This California municipal golf course is about to get a $13.5 million redesign

In an effort to support nan Indian Wells Golf Resort competitory — and to pull nan LPGA Tour backmost to nan Coachella Valley — nan metropolis assembly voted by a 3-2 separator Thursday to walk $13.5 cardinal to redesign 1 of nan resort’s 2 main courses.

The Indian Wells assembly agreed to walk $12 cardinal for Troon, nan institution that manages nan resort, to activity pinch a play landscaping institution to complete nan Player’s Course redesign, on pinch $1.5 cardinal to build a caller occurrence entree roadworthy connected nan property.

The remodel was planned by John Fought, nan aforesaid personification who designed nan people successful 2007, and it involves relocating nan 17th and 18th holes to nan northbound broadside of nan Whitewater Channel, rehabilitating nan greens and tee boxes, replacing nan course’s irrigation strategy and rerouting nan wide course.

The 18th fairway and greenish astatine nan Indian Wells Golf Resort, seen April 26, 2024.
City officials told nan assembly nan remodel is sorely needed to support nan people competitory among play destinations successful nan Coachella Valley and beyond. While astir of nan assembly yet supported nan project, immoderate members were concerned astir getting much organization input, arsenic good arsenic nan sizeable summation successful nan last bid submitted to nan metropolis compared to anterior costs estimates.

With nan council’s approval, building connected nan redesigned people will statesman successful March 2025, pinch an opening day successful November 2025.

Why it matters

The Players Course astatine nan Indian Wells Golf Resort was built 17 years ago. City Manager Christopher Freeland said its irrigation strategy and bunkers request to beryllium replaced, noting nan course’s ranking has dropped successful caller years.

“We want to support our marketplace stock and to make judge that our people is competitory pinch our different (local) competitors of PGA West and Desert Willow, who person done caller renovations,” Freeland told nan assembly Thursday.

Hotel officials besides told nan metropolis they’ll beryllium capable to amended marketplace a caller play course, compared to conscionable a rehabilitation, pinch Freeland noting estimates that nan task will lead to much revenues for nan resort.

Freeland besides said nan remodeled people could beryllium a tie to nan Ladies Professional Golf Association, which has a agelong history successful nan valley. The LPGA Tour held its Dinah Shore tournament, now known arsenic nan Chevron Championship, astatine nan Mission Hills Country Club successful Rancho Mirage from 1972 to 2022.

That tourney moved to nan Houston area successful 2023, but nan Epson Tour, nan developmental circuit for nan LPGA, precocious held its title astatine nan Indian Wells Golf Resort Player’s Course. City officials are optimistic nan Epson Tour event, mixed pinch nan remodel, will unfastened nan doorway to a afloat LPGA event.

“At nan Epson Tour, nan LPGA commissioner came to nan events, learned astir our redesign (and) had nan opportunity to look astatine nan design, and she is rather excited connected what that tin bring for nan play course,” Freeland said. “It’s our dream that possibly that intends we tin bring nan LPGA backmost to Indian Wells and nan Coachella Valley.”

The metropolis plans to salary for nan $13.5 cardinal task mostly by utilizing indebtedness repayments it receives done nan successor agency of nan Indian Wells Redevelopment Agency, arsenic good arsenic by utilizing proceeds from imaginable onshore sales. The loans, which nan metropolis made to its redevelopment agency to amended nan play edifice anterior to nan dissolution of specified agencies by nan authorities successful 2012, are now paid backmost annually done Riverside County spot taxation rebates.

Due to timing issues, nan city’s wide money will supply immoderate spread funding, covering an estimated $2.2 cardinal to beryllium paid backmost done a indebtedness costs successful 2026, according to a metropolis unit report. The Player’s Course will besides beryllium closed from nan commencement of March 2025 done nan commencement of November 2025, which is expected to origin a nett nonaccomplishment of astir $1 cardinal for nan resort.

Two residents said successful favour of nan redesign task during Thursday’s meeting, calling it a bully business determination for nan city.

What nan assembly said

After holding a lengthy typical gathering past week to talk nan project, nan assembly had a fewer much questions and concerns Thursday.

Councilmember Ty Peabody, who opposed nan project, was worried astir further costs associated pinch nan project, specified arsenic a caller parking lot, and he said nan metropolis should effort again to get much bids from apical play people designers.

Peabody besides said much organization input was basal earlier moving guardant pinch nan project.

“There’s been nary resident discussions since April 2 until past week (at nan typical meeting),” Peabody said. “There’s been nary study of nan residents astatine each whether they want to spell up pinch this project. … We’ve been asked to unreserved done this.”

In response, Councilmember Donna Griffith noted much than 2 twelve metropolis meetings person been held successful caller years related to nan play people renovations. The city’s play edifice advisory committee besides unanimously recommended nan task successful March, according to a metropolis unit report.

“(The residents) person been present since 2018,” Griffith said. “We’ve had extended nationalist engagement wherever we person had nan expertise for our nationalist to beryllium location astatine an unfastened noticed meeting.”

“I deliberation that our residents cognize this is coming,” she added. “And I conscionable want to show you, I ran into a woman astatine CVS nan different day, and she was upset pinch maine that it isn’t already done.”

The councilmembers who voted nary besides questioned nan ample jump successful nan project’s costs estimate successful nan last bid, compared to an first projection of astir $8.7 million. The last plans included an summation successful nan magnitude of earthwork from 25 acres to 42 acres.

Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Whitman, who besides voted against backing nan project, said nan assembly didn’t person nan last plans pinch nan higher estimate until days earlier a imaginable vote, and he described a “failure of communication” successful nan process.

“I do deliberation that this is simply a problem of connection pinch our group who are expected to beryllium our experts and our consultants, and who didn’t springiness america nan accusation successful a timely measurement truthful that we could really person a deliberative process complete nan summer,” Whitman said. “Instead, we’ve had a deliberative process astir this summation for fundamentally 10 days.”

“It’s not fair, but life isn’t ever fair, truthful we person to make a decision,” he added. “But we don’t person to make it today.”

Councilmember Dana Reed said nan support process for nan task “has been going connected for years,” adding nan metropolis has done precisely what it’s expected to do from nan start.

“I americium persuaded by Troon and nan hotels and nan play committee that this is simply a bully project, and I americium persuaded by our finance head that nan money is disposable without jeopardizing our wide fund,” Reed said.

The assembly approved nan backing for nan task and nan occurrence entree roadworthy connected a divided vote, pinch Whitman and Peabody opposed. In a abstracted motion, nan assembly besides agreed to hole an statement to make Troon nan task manager, pinch Peabody nan sole personnel successful opposition.

This communicative includes anterior reporting by The Desert Sun’s Larry Bohannan. Tom Coulter covers nan cities of Palm Desert, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells. Reach him astatine thomas.coulter@desertsun.com.