A mulligan in golf is the chance to right the wrong of a poorly hit shot. An immediate do-over. You don’t want one, but sometimes it’s necessary.
John Fought took a mulligan recently at Indian Wells Golf Resort, but he had to wait almost two decades for the chance to do so. The Arizona-based course architect, who designed the Players Course there in 2007, recently corrected what he always considered “a wrong” by moving the final two holes from the south side of the Whitewater Wash to the north side, where they now join the other 16 holes.
“They felt completely in another world,” Fought says of those two holes. “But I was told at the time it had to be done that way. They were not bad holes; they were just in a different part of the property. When they called me and said they were thinking about getting rid of those two holes, I was like, ‘Yes! Finally!’”
He ended up doing much more, however. The project included a new irrigation system and greens, and a rerouting of the layout to meld existing holes and a handful of new ones into a contiguous configuration. “There are now 11 holes out there that we basically refurbished but didn’t change too much,” Fought says. “We just made them more modern. But they do play in a different order. The old fifth is now 14. The first hole used to start where the 18th green is now. It was a bit of puzzle, but we were able to do it.” Holes 17 and 18 are brand-new and cap a stellar closing stretch.
Indian Wells Mayor Toper Taylor, thrilled at the results after playing the reconfigured course on opening day in early December, was a strong proponent of the project.
“We invest in our two golf courses like they are our children,” he says. “The greens hadn’t been done in over 10 years. The sprinkler system hadn’t been done in over 10 years, and water conservation is a serious thing. Rather than just do those two things, we decided to also redesign eight holes and put new sand in the bunkers at the same time. The project came in on time and a little less than $1 million under budget.”
Taylor acknowledges the challenge for a small city with a budget of about $100 million annually to spend $13 million on anything, let alone a golf course. “There has to be a really good reason,” he says. “Getting the momentum of the City Council to agree to this expenditure was a critical component. The city’s revenue relies on people playing these courses.”
“You’ve got to take care of your assets; otherwise, your asset diminishes in value, significance, and relevance,” he adds. “And relevance is a big deal because there are more than 70 golf courses in the Coachella Valley. Many of them are being redone. Public courses. Private courses. But what’s really nice about our courses is that even private club members at some of the best private courses in the state come to play here because the experience is so great.”
Food plays a part in that experience, too. Kestrel, A Richard Blais Kitchen + Lounge, debuted in the Indian Wells clubhouse last year. Next door at the Grand Hyatt Indian Wells Resort & Villas is Tía Carmen, led by acclaimed chef Angelo Sosa. And the new Seven Olive gastropub is slated to open at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa in early 2026.
Golf-related improvements at Indian Wells Golf Resort will continue. The Celebrity Course, designed by Coachella Valley resident Clive Clark, is scheduled to undergo a general face-lift in 2027, and the resort is also making plans for a new putting course.
“Around us, we have seen PGA WEST and Desert Willow Golf Resort, who are our competitors, making investments in their properties,” says Chris Freeland, Indian Wells city manager. “We realized that if we want to continue our ability to capture our market, we have to also be on the forefront of those types of investments. This project was an investment not just in the reimagination of the Players Course but for the future growth of golf in Indian Wells. You’ve seen that with our hosting the Epson Tour Championship here at the Indian Wells Golf Resort the past two years, so we’re committed to golf.”
