IW Club also honored by Masonry Construction Magazine
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – The IW Club, the new clubhouse at Indian Wells Golf Resort which officially opened to the public on August 15, 2008, placed first in the 2008 Golf Inc. Clubhouse Competition in the daily-fee category. A complete story detailing the competition will appear in the November issue of Golf Inc.
“We are all simply thrilled to receive this recognition from one of the premier golf trade publication out there,” said Greg Johnson, City Manager for the City of Indian Wells. “This award along with the positive recognition we’ve received for our two new golf courses just illustrates the quality of the entire golf experience here at Indian Wells Golf Resort. Once again I’d like to thank all of the dedicated people who were involved with this project from inception to completion. Their hard work is truly the source of this award.”
The panel of judges was made up of industry experts including Dan Nicholas, principal of PHN Architects, David MacLaren, director of property and venue development for the European PGA Tour and Marjorie Feltus Hawkins principal of Feltus Hawkins Design. They based their decisions on a combination of factors including efficiency of design, visual appeal and how well the finished product meshes with the developer’s goals.
In addition to recognition by golf trade publications, the IW Club was also recently selected as the “Project of the Year” in the Commercial category by Masonry Construction, a leading construction trade publication. The IW Club will be featured in the November/December issue of the magazine, which will be out in early November. Masonry Construction’s web site, masonryconstruction.com, will also feature slideshows for each winning project, including full project descriptions and photo galleries.
It was the direction of the City of Indian Wells to build a state-of-the-art clubhouse to complement the golf courses, as well as provide Indian Wells residents, with a public place to call their own. Phoenix-based, award-winning architect, Douglas Fredrikson, was called on to not only design the building, he devised a new architectural style in the process which he coined Desert Modern.
“It was a pleasure as well as an honor to work on this project,” said Doug Fredrikson. “Not too often am I given the marching orders to create a clubhouse that makes such a spectacular statement. It was simply enjoyable and gratifying.”
The 53,000 square-foot IW Club features sandstone walls, large expanses of glass, metal roofing, limestone and granite accents and stainless steel detailing. A stunning water feature – a veritable sheet of water cascading from the upper level to a collection pool below – adorns the front Porte Cochere. The interior features warm wood detailing, Travertine floors, leather accents, sculpted carpets and other luxurious appointments. To advance the indoor/outdoor desert lifestyle, the IW Club features large sliding-glass doors in the dining areas that allow for an effortless transition to the many outdoor patios.
The IW Club’s fine dining venue and Bar & Grille, both perched on the second floor to take advantage of the commanding views of the golf course and surrounding mountains, offer a menu complete with American favorites with Asian influences as well as a first-rate wine list. The banquet operation is highlighted by the versatile grand ballroom that opens on one side to a reception hall and on the other side to an outdoor veranda overlooking the golf course.
A spectacular golf shop, boasting a wide variety of retail offerings ranging from quality golf apparel and equipment to department store-type offerings, takes the standard golfer’s auxiliary to another level. There is even a men’s and women’s specialty nook complete with designer-label apparel, sports coats and other accessories. The golf shop is also home to the Callaway Performance Center, one of only nine worldwide, that offers an effective, high-tech approach to golf lessons and club fitting.
About Indian Wells Golf Resort
The Indian Wells Golf Resort has been a popular golf travel destination for nearly 20 years, offering the original East and West Golf Courses and four hotel/resorts. Not willing to rest on past success, the City of Indian Wells, owner of the golf resort, reinvested in the golf experience at the resort by embarking on an ambitious facility-wide project ultimately yielding two new golf courses, the IW Club, nine-hole putting course, sprawling practice facility and a host of other amenities.
The Clive-Clark designed Celebrity Course opened November 1, 2006, and the John Fought-designed Players Course opened in November of 2007. Since then both golf courses at Indian Wells Golf Resort have attracted the attention of the golf world. In fact the Celebrity and Players Courses made Golfweek magazine’s list of California’s top 20 public-access golf courses – the only 36-hole facility to have both golf courses on the list. Plus Golfweek also honored Indian Wells Golf Resort in its first-ever nationwide municipal golf course ranking “Golfweek’s Best top 30 Municipal Courses.” In the ranking, the Players Course earned the No. 3 spot, and the Celebrity Course was ranked No. 7. For the second time, Indian Wells Golf Resort was the only 36-hole golf facilities to have both of its golf courses in the top ten. And most recently, Golf Digest magazine gave the Players Course a 4 ½ -star rating out of a total of five stars.
The Indian Wells Golf Resort is also home to competitive golf at the highest level. The LG SKINS GAME will be held at Indian Wells Golf Resort from 2007 through 2009. The first year featured a competition between Fred Couples, Stephen Ames, Brett Wetterich and Zach Johnson. Ames took top honors in 2007 earning $650,000 in “Skins.” The participants for the 2008 LG SKINS GAME are defending champion, Steven Ames, Tour favorite, Phil Mickelson, U.S. Open runner-up, Rocco Mediate and Korean sensation, K.J. Choi. For more information about the LG SKINS GAME, visit www.indianwells.com/lgskinsgame. For more information about Indian Wells Golf Resort call 760.346.4653 or visit www.indianwellsgolfresort.com.
Indian Wells Golf Resort is professionally managed by OB Sports Golf Management, a diversified, golf-oriented company with a long history of success. OB Sports currently manages 30 premier golf courses and country clubs throughout the United States and Mexico. Known for its comprehensive and personalized services since 1972, OB Sports has become widely acclaimed as the leader in boutique-style golf course management. For more information on OB Sports, visit www.obsports.com or call (480) 948-1300.
Contact:
Jeff Lessig, Indian Wells Golf Resort
(760) 346-4653, jlessig@iwgr.com
Nancy Samuelson, City of Indian Wells
(760) 346-2489 nsamuelson@indianwells.com
