Obama plans to be in Palm Springs today and tomorrow, where he typically favors two private courses the Sunnylands estate and Porcupine Creek, owned by software billionaire Larry Ellison.
As California grapples with a drought crisis, the courses in the desert oasis of Palm Springs have been criticized for their water use.
White House spokesman Eric Schultz responds that many courses have taken water mitigation steps aimed at conservation.
Schultz says Obama discussed government efforts to deal with the drought during a private meeting with California Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday while in San Francisco.