Happy Sunday OOB fam!
Today’s feature is a rare one. It’s not often I stumble onto a golf experience I’ve never heard of, but somehow Sensei Porcupine Creek Golf Resort slipped right past my radar. What makes it even more absurd is nobody actually knows who designed the course. For a property this detailed and well-built, that’s wild. How does a golf course this good exist without a name behind it?
I found Sensei while going down a YouTube golf-trip rabbit hole, and it was too interesting not to share with y’all. This place isn’t just about golf - it’s a full-on wellness retreat built around three principles: Move, Nourish, and Rest. It’s absolutely a couples retreat, the kind of spot where you bring your partner, hit the reset button, and just chill for a few days.
In this issue, we’ll dig into what that actually looks like — from Nobu sushi delivered mid-round to recovery sessions and hikes that feel more meditative than physical.
Featured Track - Sensei Porcupine Creek Golf Resort
💰 Green fees - around $950 peak season and $650 off season
✏️ Architect - Unknown
📍 Rancho Mirage, California
TL;DR — The Sensei Experience
Hidden in Rancho Mirage, Sensei Porcupine Creek blends world-class golf with a full-scale wellness retreat. Think Nobu meals delivered to your cart, private-club conditions, and days that flow from the course to yoga, spa, and poolside recovery. It’s a luxury escape built for couples looking to let go of the noise and sink into a truly peaceful setting.
Why this place is unique
Most golf resorts give you championship golf, a spa, and a steakhouse. Sensei flips the script. You’re checking into a 230-acre wellness retreat wrapped around a secluded private country club. The whole property and experience is built around three principles — Move, Nourish, Rest and every detail connects back to that.
The place started as billionaire Tim Blixseth’s private estate before Larry Ellison bought it and turned it into a wellness retreat. Nobody can say for sure who designed it — Tom Weiskopf, Dave Stockton, and even Annika Sörenstam have all been rumored to have had a hand in it. That mystery just adds to the story.
It finally opened to guests in late 2022, with only 21 rooms, casitas, and villas, which keeps the entire vibe quiet, personal, and almost too good to be real.
Golf is different here
The rule is simple - if you’re not staying there, you’re not playing there. Tee times are spaced out to keep that “private club for the day” feeling, something Sensei calls the Peace of Play.
And it’s not just a marketing phrase. Golfers who’ve played here say they rarely saw another soul all round. You can walk barefoot, hit multiple shots, or take your time - it’s truly a unique golf experience.
Conditioning is off the charts. The greens roll pure, the bunkering is perfect, and the routing works with the desert instead of against it. The mountain backdrops sneak into every frame. And yes, between holes, you can order Nobu dishes right to your cart - sashimi tacos, miso black cod bites, even matcha ice cream! It’s absurd in the best way possible.
image credit: Sean Ogle
Playing the course
From the back tees, it’s around 6,600 yards - enough to challenge better players but friendly enough that mid-handicappers can still find plenty of scoring chances. The layout mixes in risk-reward par 5s early, tight driving corridors on the front nine, and a few “wow” holes coming home.
Highlights:
#10: a tee shot that drops from an elevated box to a split fairway below.
#15: a downhill par 3 that feels like you’re hitting straight into the Coachella Valley.
#16: a long sweeping par 4 carved against the mountain and creek flowing all the way to the green
Wellness woven around your round
Sensei doesn’t separate golf from the rest of your stay - it’s all part of their programming. You can start the day with yoga or mobility work, then head the course warmed up and ready to go.
Their Optimal Wellbeing Program even builds golf performance into your wellness plan - mobility, posture, recovery, nutrition — everything that quietly makes a difference in how you swing and how you feel the next day. I’m definitely doing this when I make it the trip to Sensei!
Off the course, the pace slows down: a massage built from body diagnostics, a meditation session, or just a walk through the property’s art garden. Dinner is back at Sensei by Nobu which I’m sure never gets old.
What it costs and my takeaway
Sensei sits in the same price bracket as a Pebble Beach or Whistling Straits trip — rooms north of a grand a night and golf running around $650–$950, depending on the season. Each stay includes a $250 daily wellness credit you can use toward your round or treatments to offset some of the costs.
So yeah, it’s pricey but so are all the top-tier golf destinations we know. The difference is what you walk away with. Pebble and Whistling are incredible golf experiences, but you won’t leave feeling as refreshed as you do after a few days at Sensei.
If you’re looking for something secluded, where you can still chase birdies but also reset your body and mind — this is the move. It’s not just a golf trip, it’s a reset.
One Shot Better
Hitting 3-wood off the deck
Most of my higher-handicap buddies struggle with the three-wood off the deck — and from my experience, it’s because they’re trying to help the ball into the air instead of trusting the club to do the work. Here’s how to hit it clean and confident (or check out this YouTube short from Rick Shiels):
Set up for a sweep. Play the ball just inside your lead heel, with a slightly wider stance for balance. Keep the shaft neutral and your spine tilted a touch toward the ball — this promotes that shallow, brushing motion instead of a steep, digging one.
Smooth tempo, wide takeaway. Think mid-iron rhythm, not driver power. Make a wide shoulder turn on the way back and let your weight naturally move onto your lead foot in the downswing.
Brush the turf and trust the loft. The sole is built to glide — you just need to sweep the grass after impact. Don’t try to lift it; a solid strike will send it climbing on its own.
Get those three right, and you’ll finally see that low-spin bullet that makes the 3-wood worth pulling to get home in two.
Have a great week OOB fam!
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