Local Attractions and Businesses in Blythe, California - Rodeway Inn

The Bob Hope Classic is both part of the US PGA Tour and a legendary pro-celebrity golf event. It is unique in that it takes place on four different desert courses over five days in the Coachella Valley in California's Southern Desert.

The professional tournament takes place on all four courses on the first four days, with the big showdown on Sunday at the Palmer Private Course. The tournament's electric atmosphere attracts golf fans and celebrity-spotters alike.

Hollywood A-listers and US presidents have flocked to the California desert to join the pros for nearly 50 years. In the early years, Bing Crosby, Burt Lancaster and former president Dwight Eisenhower all played, while the best pro golfers were attracted by the (then astronomical) US$50,000 prize offered for a hole-in-one.

Frank Sinatra and Gerald Ford joined the roster in the 1970s, but the ultimate celebrity-spot came in 1995, when the team of Bill Clinton, George H W Bush, Gerald Ford, Bob Hope and defending champion Scott Hoch all teed off together.

Comedian, actor and golfer Bob Hope, who gave his name to the tournament in 1965, died in 2003, but remains associated with the event while it continues its impressive charitable work, having raised millions of dollars during its history.