills series and junior golf summer camps, with multi-week programs and 4-day camp sessions
• Price: Fairway Kids Skills Series Beginner: $349 per child; Bobcats Players Series Intermediate/Advanced: $429 per person; Junior Golf Summer Camps 2026: $379 per child per session
The Fairway Kids Skills Series Beginner is an 8-week program that meets on Tuesdays from 3:30–5:00 PM, and the Bobcats Players Series Intermediate/Advanced is a 10-week program that meets on Wednesdays from 3:30–5:00 PM. Junior Golf Summer Camps 2026 run Monday–Thursday, June 8–11 and June 15–18, from 8:30–11:30 AM, with instruction and skill development from 8:30–10:30 AM and on-course play from 10:30–11:30 AM, plus early drop-off at 8:00 AM and late pick-up until 12:00 PM. Junior Summer Golf Camps are offered in small groups with a maximum of 12 juniors and include snacks and access to practice facilities, and golf equipment is available upon request.
Programs are led by PGA Professionals, including junior golf programs led by Paul Bucy, PGA, a three-time DCPGA Junior Golf Teacher of the Year and Director of Instruction. The leadership team also includes Bill Spicknall, who leads the junior programs, along with Ryan Szydlowski, PGA; Jason Wilkinson, PGA; Jeff Grant, PGA; Josh Garber, PGA; and Matt Holm, PGA. The academy uses the U.S. Kids Golf Level-Based System, offers small student-to-teacher ratios of 4:1 or 6:1, and provides equipment if needed for junior programs and the Bobcats Players Series.
Junior golf programs at the Palm Desert Golf Academy have been offered since 1998. Families across Coachella Valley, including Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, and La Quinta, as well as visitors from across California, the United States, Canada, and around the world, choose Desert Willow Golf Resort. Desert Willow Golf Resort has two award-winning public golf courses, Firecliff and Mountain View, is recognized among the Top Public Golf Courses in California, and was featured on the cover of Smithsonian Magazine in April 1997 for its design that blends championship golf with sustainable desert landscaping using native plants and minimal turf.
Coach Bill Spicknall states, “Our goal as coaches is to develop junior golfers for top performance, make a positive impact on them as young athletes, and to do this with respect and integrity. I look forward to an amazing season and to watching the growth and development of all our junior golfers.” A GolfPass reviewer describes the Firecliff course as beautiful and challenging, noting the views, staff friendliness, and course conditions.
Last updated June 16, 2026.
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