Borrego Sun - Since 1949

For the past 15 years, Caroline Haines has organized the Borrego Girls Weekend (BGW), a golf retreat and social event for women that happens yearly on the President's Day Weekend. The BGW is the legacy of Haines' previous philanthropic work. For 30 years, Haines organized golf tournaments in Palm Springs that fundraised over $500,000 in donations for various charities.

While the Palm Springs tournaments would often have up to 200 players, the smaller scale BGW averages 30 – 40 players per year. Both events typically attract like minded professionals.

Migrating from Palm Springs to Borrego Springs was a natural choice for the event, as Haines had friends and family in town, and of course, the staggering natural beauty doesn't hurt.

Borrego offers a pristine and relaxing environment that provides an extraordinary golfing experience rarely found elsewhere.

This year the group played at the lovely de Anza course. Although de Anza is a championship level course, this is not a professional tournament or contest.

The group uses a scrambled for-mat, meaning that instead of having individual scores, teams of players move forward using the best score out of the group.

This is meant to remove the pres-sure of having to be a competitive golfer, so that individuals can focus on the joy and communal aspect of the game. For some, this is the only game of golf they play all year.

Side bets keep things lively, but there is no prize for best score, "It's really about having fun with every-one and to be out here," Haines said.

When the BGW started 15 years ago, they stayed and played at the Borrego Springs Resort. In recent years, the group has also played at both The Springs and de Anza golf courses, lodging at the Palm Canyon Resort.

They typically have dinner at Carlee's on Saturday, and the Sunday night dinner is sometimes hosted by friends or catered by a local restaurant.