Indian Wells OKs $1M in Golf Course Upgrades

by C&RB Staff (editor@clubandresortbusiness.com)
May 2008
 

The Indian Wells (Calif.) City Council has approved more than $1 million in summer "enhancements" to the city-owned Indian Wells Golf Resort, according to an article in The Desert Sun. The latest approval adds to the approximately $80 million investment already allocated to renovate the resort (“New Hope Blooms in the Desert,” Club & Resort Business, January 2008).
 
The latest upgrades include nearly $400,000 in new course maintenance equipment; nearly $300,000 for new turf, and $235,000 to improve the resort's appearance. Resort officials also outlined new drainage work and plant accents, estimated to cost nearly $200,000 each.
 
City redevelopment funds will cover the costs, City Manager Greg Johnson said in the article.
 
City officials hope the renovations, plus a new IW Club clubhouse that is due to open in late summer, will attract more visitors to its four resort hotels and generate more bed-tax revenue.
 
The council also approved the newly renovated resort's first annual operating budget. Phil Green of OB Sports, which manages the resort, projected the property would generate a $292,252 profit during the next fiscal year. OB Sports also projects that 86,000 rounds will be played on both resort courses during the year.