Indian Wells Golf Resort

Indian Wells, California (near Palm Springs)

The new Celebrity Course at Indian Wells Golf Resort will unveil itself to the world and to a select few golf pros this Thanksgiving weekend, when it will host The LG Skins Game. Traditionally hosted in the Coachella Valley and Palm Springs area, the $1 million LG Skins Game will air on ABC Sports from November 24-25, 2007.

The renovated Celebrity Course opened in November 2006. Architect Clive Clark painted a masterpiece in the desert, with red and purple wildflowers protruding from boulders and framed by tall palm trees and shade trees. Peaceful ponds, flowing streams, and rippling waterfalls add a refreshing touch along nine holes. The peaks of the San Jacinto, Santa Rosa, and San Bernardino mountain ranges etch the skyline all around. Golf Magazine's February 2007 issue gives praise to the course's aesthetic appeal as well, saying that "what distinguishes the 7,088-year layout from its neighbors are the colorful flowers, cascades of water, and brilliant white jigsaw puzzle-piece bunkers, which add instant texture to the design. This is a Celebrity worth fawning over."

Strategically, the sloping mounds alongside the rich green fairways provide some relief by ushering wayward drives back onto the fairway. A patchwork of light white sand bunkers, located in the path of fairway drives, force a golfer to rethink his club distance. Bunkers and waterways also protect many of the greens, presenting a risk/reward situation for players to decide how they'll approach the hole.

The 4th Hole features a wavy island green with a front-side slope feeding into a pond. The green appears to be large, but with much of the front-side sloping back down into the water, you're better off hitting the left or right side of the green and risking a bunker-lie.

The 14th Hole presents a meandering waterway along the left, center, and right of the fairway. A quarry of bunkers protect the back and left sides of the green, while a small pond protects the front and right. Like the 4th hole, it's a reachable par-5 and has a wide landing area about 150 yards in front of the green, making for a comfortable lie to hit your approach shot. Club selection and appropriate distance are the biggest factors on this and several of the holes.

With the Celebrity Course and Skins Game capturing the golf world's attention this Thanksgiving, Indian Wells Golf Resort plans to build on the momentum by launching its other new course on November 26. The Players Course, designed by architect John Fought, will compliment and contrast the Celebrity Course. Built on the previous location of the West course, the Players Course will feature wide rolling fairways and a challenging layout of bunkers. It is being designed in the spirit of such great American courses as Riviera and Winged Foot.

As part of their final renovation plans, Indian Wells Golf Resort is working on an innovative addition to their resort: a 9-hole lighted putting course. The IW Putting Course will open later this fall and is also designed by John Fought. The putting course provides a fun outing for families and serious players alike. It features natural grass, waterways along hole 4 - 9, and authentic sand bunkers ... so bring your sand wedge too. Once completed this fall, Indian Wells Golf Resort will be a golfing mecca for pros playing at The Skins Game and for players of all levels seeking a resort-style golfing vacation.

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