California Dreamin’ the RV-Golfer’s Paradise

California has long been a favorite destination for snowbirding RVers. And if your passion for hitting the road also includes hitting the links, you’ll want to consider some of the wonderful RV-golf resorts available throughout the Golden State.

Several California RV resorts make it easy for travelers looking for the RV park and golf combination by putting those two words in their name. Consider the following: Desert Trails RV Park and Golf Course, Sands RV & Golf Resort, Campers Inn RV & Golf Resort, Benbow Valley RV Resort & Golf Course, Likely Place RV Resort & Golf, French Camp RV Park Resort & Golf Course, and Emerald Desert Golf & RV Resort. There are actually more than a dozen RV-golf resorts in California. Here’s a brief sampling:

Desert Trails RV Park and Golf Course: Centrally located in El Centro near San Diego, Yuma, and Palm Springs, Desert Trails is where the sun spends the winter. This area is also home to the Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Team during winter months. Offering complete amenities, the park features 387 RV sites and a nine-hole executive course. (225 Wake Ave., El Centro, CA 92243; (760) 352-7275; www.deserttrailsrv.com.)

Sands RV & Golf Resort: With more than 500 RV sites available, this adult park is located in Desert Hot Springs, just 15 minutes from Palm Springs. The nine-hole, 2,300- yard executive golf course is closed from July 1 through Nov. 1,but snowbirds will appreciate its manicured fairways and greens, as well as the scenic San Jacinto Mountains. Full amenities are available. (16400 Bubbling Wells Rd., Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240; (800) 772-7808; www.sandsrvresort.com.)

Campers Inn RV & Golf Resort: In addition to all the fun amenities at this resort, visitors will also enjoy the nearby RH Phillips Vineyard, which offers wine tasting and tours. The park, located 40 miles north of Sacramento, offers 62 pull-through sites (72 total), complete with grassy areas, shade trees and picnic tables. The nine-hole executive golf course is a scant 1,134 yards, and a great place to practice your hole-in-one shots. (2501 County Rd. 88, Dunnigan, CA 95937; (530) 724-3350; www.campersinnrv.com.)

Benbow Valley RV Resort & Golf Course: Offering more than 100 RV sites, this year-round resort features a variety of recreational opportunities, including golf. The nine-hole, par 35 offers two sets of tees, allowing golfers to play 18 holes through picturesque Benbow Valley. The course has been described by many as unforgiving. That’s quite a compliment for this 2,674-yard course. And in case cooking in your motorhome is becoming stale, a short distance away is the historic Benbow Inn, an AAA four-diamond hotel and restaurant. (7000 Benbow Dr., Garberville, CA 95542; (866) BENBOWRV; www.benbowrv.com.)

Likely Place RV Resort & Golf: Located three hours north of Reno, this folksy resort was built as a direct result of the constant flow of RVs up and down State Highway 395 in California and Nevada. In fact, the golf course with the nice alliteration – Likely Links – was added in 1999 because of the popularity of golf with those who enjoy the RV lifestyle. The nine-hole, par 36 measures 3,340 yards, and is a links style course offering great views of the Warner Mountains. There’s also a driving range and practice putting green. The 40-site RV park is open from May 1 to Oct. 1. (County Rd. 64, Likely, CA 96116; (888) 350-3848; www.likelyplace.com.)

French Camp RV Park Resort and Golf Course: Open since 1996, this full-service resort features 196 sites, complete with full hookups, patio and picnic tables. Free cable TV is available; there’s also a restaurant and full service bar, and a shuttle service. The golf course was expanded five years ago to 18 holes. The executive par 60 measures 3,656 yards from the tips. French Camp is located 74 miles west of San Francisco. (3919 E. French Camp Rd., Manteca, CA 95336; (209) 234-3001; www.frenchcamp.com.)

Emerald Desert Golf & RV Resort: May this wonderful establishment rest in peace. The first column I wrote for this publication in January 2005 featured Emerald Desert, a Palm Desert RV Mecca with 760 spaces and a challenging nine-hole executive golf course. This was by far one of the more elegant RV-golf resorts in the country. But it will soon be a thing of the past, thanks to developers who plan to turn the property into several hundred homes and condominiums. In fact, the dismantling has already begun. The golf course doesn’t exist anymore, and only 230 RV sites remain. Emerald Desert will open for the last time this October (it closes during the hot summer months). And when it closes the doors in April 2007, Emerald Desert Golf & RV Resort will cease to exist.

The 19th Hole (and a few chip shots)
Earlier this year, an Illinois golfer was killed after being struck by lightning while on the first hole of the Wing Park Golf Club in Elgin. Here are some thunderstorm and lightning safety tips while on the golf course.

• When a thunderstorm threatens, get inside a home or large building, or inside an all-metal (not convertible) vehicle.

• Practice the flash-to-bang measurement of lightning distance. This is the time from seeing the stroke to hearing the thunder. For each five-second count, lightning is one mile away. Thus, 20 seconds equals four miles away; 15 seconds equals three miles away, etc.

• Avoid water and metal objects like golf clubs, fences, electric wires, motors and railroad tracks. Unsafe places include golf carts, tents, small open-sided rain shelters and underneath isolated trees. Avoid hilltops and open spaces.

• Where possible, find shelter in a building or in a fully enclosed metal vehicle such as a car, truck, or van with the windows completely shut. If lightning is striking nearby, you should avoid direct contact with other people, get into a ditch or a shallow depression, remove all metal objects, and crouch down, feet together and hands on your knees.

• If you are hopelessly isolated in a level golf course or field and you feel your hair stand on end indicating lightning is about to strike—squat low to the ground on the balls of your feet. Place your hands on your knees with your head between them. Make yourself the smallest target possible and minimize your contact with the ground. Do not lie flat on the ground.

Rick Stedman is an avid RVer, golfer and writer who lives in Yakima, Washington. He can be reached at rick.stedman@charter.net