Indian Wells Golf Resort to Undergo Major Redesign
The Indian Wells (Calif.) Golf Resort is set to undergo a significant transformation as part of a redesign of its Players Course, with groundbreaking scheduled for March 5. The project will introduce seven newly designed holes while refreshing the remaining 11, creating a layout that enhances both everyday play and potential tournament opportunities.
The City of Indian Wells has committed more than $13 million to the renovation, which includes course improvements and the construction of a new fire access road. A key motivation behind the project is attracting professional tournament golf back to the area, particularly an LPGA event. The resort took a step in that direction by hosting the LPGA’s developmental Epson Tour Championship last October.
Architect John Fought, who originally redesigned the Players Course in 2007, is leading the new renovation. This project allows him to bring some of his original concepts to life, particularly the redesign of the 17th and 18th holes, which currently wrap around the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort. The new finishing holes will now be repositioned north of the Whitewater Wash, aligning the layout more cohesively with the rest of the course.
In addition to the new holes, all 18 greens will be refreshed, with the existing putting surfaces being scraped and replaced with TifEagle Bermuda grass to ensure consistency throughout the course. The tees and bunkers will also be upgraded, with adjustments to improve infrastructure and playing conditions.
“We’re very excited about this project,” said Robin Graf, General Manager, Indian Wells Golf Resort. “The course was due for a renovation since John last did the work 18 years ago so, in addition to moving the two holes, we’ll also improve the irrigation, and John will redo some greens, bunkers, and tee boxes.”
Graf said the project will cost between $4 million to $5 million.
“When we are completed, this will be a superior layout,” said Fought of The Players Course. “It’s a very open course with beautiful views and this renovation will make it so much easier to walk and perfectly suited for tournaments.”
The new course routing will allow for a more seamless experience, with the ninth hole returning to the pavilion rather than leaving golfers out in the middle of the course. The finishing stretch will now play back toward the San Jacinto Mountains, providing an enhanced visual and strategic experience.
Construction is expected to progress through the summer, with the base layer of Bermuda grass being laid by early July. A traditional overseeding process in the fall will prepare the course for reopening in late October or early November.
During the renovation, the Epson Tour Championship will relocate to the resort’s Celebrity Course in October.
That’s not all for Fought in 2025. The golf course designer is ushering in the year with an impressive list of new projects.
– Ironwood Country Club, Palm Desert, Calif.: Fought has a long history with Ironwood CC, dating back 25 years. This summer, the North Course—featuring some of the most scenic and challenging holes in the Coachella Valley—will close while Fought and his team begin a renovation. The work will involve a redo of the three greens complexes, all bunkers, fairways, tee boxes and irrigation lakes, as well as tree removal.
“This will give the golf course a facelift and a much better identity,” Fought said. “When completed, even though the routing will essentially be the same, the course will be completely re-imagined.”
The par-71 North Course, the sister layout to the club’s South Course, will re-open in November.
– Moss Creek Golf Club, Hilton Head Island, S.C.: Fought is being hired to perform a renovation of the North Course, originally designed by Tom Fazio. The course is lined with magnificent oak trees and tall airy pines, giving way to scented salt marshes at the edges.
Fought will rebuild the North Course’s greens and greenside bunkers and provide a general refresh of the layout, complete with tree removal.
– Alpine Country Club, Highland, Utah: An All-American collegiate player at Brigham Young University, Fought is returning to Utah to design a state-of-the-art practice facility and renovate some of the existing holes at Alpine Country Club, a private course in the booming area of Highland, 30 miles south of Salt Lake City. The $6.8 million project, part of a three-phase, 10-year plan at the Club, is scheduled to begin in early July and be completed in Fall 2026.
Fought also has another renovation project underway in Utah that is scheduled to be completed in 2026. He is renovating the 18-hole resort course at The Homestead Resort & Golf Club, located in Midway, 30 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. The Wasatch County resort was constructed in 1866 and is known to generations of Utahans for its rustic character, hillside golf course (originally designed in 1990), and unique hot spring crater.
