Indian Wells Resort
After breaking ground in March, changes are well underway on the Players Course at Indian Wells Golf Resort. Set to reopen for play in November, the Southern California course will present players with seven new holes, walkable tees to greens and returning nines. Alongside contractor Landscapes Unlimited, the previously par 72 course will change to a par 71, and bunkers, greens and tee boxes will be refreshed.
When architect John Fought was hired to renovate the Coachella Valley course in 2007, one of two 18-hole courses at the municipal facility, there were a few things he wasn’t able to accomplish. He wasn’t happy with the location of holes 17 and 18, which, prior to this year’s renovation, were located on the south side of the Whitewater Wash pond, separating them from the other 16 holes.
“I wanted the golf course to be better,” Fought says. “I wanted this golf course to be everything that I had originally hoped it would be but was not allowed to do originally.
“It’s really exciting for me, and such a wonderful opportunity that the city has given me to be able to go in and make the golf course more of what I envisioned originally.”
The new 18th hole, a par 5, will play 551 yards from the tips, and features five bunkers — two in the fairway, one in the second landing zone and two around the green. It plays in reverse of the first hole, and along the pond. Hole No. 17 will also be rerouted alongside the pond. Additionally, the ninth hole will now move closer to the clubhouse, for easy access to food and beverages between nines. The finishing holes’ new location and the course reroute also allows for a more walkable round.
The new par 71 layout will feature four par 5s, five par 3s and nine par 4s, different from the original par 72 layout’s four par 3s and 10 par 4s.
“The new holes fit in beautifully with the old ones,” Fought says, “but they’re as good or better than what we’ve had.”
Alongside the course renovation, the resort also installed a 16-foot-wide fire road through the course to accommodate events and weddings hosted on the property. This provided a puzzle for Fought and the design plans. “That has been a challenge,” he says. “Trying to integrate that into the golf without making a road the middle of the course has been a little bit tricky.”
Fought’s changes help the course become more player-friendly — and also more maintenance-friendly for director of agronomy Nick Leitner and his staff. The new design will feature less square footage in bunkers, reducing the amount of detail work for the maintenance staff. The team is also installing desert-friendly landscapes on the course to decrease the need for pruning, non-overhead irrigation and weed pressure.
“He’s done such a great job with being able to go ahead and make it a lot more maintenance-friendly,” says Leitner, who has worked at Indian Wells for almost three years. “It’s been boots on the ground, making sure that if John has an idea or if the contractor has an idea, all three of us work together to make sure it will go ahead and be good for the end user, whether that be the city of Indian Wells or me and my maintenance staff.”
The renovation process has been a balancing act for Leitner. He and his staff have also been responsible throughout for continuing to maintain the club’s Celebrity Course, an 18-hole Clive Clark design that remained open for play during the Players Course redesign.
To hear Leitner tell it, that required, “making sure that the side that’s still operational is getting as much love as it can, but at the same time knowing that a lot of my attention is going to be over at the Players Course.”
Leitner has also made it a priority to ensure there is attention on the little details through the project, noting irrigation systems and undulations, and being sure everything is properly sprigged. “It takes a good team,” he says. “It takes me and my managers working together and communicating to be able to accomplish that.”
Leitner has previously been a part of smaller projects, including a few greens and tee box renovations, but this marks the biggest thus far. The redesign process has taught him both patience and organization. Organization keeps the team on track for daily and long-term goals, ensuring everyone is on the same page. “Organization is key,” Leitner says, “and I think that’s the biggest thing I’ve learned.”
Construction will soon be wrapped up, allowing the TifTuf and TifEagle Bermudagrass to grow in through August, September and October. Indian Wells’ Celebrity Course will be hosting the 2025 Epson Series Championship, but the resort hopes to move that to the Players Course in the future.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing the end product,” Leitner says. “I’m excited to go ahead and have the city of Indian Wells cut that ribbon open.”
Kelsie Horner is Golf Course Industry’s digital editor.
