The Humana Challenge Golf Tournament begins pro-am play Thursday at three courses in the city of La Quinta, the Palmer Private and Nicklaus Private courses and La Quinta Country Club.
There is no celebrity field at the Humana Challenge Golf Tournament in partnership with the Clinton Foundation this year. So there is no Alice Cooper or Carson Daly or football or baseball Hall of Famer to watch on the first tee. That is perhaps the most remarkable and obvious change in the tournament since it debuted in 1960 as a community-based celebrity pro-am event.
For the last two years, Humana and the Clinton Foundation have tried to make the message of health and wellness more appealing than your mother did. In the Coachella Valley, at least, Humana and the Clinton Foundation have shown that its commitment to the message is more than just talk.
Health and wellness are all fine and good as concepts. But talking about health and wellness can have all the appeal of a mother standing over your shoulder telling you to finish your vegetables before you leave the table.
In his first year at the Humana Challenge Golf Tournament in 2012, former President Bill Clinton was all around the tournament, from the Health Matters conference to greeting players on the range to playing with pro partner Greg Norman. This year Clinton plans to be around through Friday, but whether he will golf or not is still unknown.