Associated Press The Golf Club at Terra Lago -- formerly Landmark Golf Club and host to the Skins Game from 1999-2002 -- is one venue where players willing to brave the summer heat can find great deals.

For a golf trip earlier this month to the Palm Springs area, I included something I'd never packed before in my life: a raw egg. I'd carefully wrapped it in paper towels and Kleenex, and very gently placed it into the padded camera case I'd be carrying.

I packed a spatula, too, like it was my 15th club.

The plan was this: Three friends and I were headed out on a 36-hour jaunt into the ridiculously high (and sometimes dangerous) summer heat of the Coachella Valley. For no other reason than to see if we could play 54 holes of golf without collapsing and/or having our ears burn off.

In the spirit of the trip, I wanted to make like Mr. Wizard. You always hear that saying, “It's hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk.” I wanted to make it happen, do a little sunny side up just for kicks, if only to make this story better and more dramatic when we got home.

Turns out, somebody's been leading us astray all these years. They were eggs-agerating. I cracked my egg on the edge of our golf cart, dripped it onto the cart path, and on the 11th hole of the Golf Club at Terra Lago, in 113-degree heat at 4 p.m., stood there waiting for something to happen.

Nothing happened. Not even a sizzle.

Hugely disappointing.

Only later would I find out that Mr. Wizard should have done more homework. A surface has to be at least 144 degrees to fry an egg.

Oh, well. It certainly felt like we were sautéing in an omelette pan.

In the wintertime, Palm Springs and its surrounding communities are gorgeous. The nearby mountains are capped with snow, the perfect temperature seems to warm your bones from the inside, and the golf courses are a fabulous, lush green.

In the summer, it's just too darned scorching to appreciate much of anything. Half the Valley packs up for somewhere else; the other half hunkers down, going from one oasis of air conditioning to another. Pools get too warm to be comfortable, so spending four hours tooling around a golf course is simply unimaginable to most.

Yet it seems like more and more buddy groups and couples are choosing to take the adventure. The hotels and courses in the area are making it worth the effort. There are some great deals out there if you're willing to withstand or wither in the heat.

The PGA West Stadium Course is the most famous track in the Valley, and in the winter it costs $260 for a round. In the summer, the green fee is $99 in the morning, $65 in the afternoon. One of my favorites, the Marriott Shadow Ridge, is $135 in the prime season; right now, it ranges from $40 to $70.

The Classic Club, the host course for the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, is $60-$70, including lunch. SilverRock, another Hope course, is $55 in the summer, $40 for twilight. Trilogy, the former host of the Skins Game, is $54.

Choose some of the older, more traditional courses, and the prices get better. Rancho Mirage Country Club, a lovely and traditional tree-lined layout, is only $35 in the summer, as is Desert Dunes, a links-style Robert Trent Jones Jr. design. The fee goes down to $25 at 11 a.m. at Desert Dunes, but you've got to get out before 1, because that's when they close the pro shop.

Most of the hotel rooms are as cheap as the golf. This week, two friends could stay in a double casita at the four-star La Quinta Resort & Club for $45 per person. The Hyatt Grand Champions is only $50 per person.

We chose the Fantasy Springs Resort & Casino, a newer high-rise hotel owned by the Cabazon Indians, for its price – a neat, well-decorated double room can be had for $19 per person – and its location, just off Interstate 10 and within minutes of both golf courses we were playing.

Along with the gambling opportunities, Fantasy even had a bowling alley, which we used enthusiastically at night, if only because we could at least recreate in air conditioning.

The courses we chose were Terra Lago, formerly Landmark Golf Club and the host to the Skins Game from 1999-2002, and Fantasy Springs' 15-month-old design, Eagle Falls. Both were well worth the price. Terra Lago charges $50 in the morning, but only $29 when we played at just after 2 p.m. on our arrival day. Eagle Falls was $39 at 7:30 the next morning.

In our first summer trip two years ago, we made the wise choice to play a third course closer to home on the way back. Last time, it was the SCPGA Club in Beaumont; this year, it was the quirky Diamond Valley in eastern Hemet, which even at $39 didn't jump to the top of my list for recommended places to play. We'd pick another Riverside County course next time.

As one might guess, playing golf in anything over 110 isn't for everybody. A sales rep for one of the properties recently had to be treated for heat exhaustion after playing just nine holes.

When you get in the cool car in San Diego and then step out in Indio, it can suck the breath right out of you. Just minutes on the course, we all could feel our hearts pounding hard in our chests.

The only cure for the heat is to dip a towel in the ice chest provided on the cart, and wrap it around your neck or wear it under your hat, like a sheik. Three holes later, you've got to wet it again because the towel has gone dry. The handles of bunker rakes are so hot oven mitts should be provided. A cart seat left unoccupied just long enough to putt can fry your legs.

The upside? You can drink five bottles of water and never have to take a restroom break. And, man, does the ball fly in that heat! I benefited at least an extra 10 yards on most shots. The ground is baked, so drives roll forever. Don't expect perfect greens, though. In the summer, they're just trying to keep the Bermuda grass alive.

Is it fun to play in that heat? Probably not in the traditional golf sense. It's a challenging march more than anything. You're just trying to finish. For adventurous souls, it's worth the effort.

Just leave the eggs to IHOP.

Tod Leonard: (619) 293-1858; tod.leonard@uniontrib.com