Thunderbird Country Club

The Thunderbird Country Club is an 18-hole golf course designed by Lawrence Hughes in Rancho Mirage in California's Coachella Valley. It has hosted the Ryder Cup and the Palm Springs Golf Classic (now known as the CareerBuilder Challenge). Opened in 1951, the country club has been a favorite of many celebrities including Bing Crosby and Bob Hope[1] as well as US Presidents Gerald Ford and Barack Obama [2]

Lawrence Hughes also designed the Tomahawk Lake Country Club in South Dakota, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1957, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz bought a nearby home and hoped to join the elite Thunderbird Country Club. but because it prohibited minorities and Jewish people from admission, Arnaz was denied admission to the Thunderbird Country Club because he was Cuban. In response to this prejudice, Arnaz bought property in nearby Indian Wells, California and opened Indian Wells Resort Hotel, which did not discriminate against minorities and Jewish people.[3][4]

References
  1. Our History Thunderbird Country Club website, accessed March 28, 2015
  2. Obama's visit put spotlight back on Thunderbird by Dominique Fong The Desert Sun, June 21, 2014
  3. Love, Lucy, written by Lucille Ball;1996 Putnam Adult; ISBN 1568652291
  4. http://www.indianwellsresort.com/index2.html


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