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INDIAN WELLS, Calif. - Most golf resorts turn into funeral parlors after dark.
Make an age joke about golf's white-haired mafia if you must, but the truth is most golfers go to bed at a reasonable time to make sure they're ready for 100 more swings (give or take) tomorrow. The life of the party, they are not.
Hence, most golf resort bars are dead by 9 p.m. Indian Wells Golf Resort has found a way to bring the concept of a golf bar outside and make swinging a club or a putter interactive and fun after dark.
Golf by day AND night?
Indian Wells, operated by Troon Golf, has you covered with two dreamy courses to play in the daylight and the really cool 'Shots in the Night' experience when the sun goes down. It's all available at the Indian Wells Golf Resort's lavish 53,000-square-foot clubhouse in a sprawling resort community home to four different hotels. I stayed at The Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa, in April, acting like a snowbird seeking the sunny skies of the SoCal desert after a long soggy winter in NorCal.
Golf and dining at Indian Wells Golf Resort
Here's the part where I try to convince you that Indian Wells is a 36-hole municipal facility owned by the city. Yeah, they do muni golf a little different out in the Coachella Valley. Most of the seven cities in Greater Palm Springs boast their own golf courses to attract residents, while vacationers pay much higher green fees. Valet parking is part of the commitment to service at most of these 'super muni' facilities.
Indian Wells might be the most complete facility of the bunch thanks to those hotels and that stylish clubhouse, home to the Vue Grille & Bar upstairs. The food is as good as at any clubhouse in America, public or private. The patio view across the courses is especially electric at dawn and dusk when the sun dances in shades of pink, orange and yellow while reflecting off of the clouds and the Santa Rosa Mountains.
I had a notion that the two courses might be too similar to tell apart, but that's not true at all. They're close enough in presentation, though, that it's hard to pick a favorite. Clive Clark's Celebrity Course, host of the LG Skins Game in 2007-08, tends to get ranked higher on GolfPass than John Fought's Players Course (4.7 to 4.5) because it's slightly more scenic and a couple shots easier. Both feature multiple Native American burial grounds, hence the name of the property.
A few holes at Indian Wells stand out - both on Celebrity. I love that everybody - and by everybody I mean me - has a shot to drive the 258-yard 12th hole. I just wrote a story listing the world's longest par 3s - all of which are all longer than this short par 4. The 388-yard finishing hole is full of risk-reward drama with water up the left side and surrounding much of the green.
Don't be surprised if more golf resorts adopt a concept similar to Indian Wells' pioneering Shots in the Night concept. For now, it's one of a kind. Shots in the Night is a great way to get all ages and skill levels - from beginners to avid players - enjoying golf after dark.
I saw children and families enjoying the laser-fueled Putting Experience powered by Nextlinks, while herds of young adults - many of whom probably aren't regular golfers - were hanging out and hacking away on the Glow Golf Range. That scene had a very Topgolf-like vibe with golfers mingling in individual hitting bays stocked with comfortable seating and a fire pit. TVs were visible nearby.
Music and flashing light displays on the surrounding hillsides keep the energy up. It seems there's always a line at the food truck. A corporate group bought out the entire operation one night, proving once again that drinks and golf are the best bonding agents.
Staying at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa
Staying at the Hyatt felt like a flashback to my younger days as a parent. Families with children on spring break from school were everywhere, splashing away at the main pool, floating around the lazy river and racing down the water slides. Thankfully there's an adult-only pool for those of us looking to escape the madness.
Our room, one of 530 at the hotel, also felt very private and spacious because of a step-down living area with a couch and desk, plus an outdoor deck. With the Citrus Marketplace and Cafe just off the lobby, Lantana restaurant, Agave Sunset bar and lounge, more drinks and dining poolside, villas for rent and a spa, we could have easily spent a week or more and felt right at home.
As much as I'd love to come back and sample the experiences staying at the other three resorts - the Indian Wells Resort Hotel; the Miramonte Indian Wells Resort & Spa, Curio Collection by Hilton; and the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa - I'd gladly return to the Hyatt in a heartbeat. Even an old geezer like me can still have a little fun floating down a lazy river.
What's your favorite golf experience in the Coachella Valley? Let us know in the comments below.
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