Tucked in a corner of the Palm Desert foothills, near the giraffes and bighorn sheep of the local zoo, is a country club with a bit of mystique. Luke Leuschner, a local historian who grew up nearby, recalls passing by its walls as a kid and wondering, “What’s this pink thing?”

With pink walls lining its exterior, the Marrakesh Country Club used to be “kind of a secret,” as Palm Desert Mayor Jan Harnik said at a recent council meeting. That’s changed in recent years, as has the club, which was built starting in the late 1960s.

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